I did enjoy this book, but I was a bit surprised by how young the characters were. I'd only every read one quote from it and I spoiled myself as little as possible before buying, but I think the risk paid off. One of the things that makes the book feel so real, other than the wonderful handling of Eleanor's awful situation, is the fact that the characters are fully realized, instead of feeling hollow. Their flaws make them believable. I also loved the surprise setting of the 90's, my favourite era.