ELEANOR & PARK

I'm sitting here staring at this little box wondering what I'm going to write that will do this book justice. Do I need to explain to you what Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is about? Do you even need to be persuaded that you should read it? And can I even possibly start to write the review that this book deserves? I highly doubt so, but I'm going to try anyway.

The ending was admissible. It was unacceptable and I'm demanding a refund on my emotions, and I know some of you say that it doesn't always have to be a happy ending and shit but I WANTED ONE, OKAY? HELLO? It was supposed to be a cute one about riding the bus and I knew I'll love the book but I did not ask for this!

Eleanor and Park is a love story, obviously, but it is also so much more than that. 

It's cute, and I had seen a lot of people talk about how adorable the story was, and how cute the romance was and it was generally all rainbows (no pun intended!) and unicorns. I started the book expecting it to be cute, understandably, so I wasn't prepared for how down right moving and astonishingly sad it was yet it seems obvious to me now cos Eleanor and Park is bona fide and realistic, right down to the teenage awkwardness and self-awareness that Rowell is known for. 

This book features a toxic household and an abusive stepfather, Richie. As triggering as it was, it was important for me to read about a character going through these things. Being afraid to come home thinking, "will he be in a bad mood?" "will he hit me?" "yell at me?" "demean me?" Running into your room and spending all your time in your room for fear of crossing paths with Richie. That transition from being afraid of arguments between your stepfather and someone else to being able to sleep through them. Going into your room and finding your valuable belongings destroyed- the list is endless and whenever Richie came into a scene, whenever his name was mentioned, I felt such intense rage. I thought of what I'd do in Eleanor's situations and what I would have done in her situations. I kept thinking of how I could help protect her from her stepfather, which is a weird feeling when you realize she's just a fictional character but at the same time, not at all. People go through this all the damn time and it's down right disgusting.

"If you can't save your own life, is it even worth saving?"

This book has good life lessons, it has little giggles and funny one-liners. Relatable characters, real-life thought processes about toxic homes, bullying, love and self-love. 

"What are the chances you'd ever meet someone like that? he 

wondered. Someone you could love forever, someone who would 

forever love you back? And what did you do when that person was

 born half a world away? The math seemed impossible."

I loved the pace of their relationship, the safe havens they built for each other and the healthiness of their romance. It was so exquisite to read about a teenage couple who seem to bring out so much good in each other. So many favored parts- over-shoulder reading and Park slowing down, the brawl in his bedroom, and so many others (but I don't wanna spoil anything).

"It was just that kind of night. Every time she looked at

him, he was looking back at her. Every time she thought

about kissing him, he was already closing his eyes."

Oh, Eleanor. I know almost all of us symphatized with the outcast, but this Eleanor girl, is just beyond amazing, and her life at home, was so visceral. Her fears, too. Her anxiety got to me.

"There's only one of him, she thought, and he's right here. He

knows I'll like a song before I've heard it. He laughs before I 

even got to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just

below his throat, that makes me want to let him open doors

for me. There's only one of him."

And Park's character is even amusing. One of the infrequent characters who is so truthful and forthright in his thoughts. He thinks he might be one of the more popular kids just because he's the only half-Asian in Omaha and that makes him one of the rare species. And him developing a crush on Eleanor and what he first thought of her and what he thinks of her now.

"And when Eleanor smiled, something broke inside him.

Something always did."

Park and Eleanor's parents were particularly well developed, too, which is impactful, considering the development that went into the main characters. 

This is the novel that you'll read and understand why people love it so much, and even if it's not your cup of tea, it WILL be your cup of tea once you bury yourself in this paperback. This goes down as one of my favourite books of 2016, and Park goes onto my favourite heroes shelf, because he is the best kind of hero. The one who saves his girl against all odds, who fights against the world because of his fondness. 

"Nothing before you counts. And I can't even imagine an after."

When I finished this book, all I could say was "Awww," If you're looking for a relatively light read that's utterly adorable sprinkled with Elvis Costello and Watchmen, then this is for you. Eleanor and Park has been compared to John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars," but fret not, you will NOT bawl your eyes out reading this. You may, however, be sighing throughout the whole freaking book.

Oh god, I can't believe it took me this long to read Eleanor & Park.

And man, I still want to know what those three words are, dammit!