To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han

Synopsis

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Review

Jenny Han is a master. Her characters are so perfectly flawed and beautiful, so relatable and self-destructive without being angsty or annoying. 

I understand everything about Lara Jean. I AM HER. Except without such amazing sisters to get things moving. 

This book makes me feel hopeful and nostalgic all at once. Lara Jean is absolutely naive, young, and invincible. For a while, I was mad that Peter took up so much time (I was so, so on Team Josh). But Peter grew on me. At some point, I realized how great Peter was for her. 

There were so many little elements that made this book special. The notes and letters. Korean culture. Margot moving on to university IN SCOTLAND, which represents moving on to the vast world outside that little hometown bubble. First loves, first crushes, first kisses. I loved the Model UN bit. Kenny from camp. Lucas’s boldness. Genevieve’s bathroom confession. Lara Jean’s father’s work life. The bond between sisters. Chris, a pillar of strength in all the badness. Halloween craziness. The boy next door. The golden boy.

I pretty much loved EVERYTHING. The attention to detail was classic-Jenny-Han. Lara Jean was whimsical and quirky and wonderful. I loved sharing her perspective and watching her grow. 

I was kinda mad with the ending (YOU CAN’T LEAVE US LIKE THAT), but there will luckily be a sequel coming out next year. I am so glad this is a duology. I have no idea what the second book will examine (Josh/Margot’s perspectives? Peter’s perspective? Or maybe Lara Jean again, picking up where things left off?), but I’m so glad I don’t need to leave this world quite yet.

Related Reading

• The Boyfriend List (series) – E. Lockhart
• The Summer I Turned Pretty (trilogy) – Jenny Han
• The Avery Shaw Experiment – Kelly Oram

Rating: 5/5