Friday, April 18, 2014

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Lara Jean's Junior year is off to a rocky start.  First her older sister, Margot- the planner, has left for college in Scotland.  And then a box of Lara Jean's "love letters" goes missing.  These aren't so much love letters as they are goodbyes to the boys she's crushed on over the years.  When she's over a crush (or trying to talk herself over one), she writes a goodbye letter, addresses it, and puts in in her hat box.  But when the letters get mailed out, all hell breaks loose.  First, Peter Kavinsky, a blast from Lara Jean's middle school past, gets a letter, which is pretty embarrassing.  Worse, Josh, her next door neighbor and Margot's newly ex-boyfriend, gets his, completely humiliating and terrifying her.

To get out of this mess her master plan becomes convincing Josh that she absolutely does not have the slightest bit of feelings for him.  At any costs.  And maybe, just maybe, if she can convince him that it was just a lame, nothing crush, he won't tell Margot.




This book made me so happy!!  I wanted to love it and I did!  If I were to make a list of "me" books, this would be on it.  By "me" books, I mean books that just feel like home to me... books that feel like they're coming out of my own head, even though they're clearly not.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but this book is written in JUST the way I like.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a happy, light, fun, awesome book.  It's about these adorable 3 sisters and how they've adapted to growing up without a mother.  There's Margot, the sensible mothering-type who is about to leave for college  in SCOTLAND.  Lara Jean, our main girl, the more emotional sister.  And Kitty, the baby of the family, who is stubborn/determined.  And of course there are boys involved.  Lara Jean has been in love with the boy next door, Josh, but he just happens to be Margot's boyfriend.  When Margot leaves everything goes haywire and all of Lara Jean's former crushes find out about her feelings... including Josh.

I don't even know what to say about how cute and happy this book is except to tell you to read it!  At times it was hard for me to relate to Lara Jean because I'm such a do-er.  Lara Jean is happy to just live in her head, dreaming of fun and romance, but never actually living it.  Actually the actual living it part scares the crap out of her.  But even though I am SO not like that, it's hard NOT to like Lara Jean.  She's funny and playful, she just doesn't take risks.

I have to say the best part of this book was the family.  I loved the sisters and the dad... all their family traditions... the way the girls interacted and took care of each other... everything.  There really was nothing about this book I didn't love... except maybe the end.  Lara Jean does get a little overly-dramatic towards the end, but I guess not everyone gets worked up over the same things.  Some things that were crazy-big deals to Lara Jean, were just meh to me.

I am in love with Jenny Han's writing and storytelling ability.  I will now pout because this is a duology and I want MORE!!!

OVERALL: A cute, fun, perfect Contemporary book.  I loved how happy this book made me.  It's about boys and relationships, but it's also about FAMILY.  And the family in this book is amazing.  I love all the quirky, silly, fun things thrown in throughout this book and I just want to recommend it to everybody.  I can't wait for book #2!!

This Book Includes:

  • Family issues
  • A Korean-American family
  • 3 sisters
  • Driving phobia
  • LOL moments
  • Fun with fashion
  • A ski trip
  • Virginia setting
  • Christmas cookies!!
  • Letters

My Rating: 4/4







How I got this book: A friend lent it to me :)
Date Published: 4/15/2014

9 comments:

  1. I can't wait to read this one! I'm on the waiting list at the library and I am impatient! So glad you enjoyed it! :)

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  2. I'm excited to read this one, everyone is loving it! I think it's really cool that the story focuses on three sisters and their relationship with one another as well as boys and romantic relationships. I'm happy to see LOL moments in your list of things this book has. It's very rare to find a book that makes me laugh out loud so now I'm even more excited!! =D

    Amanda @ Born Bookish

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    1. There are lots of cute and silly moments in this one... I hope you love it as much as I did!

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  3. I really need a fun read - I'll have to check this one out!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  4. I can't wait to read this one. I just saw Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen at a reading in Chapel Hill last night and got Jenny to sign the book. It was really fun!!

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    1. Oh that's SO cool. I've met both those authors... but separately. And this book wasn't out yet. I wish I could get her to sign this book :) You're a lucky duck!

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  5. Yay! I'm glad you liked this! I loved it too, especially Lara-Jean even though she was such a dreamer (so not me) and so dramatic (not me either, but I appreciate that everyone is different and at 16yo drama is a real thing, lol). And the family, I loved the family. Great review!

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    1. Lara Jean was so not me either. But it speaks to Jenny Han's writing that I was able to love Lara Jean anyway!

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  6. Looks a fun read, maybe i must try read this one.
    Thanks for review :)

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