Of course, Eleanor and Park is a YA bestseller. Inevitably, I've already read reviews of it. But since I had a train journey from Nottingham to London to endure with no book, and I found this one in a shop for PS2, I figured: why the hell not? 
 I only mention the fact I pre-read other people's reviews because the first thing that came to mind were complaints of the dreaded insta-love. Honestly, I see where this particular criticism comes from. Perhaps it's the poor handling of the passage of time. Perhaps it's because the two titular characters fall for each other at exactly the same time and in exactly the same way. I couldn't really tell. About a third of the way through the book, I wished I was reading about a quirky platonic friendship instead of a romantic one; I don't know how many of those kinds of books exist, but I think I'd like to read one. 
 It also takes a while to get used to the weird grammar and incomplete sentences. (I've never seen somebody start a new sentence to put in brackets before.) I adjusted eventually, though. Even though it felt unnecessary sometimes to start new sentences. Like this. Is this a Rowell thing? 
 I also got swept out of the narrative by the lack of depth I felt from it. It's all well and good to remember the 80s and drop a bunch of references even the most precocious of YA readers wouldn't get, and put a quote from John Green on the front saying he remembered what young love was like because of the book, but... Well, what then? Where's the depth? What's the point? Am I supposed to invest in puppy love - nay, puppy infatuation? Because I can't do that. I read Eleanor and Park's relationship as that of thinly veiled teenage lust. Behind all of the quirkiness, it followed the same beats as every other love story: start out as strangers, bond over unusual means, start talking, start touching, start hanging out, start kissing... Don't get me wrong, I don't see an alternative. I also don't mind the quirkiness, either. It just got a little extreme sometimes. 
 "It made her want to have his babies and give him both of her kidneys." 
 See, when I read this, my reaction was "ew". Love stories aren't meant to make you say 'ew'. Kidneys aren't romantic. 
 Another thing that bugged me was the lack of progression character-wise. Eleanor doesn't ever learn to love herself over the course of the novel and it gets to be draining. She doesn't change. She never grows true confidence within herself. She and Park don't evolve together. They stagnate. That doesn't make for investment, either. 
 Now, just for a slight note on the romance: (view spoiler)[I hated it. I'm not a fan of the romance genre in general, because I can't get past the fact most people seem to write as if sex is the be-all and end-all of romantic love. Hey, guess what: it fucking isn't. I don't see what all the fuss is about. Eleanor's insistence they do it right there in the bloody car even though she has a very high chance of getting pregnant just floored me with its stupidity. That, to me, sounds like dumb sixteen-year-olds lusting for each other, not 'true love'. Having sex wouldn't prove how much Park loved her nearly as much as the fact he was driving her hundreds of fucking miles to get her to a safe place. And yet she seemed so wholly ungrateful for that fact. I just don't get it, I really don't. Did she even thank him for that? Fucking hell, man. These kids are dumb. (hide spoiler)] 
 I did enjoy it, though. It's fluffy and interesting and a teeny bit dark, so if you're into that, go for it. 
 2.5 stars.