Stars: ★★★★.5/5
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before took me by complete surprise. I did not expect to like it, especially not as much as I did. This book was unexpected, but by the end, I was so pleased and charmed by the book, I found myself immediately wanting the sequel.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, though, is not one that I can objectively recommend. A large of part of my enjoyment was personal. It’s not to say I don’t think it can be enjoyed without feeling as personally connected to the book as I was, but what was so special about it for me was how much Lara Jean and her family reminded me of my family, and how much of their personality was similar to ours. This book felt like family; there's an affectionate sense of nostalgia here that a book hasn't given me in a long time. It left me unexpectedly and perfectly charmed. That said, To All the Boys I've Loved Before has a lot of other things to offer.
This is one of the few contemporary young adult books with a love triangle that I not only didn’t hate, but actually liked. I think most love triangles are a waste of time, so I was pleasantly surprised to actually enjoy it here. It helped that I liked both of Lara Jean’s love interests, Josh and Peter K. Everything I look for in a contemporary book is here, and Lara Jean and her changing dynamic with her sisters and father made the book as heartfelt for me as her relationships with Josh and Peter did. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before really worked for me emotionally, because it gave me a little of everything in great balance. Family, friendship, romance, heartbreak.
I was also pleased by how much I enjoyed Han's writing, and how clear and distinct Lara Jean’s voice is.
Still, I think this book is really a matter of taste. For me, it really worked. At the same time, however, I understand why someone might not like it as much as I did. I had some objections to how Chris, Lara Jean’s best friend, is treated by Han in the beginning of the book. But she was only in the book sparingly, and her presence was given more delicacy towards the end. There isn’t a lot going on here other than Lara Jean dealing with the aftermath of her love letters being sent out to her past crushes and dealing with the changing landscape of her family and friendships, but, as I said, that worked for me.
It really did.
0 comments:
Post a Comment