Book Review: To All The Boys I've Loved Before




     To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han is about a 16-year-old girl named Lara Jean Song Covey who is a half-Korean American girl living in Virginia. She writes love letters to all her "crushes" and rather than sending them out, she keeps them in a teal hatbox her mother gave her. But mysteriously one day, someone sends out her love letters leaving all the boys she wrote to very shocked. Especially Josh, who is Margot's(Lara Jean's older sister) very recent ex-boyfriend. Not wanting to betray her sister, she fakes a relationship with Peter, who is also one of the guys she wrote the letters to. Peter wants to make his ex-girlfriend, Gen, jealous, and Lara Jean wants to make sure Josh clears any thoughts of having a relationship with her. 
    I loved reading this book. It was very easy to get through, and the story was fun and a bit predictable. But I don't think I ever got bored or tired of reading it and I spent the whole night trying to finish it. It was the perfect mix of romance, comedy, and drama. Out of all the three books in the series, I enjoyed the first one the most. I thought it was interesting in the book how all the characters used to be close to each other. For example, Peter, Gen, Chris, Josh, and Lara Jean used to all be friends when they were kids. But as they grew up, they joined different friend groups in high school. 
    Lara Jean was a great main character. She is a girl who prioritizes her relationships with family over anything else. She is also a shy, quirky, and nice girl who enjoys scrapbooking, baking, and vintage fashion. All of the characters are great and they really bring the book together. It is full of a variety of characters like the goofy dad, annoying little sister, mature older sister, popular girl, the jock, the boy next door, etc. I thought it was touching to see how close the three sisters were in the book and how they all took care of the youngest sister, Kitty(Catherine) after their mom passed away. I also really liked how the author tried to represent Korean culture a lot and how the dad tried to make Korean food often for his kids. 
    If you want, you can also watch the movie on Netflix after you have finished reading the book. My opinion was that it was just as good as the book, which isn't usually the case. However, if you are not a fan of cheesy romantic books, then this book may not be right for you. But who knows, maybe it's worth a try!
 - Yelina 

Comments

  1. JuliaDecember 10, 2024 at 12:07 PM

    I have not read the book but, I have seen the film version and I really enjoyed it. I definitely agree that the way Jenny Han presents the familial bonds is very interesting and adds depth to the story. Like you I also appreciate the way Jenny Han includes aspects of Korean culture in her story. I feel like many mainstream YA romance books feature mostly white characters so it was cool to see different cultures in the story.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nona ReynoldsDecember 11, 2024 at 12:33 PM

    I (like many others most likely) have not read the book but I can agree with your points! I also liked Lara Jean's character, and the plot is really intriguing! This is a really good post as well!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kimberly RivasDecember 16, 2024 at 2:10 PM

    I love this book! I think you did an amazing job with explaning the plot without any spoilers. Totally agree that the movie was just as good as the book.

    ReplyDelete
  4. chloe leeJanuary 27, 2025 at 9:36 AM

    Wow! I haven't read this book yet, but it sounds so interesting! Lara Jean sounds like such a wholesome main character. I definitely want to check this book out and watch the move after!

    ReplyDelete

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