Book Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

     After reading Fangirl, I seriously could not wait to get my hands on Eleanor and Park, so when I saw it in Walmart (Shocking, I know, I bought from somewhere other than Barnes and Noble or Book Outlet!) I snatched it up.

     Eleanor is the new girl at school, and- surprise, surprise- day one and she's already being picked on. On the bus, she sits next to Park, an Asian kid who seems to be in with the popular kids, but also seems to be apart from them at the same time. After a while, Eleanor and Park slowly become friends, and from there, more than friends, and Park defends her when she's bullied. But the notes on her textbooks that call her names and make sexual statements still come, and Eleanor suspects the girl that's been at the head of her taunting to be the one doing it. While managing the daily abuse at school, Eleanor has to deal with a step father who drinks and comes home to beat her mother, as well as live with strict rules. Always walking on pins and needles, until Park becomes her escape.

     It took me two days to finish it, and I still have mixed feelings. I loved the storyline! I loved that the characters weren't the average skinny white girl and muscle-y boy. But the story was sort of twisted... maybe "sick" would be a better word, what with the mental abuse Eleanor recieved. Overall, I did enjoy the book, and the ending was bittersweet, so I give it a three of five stars. I would recommend it to people who like a little mystery in their romance novels, and who want to read something that isn't about stereotypical "perfect" characters.

Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

     I'm not a big fan of contemporary romance, but everyone was raving about Fangirl and I knew I had to give it a try, so I started it last night. I did not want to put it down for anything. I couldn't sleep very well- I left off at an important chapter!- and then I had to endure a family dinner when there were less that 20 chapters left in the whole book. I was entranced. I adore this book for multiple reasons, which I will get to, but first: A synopsis.   

      Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is based around the life of Cath Avery, a freshman in college, an introvert, and, obviously, a fangirl. Cath has been one of the major fangirls, along with her identical twin sister, Wren, for as long as she could remember- The Simon Snow series was a worldwide phenom, books and movies and posters and fanfic. Lots and lots of fanfic. As a matter of fact, Cath is the creator of the biggest fanfic story of the past two years. When she and her sister head off to college, Cath has to learn to adjust to the lack of time she has to write her story, as well as figuring out her roommate and her roommate's overly-friendly-always-smiling personality. Between classes, writing her Simon Snow fanfic, studying, and going back home to check on her hare-brained dad, Cath can't handle much more stress; but that's just what she gets. Her mother, -who left when the girls were in third grade- suddenly wants to be a part of their lives, and Wren wants it too. Cath is strictly against anything that has to do with her mother- How dare she have the nerve to show up AFTER the parenting job was already done?!- and won't have anyone changing her mind. And then, to top it off, there's a boy. A boy who loves her fanfic, who loves farming, and who loves HER, and that was not something Cath hadn't planned on. That being said, she hadn't exactly planned on growing so distant from her sister and built-in best friend, either.

      Though the characters in this book were in college, I could actually relate to Cath a lot. She was part of a world-wide fandom, and she dedicates her life to it. You could say it... consumes her. It's nice to have a character so dedicated to her fandom- it's a real-life portrayal of how us bookworms really are. 

      Like I said, contemporary romance... Not generally my thing, but Fangirl... definitely broke the mold for the category. It was truly a wonderful read, and I'm so, so pleased to say that there were NO SEX SCENES!!! Quite a lot of language, and cussing, and she took her shirt off once, but other than that, I was elated to finish the book and not have found a single sexual scene. Refreshing, so refreshing. My respect lever for this author has skyrocketed.

     Most times when I finish a book, I'm sad that it's over and I want more. More, more, more! For Fangirl, though, I was extremely satisfied with the ending. There was a feeling of closure and rightness and "That was just perfect". It's the only novel that actually makes me giddy while reading. I'd stop to speak to my family and I'd be in a good mood- all smiles and laughs- just because the book had that affect on me. It just made me happy. Now that it's over, I don't want more, because I feel that anymore would ruin the perfectness of the story.

      I would recommend this book to every nerd girl out there. It's easy to relate with is you're a booknerd, and it makes you feel like, hey, maybe there really is a guy out there who will not only accept my obsession with books and fictional characters, but who will also encourage it. 

     Sorry if that's been an extra long and peppy review, I'm just really enthusiastic about this book. It's an absolute masterpiece.