Eleanor & Park (Rainbow Rowell)

****

         Eleanor is not normal, something Park notices the second she climbs onto the school bus with her crazy hair, eccentric clothes, and less-than-perfect body.  But when his classmates refuse to give her a seat, Park does the unthinkable and tells her to sit next to him.  And, to his horror, she does.
         As the weeks go by, Park's interest in Eleanor grows.  She reads the comics that he brings on the bus.  He brings her a stack to take home every night.  She comes to his house and is fascinated by his music.  He starts to make mix tapes just for her.  She eats dinner with his family every night to avoid her own.  Soon, Eleanor and Park want to spend all of their time together.  They want to make this work.  Maybe, though, first love isn't meant to work, especially when the cards are stacked against them.  Maybe they will have to choose between what they want, and what they need to do.

         This was a really really good book.  Yeah, I know that's kind of a lame way to say what I'm trying to say . . . but it's also true.  Eleanor & Park is sad, happy, depressing, exciting, upsetting, and uplifting.  Talk about an emotional roller coaster.  There was some pretty heavy emphasis on first love, etc, but the book also dealt with bullying and various family problems.  It was balanced, at least as far as YA romance goes.  As usual, it's been a while since I've read this book, so I can't remember most of the specific pros and cons.  The fact that I only remember positive things is probably a good sign!  My main criticism of this book is that it makes a lot of references to 80s culture (I mean, a lot) which made me feel very un-hipster.  Which I guess is accurate.  Anyway, if you want a great YA romance, Eleanor & Park was practically made for you - go read it!

Rating: 4/5
Completed: June 27, 2013