To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han | Genre: YA, Romance, Chick-lit | Format: Hardcover, 288 pages | Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | Source: Library | Rating: 4/5, Charming, funny, and full of heart.
Lara Jean 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 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.
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 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.
First line: Josh is Margot's boyfriend, but I guess you could say my whole family is a little in love with him.
This is a stay-up-all-night, lose-all-sleep-even-if-you-have-work-the-next-morning kind of book. The writing is charming, funny and a joy to read. A heart-warming story about sisters, love, and navigating the social waters that is high school. I loved the Asian nuances (MC Lara Jean is half-Korean), and I think it added a very unique tone to the book.
Lara Jean is the middle of 3 sisters. When Margot, the eldest, breaks up with her boyfriend Josh before flying to Scotland for college, Lara Jean finds herself in a bit of a turmoil. First: what will she do without her sister, the one who's been filling in the mother's role since their mother passed years ago? Second: How could Margot dump Josh - the most perfect boy in the world?
Lara Jean has always been in love with Josh. In fact, she has written a love letter to him, safely sealed in her hatbox. Then one day her hatbox disappears and one of her ex-loves approaches her about a love letter he received. That means one thing - Josh received his letter too.
This book is equal parts hilarious and heart-warming. The rapport between the 3 Song sisters will make anyone with a sister smile. The boys are likable and behave like real teenage boys (aka. quite clueless). Lara Jean's love letters are a joy to read; she's got to be the best letter writer around! Heck, reading this book will make you want to write letters of your own.
I loved this book. It brightened my days and brought back sweet memories of my own teenage years. May I add a fair bit of warning - you are going to want to get the sequel immediately after this ends. Pick this up if you're looking for a light read that makes you smile, cry and go "aww."
