Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
pages: 325
released: February 2013
publisher: St. Martin’s Press (MacMillan)
cover love: ♥♥♥♥♥

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn’t stick out more if she tried. Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book—he thinks he’s made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor… never to Eleanor. Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you’re young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose. (from goodreads)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON 5/20/2013 ON BOOKSLIKESTARS.NET

Review:

finally!!! A book I could finish. I thank Eleanor and Park and Rainbow Rowell for breaking my dnf streak.  The streak I blame firmly on John Green’s TFioS. I was getting worried I’d never get out that slump. But happily this book pulled me out of it

Simply put, reading Eleanor & Park was like taking a much needed breath of fresh air.

Here we have two main characters: a half-Asian/half-white comic book nerd from a well to do family and a poor plus-sized, flaming red-haired Scottish/Danish girl that fall for each other. And, without expecting to, change each others lives. You don’t see this type of diversity very often in the genre I love so much (YA) and it’s very much appreciated when you do come across it. I loved that the book took place in the 80s (my time) and that it wasn’t overly nostalgic. The romance between Eleanor and Park was sweet and believable. They were both so awkward that together they just made sense. I really had a soft spot in my heart for Eleanor though. She reminded me so much of myself at that age. Insecure and kind of bitter. And never being able to imagine any guy wanting to be a boyfriend. And definitely not knowing what the hell to do with one once you got one. LOL. I wish this book was published when I was sixteen.

That ending tho…How could it end so abruptly?

Not cool…

But I still loved loved loved this book anyway! Even if I’ll always have to wonder…

Fan of the book? Check out Eleanor & Park’s playlist,

4.5