By: Jenny Han
Romance, Young Adult
I kid you not I finished this series in a week. Although I wouldn't necessarily say it was my favorite I found myself hooked on the drama of the story needing to know what happened chapter after chapter. I had heard of the book series when I was in high school when they made their debut in 2014. Although the books blew up when Netflix picked up the series and made them into very popular movies in 2018. Another 4 years later and my boyfriend had surprised me by finding this series at Half Priced Books a few months ago, which I was more than thrilled to add to my bookshelf and finally cross off my 'to be read list.' So without further ado, lets dive into the review...
To All The Boys I've Loved Before
I both liked and disliked this book for many reasons. The storyline was great and introduced some of the concepts that made the book so unique (Asian-American family, mom passed away, dad is a gynecologist, sister lives in Scotland) and some aspects that made it a little basic (like the entire concept of a fake relationship and falling in love.) This book was also very young adult which made me feel like I was 15 again involved in silly school drama.
Lara Jean is in high school living her normal simple life when one day 5 boys she has previously been "in love" with receive letters that tell them how she feels about them....although she isn't the one who sent the letters. To make things more complicated, she is confronted and asked to be in a fake relationship with Peter Kavinsky, one of the boys who got a love letter, to make his ex-girlfriend want to get back together with him. Not realizing what she had signed up for when she agreed to pretend to be in this relationship, Lara Jean is introduced to a whole new world of emotion and drama.
P.S I Still Love You
The second book in this series is infuriating I will admit. I often found myself in full on rants about some of the situations Lara Jean found herself in. She was all over the place in this book and for a little while it was hard to follow the story line. By the end of this book I did not think Peter and Lara Jean should have been together at all, which is probably what would have happened if this was ever real life. Between Lara Jean having feelings for someone other than Peter, and Peter constantly going behind her back, this coming of age romance was a little chaotic in this book. And if you were a fan of the movie the book and the film are VERY different. But I will forever say that any book that can genuinely make you feel any emotion is a good book no matter what.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean
As usual I tend to think the lasts books in the series are always the best, which is still the case in this one. Lara Jean is a senior and applying for collages. Her and Peter have smoothed most things over in their relationship (for the most part anyways.) And she's finally starting to come out of this shell she's been locked in for so long. Her family, her life, and her are all about to drastically change. Her character development throughout the books helps emphasize the true turning point in her young life that makes it seem more realistic and helpful for some readers in her position. I genuinely enjoyed the ending to this series and appreciate how nicely things wrapped up but left enough unsaid to keep the mind curious.
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