Eleanor & Park

A surprising story after all...

I'm not the biggest fan when it comes to strictly romance novels. I'm more into stories that incorporate romance but don't make it the biggest focus of the novel. However, picking up Eleanor & Park was a shock to me, even though I did it willingly. I'd heard about Fangirl and Rainbow Rowell and was somewhat interested in her work, so I decided to get a library copy of the novel. Now I wish I had my own copy.

For starters, I loved the fact that the novel took place in 1986. Call me a sucker for eighties teen films, but that aspect of the novel definitely hooked me. It also reminded me of The Perks of Being A Wallflower, which is one of my favorite YA novels (and book-to-film adaptations). I also loved the characterizations of Eleanor and Park. They weren't your typical couple that you find in most romance stories. They were complicated and got in the way of their happiness, but then found ways to work around their problems for the sake of love.

I was definitely shocked by the ending (which I won't spoil if you're reading this as someone who's trying to decide whether to read the book or not). It's something that I didn't expect, and when it happened, I was just hoping that Rowell would do a complete 180. It was a really great ending, I just have feels about it. Now for some pros and cons...

Pros:
1. Eleanor and Park as characters. They kept the story interesting. This is definitely a character-driven novel.
2. How Eleanor and Park bond. Reminds me of Perks, but the way Rowell writes it is just perfect.
3. Their relationship isn't rushed. I'll just leave it there. It feels organic.
4. The friendships and familial relationships in the novel were great. I definitely loved the relationship between Park and his mom.

Cons:
1. I only had one con, being that I didn't know exactly when Eleanor and Park got together. I mean, their relationship was great in the story, I just didn't feel that transition from acquaintances to friends to love interests. I even went back through to see when that exact moment was. I guess you could just use the context clues and connect the pieces. That was really my only con. If someone can pinpoint the exact moment, they could let me know! I know it's all subjective, but if you have an idea, feel free to fill me in.

At the end of it all, I'd give Eleanor & Park a 4/5. Not entirely perfect, due to some slow moments and how the main issue was resolved, but still a great read!