This book cracked me up from beginning to end. The language used by the characters was crude and not so subtly racist but it fit into the whole story well. The ending was not my favorite, but it was a happy ending so I guess I shouldn’t complain. This book was made for a younger audience but it wasn’t a bad listen. I was actually recommended this book by a stranger (window cashier) from Starbucks. I didn’t know what to listen to next so I asked him if he likes to read. He said no but he couldn’t put this book down two summers ago and actually finished it in two sittings. I think I will ask other strangers what they recommend as well. ( )

This book perfectly captures teen romance and angst. Is that a good thing? Yes. Does that mean I liked it? Eh. This had nothing to do with Rowell's writing, in fact she did a really good job capturing the feel of teenage emotions and insecurity. I loved that she incorporated music and comic books as a way for Eleanor & Park to bond and start their whirlwind romance. The feelings and love may have been quick after that however their teenagers, teenagers are delicate and emotional. Their hormones make them insecure about their appearance, which make them emotionally insecure which translates to romantically insecure, so when they find someone to bond with they immediately latch on, and I saw that in Rowell writing.

It wasn't instalove, more like a quick love that rollercoastered. Honestly, I am just too old for the book to have any emotional effect. My favorite parts were when she incorporated music and comic books because I remember them from when I was young and knew exactly what she was talking about. Good ol' nostalgia. Another thing I like was that the ending was not predictable. On the first page it lead me to believe one thing, and I kept reading with the intention of the book turning out a certain way, but it didn't and I like that.

While it did mention some racial issues, which Park being Asian American during the 80s and all, it seems like she sugar coated what could have been a really been something big. I am a product of a Bi-racial relationship so I know the tensions that can come with a relationship like that, add on bullying and the other issues presented in this book and wow this could have turned into something supremely meaningful. I can fault Rowell however, since can authors really completely understand and writing about things they have not encountered in their life?

Overall this is a YA book, and I think any young adult would love it which why this book is so popular. So if you’re a Young Adult go ahead and read this. Tell me what you think ( )

Lovely book. I especially loved the change of pace near the end. ( )

There was some heart-breaking stuff in there, I felt so bad for Eleanor and how she had to grow up. ( )

Eleanor is the new girl at school, who’s quiet and who dresses weird and whom everyone calls Big Red because of her hair and her weight. Park is a fairly popular kid with a fairly normal life. Their two very different worlds come together when Park scoots over to make room for Eleanor on the bus one morning. They slowly become sort-of friends, and then more-than friends. But Eleanor is difficult to get close to, because her homelife is awful: shitty mom, shitty dad, and even shittier stepdad. Because of them, she doesn’t even have a toothbrush, not to mention the capacity to believe in the good in other people. When Eleanor can hardly believe that Park could possibly like her, and when Park feels much the same about her, how can such a relationship be anything but doomed?

It was…okay. I think my reading of it suffered from hearing so much hype about it for so long. I was expecting miraculous and instead got a good, but not exceptionally so, YA romance. Yes, Eleanor’s story is important representation, and yes, I suspect that if I had read it when I was in junior high I would have had heart eyes for it, but now the romance bit was just too heavy handed for me. So, I think it’s probably spot on for its intended audience, but it’s not a YA that carries over well to older audiences (or at least this particular member of said audience). ( )