Book Review: To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

I received a copy of To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han from Scholastic publishing house and couldn’t wait to read it because I had never read anything by Jenny Han before and was very excited to try something new. Thank you Sophia (hi).

Lara Jean never openly admits her crushes, instead she writes each boy a letter about how she feels, seals it, addresses it and puts it in a hat box under her bed never to be seen again. Writing her letters is Lara Jean’s way of saying ‘good bye’, a way to let her emotions go. One day, Lara Jean discovers that the box is missing and the letters have been mailed causing all the boy’s she has loved before to confront her: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s boyfriend Josh. As she learns how to deal with her past crushes face to face, she discovers that maybe something good could come out of the letters after all.

Lara Jean’s family consists of her Dad and Lara Jean’s two sisters. The older Margot and the younger kitty, nine years ago the girls’ mother died, leaving them dependant on each other. I loved the familial bonds between the sisters. Margo was the acting mother and when she left for university it fell upon Lara Jean to take responsibility for her family. I enjoyed the way in which Han portrayed the sisters, all with their own singular personality but at the same time very alike, their dialogue was entertaining and I liked the way they interacted and solved problems together.

Han used Lara Jean’s love interests well, even if it seemed that she prioritised only two while briefly glancing over the other three. To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before developed a believable love triangle (Josh, Peter and of course Lana Jean), but personally I was rooting for Peter. Lara Jean and Peter’s interactions oozed cuteness especially when they were fake dating, I loved the two of them.

My one problem with To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before is this: Lara Jean is half American and half Korean, this fact is mentioned within the first few pages of the book. I felt that Lara Jean’s Korean roots could have been explored an awful lot more making for some very interesting reading. I think that if Lara Jean had embraced the Asian culture a little more the book would have held a deeper meaning and would also have appealed to a wider audience.

Overall I liked To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before on the surface it seems to be a light hearted summer read, but really it delves into familial ties, self-discovery and independence. I give this book three and a half out of five stars and I can't wait for the sequel.