I LOVED this book. I can't really put it to words (I've tried when telling my mom), but I'll try! 
 Eleanor and Park doesn't feel like a typical high school we-are-so-in-love book. It does start out with them not liking each other, the Crazy Girl and that Weird Asian Kid. Slowly, as time goes on, you see where they start having common interests and become friends. They both deal with insecurities, and where Park seems to struggle more internally, Eleanor seems to struggle more outwardly with her family and bullies at school. Alternating 1st person points of view help bring to life what they're going through, better I think, than 3rd person. 
 (view spoiler)[There's just something about the way that Park is ashamed of Eleanor and denies being her friend, yet then feels guilty for not defending her when they're not together. I get it, and it made Park feel real. 
 Eleanor's almost obsession with 'eating Park's face,' and how she's afraid she might accidentally say that was adorable. Her struggles within her family, worries about getting caught by her step-dad, wanting more but being afraid of the consequences, all helped flesh out a girl who knows life isn't fair. Sunshine and roses don't follow her around. Her insecurities and fatalism help finish turning her from a girl in a book to a real person. (hide spoiler)] 
 I kept wondering if this was a fictional account, or if it was maybe an account of what actually happened. I KNOW it's fiction, Rainbow Rowell is just that good of a writer.