"Eleanor and Park" by Rainbow Rowell

This book is very popular with book reviewers and booktubers and I had heard a lot of good things about it. So I got this book as a birthday present for myself this year. I actually finished reading it a couple of weeks ago but could not bring myself to write about it. It is one of those books that you savor and just enjoy the feeling it gives you.

About the plot: it is a young adult novel set in the 1980s. It is a story of two misfits who completely by chance  end up sitting next to each other on a school bus. They gradually become friends and fall in love. The book is filled with 1980s music and TV references. It very realistically describes the feelings of teenage insecurity, bullying and first love. However, it is not a fluffy romance story. Eleanor has a difficult life at home and at school; and Park has his own struggles with identity. The story is very engaging and will keep you interested until the very end.

Now to the writing: Rainbow Rowell is an extraordinary writer. Check out her website/blog if you get a chance to get a taste of her writing. It is witty, original and authentic. I ended up getting two more books by her: Fangirl, which is another YA novel and next on my list to read, and Attachments, an adult novel that I also cannot wait to read. She also has a new adult book out that just came out earlier this month called Landline. If you have nothing to read for the Labor Day weekend, I would highly recommend that you choose a Rainbow Rowell book. She is amazing.