To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before #1
Published by Simon & Schuster on April 15, 2014
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them... all at once?

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says 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.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is Jenny Han’s newest addition to the young adult contemporary market and it definitely lives up to it’s potential.  I’ve been eagerly awaiting her newest contemporary novel since I finished her Summer series.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved this one just as much as the Summer series.

Lara Jean is a lot like Belly from the Summer trilogy.  She’s young, she doesn’t really know what she wants, and she’s a bit immature.  Just like Belly though, she grows throughout the course of the book.  Lara Jean has a close relationship with her family, she’s smart, she’s funny, and she’s willing to take chances.  However, not many people know these things about her since she doesn’t really have that many friends.  All that starts to change when a couple boys in her class get love letters from her that were never supposed to be sent.  The love letters start a crazy spiral that turn Lara Jean’s life upside down.  The letters were never supposed to be sent and Lara Jean never could have expected how the boys would react.

Lara Jean may have been the main character but she wasn’t my favorite character in the book.  That title definitely went to her little sister, Kitty.  Kitty was outgoing and fun and she was never afraid to say what was on her mind.  Sometimes I felt like Lara Jean should be taking lessons from Kitty on how to speak her mind.  Peter, surprisingly, was another favorite for me.  He is nothing like I expected when he was first introduced in the book.  Yes he’s cocky and a little full of himself but he’s also a really sweet guy who is willing to put others’ needs before his own.  Dr. Covey, Lara Jean’s dad, was also pretty fun.  He didn’t have a huge role in the book but you could tell that he was a big part of the girls’ lives.  I hope there is more of him in the next book because he was a great dad.  The rest of the characters were kind of lackluster.  I didn’t get the appeal of Lara Jean’s older sister, Margot.  There were times when I actually wanted to slap her because she was being so rude.  It seemed like she wanted everything to revolve around her and she didn’t like it when that wasn’t the case.  Josh, Margot’s ex-boyfriend, was also pretty boring.  I get that he was a good guy who was always there for the Song sisters, not just Margot, but that’s about all he had going for him.   Totally not swoonworthy like Peter.

The story is what makes To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before so much fun to read.  Lara Jean’s love letters are sent out and her whole life changes, mostly for the better.  Before, she really didn’t have much of a life.  She had never been in a relationship, she didn’t have many friends, and she really didn’t do much outside of school.  When the letters are sent out, one boy in particular decides that he needs to make himself a part of Lara Jean’s life even if it’s not in a way that anyone expects.  The story is fun and full of life and it’s definitely a unique concept.  I’m eager to see what direction Jenny Han will take for the sequel.

Overall, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a fabulous new contemporary novel from Jenny Han.  Fans of her Summer series will not be disappointed.

What others are saying about To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before:

YA Love’s review: “While I wanted to know Lara Jean a little better, I did love the cast of characters in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”

Dark Readers’ review: “I can now say I am a Jenny Han fan and will anxiously await the sequel.”

richincolor’s review: “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a fun, fast read that strikes a nice balance between the romantic plotline and the family dynamics/drama.”