To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han

This week I am going to be reviewing a book that I just finished reading and that I really enjoyed.  When To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was published, it received positive reviews and was a New York Times bestseller; two more books followed in the series, making it a trilogy, and all three of the books were turned into Netflix Original movies, which were received positively by critics and fans of the book.  I enjoyed this book so much that I plan to read the other two books in the series, and I also plan to see the movies, most especially since I’m signing back up for Netflix this month!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is about Lara Jean Song Covey who lives with her single father (her mother died several years before the start of the book) and her two sisters, Margot and Kitty.  Early in the book, Margot leaves the U.S. to go to college in Scotland, and Lara Jean is trying to deal with life without her sister; and it doesn’t help that Lara Jean’s love letters she wrote a long time ago somehow get sent out.  She wrote her letters to all the boys she’s ever “loved,” all five of them.  So, when these letters get sent out, Lara Jean’s love life becomes out of control, to say the least.  I really loved this book!  It’s very well written and it can be sweet and funny at times.  I also loved seeing the relationship between Lara Jean and her family, maybe even a little more than I enjoyed seeing her love life.  And I love that the main character of the book is Asian (her mother was Korean), as I think we need more diverse leads in YA literature; and since the author of the book is Asian herself, the book is even more authentic.  However, the book can get colorful sometimes, as a couple of characters use some strong language, and there are other “references” too; so, I would caution parents regarding these and would recommend this book for teens only.  I think the overall message of the book is that in real life when we get crushes, we have to make sure we don’t go too far with them in our minds as they might become so intense that we create a pretend version of them and might actually think we love them.  But we have to realize that most of the time they are probably not going to work out.  And while we might not end up these people, we can still be friends with them without revealing our true feelings; and at the end of the day, they may be preparing us for “the one,” if that’s something our heart really and truly desires.

“I wonder what it’s like to have that much power over a boy. I don’t think I’d want it; it’s a lot of responsibility to hold a person’s heart in your hands.” a quote from Lara Jean talking about one of her “ex-crushes” girlfriend