This is a re-read for me, and, if you know me, you know that rarely happens. I scarcely ever re-read a book, as I'm always aware of how much I have yet to read and explore, but I needed this book. Perks... was recommended to me by my younger sister and my dad, both loving it and making the same remark: 'You remind me of Charlie'. I read this as a teenager and it meant so much to me then so I was slightly concerned it wouldn't mean so much to me now a few years later but I needed Charlie, I needed this story again, so I read it anyway and I'm so happy I did. Mental health is typically depicted as being romantic, fixable by meeting just the right quirky person who can crack you out of your shell and bring out the best in you. It never works like that and Chbosky depicts this beautifully in the relationship between Charlie and Sam. Charlie isn't going to be fixed by anyone else, he has to participate, not only in life but in his own healing, and that was such a vital lesson for me to relearn as a twenty-three year old.