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cinmndza 's review for:
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
by Jenny Han
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up To All the Boys I've Loved Before because I had heard only a few things about it, but mostly that it was super cute. It was one of the books I had on my Summer TBR because it fell into the cute, summer romance/contemporary type of book I really wanted to read. It took me a bit to get into it, and I am not sure why. I guess I just didn't give it much time when I first started to read it because I wasn't sure where the story was even going to go (I knew the premise, though.) But after I really got through the first few chapters, I flew through the book.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before was exactly what I was looking for. A sweet, fun, completely cheesy contemporary read with characters I would adore and a plot that was simple enough to be cliche, but unique enough to hold my attention. Lara Jean is a sweet, 16 year old girl who is really unlike any of the more popular female protagonists these days. She loves to bake, scrapbook, knit, and stay in instead of partying her weekends away. She has a close relationship with her older sister, Margot, and younger sister, Kitty, as well as her widowed dad, who is very present in the story. Their family dynamic was my favorite thing ever.
The story takes off when we find out that Lara Jean had a secret crush on her sister Margots' very recent ex-boyfriend. It's all fine though, because he wasn't supposed to find out she ever felt anything for him, but then we wouldn't have a story. As it's explained in the synopsis, Lara Jean writes love letters to boys she's had feelings for as a sort of goodbye to her feelings, which she never plans to send. The letters get sent out, of course, and when Josh finds out that Lara Jean might have feelings for him, her frantic attempts lead her to Peter K. who was also a recipient of a letter. They form a fake relationship to keep Josh away and make Peter K.'s ex-girlfriend.
Through their fake relationship though, Peter K. and Lara Jean form a sort of weird, but great, friendship. Their interactions were also my favorite thing ever because they're so fun, and quirky, and normal. They're not like many YA romances today that are mostly about attraction and have cheesy romantic confessions of love. Their interactions and conversations, and little adventures all felt like real life. Lara Jean felt real, and so did all the other characters. From her best friend Chris who we hardly see, to Margot living in Scotland, to the awesome and extremely sassy Kitty, to random secondary characters like Josh, and Genevieve and John Ambrose McClaren. They all felt like real people who I knew, and in the end when I finished this book at 2am, I wanted to hug it to sleep.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before was exactly what I was looking for. A sweet, fun, completely cheesy contemporary read with characters I would adore and a plot that was simple enough to be cliche, but unique enough to hold my attention. Lara Jean is a sweet, 16 year old girl who is really unlike any of the more popular female protagonists these days. She loves to bake, scrapbook, knit, and stay in instead of partying her weekends away. She has a close relationship with her older sister, Margot, and younger sister, Kitty, as well as her widowed dad, who is very present in the story. Their family dynamic was my favorite thing ever.
The story takes off when we find out that Lara Jean had a secret crush on her sister Margots' very recent ex-boyfriend. It's all fine though, because he wasn't supposed to find out she ever felt anything for him, but then we wouldn't have a story. As it's explained in the synopsis, Lara Jean writes love letters to boys she's had feelings for as a sort of goodbye to her feelings, which she never plans to send. The letters get sent out, of course, and when Josh finds out that Lara Jean might have feelings for him, her frantic attempts lead her to Peter K. who was also a recipient of a letter. They form a fake relationship to keep Josh away and make Peter K.'s ex-girlfriend.
Through their fake relationship though, Peter K. and Lara Jean form a sort of weird, but great, friendship. Their interactions were also my favorite thing ever because they're so fun, and quirky, and normal. They're not like many YA romances today that are mostly about attraction and have cheesy romantic confessions of love. Their interactions and conversations, and little adventures all felt like real life. Lara Jean felt real, and so did all the other characters. From her best friend Chris who we hardly see, to Margot living in Scotland, to the awesome and extremely sassy Kitty, to random secondary characters like Josh, and Genevieve and John Ambrose McClaren. They all felt like real people who I knew, and in the end when I finished this book at 2am, I wanted to hug it to sleep.