Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Release Date: 12th April 2012

Publisher: Orion Books
Format: eBook
Pages: 252
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2014 EBC and 2014 RC 

Summary from Goodreads:

"Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under."

Review:

Overall, I enjoyed this, but I don't think it lived up to all the hype. 

So what did I like? Well, I thought the romance was super cute. I caught myself stupidly grinning to myself after reading something because it was just so. damn. cute. And I liked Eleanor's story. It's not something I've read a lot of, and it was interesting to juxtapose Eleanor's life with Park's. And also super cute that they found that connection, in spite of their different backgrounds. And I thought the ending was very fitting - bittersweet, maybe not what people wanted, but it fit with the story.

So what didn't I like? Well, the romance felt a little instalovey to me. Eleanor and Park hardly knew each other before they were declaring full blown love (well, at least one of them was). They basically started a relationship before they even started talking to one another. It just didn't feel like a natural progression. And on top of that, I was waiting for this OMG moment, which I assumed would happen because everyone raves about this book. And I think I know which moment that was supposed to be, but it wasn't an OMG moment for me. It was completely reasonable and not entirely surprising. Sad, yes, but surprising, no. 

Overall, I enjoyed this, but not as much as I thought I would. I enjoyed the plot and the dual perspective. But, everything was pulled down by the instalovey relationship that the story was centred on.  

Book Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Release Date: 2nd January 2012

Publisher: Poppy
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 236
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY

Summary from Goodreads:

"Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. "

Review:

When I picked this book up, what I was looking for was a light, breezy contemporary with the type of love story you'd never find in real life. And that's exactly what I got. 

TSPoLaFS is the light hearted kind of story that's exactly what you'd expect from the title. We follow Hadley and Oliver over a period of less than 24 hours as they meet, converse, and eventually start to fall for one another. Whilst the series of events that follows them is extremely improbable (I mean really, what is the chance that a couple were going to both the wedding Hadley was at, and the event Oliver would be at? Furthermore, what are the chances that Hadley can even find where that event is, given one small detail Oliver told her?), the relationship between the two is just too cute, you can't help but love it. I think we've all been where Hadley's been: you meet a cute guy, you strike up a conversation, and you just find that you click. There's no explanation for it, but your conversation flows and you start to find yourself liking this person more and more. This is the cute kind of romance that you wish you had in high school. With this romance to focus on, you even forget about how improbable some of the events are. 

After a DNF book and the feeling of falling into a reading slump, this is exactly what I needed to pull me out of it. The simple change of pace - from the usual types of books I read that generally involve our hero fighting to save the world, to a light breezy romance where someone's biggest concern is attending a wedding - was all that was needed. Do I think I would have loved this book any less if I had read it at a different time - no. Whilst this isn't the best romance out there, it's undeniably cute, and you can't help but enjoy the ride. 

Book Review: The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Release Date: 14th August 2012

Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Format: eBook
Pages: 136
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY and 2013 EBC

Summary from Amazon:

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about what it’s like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. Of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up."

Review:

For the past year or so, it's become a bit of a thing for me to go out of my way to read the book before watching the movie or tv series. So when I heard that The Perks of being a Wallflower was being turned into a movie, I added the novel onto my reading list. Finally I've gotten around to reading the book, and I found that I quite enjoyed it.

The story is told through a series of letters Charlie writes to an unidentified person. I loved this style as they allowed Charlie to really open up to us, and we learn more than we might otherwise have learnt. I like how the letters also reflect how Charlie changes throughout the year and his growth - in the beginning, is letters are jumbled and a clear line of thought is hard to come by. When something pops into his head, he just writes it down, no matter how inappropriate it might be. But as time goes on, Charlie's letters mature; they become more cohesive and coherent, and I think this reflects how Charlie grows and matures as the book progresses. 

Plus, this book deals with some pretty heavy issues, including teen pregnancy, abusive relationships, sexual identity, drug use, and suicide. Props to the author for tackling the issues that were affecting teens during his time, and still continue to affect teens today. Also, props for being able to do so in such a short novel - the version I have only has 136 pages. For such a short book, it really is able to deal with a look of issues, which are all brought together by a solid plot and great characters. Overall, it's a sad read, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Book Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley 
Release Date: 10th August 2010

Publisher: Pan MacMillan Australia
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 264
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2012 OTS Challenge

Summary from Amazon:

"Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes."

Review:
This was a nice little romance. The main romance in this story was fairly predictable, but I didn't mind. I liked seeing how it played out, how it all came together. It was cute, easy to read, and a romance that I approved of. The one thing I didn't really like about this novel was Poet's chapters. I understand why they were there, and I understand why they were written in poetry, but I didn't really care for them. I found that I rushed quickly through these chapters (which was easy considering they were only ever a page or two long), so I could get back to Lucy or Ed. 

What I liked was that Lucy and Ed, our main characters, didn't outshine the rest. I thought Jazz, and to a lesser extent Daisy, were hilarious, I really liked Leo and his back story, and I thought the Malcolm Dove was mental, and also hilarious. I also liked the writing style; switching between Lucy and Ed's perspectives allowed us to see conversations from both their points of view, as well as misunderstandings and miscommunication. Just as you finish a conversation between the two from Ed's point of view, the next chapter brings us Lucy's thoughts as you re-read parts of the same conversation. This was a writing tool that I thought worked quite well. 

Overall, a cute novel about teen romance that I found very hard to put down. 

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 

Release Date: 10th January 2012 

Publisher: Penguin Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 313
Rating: 4.5/5.0

Summary from Amazon:
"Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love."

Review: 
After finishing this book, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. What I do know is that I really, really liked this book. I think this might actually be the first novel I've read by John Green, and I can safely say that I will read more of his books in the future.
I loved the plot of this novel. Two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, both affected by cancer in some way, manage to come together and fall hopelessly in love. And whilst I didn't particularly enjoy reading the end of the novel (and you can probably guess why, considering Hazel and Augustus met at the Cancer Kid Support Group), I did think it was a fitting end to the novel. So, overall, I loved the plot and the characters in this book.
But, the book just didn't meet my expectations. Maybe my expectations were too high to begin with, maybe I'm missing something, I'm not really sure - the book just wasn't one of those books that are so good you can't put them down, at least for me it wasn't. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, albeit a sad one as well, and I would definitely recommend to others.