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whenmalanereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“Don't get so hung up on gender roles,” Eleanor said. … “You can be Han Solo,” he said, kissing her throat. “And I'll be Boba Fett. I'll cross the sky for you.”
"And where there was a walk-man there was the possibility of music."
“I don’t like you, Park. Sometimes I think I live for you”
"Holding Eleanor’s hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.”
“Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.”
I know this book is quite old. This is a book where if I had read it when it first came out I would have LOVED it. LOVED it so much. I still really liked this book for what it is and it's a cute teenage love story. I liked that it took place in the 80s and I liked that it had so many music references. I could see myself absolutely being friends with Eleanor and with Park. I could imagine myself hanging out with them as a teenager.
Eleanor is annoying at some points in the book and that's fine. Not every character is going to be perfection and not every person is going to like every book character. Eleanor's background leads to some of the issues with her personality I don't like and that's also not her fault. The way she grew up.
I liked the characters though. Except Richie. What an ass.
If you're looking for an easy to read book that's also easy to listen to (I listened to the audio book version) then I can recommend this.
"And where there was a walk-man there was the possibility of music."
“I don’t like you, Park. Sometimes I think I live for you”
"Holding Eleanor’s hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.”
“Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.”
I know this book is quite old. This is a book where if I had read it when it first came out I would have LOVED it. LOVED it so much. I still really liked this book for what it is and it's a cute teenage love story. I liked that it took place in the 80s and I liked that it had so many music references. I could see myself absolutely being friends with Eleanor and with Park. I could imagine myself hanging out with them as a teenager.
Eleanor is annoying at some points in the book and that's fine. Not every character is going to be perfection and not every person is going to like every book character. Eleanor's background leads to some of the issues with her personality I don't like and that's also not her fault. The way she grew up.
I liked the characters though. Except Richie. What an ass.
If you're looking for an easy to read book that's also easy to listen to (I listened to the audio book version) then I can recommend this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, and Cursing
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Cursing, Bullying, and Body shaming
zuzu_lang's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Amazing and emotional. The romance is wonderful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Racism, Cursing, and Body shaming
valeriaana_reads's review against another edition
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, and Body shaming
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Pedophilia
bettymer91's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Violence
marlee_grace's review
dark
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. It was sweet and I liked the characters, I really saw them. But I just found the entire plot dragged on way too long. Slow burn for a disappointing ending with strings left untied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Violence
rafacolog's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Racism, Fatphobia, Bullying, and Domestic abuse
jo_555's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This book was really cute, but i think i might just be to old for it. The storyline felt a little unrealistic but I would probably have loved this when i was 11-ish. I loved the way Park described Eleanor, and the ending was really beautiful and sad, but other than that the characters where kinda flat. But the worst part about this book was definetly the microagressions, the book is filled with weird racist remarks, and the main character (who is korean) is called PARK?! Like???? Im asuming it was to show how racist society was back then, but like the whole ninja thing and the random comment about the black guy?? If you want to write a character who struggels with race, you need to do some research, atleast enough to know you can’t call a korean guy Park.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
yolie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
My favourite book of the year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism and Dysphoria
Minor: Racism
lj_baldwin's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The story sometimes felt like it was not going anywhere which could be frustrating. I also initially thought the book would be a much more mushy read, and more heavily music focus than it turned out to be. What I found instead was a pure love between incompatible people (maybe more a matter of incompatible lives and experiences), and a behavioural pattern from Eleanor that on a personal note was too triggering at times. I'm not sure yet if I "liked" it, but at the very least can say that Rainbow Rowell's writing was pleasant enough to make it a quick reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Fatphobia
maxgold's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
If Park wasn’t so poorly written and the racism was better managed I’d have given closer to a five star. The only thing saving it from one star was the fact that I enjoyed it when I read it. At the time of reading it would have been a 4.5, but after learning more about it it’s dropped significantly and become a book I strive to write better than when it comes to covering racism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Bullying, Racism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Homophobia and Body shaming