Eleanor & Park may well be the most moving story that I’ve read in a long time. Rainbow Rowell handles the exhilarations and complications of young love deftly and sensitively, knowing that while these relationships may be short lived, they’re every bit as real as the ones undertaken by older adults. Eleanor’s living situation, while challenging to read about, is a fundamental emphasis on something that we instinctively know–that everyone needs love and acceptance and safety.

Though the book is emotional, the feelings develop organically. Rowell shies away from sentimentality and delivers a book with raw, potent power. I’ve had this book on my list for a long time, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. This book might make you cry, but it’s a must read for anyone who wants to be young and in love, who is young and in love, or remembers what it was like to be young and in love. A great book.