Coming of age is never easy. that awkward transition from wanting to press every big red button to wanting to be taken seriously, it's not everyone's piece of cake. There's heartbreak, pimples, depression and then there's…more pimples. Hopefully one day you'll wake up and find that you're finally an adult and no one (other than your boss and society, sigh) can tell you what to do. Until then, there are many wonderful books that capture exactly how you feel right now. Here are some of the really good ones:

1. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky:
A wallflower is someone who sees everything, knows everything, but does not say a word. If you've ever felt that when you tried to talk, no one would listen or you seem to go by unnoticed at times, then you can probably relate to this book's narrator, Charlie. Charlie knows he's different. He has recently lost his best friend to suicide and so far, his only other friend in high school is his English teacher. The story begins when Charlie starts writing letters to an unidentified reader who will never be able to write back. The letters become quite confusing and obscure towards the end, creating an exceedingly accurate representation of depression and anxiety. With an extremely abrupt and morbid ending, this is definitely not for the fainthearted.

2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger:
This is book is the epitome of teen angst. It entirely consists of the rants of a 16 year old cynic, Holden Caulfield. Holden does not refrain from expressing his undying hate towards teachers and “phonies” (synonymous to “wannabes”); he dedicates pages to the phoniness of the world around him. Freshly kicked out of school, Holden goes around town pretending to be older than he really is and spewing hate at almost everything he sees. There is no lesson to be learnt from this book other than that growing up sucks and the immortal wish to hold onto childhood innocence that is never fulfilled. If you get through this book without hating it, then you'll probably love it. Ultimately, this book is one of the most plot-less and beautiful books I've ever read.

3. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
This is not a fun book to read, it does not dwell on feelings; however poetic Plath's writing may be. The Bell Jar is about a young writer, Esther Greenwood, dealing with depression and suicide, although it is eerily detached from what Esther feels about her own struggles. Esther is on the road to attaining everything she wanted -- a great job in New York and the prospect of marriage, but instead of contentment, she feels suicidal. Esther's slow decent into madness is often painful to read, but easy to relate to. Her survival in a world where women hardly ever achieve both success and love is inspiring.

4. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor and Park has two of the most unlikely central characters in an American novel -- Eleanor, “the chubby redhead” and Park, “the Asian kid”.  Eleanor and Park initially share a mutual dislike for each other, but with time they realise they also share a good taste in music and comic books and swiftly fall in love. Together, they break the shackles of their stereotypes, their home-lives and high school hierarchy. Despite the overwhelming use of 50s' pop music references, Rainbow Rowell's Y.A. book is light and touching. Whether or not you've had your first love yet, this book takes you on a heartbreaking journey. You feel what they feel -- sweaty palms, hollow breathing… the whole deal.

5. Carrie by Stephen King
Life is one big horror novel, more so for poor Carrie. With a fanatic mother who considers everything other than praying a sin, and some very cruel high school bullies in her life, Carrie is miserable. Because everyone around her is sadistic and/or insane, she feels like an outcast. When Carrie develops telekinetic powers, she feels even more alienated from what she calls “normal” people and tries to hide her abilities. Things seem to brighten up for Carrie when her crush supposedly takes some interest in her, but when her senior prom goes terribly wrong, she loses  all control of her secret gift. Carrie's story is one of sweet revenge that can only be expected from Stephen King, and every teen who calls their life a nightmare should read this book.