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An easygoing, page-turning romance between two real teenagers.

Eleanor is a heavy-set redhead with a twisted home life. Park is an Asian whom feels like he doesn’t belong in the world. These two teens meet on the bus on their way to school. Eleanor doesn’t dress like other kids do; she wears men’s clothes and neckties as hair-ties. When nobody else would offer her a seat on a crowded bus, Park struggled with the decision to be the bigger person and let the weirdo sit next to him, knowing that his barely afloat reputation would go down the toilet. This one decision, to offer her a seat, sparked one of my favorite romances I’ve ever read.

Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors and I decided to re-read some of her books this month. She just released Pumpkinheads, which is a graphic novel I plan on reading this month. She’s also coming out with Carry On’s sequel later this month. What better way to honor her than to re-read some of her previous masterpieces?

Balance

If you’re not a romance reader, you may still enjoy this book. Rainbow does an amazing job with balancing detail and romance, giving us readers just enough to make our stomachs flop. Rainbow also makes sure that every detail is relevant. Each word in this novel is needed and propels the plotline or deepens a character.

Characterization

First, I have to say that the characters in this book are incredibly developed. It has to do with that balance I referenced earlier, but each character has a story and a voice. I was able to picture each character vividly in my head. I also love how she created real people. Even in writing, many characters are Hollywoodized. They have perfect faces and slender bodies. Eleanor is far from perfect and she learns to embrace that. Park is a minority and has to deal with the backlash of self-depreciation. These characters are real people that real people can relate to.

At the same time, she really knows how to make you hate a character. I’ve read so many books in my life and I found myself wanting to throw my phone (I was reading an ebook) across the room because of how much I hate Richie. I’ve possibly never hated a fictional character this much in my life.

I suppose this is a characterization thing, so I'll put it here. I love the use of pop culture references. This book is set in the eighties but the references are still relevant today.

Format

Eleanor & Park is written in third person. With frequent point of view changes. This confused me at first because I couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t understand how Rainbow was switching perspectives this flawlessly while staying in third person. I absolutely love it. The way she flipped the “camera” gave us more insight on the plot and what the other person was feeling, since Eleanor doesn’t communicate her feelings well. This formatting also allowed Rainbow to use more poetic lines that will make your heart sputter.

The Ending

Heartbreaking without being heartbreaking. I didn’t want the story to end. The ending was solid, though. No loose ends and extremely believable after knowing the characters. However, it was still heartbreaking... sort of. The last words of the novel definitely keep you guessing what would come next.

My Favorite Quotes

"That night, Park made a tape with the Joy Division song on it, over and over again. He emptied all his handheld video games and Josh's remote-control cars, and called his grandma to tell her that all he wanted for his birthday in November was double-A batteries."

"Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something."

"She felt it all right at the back of her throat, like a bomb - or a tiger - sitting on the base of her tongue. Keeping it in made her eyes water."

"'No,' she said, 'it's...' She couldn't think of anything funny to say. 'Yeah, it's for you.'"

Read this review and other young adult book reviews at sarahthebooknerd.home.blog!

Looking for Alaska is set at Culver Creek, a boarding school for intellectuals. It has a lake with an angry swan and room without air conditioning. Alaska Young is the main character of this story, but she's not the narrator of it. This book is written from Pudge's perspective, whom is a new student with a thing for last words. He memorizes the last words of people, but doesn't bother to read their work. It's hard to tell what Looking for Alaska is about because of the symbolism and life questions that are posed, but it's generally, it's about a boarding school mishap. Students pull pranks, smoke cigarettes, get drunk, and have sex. It's about a young girl dying and the school scrambling to figure out why she died and what it means.

I didn't just read this book because Hulu recently made a series based on it. This is my favorite book of all time and they happened to adapt it. I read this book when I was in high school. I remembered loving it and my favorite quote from any book ever comes from this book ("If people were rain, then I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.") John Green taught me about language, literature, humor, nerdiness, and life from this book. He sparked my love for reading and writing, as well as helped me answer some pretty deep questions for a high schooler to have to answer.

Now, about a decade later, I still am proud to say that this is my favorite book of all time. I was nervous at first because the book was so-so until the ending. I was re-reading it and found myself disappointed often. I loved the characters and the plot, but I loved his writing more. That's what I fell in love with; it wasn't the book, it was his writing style. I was scared that this wouldn't be my favorite book anymore because there are other books of his with his writing style that had a stronger plot. But then it happened. All of those ends he planted and ties he left undone began to blossom and come together.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but the reason I love this book goes deeper than the typical setting, plot, and characterization. It's the message behind the words and ink. Looking for Alaska helped me understand life and death; it taught me about the labyrinth of suffering and how to navigate it. This book taught me that it's okay to be a book nerd. The last bit of this book is Pudge's final exam, for crying out loud.

This book taught me how to process loss, which I desperately needed due to a detrimental loss I personally suffered. Thank you John Green. Thank you for your lessons on life and death, for the perspective on being literate, for making me laugh, and teaching me about the burfriedo.

Read this review and other YA book reviews at www.readersandteachers.com!

So, I didn’t pick up this book because it sounded like a good story. I didn’t even read the back-of-the-book description, actually. I had no idea what this book was about. I knew that it had an adorable cover, it was written by an author that I have an ARC for (Chasing Lucky) and it made it to the bestseller’s list. So, I had to read it.

I didn’t know what it was about and if I had read the description, I may have wrinkled my nose at it. However, I’m elated that I went in blind because it was a great ride.

I noticed that it’s categorized as a mystery, but I wouldn’t label it that way. This is a romance, not a mystery. It has a mystery element to it, but if you’re a die-hard mystery fan... this won’t scratch your itch.

The Writing

Jenn Bennett is a goddess. I’m a pretty slow reader, compared to other readers in the book blog world. I read about one book per week, generally. I ripped through this 427-page book in three days. I loved her writing style.

I’m going to love jumping into Chasing Lucky and I’ll probably be ordering all of her other books. I can tell Jenn Bennett is going to be one of my favorite authors. This is the first book I’ve read by her, but it won’t be the last.

If you asked me what I liked about her writing, I would probably give you a blank stare. I’m not sure. I just do. If you held a gun to my head and told me to answer the question, I probably would say how easy it is to read. Her style is flowy and effortless. She describes settings beautifully and her characterization is incredibly diverse.

Specifically, I loved her characterization. None of her characters were boring. All of them had their own quirks and individuality.

Another thing I want to point out is that the chapters are headlined with quotes from mystery novels. I love that.

For Teachers

Both of these characters are over the age of 18, so technically this would be in the new adult genre, however, it's written and loved as a young adult novel.

That being said, there is sex in this book. References to oral sex, condoms, multiple sex scenes... none of them are terribly graphic, but the references are there and obvious.

I would send out permission slips because of its sexual nature and limit it to high school reading.

Recommendations

As I mentioned above, this is not a mystery novel. Yes, mysteries are solved, however, the main focus is romance. If you’re a mystery fan and you’re looking for a story that will stump you, this is not your book. This is a flirty romance book that has a mystery as a subplot disguised as a main plot.

This is not a bad thing. I recommend this book for people who love young adult contemporary romances, with a splash of mystery. They make a lot of references to old fashioned mystery books, so it’s a great shout-out book. I highly recommend it.

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Travel Notes

The headphones felt heavy as they rested over my ears. I turned the music off and looked around. There’s so much you can learn about someone as they dance at a school function. Who do they hang out with? Where do their eyes go? Do they dance or stand on the sidelines? Are their smiles genuine or forced? What do they wear? The list goes on and on. My target for the evening: Stevie Bell.

Highlight of Trip: I explored the Great House with the rest of the first years, keeping an eye on one girl in particular: Stevie.

First Impressions
This book is gorgeous. I’m a sucker for the extras. I like maps (check), I like chapter heading graphics (check), and I like wit (check)! When you first open up this book, there’s a dedication: “For anyone who has ever dreamed of finding a body in the library.”

I cracked up before starting the first chapter.

John Green also did a blurb on the cover! I know I’m going to like this book because if John Green is shouting it out (he’s my favorite author), I have no reason to dislike it.

The Good
I’m stingy with my five out of five star reviews because there’s almost always something that I don’t like about a novel. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson was amazing!

I read this as a part of the Express Lane Weekend Readathon, which is a pop-up 24 hour readathon of my own creation that spans the course of a weekend. I finished this book in 10 hours, which is surprising to me because I thought I would’ve read it quicker.

Truly Devious was the perfect selection for a 24-hour readathon because it’s plot-driven and fast paced.

That being said, a lot of plot-driven stories tend to leave their characters and settings behind in favor of their plot lines. Maureen Johnson didn’t let that happen. This book has it all.

Let’s start with characters, because I love them so much. We meet a bunch of characters rather quickly, which is usually a problem for me. I struggle with separating characters. However, I didn’t have any issues, despite how many were introduced. Each character is so well developed that it’s easy to pinpoint who is speaking.

The settings were well developed and described, which is like the icing on the cake for me. I need that in my stories. Settings are one of my favorite parts to develop as a writer, so as a reader, I eat them up! The map helped, but it’s not needed to navigate Ellingham.

Lastly… the plot. Damn! This plot keeps twisting and turning. There’s internal conflict, external conflict. Murder, mysteries, a touch of romance. This book literally has it all, except for dragons.

I also want to touch on anxiety. Stevie has some massive anxiety issues and it’s well depicted. I have anxiety and the panic attacks can be brutal. Stevie has a panic attack in the novel and her experience is very close to what I experience. I felt represented there.

Should You Read It?
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson follows a high school junior named Stevie as she navigates Ellingham in person. She’s read all of the accounts about the murders that have happened on the grounds and she’s intrigued that she gets to be here in person. The Ellingham Academy is a free school, opened only to the brightest upperclassmen minds. Stevie wants to be an FBI agent one day and she “studies crime.” Her mission is to find out who killed Ellingham’s wife and daughter, as well as solve an additional mystery that popped up right under her nose.

This book is perfect for mystery fans, thriller fans, and honestly… fans of Pretty Little Liars. It gives off a similar vibe. I’m not a mystery fan, but I loved this book.

Be prepared to dive into the world where writers live. I love how Rowell depicted what it's like to be a writer. The late nights slaving away at the keyboard, the feeling of writing in general, and the labor of love each written piece truly is... She teaches us, through Professor Piper, that all writing starts with wisps of truth and then are bent into fiction. We learn that writers do their best writing when they are taken out of their comfort zones.

One of my favorite quotes in this book is about drafting. "This wasn't good, but it was something. Cath could always change it later. That was the beauty in stacking up words--they got cheaper, the more you had of them. It would feel good to come back and cut this when she'd worked her way to something better."

I love that description of drafting because that's exactly what it is. It's putting word-vomit on paper, just to have it written out. Just to be able to come back to it later.

Aside from the gift Rowell gave us in terms of writing lessons, this was a beautifully crafted novel. We have a strong plot, complete with unpredictable twists. We have strong characters, whom are painfully relatable. You cannot call yourself a book nerd if you haven't cried over the release of a book, gone to a release party (midnight or otherwise), or if you don't "...prefer fictional worlds to the real one." If you are a book nerd, you will feel represented by Cath.

I've never been to a full-fledged university, but it feels like I have while sharing a dorm room with Cath and Reagan. The setting was crisp and you could feel the seasons pass, as if you were watching them through your own window.

Rowell's most endearing quality as a writer, in my opinion, is her ability to show you things rather than tell you. We, as writers, learn this right off the bat in writing classes. Show, don't tell. Her writing is an amazing example of that.

One thing that I do have to mention is that if you have not read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and want to, read that first. There are some pretty hefty spoilers in Fangirl.

The only critique that I would give this book has already been rectified. I would want more information about the books within the book. I loved that she revealed Cath's fanfiction through reading it out loud to Levi, but I wanted more. I also wanted a better frame of reference for the fanfiction versus the original work. She fixed that by writing Carry On, which I will be re-reading very soon!