Spoiler alert: Don't continue reading this if you would like to read this book in the future:
This book was 80% awesome. Written in a journal-like fashion, it feels genuine and realistic. I felt a lot better about my retrospective self because I thought I was the only one who noticed small oddities and had strange trails of thought. At times, the stereotypical vocabulary of a young teen got kind of annoying, but when reading about a girl during her 9th grade year, eh... it was somewhat easy to get over. Something is hinted at through most of the book, and it was a mystery for all of 5 minutes. (This is where the spoiler is...) Being a coming of age story, it had to have a huge tragedy in it. Tragedy = rape. Although I didn't have to wonder about it for several chapters, I really liked how the character's behavior truly reflected that of a real-life rape victim. Though sad at times, I never felt flat-out heartbroken like I did while reading Perks of Being a Wallflower. One of the best things about this book is that the character uses art (drawing trees for a whole year! Win!) as a means to express herself. Add art to any story, and there is a good chance I will at least like it some.
Next up: I'm already half-way through my favorite book! The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
