Overall, I gave it three stars because three stars on Goodreads means I "liked it." I did like it, but I didn't love it or even really like it. I think, if I read this as a teenager, then I would have loved it. I would have been able to relate to it but I can no longer relate to that time. I suppose I'm not too big into coming of age stories anyway...is what I'm learning. I liked Charlie; I liked his brilliance and his honesty. The thing that holds me back is it felt like, as one reviewer pointed out, a bunch of rambling. I do agree with some reviewers in that I think it's a bit overrated, but again I think it all depends on how relateable it is to you and at near 27 it is not relateable to me; so it seemed like a lot of whining at times. I am interested to see how the movie turns out.