by Jenny Han
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Inspired by the Netflix show, I wanted to read the book before I watch the show. Of course, never watch something before reading the book!
I don’t normally go to contemporary romances that are set in high school because I usually don’t like the immaturity that the main characters have. But To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han was super surprising and a hard book to put down.
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Format: Paperback
Pages: 355
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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You have the Song sisters, who all live with their dad without a mother to take care of them. You can see the elements of the girls having to grow up a little too fast because of them taking care of one another and shouldering responsibility for their dad.
Our main character is Lara Jean, who is entering her junior year of high school. Her sister Margot is also leaving for college in Scotland, so Lara Jean feels the pressure to take care of her family while she is gone.
So at the start of the school year, it started out decent. Until one day, boys that she had a crush on years ago suddenly got letters in the mail. The letters that she wrote to get her feelings out on paper and didn’t want anyone to read them. Five letters she wrote and all got sent to the boys she wrote to.
The story centers around two letters and the boys that received them.
One of the boys she wrote to was her sister’s ex-boyfriend, neighbor and friend Josh. Who she still had a slight crush on but didn’t dare to share her feelings because of her sister and hopes that they will get back together.
Then there is Peter, the super popular guy in high school and just broke up with his girlfriend. When Peter approached her, he offered her a deal. They will fake date each other to get Josh to like Lara Jean and his ex-girlfriend to be jealous.
With that they start to hang out and pretend to be dating, then slowly the relationship progresses to be so much more.
I really love the sister relationship in this book. You can feel the bond between the Song sisters as they navigate life together. Makes me wish I had this exact relationship with my siblings.
As much as I really love this book, I did have a slight issue with it. Not that it will cause me to drop the series, but it certainly touched a soft spot in my heart.
Now, Lara Jean does come across as a doormat. A lot of people walk over her in this book. A lot of people are upset about her actions, but Lara Jean doesn’t hold anyone accountable for theirs. But merely forgives them without really addressing the issue or asking forgiveness for her actions. Not saying this makes this a bad book but it is more a moral thing I have noticed in the book. I can relate to a lot of Lara Jeans’ situations with family and people walking over her. My heart goes out to this character, and I love her even more.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a series that I am excited to follow Lara Jean’s story and to see how her story develops in the next two books in the series. Of course, each one I will watch the movie following the book.
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