Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (2013)

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Just LOVED this young adult novel about two misfits falling in love in high school in 1986. 

Beautifully told in alternating chapters both by Eleanor: red-haired, not petite, living in poverty with her brothers and sisters, creepy stepfather and ineffective mom; and Park: half Korean and a fairly normal kid, at least from the outside.

Loved them falling in love and the complexity of their characters and their lives. I adored the portrayal of the parents, who are complicated and realistic. I also loved how very much of the 1980s it was, and yet without being gimmicky in any way. 

Just a very beautifully told young adult novel and a lovely romance. What else can be said? At least without using the word "love" again?