Crossing Over: Rainbow Rowell Edition

This is a feature I started a while ago to recommend adult books based on if you liked a similar YA book. For me the classifications of books by age group is pretty superficial and there is so much crossover. I originally thought I would pick a "Geek Book" and I had a few ideas, then I realized they were both from the same author. So this time instead of picking a specific genre I decided to pick Rainbow Rowell.

Rainbow's second "adult" book, and fourth overall, Landline, came out yesterday and I could essentially just recommend her adult books to you, which are just as wonderful as her more popular YA, but that's too easy. So here are a few recommendations based on Rainbow Rowell's fantastic young adult books!

(can I just point out the creative use of headphones in both cover designs)

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Amazon - Goodreads - My Review
Eleanor & Park is a completely wonderful look at first love that will not only make you swoon and laugh out loud, but will leave you sobbing on the floor with the dreaded book hangover. The teen protagonists are complex and likable and the punk rock influences will leave a song in your head while reading. With this book Rainbow Rowell shows how she is a master of the Contemporary genre by effortlessly balancing the lighthearted and heavy moments in life.

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
Amazon - Goodreads
If you liked Landline then definitely check out Juliet, Naked. It is a totally engaging look at romance that will make you laugh out loud and think very critically about love. It may also leave you sobbing on the floor with the dreaded book hangover. The protagonists are realistic and likable and the punk rock influences will leave a song in your head while reading. Nick Hornby absolutely proves he is a master of the Contemporary genre by effortlessly balancing the lighthearted and heavy moments in life.

I may have read Juliet, Naked first but now that I think about it, it could very well be a look at Eleanor & Park in the future (although it's not the future I want for them). Nick Hornby and Rainbow Rowell have similar writing styles and both really know how to craft a Contemporary novel that will leave you thinking about it well after you've finished reading! If you liked Eleanor & Park and their story of love with a punk rock soundtrack check out Juliet, Naked. But be warned it is not a happy love story.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
Amazon - Goodreads - My Review
Set during her freshman year of college, Fangirl is an exploration of Cath Avery and her inability to adjust to the changes that are before her. She's a little insecure, a lot nerdy, and all kinds of easy to empathize with. Enter Levi, an amazing and swoonworthy romantic lead, there to help Cath through the challenges. The book is full of interesting and complex characters and a great balance to the light and heavy. It's the perfect book for someone "in transition" and it really felt like I was reading a book about me.

College Girl by Patricia Weitz
Amazon - Goodreads
Set during her senior year of college, College Girl is an exploration of Natalie Bloom and her inability to adjust to the changes that are before her. She's a little nerdy, a lot insecure, and all kinds of easy to empathize with. Enter Patrick, her perfect guy, there to help Natalie through the challenges. Again this book will make you question romance and love, probably leaving you sobbing but it does still balance those depressing moments with ones that are lighthearted and funny. This is perfect book for anyone feeling "in transition" and it really felt like I was reading a book about me.

I'm not sure how long ago I read College Girl but I know one thing for sure, this book shook me to my core. I think I read it when I was experiencing my quarter-life crisis and it felt like I was reading a page out of my own diary. Similar to Fangirl it not only felt like it was book for me but a book about me! If you liked reading about Cath's coming of age story and struggle to find herself then check out Natalie's. But be aware this book is definitely aged up and does deal a lot with sex and the consequences of losing your virginity before you're really ready.

January Wrap Up

Well that was unexpected! I grossly underestimated the amount of books I was going to read in January! I planned for five books and I actually read eleven and finished ten. I blame the fact that some of the longer ones were really engaging, audiobooks, and the fact that the more time I spend in the book blogoshphere the more I want to read! My theme this month was High

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grisha Trilogy Book 1
Full Review
My Thoughts: A roller coaster ride of a fantasy novel with interesting and complex characters, a very cool world, lots of mystery, and enough action to keep everyone engaged if you are a fan of fantasy or not.
Rating: 9 out of 10

A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book 4
Full Review
My Thoughts: An amazing High Fantasy series but not the best book in the bunch. The political intrigue and characters with redemptive arcs were there but very little magic, some of my favorite characters were not featured at all, and the perspectives are a little unbalanced. It got better as the book went on though and was very enjoyable.
Rating: 8 out of 10



Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grisha Trilogy Book 2
Full Review
My Thoughts: Even better than the first book. The characters are growing and developing and the plot wasn't so much of a roller coaster. This one was much more character driving and left me with a book hangover desperately wanting the final book in the series.
Rating:  9.5 out of 10




A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book 5
Full Review
My Thoughts: A Song of Ice and Fire like it should be. The missing favorites are back but so is the magic, the political intrigue, and characters with redemptive arcs. This book is full of so much mystery and theorizing that I can't help but plot the series conclusion. The cliffhangers left me with all the feels desperately longing for the next book.
Rating: 9 out of 10


Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Full Review
My Thoughts: A lighthearted and funny story that was a nonstop parade of odd and interesting characters that were only in the story for a brief period. Most of the story was odd and confusing but it all came together for an interesting and compelling ending. Could have used more world-building and action but pretty good.





Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Full Review
My Thoughts: Effortless. A beautiful and engaging young adult contemporary romance with realistic characters you can relate to, and a plot that flows and develops in such a beautiful way that when it's over you can't believe you finished it and you're so overwhelmed with feelings because not only are you upset it's over but it made you feel things deeply buried in your soul.
Rating: 10 out of 10



Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore
Full Review
My Thoughts: A good historical fiction book that does a good job of setting the scene of the Edwardian era. The characters are interesting, a great slow-burning romance, but the plot is muddled, and the secrets are not very surprising.
Rating 7.5 out of 10






The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
Series: The Elemental Trilogy Book 1 
Full Review
My Thoughts: A good start to a new young adult fantasy series with engaging and complex characters and a really cool world with tons of action. However it took awhile to become invested in the story, the constant change of perspectives was annoyinging, and the world-building was a bit confusing.
Rating: 7 out of 10



No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Full Review
My Thoughts: A really interesting young adult mystery with quirky characters that appealed to my dry sense of humor but was a surprising exploration of friendship and overcoming grief. The mystery aspect wasn't that difficult to solve and there were some weird plot details but thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating: 8 out of 10


 


Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 5
Series Review to Come
My Thoughts: A fantastic ending to a really engaging series. This book in
particular was full of action, surprises, and tears.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10






What did you read this month? Leave me a comment and don't forget to check out my full reviews for all of these books and of course.. HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Eleanor & Park Author: Rainbow Rowell Published: St Martin's Griffin, 2013 Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: Bono met his wife in high school, Park says. So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers. I’m not kidding, he says. You should be, she says, we’re 16. What about Romeo and Juliet? Shallow, confused, then dead. I love you, Park says. Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers. I’m not kidding, he says. You should be.  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.

If you are a frequent visitor to my blog you might be saying to yourself, “Hey! Weren’t you supposed to be reading High Fantasy this month? You always have a theme for the month and this month was High Fantasy. Eleanor & Park isn’t even Fantasy.” And yes, you would be right, but here’s the thing about Fantasy… They are soul-sucking, life-ruining, hangover-inducing types of stories. So I decided to take a break from High Fantasy. I wanted to read something fun and lighthearted. And let me tell you, that is NOT what Eleanor & Park is, but despite that fact it was very enjoyable.

This book came extremely highly recommended. It is on pretty much every best of 2013 list and the top of a lot lists. Everyone raves about this book. Last year I read Fangirl and was incredibly impressed with the book and Rainbow Rowell’s writing style. She does not disappoint in Eleanor & Park. She proves how phenomenal a writer she is of YA contemporary. What she does so well is balance the heavy moments with light and funny moments with such ease and poetic precision. As the reader I ran the gambit of emotions while reading this book. Eleanor & Park handles a lot of heavy moments like bullying, family issues, and self esteem that can not only cause the characters but also the reader to sink into a quagmire of depression but Rainbow offsets these sad moments with enough funny and sweet moments that it bring you out of the doldrums. 

The main plot of the story, however,  is about first love. The love story of Eleanor & Park is amazing and realistic. It’s shared interests developing into romantic attachment not insta-love, and even though it does develop over a slightly slower period of time but when it hits, it hits hard. It feels like that first teenage puppy love kind of relationship where you are obsessed with a person and want to spend every waking hour with them. It was sweet and lovely and it gave me all kinds of feels.

What Rainbow Rowell also does incredibly well is write realistic and likable characters. What continues to impress me about her books is how I feel like these characters are so real. You cannot only relate to them but you know people who are just like them if you’re not personally like them yourself. I found myself easily able to visualize the characters and finding real life counterparts too many people that I know. And because they are so relatable you couldn’t help but empathize with the characters and when they had to endure struggles and hardships you wanted them to succeed and achieve their goals. A lot of what made them so real is that many of the characters were deeply flawed and extremely complex. I felt like there was something more than what was on the surface but when it came down to it you liked the ones you were supposed to like and didn’t like the ones you were supposed to not like. I know this seems like an obvious statement but I don’t think it’s often the case, at least not for me. Even the way that the characters interacted with each other felt realistic, from how Eleanor and Park talk to each other, to how they talk to their classmates, and even how they talk to their parents. It all felt so genuine and I felt like I was sixteen again while I was reading. Rainbow Rowell just touches a part deep within your soul and brings you to a time that you’ve since forgotten.

If I had to find one word to describe Eleanor & Park, that word would be effortless. Everything about this book was effortless. The plot flowed in a beautiful and deft way that made the book so enjoyable to read that before long I realize that I had wasted an entire day and finished the book. For me when I was the book I was emotionally drained and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sob until the feelings of crippling sadness washed over me leaving me with that eerie calm that can only come from a cathartic cry. I of course mean this in the best possible way, because Eleanor & Park is nothing but fabulous!

I give Eleanor & Park 10 out of 10

If you are like me and in the slim majority of people who have not read this book you seriously need to drop everything and do it right away! This book is an incredible Young Adult Contemporary Romance and absolutely worth your time. If you have read Eleanor & Park leave me a comment with your thoughts and of course HAPPY READING!