The entire time I read this book, I had the song "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure as my soundtrack. I finally looked up the song and discovered it came out in 1987-- close enough. 
 Eleanor and Park is the kind of book that got into my head. It stirred up so much nostalgia-- for the 80s, for music, for firsts-- so much so that I found and friended my very first boyfriend (and first kiss) on Facebook. To me, that's a good sign for a book. 
 This book isn't always perfect. It falls prey to some of the trappings of YA literature-- unrealistic dialogue, stereotyped characters, and some unrealistic drama toward the end of the book. That said, there was enough there to make me reflective and wistful for my high schools days and the headiness of a first romance.