liz089
Written on Feb 20, 2015
Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.
One for every boy she's ever loved. When she writes, she can pour
out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say
in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only.Until
the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love
life goes from imaginary to out of control.
- ISBN10 1442426721
- ISBN13 9781442426726
- Publish Date 15 April 2014
- Publish Status Active
- Publisher Simon & Schuster
- Imprint Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Format eBook
- Pages 288
- Language English
Reviews
Jo
Written on Sep 9, 2014
Having been such a big fan, generally, of Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty series, as soon as I saw To All the Boys I've Loved Before (TATBILB), I knew I had to read it. Even before I picked up and read the back. I saw the cover, I saw the author, and I saw the title, and my instant reaction was, "I NEED THIS BOOK!" Thanks to my colleague at work, I was able to get a reading copy from Scholastic, but of course I had to review it, too. And wow! This book is amazing!
When Lara Jean's private, secret get-over-you love letters to all the boys she's previously loved are some how mailed out, she is mortified. One of those letters goes to Josh, her next door neighbour and her older sister's very recent ex. Another goes to Peter Kavinsky, a guy she was friends with in middle school. After convincing Peter that she is in no-way interested now, they come up with a plan that will help them both. Peter was recently dumped by his ex, Genevieve, and Lara Jean doesn't know how to act around Josh now. So they decide to be each other's fake-girlfriend and boyfriend, to make Genevive jealous, and so Josh doesn't think Lara Jean is actually interested in him. Though she's not quite entirely sure that she's not any more. But as she gets to know him better, Peter turns out not to be the entirely confident, cocky guy she thought he was. And perhaps this has all got a whole lot more complicated than it needs to be.
This book is so cute and adorable! But not in a sickly sweet way. Lara Jean's relationship with her older sister Margot and younger sister Kitty is wonderful, they are all so close! Margot has always been the sensible one,t he one who's organised their lives since their mother died six years ago, and Lara Jean has always depended on her. But now Margot is going away to college, and Lara needs to step up and fill the role - but she's not sure she can. How can she when she's always needed Margot? How can she look after her family and do as good a job as her older sister? And who's going to look out for her now everything is so, so complicated. Kitty is the sweetest, funniest little girl I've ever read. She is so smart, and she has such a quick mouth on her. Sometimes she seems so grown up, and sometimtes so young. I adored her completely.
Then there's Josh, the quintessential boy-next-door who is as lovely as he should be in that role - but so confusing and complicated too! Oh my gosh, the boy causes trouble all on his own! And Peter... well. He was not what I expected at all. And this story when in a direction I didn't see coming. And wow. Wow, wow, wow. I might actually like that guy? Who'd have thought? He actually is pretty sweet under all of the cockiness and mocking. He actually is really - surprisingly - wonderful.
Han's writing style is so much like having a friend talking to you, I was gripped from the beginning. So much of Lara Jean's life is so ordinary, but yet specifically unique to her little family, that even when nothing specifically interesting plot-wise was happening, I was still interested in the day-to-day of her life. I was interested in her, the way she thinks, who she was. She felt like a friend. And you just care about all the ordinary goings on with a friend. Although the stories are very different, the writing styles of TALBILB and The Summer I Turned Pretty series are very similar, and it's that gripping voice-of-a-friend feel that completely absorbs me about Han's writing.
My only complaint about TATBILB, which isn't really a complaint, is that it is so compelling I couldn't put it down. It's a 400+ page book, and I absolutely flew through it. I so wish I had taken my time reading it, made it last over several days rather than just one and a bit. But there were very few things that kept me from reading this book, and then it was only grudgingly that I put it down. I needed to know what was going to happen.
It is now official: Jenny Han is one of my favourite contemporary/romance YA authors. And I am oh-so-happy to hear there will be a sequel! P.S. I Still Love You, which is set to be released in the US in April, but I have no idea about a UK release. All I know is I will be waiting for it with baited breath. I need more Lara Jean and Peter. And I'm pretty sure I need to get started on Han's Burn for Burn series, written with Siobhan Vivian. I can't wait!
Thank you to Scholastic via work for the review copy.
shannonmiz
Written on Jul 27, 2014
Okay, I need to make this very clear: I AM Lara Jean. Like, I don't have sisters, and my mom isn't dead or Korean, but I am Lara Jean. I kind of feel like Jenny Han wrote a book about me. Maybe my (formerly) jerky brother sent her my diary ten years ago, I don't know.
No, in truth, I think Jenny Han just really knows how to make you connect with a character. Lara Jean is one of the most "real" feeling characters I've ever read about. The whole story is very real, I think that even if you are not a Lara Jean in life, you will still totally connect to this story, because don't we all have some insecurities?
So the writing was phenomenal, and I loved Lara Jean, but why else did I love the book, you ask? I'm just going to list it out for you:
-The Family. So many YA books shy away from family, and this is one hundred percent the complete opposite of that. Family is key in this book. It comes above all else. Lara Jean cares so deeply for her sisters, father, even grandparents. It is so refreshing, honest, and realistic.
-The Boys. They are (again) so real. Multifaceted, no "good guy" vs "bad guy" situations. Just "guys", with good personality traits, and not-so-good ones; who make some good decisions and some bad decisions, etc.
-The Plot. It is so spot-on high school for me. And let me assure you, I was the Lara Jean in high school. Afraid of everything and everyone, shocked that anyone did "bad" stuff. I was your quintessential goody-two-shoes, but I also was involved enough to understand all the shenanigans that were actually happening, much like Lara Jean. And as for the love letters... yeah. That sounds about right. No actual human would know I'd liked someone, and if they'd ever found out, I would have died of embarrassment. Lara Jean reacts to the things that happen in such an honest and funny way, it is incredibly appealing to read about.
-The Adorableness. This book just has it. It is cute, but in a good way, not a cheesy way. It makes you think about family, and love, and insecurity, and confidence, and growing up, and all those things that people (not just teens, but all people) are thinking about pretty much constantly. But the book asks these questions in such a funny and unique way.
Bottom Line: This is not a book to miss. Definitely one of my favorite contemporaries of all time.
catiebug
Written on Jun 21, 2014
Suz @ Bookish Revelations
Written on May 9, 2014
The family dynamic was masterfully written and definitely managed to pull at my heart strings a bit. I loved how close the three sister's were, with their father and how they all interacted with one another. If something was happening with one of them, then it was happening with all of them. Each of them have wonderful appeal and different personalities that shined through the pages of this book in so many ways. Laura Jean, was beautifully fleshed out and such a wide-eyed optimistic hopeless romantic. I loved the fact that she sort of lived in her own little romance story and wrote all of these letter's to all the boys that she loved, but only kept them for herself as a way of letting them go when her heart felt like it was time for her to move on.
It's not surprise that it was a complete mess when all of those letter's that had been written, had been accidentally mailed to all of those boys. The humor and wit that was conveyed this this story was balanced really well with Laura Jean having to deal with the consequences from the fall out of those letter's having gotten out when they were never really supposed to have been seen at all by anyone, let alone the boys they were written to. Seeing the way that Laura Jean handled the situation was refreshing, because she acted just as any panicky teenage girl would in this situation, and I enjoyed that Jenny Han had written her reactions and feelings in such a realistic way. Jenny Han has such a wonderful way of building up amazing dynamic in her books, as well as allowing her characters to grow and evolved realistically from beginning to end. It's one of the reasons that I enjoy picking up her books and delving into the stories she creates.
It was so much fun reading about the two main crushes, Peter and Josh, because you never really knew which one was going to end up being the potential one to kick-start a real relationship off with Laura Jean. I know the one that I wanted her to be with, but I won't divulge that here, because I don't want to give too much away. Both of the guys were pretty amazing in their own ways. The romance part of this novel was so much fun, so if you're looking for an emotionally charged read that has some pretty good wit and humor peppered throughout it, then [b:To All the Boys I've Loved Before|15749186|To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1)|Jenny Han|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372086100s/15749186.jpg|21442106] will be right up your contemporary alley.
Bianca
Written on Apr 18, 2014
When someone’s been gone a long time, at first you save up all the things you want to tell them. You try to keep track of everything in your head. But it’s like trying to hold on to a fistful of sand: all the little bits slip out of your hands, and then you’re just clutching air and grit. That’s why you can’t save it all up like that. Because by the time you finally see each other, you’re catching up only on the big things, because it’s too much bother to tell about the little things. But the little things are what make up life.
— So ummm... where can I order a Peter Kavinsky?
Stephanie
Written on Feb 16, 2014
I have no excuses. I’ve owned To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han for years. Once again, I was afraid of the hype. I promise one day I will learn. I finally decided to read it once I learned Netflix was making it into a movie. I watched the trailer. I had to read it before the movie was released and non-book people started ruining it for us bookish peeps.
I adored Lara Jean Song Covey. She is exactly the kind of girl I wanted to be when I was her age. She will not be to everybody’s taste. Lara Jean is wholesome and completely innocent. She enjoys her family and baking. She’s quite content with her life...and then her love letters which were never meant to be mailed are mailed!
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was completely charming. It was an easy book to read and I inhaled it. I love a good contemporary romance and this book delivered. Han drew me in with her easy writing and kept me with her humor, pacing, and a very assorted cast of characters. I also enjoyed the food! :) As a foodie I appreciate when an author clues us in on what’s happening with daily food.
As for the romance I don’t want to give too much away. It really worked for me. The next paragraph will be nothing but spoilers so you’ve been warned. It’s also hidden.
The Netflix trailer left out so many details that I was thrown for a bit. I was rooting for Josh based on the trailer. That was until I learned that Josh is Margot’s boyfriend! I get that Lara Jean had her crush before they got together but once I learned he was dating Lara's sister he was never a serious candidate. If you’ve got a sister (Hell even if you don’t!) you know that isn’t gonna happen. I really enjoyed how Han lets Peter slowly crawl into your heart. When I saw the young man behind the facade, it was hard not to love him.
For the last few chapters my heart raced back and forth frantically needing to know how it was all going to end. And then that cliffhanger ending! I almost dove right into P.S. I Still Love You but that almost always leads to book burnout. I will say that I am glad to have waited until all three books were published to start.
Lianne
Written on Feb 10, 2014
I could not put this book down once I started reading it. The story is narrated from Lara Jean’s point of view so the reader really gains much insight on what she’s going through and witnesses her journey from a quiet, fairly sheltered life to a braver one that involves a sense of connection and belonging with other people. Lara Jean goes through a major learning curve throughout the novel, emerging from her older sister’s shadow and breaking with some of her routines sometimes.
The story itself is pretty straightforward, the romantic entanglements (and some of the comedic consequences of these developments) reminiscent of books like Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret? and Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I. Sometimes the tension and the cloak-and-dagger/avoidance strategies that Lana Jean employs just makes the whole thing rather stressful to read but given her personality and disposition, I can see why she acts the way she does.
Overall, I enjoyed reading To All the Boys I Loved Before. Took me a few chapters to get into the story but once I had an idea about who Lara Jean is and her life at the beginning of this novel, it was all good. At first I was a little surprised by the ending of the novel (in a “Are you seriously leaving it at that?!” sort of way) but after a few minutes I realised it was a good way to end Lara Jean’s story. I don’t read much young adult fiction but I think readers of YA will enjoy this title :)
Actual rating: 3.5/5
Kelsenator
Written on Jan 30, 2014
Joséphine
Written on Nov 26, 2013
Anyway, in terms of my thoughts on the book — Lara Jean was a shy teenager who was more comfortable with fantasy than reality, which I found quite relatable. I loved the relationship that she shared with both her elder and younger sisters, as well as her father. Can't say I was too keen on the Josh developments. I thought the whole drama with Peter and Gen was enough conflict without him. In any case, I guess I better order the third book, so I won't have to wait too long once I pick up the second.