BOOK REVIEW: TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE - JENNY HAN

To all the boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han

Genre: YA Contemporary

My Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads

Goodreads Summary:

Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control in this heartfelt novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series.
What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them... all at once?
Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

This was such a sweet book! Lara Jean has a lot of qualities that I really connected with and I thought she was quite a different protagonist in that she obviously became very attached to people (mainly her family members as she is very family orientated) and had some social anxiety issues. Lara Jean lives with her Dad, her older sister Margot, and her younger sister, Kitty. Her mother (who was Korean) passed away seven years prior to the events in this novel and it is evident from the start that family is the most important thing in Lara Jeans' life. Her older sister Margot is about to go off to college in Scotland (yes, about 4000 kilometres away!) and Margot and their next door neighbour, Josh, have been dating for years but Margot breaks it off as she leaves for college. Little does Margot know, Josh is one of the very first boys that Lara Jean ever loved, and therefore she wrote him a letter, along with 4 other boys that she has loved, and put them all in a hatbox her mother gave her in her closet. But one day, her first love, Peter, finds Lara Jean at school and asks why she sent him a letter. YEP. ALL OF HER LETTERS GOT SENT OUT TO ALL OF THE BOYS. *CRINGE* Obviously she never intended for them to see these letters so she's beside herself with anxiety at where her hatbox could be and who could have possibly sent out these letters. The main plotline from there follows Lara Jean avoiding her true feelings for her neighbour and sisters ex, Josh. Obviously he received a letter as well, so to do make him believe that she no longer has feelings for him, she goes into a fake relationship with Peter, as he wants to make his ex girlfriend jealous, so really it's a win win situation, right? Right.... 

Things go down from there and UGH THIS BOOK <3

Firstly, I LOVED the family dynamic in this book. You don't see that very often in YA anymore (not that I've read anyway) and this was a central part to the story and the protagonists life. I felt really attached to each and every character and they were all so well rounded and I felt as though they all had a purpose and a backstory and it honestly felt like they could be real people. I love how there was definitely no instalove and the dynamic between Lara Jean and Peter was absolutely fantastic! They loved to bicker and poke fun at one another when you could tell deep down that they really cared for and appreciated each other even if they had a funny way of showing it. 

Josh is beautiful <3 A very 'average' male love interest (as they state in the book), but his personality really shines through and you can just tell that he's got a beautiful soul and really cares for everyone in Lara Jean's family. 

THE CHAPTER WHERE THERE ARE ALL OF THE HARRY POTTER REFERENCES. OMG. This made the book so relatable and fun, connecting the story to something in our world which made this story feel more real! I loved how Jenny Han incorporated this! I feel as though there was an excellent balance in this book in regards to the love story, the family drama and the school drama, and the writing flowed so well and almost felt conversational sometimes. There were a couple of parts where I actually laughed out loud, which doesn't happen often for me. I just loved the humour in this book!

Honestly I feel this book is the perfect YA contemporary that has an adorable storyline with ups and downs along the way that make you want to know more! This is going to be a duology so don't be alarmed when you get to the end and are like, "UM, IS MY BOOK MISSING PAGES?" There are still so many things left unsaid and so many issues to be resolved and I just can't wait to see where Jenny will take this beautiful story! Amazing!