Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

 When red-haired, eclectically dressed Eleanor steps on the school bus, it causes a stir. No one will share a seat with the new girl until Park finally slides over and lets her sit next to him. It's definitely not love at first sight for these two. And yet, through music and comic books, they eventually become friends and then more.

Park comes from a happy family, with a Korean mother and an all-American father who are still so in love that they'll kiss no matter who can see them. Eleanor, on the other hand, lives in constant fear of her violent and creepy stepfather, who totally dominates her mother and siblings--and who seems to really have it in for Eleanor, no matter how hard she tries to be invisible.

Rainbow Rowell really makes you feel Eleanor's "outsider" status at school and her perpetual anxiety. As the story progresses, you really are praying she finds a way out of that dangerous home and a way to be with Park.