** spoiler alert ** 
 This is a well written book. That's why I gave it three stars. Other than that, I felt it was odd and/or strange. 'Charlie' is writing letters to someone he doesn't know. Overhearing a classmate talk about the receiver of his letters, he decides to write to them. Taking place for the most part during his freshman year, you get a glimpse of his life and the life of those around him. His jock brother who is away at college; his sister with her forbidden romance; Patrick and Sam, his new friends that take up most of his time and thoughts; Bill, his English teacher; and more. This book deals with issues of rape/molestation, relationship issues, underage drinking, drug usage, and peer pressure. 
 Just going off of what I can remember: 
 I didn't catch that Charlie was a boy right away. I still don't know if it was ever said what gender the reader/letter receiver is supposed to be. 
 Patrick and Sam felt off as step-siblings; if they didn't have dates, they would go with each other to dances/events. Patrick being gay was believable, as well as his relationship with Brad. I'm not sure how I feel about Sam. As a love interest, I actually like that Charlie didn't end up with her. He was in love with her, but other than mooning over her, he never did anything about it. Their last scene before she leaves for college was probably the best of the book. 
 Bill is the type of English teacher I would have liked to have. But I kept waiting for it to turn out that he was creeping on Charlie. No one thought it was weird all the times they met alone for lunch? No one was the slightest bit suspicious about a teacher inviting his student over to his house alone? Nothing bad happened (Charlie even met Bill's girlfriend and gets invited to their wedding later), but I would have been leery of my kid going off to meet a teacher I never met who seems to spend alot of time alone with my kid! 
 Charlie...was hard to figure out. He has some sort of disorder (after a LSD trip, it is hinted/suggested he is schizophrenic), which makes him have panic attacks and he basically shuts down. He has panic attacks throughout the book, but one episode is mentioned towards the end of the book, and at the end he suffers another one. His mother seems to be the only one concerned, and only at a couple places in the book. I don't know, I think some much was focused on his social life, that his parents seem distant and clueless, his sister self centered (which fits), and I'm not sure about what point there is to his brother really. The abundance and readily available alcohol and drugs seems off. It's not stated that he drank or smoked before meeting up with Patrick & Sam, yet he takes it all in stride. 
 Even after writing this, I can't give you a clear yes or no on if I liked the book.