Eleanor & Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Number of Pages: 325

When I realized how much John Green loved this book I checked it out and I fell in love instantly. I started hounding the librarians at the public library and my school to get this book (because I'm on a book buying ban), and two weeks later I had it in my hands. It was beautiful and now because of my fangirling of this book, my friends have loved this book, and more people are being exposed to it and loving this.

Here's the synopsis:

""Bono met his wife in high school," Park says."So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers."I’m not kidding," he says."You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen.""What about Romeo and Juliet?""Shallow, confused, then dead."''I love you," Park says."Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers."I’m not kidding," he says."You should be."
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under."

This is a story of two teenage kids. One with a somewhat normal life-as normal as someone's life can get-and one with a life she's trying to get away from. This story was amazing, beautiful, tear-jerking, and just plain words...the perfect story.

“You can be Han Solo," he said, kissing her throat. "And I'll be Boba Fett. I'll cross the sky for you.”

The first thing that I had to love about this book was all the music and comic book references..would you call them references? There was just a lot of talk about them, and I was in pure bliss. I had heard many of those songs, I read or knew most of the comics in the book. Though, if you don't get it this book will expose you to so much more music and reading material that it won't matter, because the book is just plain amazing.

The characters in this book were amazing. I have to say that Park is my asian version of my dream guy. I say that I love a person A LOT, but Park is like my other half. We love the same things like comics, music, DOCTOR WHO!!! Park was the perfect guy in this book. I'm actually kind of jealous of Eleanor right now. 

“Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.” 

May I just ask was kind of teenage boy asks something like that? That definitely describes him as the perfect guy. I definitely give Rainbow Rowell a 6 out 5 stars for creating a character like Park. 

“Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.” 

Eleanor was also a great character, she may not be the prettiest girl or the wittiest, but she has the pure heart and the good intentions. She makes Park curious and eventually he realizes that she is the perfect girl for him. I really love that she didn't make an effort to look nice by societies definition, she took what she had and made it into her style. It takes a lot of courage to do that and take the ridicule that comes with doing that. I wish I had Eleanor's courage and bravery.

The rest of the people in this story where a perfect part of this story. I must say I loved Park's mother. She might have been the bad guy for a brief time but I really liked her. She was a bit crazy about giving Eleanor a makeover and I absolutely love her personality and charm. Eleanor's stepdad made me want to knock his teeth out, I'm pretty sure if he was real I would have done it too.

The one thing that I really respect Rainbow Rowell for is that ending. Whenever I have read that kind of ending I usually end up not feeling as good about the book. The author created a ending that left me comfortable on how that situation was handled. Writing that kind of ending is risky, it could leave the readers feeling good about it and accepting it or they could hate it and be restless. Rainbow Rowell made the readers feel good about it.

This book is a must read for everyone, adults, teens, just everyone. This is one teen romance that I feel everyone will enjoy and grow to love and it will be passed around. Let's get the word out about this book!!

5 out of 5 star rating!