Rainbow Rowell: still the queen of cuteness. 4/5 stars. 
 This review was originally posted on my book blog. 
 This is the third full-length novel by Rainbow Rowell I've read, and I'm pleased to report I enjoyed it as much as Fangirl and Carry On. 
 Told from the alternating first-person viewpoints of the titular characters, Rowell (once again) shows her skill in depicting those small moments in which very two different people gradually realise they have more in common than they thought and, hang on a minute, actually kinda like each other. This section of the book, in particular, is adorable and made me grin like an idiot. The 80s setting didn't hurt either and I loved that they were able to connect through the music of the time: lots of excellent nostalgia for a slightly more mature (*ahem*) reader like me. 
 E&P is a fantastic depiction of teenage love and friendship, in its all-consuming, overwhelming glory. When the characters say they've missed each other, even though they've only been apart for a few hours, it brought back strong memories of high school, when we used to see each other all day and then "have" to spend half the evening on the phone chatting about nothing much. 
 As you may have guessed from the blurb, this story doesn't have a typical "happy ever after" ending. To which I say, "good". They're sixteen, for goodness sake! Having them waltz off into the sunset would just be weird. Besides, the darker, sadder aspects of the story (mostly revolving around poor Eleanor's home life - I wanted to adopt her and all her siblings pretty much instantly) provided much needed balance to the fluffier parts of the narrative. 
 Overall: Eleanor & Park is a touching portrayal of the beginnings of fuzzy young love, tempered by some harder reality. A great choice if you like romance stories which are cute, but not sickly sweet.