To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han is such a sweet coming-of-age novel. I watched the Netflix film first (and loved it) before reading the book. I enjoyed all the differences between the novel and film. Both were great in their own way.
If you’re not familiar with the book it’s a story about a half Korean teenager named Lara Jean Song Covey. She is the middle child of three sisters and her OB-GYN father is raising them alone after the death of their mother.
Lara Jean is a homebody whose best friend is her older sister Margo. She loves to bake, craft and wear vintage clothing. After Margo leaves to go to college overseas, Lara Jean is thrown into crisis when someone posts out her secret letters. These five letters were written to five boys she once loved and were meant for her eyes only. Now that the boys know, Lara Jean’s life is about to get all shook up — especially as one of the boys, Josh, is the guy her sister Margot recently broke up with. I’ll leave the plot there.
As far as contemporary YA novels go this one is a lot of fun. I really liked the Covey sisters and the way they came alive on the page. Being one of three sisters I could relate to the sisterly dynamics. The character Peter Kavinsky, one of the boys who gets Lara Jean’s letters, was extremely lovable and perfect for this kind of novel. Lara Jean enters into a secret pact with Peter and their interactions were so fun to read about. This book is more on the sweet side of YA than the gritty side.
P.S. I went out and got myself book two P.S. I Still Love You and book three Always and Forever Lara Jean and read both books in a couple of days. I loved this series and was sad to reach the end and have to say goodbye to all the characters. This series gave me Little Women vibes.
Nice review. Not a YA fan but this sounds like a fun read. Will add to my TBR as something different to read over the holidays.
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Thank you! I hope you enjoy it.
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Thanks! I was wondering if I should read this. You make it sound good!
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It’s a nice read. The movie is great too!
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I watched the Netflix movie without having read the book, and loved it. I particularly love the contrast between the Horrifying Terrifying Bad Thing(TM) premise (I think any former teenage girl feels pure terror at the idea of their soppy love letters ACTUALLY being sent and received), and the undeniable sweetness of the story.
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It’s such a sweet story! I’m glad to hear you liked the movie. I hope you can find a copy of the book for cheap somewhere so you can read it as well.
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This was a lot of fun! And I totally agree about the Covey sisters coming alive on the page!! And Peter K was adorable!! Amazing review!
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Thank you 😊
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