eleanor & park by rainbow rowell

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

everything, everything by nicola yoon

First, do not watch the movie. You will ruin it. This book is 'everything.' (pun intended). I started reading young adult books a few years ago when I was teaching grade six. I felt transported back to my teenage years and it was magical. A character in Netflix's Friends From College alluded that people who read young adult don't want to grow up. I disagree. This book is a rare find, and I am thankful to my Bookstagram community for sharing their love for it. I was immersed in the budding love that transpires between two teenagers, one who has an illness which leaves her confined to her house. There were points in the book that I forgot I was reading young adult, smiling to myself and giddy to discover if love truly knows no bounds. What I liked most about this book is that it was honest and effortless. No need for social media, parties, or friends to connect two people. It is achieved with admirable ease. This is my favourite book by Nicola Yoon, and it will not disappoint.