Title: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (#1) by Jenny Han

Pages: 355

Genres: YA, Contemporary

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (April 15, 2014)

Summary

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once? 

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

What I Thought

Going into this book, I was honestly a bit apprehensive.  To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is such a well-loved, hyped up book, that I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the hype for me.  I think that’s why it took me so long to read in the first place, because I loved the premise of this book, and I didn’t want to be disappointed.  That being said, I’m so glad I finally read it, because it truly did live up to its hype!

This book was so cute!  It really wasn’t how I expected it to be either.  The plot went places that I had not planned on it going, but I was so pleasantly surprised with that.  I had read Jenny Han’s other series, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and so I was expecting another series similar to that one, but To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was so different!  It really showed Jenny Han’s versatility in her writing.

The characters in this book were all so well-written and relatable, too!  There was so much wit and sass in the writing and the characters, and I really enjoyed every single page.  I found myself really falling for Lara Jean and Peter K’s relationship. I have to say, though, my favorite thing about this novel was the family dynamics and relationships.  It all just felt so incredibly relatable to me, especially when it came to Lara Jean and her sisters.  I have two older sisters, and one younger sister, and so I really found the sister dynamics to be so realistic.  From growing up and always being the little sister, to now having your older sister(s) growing and leaving and now *you’re* being the big sister, I felt how Lara Jean felt.  As sisters, sometimes you fight, sometimes you annoy each other, but as cheesy as it sounds, at the end of the day you’re still best friends.  It was really just so lovely to read.  I also loved how close they were to their dad.  For some reason, there is just not enough positive parent-child relationships in YA books! It was nice to see that in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  It was funny, embarrassing (I truly felt Lara Jean’s embarrassment at parts, poor girl), heartwarming, and so well-written.  I am looking forward to continuing the rest of the series very soon.  I would recommend To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before to anyone looking for a contemporary novel with a lot of heart.

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