CONTAINS SPOILERS
Eleanor & Park is a story about two misfits, who are both smart enough to know that your first love almost never last. The story takes place over one school year in 1986. Eleanor is the new girl in school, she is a "big girl" and has a head full of bright red curls. Park is the only Asian kid in school, who enjoys reading comic books and he doesn't like his friends much. Eleanor and Park both live in the Flats neighbourhood of Omaha, however Park lives with his parents and younger brother in a nicely filled home, where as Eleanor lives in constant fear of her abusive step-father and has to share a tiny bedroom with her younger siblings.
When I first started to read Eleanor & Park I was shocked that I wasn't getting in to it. So by chapter 8, I could not read Eleanor & Park anymore and decided to stop and move on. I think this was because the start of the story was slow moving and felt repetitive. Then for the next few days, all I could think about was how were Eleanor and Park going to evolve and start a relationship? So I gave in and started reading Eleanor & Park again and oh my, that was the best decision I've made!
Eleanor & Park had me hocked from that second onwards. I found how they first started to communicate super cute, then everything from there just got cuter. I loved the way Eleanor and Park's relationship did developed throughout the book. Their relationship felt realistic and I could just relate to the school situation they were in and how they slowly fell in love.
Something that I really enjoyed about Eleanor & Park was the dual perspective. I believe that you got to know Eleanor and Park better as individuals. Also I liked how Rowell showed the contrast of Eleanor's home life compared to Parks home life. This was a part of the story that showed realism, because lets be honest now not everyone lives the life a "perfect home with a white picket fence".
My favourite part was chapter 45, where Park's mum made Park and Eleanor go out and see a movie or get a bite to eat. So they went but decided to go downtown and just hang out together rather then going to the movies or a restaurant. They visited a record store then went to a park and acted like a couple out in the open, which they hadn't been able to do yet. Then they went back to Park's car and ended up going to "second base" ohhahh ;). The whole chapter was just heart-melting and super cute.
If you like Young adult or teenage romance novels then this is the book for you. Overall, I give Eleanor & Park 4 out of 5 stars.
★ ★ ★ ★
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