From the Bookshelf of Addicted to YA…

Eleanor & Park

Rainbow Rowell

Start date: July 1, 2013

Finish date: July 31, 2013

Discussion: Stand Alone

Why we're reading this: It won the poll for the stand alone BOTM
[close] It won the poll for the stand alone BOTM

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Stand Alone

* Stand Alone- Maybe Meant to Be
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last updated Aug 18, 2025 12:04PM

* Stand Alone- The Summer of Broken Rules
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What Members Thought

Nov 06, 2013 alana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, guilty-pleasures

Gahh, swoon! Mixed tapes of 80s music and big white girls falling in love with boys of Asian descent?! Hello, my life. I usually flee in horror from any book that could be called a "romance," but the time period and the protagonists (as well as this book's inclusion on the list of best books of 2013 for young adults) convinced me to give it a go. I really enjoyed how the family lives of both kids added so much to who they are as characters. And now I need to know what happens next even though I ...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, library-has, 2014

I put this book off, hesitated to read it, often "talked-about" and highly praised books "fall flat", or are not "my cup of tea".

On one of my reading groups people were talking, gushing even, about this book. I was told I MUST read it.

So I pulled out my kindle to read "just one chapter" since it was late and I had an early morning.
Six chapters later, and I reluctantly put it down.

The next day I kept sneaking in a chapter here and there.

I still did not want to like the characters.

Yet I read on a ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2014 Collette rated it liked it

Shelves: juv-and-ya

Yet another contemporary YA novel that I did not like as much as the New York Times and everyone else does.

PROS: Enjoyable, believable, slow-building "star-crossed" love story between two inexperienced teens with all of the usual angst and insecurity and petty misunderstandings.

Fairly decent, nostalgic flashback to the 1980s but not specifically 1986 (music, clothes, books, commercials, slang, etc.) for those of us who were teens in high school then -- which is probably part of the appeal of th Yet another contemporary YA novel that I did not like as much as the New York Times and everyone else does.

PROS: Enjoyable, believable, slow-building "star-crossed" love story between two inexperienced teens with all of the usual angst and insecurity and petty misunderstandings.

Fairly decent, nostalgic flashback to the 1980s but not specifically 1986 (music, clothes, books, commercials, slang, etc.) for those of us who were teens in high school then -- which is probably part of the appeal of this book and why it has taken off like wildfire. Some of the references weren't explained, which made me think that this book was written for the adults-who-read-YA market rather than teens themselves. And I was sad that she didn't mention any New Wave (guess Rowell listened to a lot of punk).

CONS: Some teens curse a whole helluva lot, but not always that damn much! (wink) I almost didn't make it through the first chapter because the cursing seemed excessive and gratuitous, as though Rowell struggled to make her characters believable. After the first chapter, the cursing was toned down and "peppered" the story in a much more believable manner.

On occasion Eleanor or Park's dialogue (author's word choice) was too adult.

Rowell could have tied up loose ends about Eleanor's family just a little more at the end.

In a marginally diverse area of the Midwest in the mid-1980s I think that Eleanor and Park would have met at least one character who strongly disapproved of the match along racial lines.

Completely unbelievable: that Eleanor, being white, would not have been even more ostracized by her peers for her friendship with Beebi and DeNice, whose names and dialogue, by the way, seem like a stereotypical caricature of two black teen girls.

Despite all of this, if I were still a teen librarian I would still consider this part of my current Reader's Advisory repertoire because of its popularity and award-status (though the Horn Book win surprises me), although I would be more likely to recommend it to Gen X adults.
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Dec 02, 2014 Megan Robinette rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-books

I'm still digesting this one. But one moment really stands out to me...

**spoilers**

When Park is trying to sneak out to help Eleanor escape and he's stopped by his father. The dad, who seemed to disagree with just about everything Park did, stepped up to support his son. As a part, that part had me tear up. That through and through you love your child and want them to grow up to be good people... and that's what Park is in this moment... a good person, doing the right thing. This scene also was t ...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Christine rated it it was ok

Shelves: ebook, 2012

I'll admit that I love a good romance novel and this book did not disappoint. It was not your stereotypical YA romance novel and the story development was perfect. I always go into YA contemporaries with doubt, but I am so happy that this really exceeded my expectations.

Eleanor and Park felt so real throughout the novel and I felt so bad for Eleanor especially. I'm happy with the way things turned out in the end. I know the intent of the ending was for it to be open ended, but of course there's ...more

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May 31, 2013 Alyse rated it really liked it

Sweet and enjoyable look at first love. I would have given it 5 stars, but the ending just sort of left me still wanting more. Definitely a book worth the hype, however.

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Mar 26, 2013 Marcia marked it as to-read