Eleanor & Park

There is nothing I don't like about this book. It made me cry. Lines from it haunted me for days. I wanted to give up on writing because I felt like I could never write a romance this sweet. And I couldn't find any other books to read because they weren't this book.

I just really liked it.

I normally love a star crossed love story, but I had been kind of avoiding this one because I got kind of obsessed and burnt out on a TV star crossed romance. It was Battlestar Galactica and for anyone who's seen it, you know about its terrible horrible no good very bad ending. Not that I'm bitter. So I was a little gun shy, especially after I read the prologue where Park talks about Eleanor's disappearance. But then I went to the beach for a week and decided to give E&P a go. So glad I did. It has all that intensity of first time teenage love, and the additions of being high school outcasts and Eleanor's terrifying home life give a sense of urgency to their relationship. Park's parents are well-drawn, especially his father, who is somewhat distant to Park but comes through in a big way when E&P need him the most. Ditto the mean, popular kids at school, who torment E&P throughout but end up probably saving Eleanor. Plus, 80s awesomeness and a bittersweet but hopeful ending. I did feel like the climax was a little rushed, but that's a small criticism in an otherwise brilliant novel.

First thing you need to know about Rainbow's books- they're cute but not overly sweet. Just enough warmth combined with colorful sprinkles. Rainbow's basically offering us a delicious cupcake every time we pick her book up.

Eleanor & Park is the second Rowell book I read. I read Attachments last October and even though it was a bit weird (because of the sort of stalker-ish guy) I loved every part of it. In my short review I said her work is 'a Stephanie Perkins of adult sweet romances'.

In a world of insta-love Rainbow delivers a stellar story about two misfits. During their bus rides they start to read comics together and listen to Park's Walkman. Eleanor lives with her mother, stepfather and 3 other siblings. Her stepdad is a abusing bastard, mom is just taking it and her siblings are tattle tales. On the other side we have Park and his biggest concern is to learn how to drive a stick.

I'd love to give you more insight about the whole story itself but I'm afraid I'll reveal way too much so you're just going to have to trust my word for it. After all, I'm not one of those easily impressed readers. Hell, check my average GR rating. It's embarrassingly low.

It's hard to explain Rainbow's magic. You're either her fan or not. Her books are on my auto-buy list. If you don't mind reading a slow and steady young adult contemporary romance and love authors like Sara Zarr, Stephanie Perkins, Sarah Ockler or Sarah Dessen. Basically, any author with an S in the name will do. :P

7 words. There are 7 words that summarizes everything I want to say about this book and what I want to say to the author. It made me wanna fall in love.

Reading Eleanor & Park was an awesome experience. It surprised me with how amazing it was. I felt so connected not just with the characters but everything else. I felt connected to the whole story itself like every small part of it was a part of my body. It made me smile and laugh at unexpected times, but it also made me cry. It wasn’t dramatic at all but the way it was written already hooked me from the start that every move the character made greatly affected me.

The characters were amazing. A few bloggers already said that this book was like the TV series, My Mad Fat Diary so the way Rae looked stuck with me while I was reading the whole story. I just have to change her hair color to Eleanor’s red hair and add a few things with her outfit but it was pretty much the same (in my head anyway). What was different and amazing about it was that Eleanor wasn’t the typical female protagonists that was usually seen in YAs. Although most female characters were not popular or sometimes bullied, they were usually thin or actually beautiful if only they wore the right clothes and didn’t hide their body. Or that they were actually prettier than the mean girl but for some reasons, only the male lead character notices this. Here in Eleanor & Park, Eleanor was nothing like that. She was weird and big. She wears weird clothes that seems to scream that she doesn’t care what others think (but she actually does). In short (and to be blunt), she was not attractive at all but she still stood out above them all. Yes, she was weird but she’s pretty amazing too. While reading, I totally understood why Park was attracted to her. She is the kind of person that I want to be friends with; someone who’s smart and passionate about things they love. It made me want to hug her every time she talks about music. I can clearly picture her out with her eyes shining while unknowingly flashing a huge smile.

Park was adorable, amazing, cool, endearing, precious, epic, etc. He will be, without a doubt, go to my book boyfriends list. It all started with his conscience and that 6 inches of space that separated them in the bus, but everything after that was like fireworks. For some reasons, I see him as a hope that there are still guys who are into girls not because of how they look. But above all of Park’s awesomeness, what I loved most about him was his flaws. He sometimes showed some insecurities and sometimes has this urge to please other people just to fit it. And while those might be typical stuff teenagers went through, it was shown how this would contradict to what he wanted to do or what he was supposed to feel about something. It made him more real and more human.

Other than the two of them, another favourite of mine was Park’s parents. They weren’t perfect and there were times when I wanted to hate them for what they said or the decision they made but despite that, they were sweet and understanding. Park’s mother and father might have differences with Eleanor and Park, respectively, but they still made up for it and really tried. And it was really nice to see parents in YAs who are still very much in love with each other.

Eleanor’s family was—ugh, I can’t even think about them right now. Although they are in a very poor situation and that I’m supposed to sympathize, I can’t help but get pissed with them. Maybe more pissed with the mother than the kids, but pissed nonetheless. I really hate it when parents can’t fight for their kids and I kept waiting Eleanor’s mom to stand up for herself and for her children the whole time I was reading it. Although Eleanor said that her dad didn’t want her or implied that he was a jerk whenever he was mentioned, I can’t help but see that he was actually better than her mother. If only they had the option to stay with him. Her and her siblings.

I can’t help but want more after that ending. But somehow, it also felt right for it to end that way. Like Eleanor usually said, it just stopped. It was like there was no ending, it just stopped. Whatever they felt for each other was still the same and although there were a lot of changes, it felt like nothing has changed.. at least between them (except the obvious).

I am in love with this story. I am in love with the characters. I am in love with every piece of this book.

“Because people want to remember what it’s like to be young? And in love?”

Yes.

What can I say, I have soft spot for contemporary novels. I enjoy that it was set in the 80s, and sweet love story between the main characters. I really is a beautiful novel. I highly encourage to pick up the book :)

Before I start off, I have to say the author has one incredible name - Rainbow.

Eleanor and Park is a contemporary romance novel. Normally, I wouldn't read any books that were set in the 1980's, but this was one exception due to all the hype around this book. I absolutely think that this book lives up to its hype.

I loved Eleanor. Everything she felt, I felt as well. I was crying and crying over what she was feeling. All the insecurities she was facing with definitely represents some of the challenges other girls are dealing with now. My heart broke into two when her clothes was stolen and she was forced to walk around in her gym suit. Eleanor was ashamed of her body, yet she tried her best to embrace it. Eleanor struggled with life but yet she kept moving forward.

Park and Eleanor were so cute. I loved how they met, their witty conversations and their love for comics and music. I was crying happily whenever they were talking. One of my friends called me dramatic because I was crying.

I didn't like the ending. I was absorbing the ending and when I flipped the page, hoping to see that Eleanor and Park would meet each other again, I ended flipping to the acknowledgement page. I know lots of other readers enjoyed the ending, but I didn't. I wanted more.

Overall, Eleanor and Park was a great YA novel. I can't wait for her new book, Fangirl to be released!

I know I have more to read for April ARCS, but I couldn't put off Eleanor and Park anymore. It was screaming at me from my library pile. It was begging me to read it. I just had to comply.

Eleanor and Park may be one of the sweetest books I've ever read. It made hand-holding one of the most intimate actions. I want someone to hold my hand the way Park holds Eleanor's. It was beautiful. There was so much innocence, so much sincerity in their steps towards first love. Falling in love for the first time is one of the most wonderful things in the world. It also can be the most heart breaking.

In the midst of such a sweet story, there was a honest misery to be found. The life that Eleanor lives is thankfully foreign to me. Her home is broken, unstable, and could and does erupt at a moment's notice. Her stepdad is a class-A creep, and I could not even deem him with the title "man". He feels the need to take away joy and maintain his control, with force if necessary. Her family has just about no money. I mean Eleanor doesn't even own a toothbrush. That part of Eleanor is a desolate one. Throw in the "mean girls" at school, and you have a good picture of what Eleanor faces.

Park has a home life full of love and has never had to worry about food or clothes or money. His one concern is the fact that he doesn't line up with his former-military dad's idea of what he should be like. He fails on many accounts of his dad's ideals. Still, the one thing his dad and himself agrees with is that Eleanor is worth the time. Park is sincere and eager with the innocence of youth. He loves music and comic books. Over time, he begins to bring Eleanor the things he loves, sharing them with her. He even goes as far to provide batteries for her walkman when he figures out that for some reason, she doesn't have access to them. Park though learns to see Eleanor for who she is, and the way he treats her most of the time was full of honor and true "knight in shining armor" style. Another serious plus is that Eleanor and Park talk a great deal of the time in terms of comics and music. The nerd in me sincerely enjoyed that aspect.

Ms. Rowell's writing style is clean, full of flawless wit and capturing emotions we all feel in a beautiful writing. I experienced so many of the emotions with Eleanor and Park. I was incredibly impressed with the style I found in those pages. The book captures what it means to fall in love for the first time, all the awkwardness and beauty in the moments of all the "firsts" and the joys they bring.

If John Hughes and John Green had a baby, it would be Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, a beautifully written story about two misfit teens finding love in the 1980s.

This magnificent book will fit neatly on bookshelves alongside old and new classics like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Catcher in the Rye, and Looking for Alaska.