Book Review: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (4/5)

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) 

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Pages: 288

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Romance, Young Adult

Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Blurb:

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.

This was a chick-lit, a total light read for the beach: it was all romance. So if you like dystopian books, this might not be the book for you. Just a fair warning. But even though I like books that are dystopian or have fantasy creatures I absolutely enjoyed this book. Of course there were a few small things here and there that I didn’t like, but on the whole, this was a truly enjoyable book.

So, first with the pros of ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’.

One thing that I enjoyed would be the characters, more specifically Lara Jean’s character. She was absolutely adorable. The way she acted made her seem younger than her 16 years would lead you to believe – she was innocent. Lara Jean had never truly fallen in love, and now that the letters were out it was as if her soul was bared to the boys who received the letters. Reading about how she dealt with the love letters was funny – this heroine definitely wasn’t above lying to escape with her honor intact. Besides that, she was kind and smart, definitely not like a typical ditzy high school girl.

But though I liked Lara Jean, she wasn’t the best part of the story. No, it was the romance plot that truly stole the cake. It was sweet, fantastic, and extraordinarily romantic. As mentioned in the Goodreads Blurb, this was the first time Lara Jean had ever dealt with someone she liked face to face. And reading how she fell in love with one of the boys she had written a letter to was interesting, but not as interesting as it was to read about how she dealt with her newfound feelings while being in love with another boy – a boy who’s completely off limits. Talk about a serious love triangle! And the guys she’s in love with? I won’t mention any names, but though they were absolute polar opposites of each other, they shared one thing: they were both absolutely gorgeous.

And then, the final thing that was good about the book: the ending. It was fantastic. There’s that moment when the whole romance plot becomes clear to Lara Jean: she knows who she loves, she knows who she wants. This was the moment when she was supposed to do something daring and get the guy. But instead, guess what happens? A CLIFFHANGER! This was the best and worst place to put a cliffhanger. Best because this was the most strategic place to end the book to leave the reader waiting eagerly for the sequel. But it was the worst because I want, no, I need to know what happens with Lara Jean! Dealing with the awe I have with Ms. Jenny Han for planning this book out perfectly and the frustration of having to wait for the second book are two emotions that I‘m struggling to contain. Just give me the second book. I can’t wait.

Now onto the things that I didn’t really enjoy about this book. First was the language. It just seemed extremely basic. I guess, sure, chick-lit books have basic language that is easily understood, but even then, the language used in this book is incredibly simplistic. The second thing I didn’t really like about this book was that it was so short. Honestly, ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ could have been easily expanded to include more of the things that Lara Jean did before she realized which boy she was in love with. I wasn’t ready for this book to end so soon.

‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ is the epitome of swoon-worthy books. Lara Jean’s life is about to change in a crazy way – her new life would be one she never would have expected. Read this book, a book that proves that love is where you would last look for it. If you’re searching for a light, romantic read this is definitely the book you should take a look at. And don’t miss the sequel to this book, ‘P.S. I Still Love You’ releasing May 26^th, 2015.