Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Hi there! It's been a while! I've been working a lot, so I haven't had too much time to post reviews, but rest assured, I've read quite a few books and I'm working on getting reviews up for each one!

Anyway, on to the review.......

I really loved this book. I thought it was so sweet, and a refreshing change from your typical YA romance novel. I loved that you can see their relationship grow, and feeling them fall in love. Being able to see both points of views added so much to the character and relationship development and made it all feel so much more believable.

The story centers around Eleanor, a misfit girl with an abusive home life who meets and slowly creates a wonderful friendship/relationship with Park, your average boy dressed in black who loves comic books and music. The book is set in the 1980’s and it so much more realistically paced than most YA novels I’ve read to date. Seeing their relationship blossom from the awkward discomfort to that intense first love is something most people can relate to.

Rowell has such a spectacular way of writing, that even a scene where nothing but Eleanor and Park holding hands can just take your breath away.

I loved that their characters, especially Eleanor, were both so unique and engrossing. Though they are such different and atypical characters, you can still relate to what they’re feeling, creating a genuine attachment to them.

Although not very much happens in the book (it has a slow, comfortable pace), it is still so interesting to read and incredibly captivating. Rowell paints such an intriguing picture and you truly become attached to the characters. The ending was lovely in my opinion. Not your fairytale everything-works-out kind of ending, but a refreshing, hopeful way to tie together the whole novel (but also a little painful and tear jerking).

I would definitely recommend this book to people searching for a more realistically paced romance (I can’t be the only one annoyed with those novels where the couple seems to fall in love in a day?)

8/10

P.S I heard there’s talks of this book becoming a movie! I’d love to see that, and hope the cast can do these incredibly unique characters justice!