Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (322 pages)
This book is a great little YA romance. I stepped out of my normal fare and took a chance on it after a rare spontaneous buy during a Daily Deal.
I've always wanted to read something by Rainbow Rowell and this was a cute book.
It's the 80's and one day, high school sophomore Park is sitting in his seat on the bus when a new girl- in boys clothes and strips of cloth in her hair- climbs aboard and looks for a seat. Harassed by the back of the bus for looking so different, Eleanor is angrily told by Park to sit down and he begrudgingly slides over in his seat. Thus, begins the story of Eleanor and Park.
Rowell gives us two characters that immediately draw you in. Written in short chapters and sub chapters, each one is from the perspective of Eleanor or Park- but not in their voice, which is unusual but worked. The story isn't uneventful, but isn't knock out oh my either. I enjoyed it a lot though, it got better and better as the book went along, really sucking me in in the last 20%.
I hated the ending though.
Definitely worth $1.99.