What I loved about this book was that the interactions between Eleanor and Park -- and really all of the characters' interactions -- seemed very authentic. It read exactly how dialogue goes between people, with all of the awkwardness and miscues, which is refreshing to find. Typically, novels have an idealized version of conversations and thought-processes. Eleanor and Park allows us to see people working on a relationship, and gives a great picture of people living as best they can in less than ideal circumstances. 
 I love that Eleanor was not portrayed as a typical victim, but as a person of strength who happened to be dealing with some issues. This is also like real life. Bad things happen to people all the time. We don't always have a way out. We have to accept a lot of crap, sometimes. But life is more than this. 
 It only got 3 stars because, despite how well it was written, it didn't engage me the way that I might have hoped it to. Because I'm not in a rush to buy a copy for myself and/or see the movie and/or read it again, it got lower marks. But it's definitely worth reading! :)