Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Source: Purchased

Pages: 325

Series: Standalone

Release Date: February 26, 2013

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Two misfits.

One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

I have had this book for a little while now and just recently decided that I would pick it up. To be honest, I'm not really sure why it took me so long to finally read it. THIS BOOK IS SO AMAZING. 

This is the second book that I read by Rainbow Rowell (Review for Fangirl coming tomorrow!) I was kind of scared to read this book because I had heard SO many good things about it and I didn't want to not like it. I know, that's a silly reason to not read a book, but it happened. Oh well. Finally, I was like what the heck and started reading it. At first, I was a little iffy about it. But then the more I read, the more I got hooked!

I love love love Eleanor. She is the furthest thing from perfect. She's not "skinny", she's not popular, she doesn't dress normal, she has a "I don't care what you think" attitude, and her home life is anything but normal. You really have no choice but to kind of feel bad for her because of everything that she has been through in all her years of living. But because of all of that, it made me love Eleanor even more. She is so unique and just an amazing character. 

Park was a boy that a lot of girls would love to have as theirs. At least I would. He was super sweet and just as awkward as Eleanor was! He was so funny and was definitely swoon-worthy at times. And Park and Eleanor together? SO PERFECT. You probably wouldn't think they were perfect for one another in the beginning of the story, but you learn as you read that they are absolutely perfect for one another. 

Usually I am not a fan of reading books with multiple points of view. However, I LOVED it in this book. It helped me be able to feel all the emotions that both characters were dealing with and feeling. You were able to see that both came from different lives but you could also see that they had a lot in common as well. You were able to see just how much they needed each other and how much they deserved to be together. 

I am just going to briefly write about someone I HATED in the book. Eleanor's idiotic step-dad. Personally if I was dating/married to someone like him and I knew what he was doing to my children, I would find a way to leave him. There is no way that I would sit there and allow him to do things to me AND my children. NO. I can't stand men like him. Men like him deserve to rot in jail. I'm going to end it with that because just thinking about it makes me SO angry. Definitely read the book if you want to find out more about this idiot.

Now the ending.. I have mixed emotions about the ending. I feel like it was kind of rushed and there were some questions that we were left trying to figure out. I wanted to know more about what was happening with Eleanor. I wanted to know what the postcard said. I kind of have a feeling as to what it said, but I'd like to know for sure! What was going to happen with Eleanor and Park? I want to know more!

Overall I really enjoyed this book a lot. Like I said, this is my second book I have read by her. It will definitely not be my last either. She is such an amazing author. If you are a fan of contemporary novels, definitely pick this book up. You'll love it!