Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

"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. (Good Reads)

Oh sweet day what a delightful book and indeed a perfect book to start this year off. I'm still taking longer to get through a book these days (see last year) but I really looked forward to getting back to this one. We received an ARC at work and it was placed in my mailbox. Turns out two other co-workers read it and loved it and thought I would too.  They are not young adult readers at all so it surprised them that they would enjoy it as much as they did.

The beat of this book reminded me  Fault in our Stars by John Green. It had the quick, right-on, back and forth dialogue of youth. I took to it because sprinkled in were references to the 1980s, MY youth. I liked that it didn't have the cell phones, the texting, the internet, the social media element that is so heavy in youth culture these days. It just had Eleanor and Park and their clunky fall into first love. 

Eleanor is a new kid in a new school. She comes back to live with her mom and her stepdad after being booted out a year before. Feeling like an outsider and an intruder in her "home", along with her siblings, she just tries to coast by, unseen. This is hard to do when you consider yourself to be "fat", tall and have enormous red curly hair. She meets Park on the school bus and he, being uncomfortable with his jerky friends picking on the new girl, offers up the only available seat, next to him.

This begins an awkward yet so dead on tumble into love.

Eleanor's life is unsafe, not easy to read at times but she allows herself, eventually to seek relief and happiness with Park.

This book was so wonderfully written. Easy to read, completely relatable, absolutely moving. Highly recommended. I swear it will find the success and following that Fault in our Stars found. It has to! 

Author Website: Rainbow Rowell
Purchase: Indie Bound
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child