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

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“When I write, I hold nothing back. I write like he'll never read it. Because he never will. Every secret thought, every careful observation, everything I've saved up inside me, I put it all in the letter. When I'm done, I seal it, I address it, and then I put it in my teal hatbox.”

It’s books like this one that are kindling in me a new-found love for contemporary romance. Light-hearted novels with sweet characters and, yes, a little bit of cheesy plot give me a sense of peace no other genre has managed to before.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is all of this. Its main element is the pretend relationship between sweet, shy Lara Jean and popular jock Peter Kavinsky, which comes to fruition thanks to a mysterious person giving away all of Lara Jeans love letters – she’s written 5, one for every boy she’s ever fallen for.

“Do you know what it’s like to like someone so much you can’t stand it and know that they’ll never feel the same way?”

When one of those reaches Josh, her older sister’s ex-boyfriend (…come on, Lara Jean!), she panics and tells him that her feelings for him were a long time ago, that she’s now seeing Peter. Once confronted with this fact, Kavinsky plays along with it, since it’s really convenient for him too: it’s the best way to make his ex jealous.

“My letters are for when I don't want to be in love anymore. They're for good-bye. Because after I write in my letter, I'm not longer consumed by my all-consuming love...My letters set me free. Or at least they're supposed to.”

Need I say more?

Of course, the romance is not everything at play here. Lara Jean is going through a time of change in her life. After her mother’s sudden death when she was little, the only remaining Song Girls were the three sisters: Margot, Lara Jean and Kitty. Margot, the eldest, became their caretaker, but now that she’s half a world away, studying in college, Lara Jean finds herself in that role. Since the sisters were so close, their whole lives are shaken up, and the last thing our protagonist would’ve wanted was boy drama (and with those boys, in particular!).

“Margot would say she belongs to herself. Kitty would say she belongs to no one. And I guess I would say I belong to my sisters and my dad, but that won’t always be true. To belong to someone—I didn’t know it, but now that I think about, it seems like that’s all I’ve ever wanted. To really be somebody’s, and to have them be mine.”

All in all, if you’re looking for:

- Fluff. Lots and lots of fluff.
- High-School romance, with its corresponding drama (the only annoying part of the book- why couldn’t Lara Jean have more female friends?)
- A really sweet, naïve protagonist with a good bad-boy-type love interest.
- A quick read, to make a long weekend go faster.

Then this is the book for you.

“If love is like a possession, maybe my letters are like my exorcisms”