To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han first peaked my interest after seeing the trailer for the Netflix movie adaption. It follows Lara Jean dealing with the fact that her secret love letters had gotten out. The story was different than other contemporary novels. Yet still followed the basic necessities. It was quick. I finished in a night, but it left me craving more. I can’t wait to see the movie adaption!
The book starts by focusing on Lara Jean’s family. Which remains a common theme throughout the novel. I loved that about it. Most contemporary novels either disregard the family or just never even mention them. It was refreshing to see the family being a big part of Lara Jean’s decisions.
A main theme of the story was how Lara Jean grew as a person. Beginning with her anxiety over driving, before then getting over it to help her sister. She had one friend, then made many. She would stay home every night, yet by the end, Lara Jean was going on school trips and to parties. It was really great to see how this bad event had affected her in a positive manner.
Although the love interest was, of course, the main theme of the novel it was written in such a way that you didn’t know which of the boys it was. Out of the two boys, Lara Jean found herself around, it was unclear which she would be with. Her views of the boys changed throughout the series with the more she got to know them. It was interesting to see how the more Lara Jean knew about them the more her opinions changed.
The first book was amazing. Well written, great character development, and the plot was a twist on the average contemporary novel. It left me craving to know what happened next. I am left eagerly awaiting the movie adaption!