To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1) in Hype or Like Friday

Sep 05, 2018 Sofii♡ (A Book. A Thought.) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, young-adult, contemporary, read-in-2018

I enjoyed this book, especially the writing style, who as always is super light, easy to read and addictive, I love that about this writer. I'm super pleased to finally have read a book with so much hype, it was about time!. Now I'm super excited because I can see the movie!

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3.5/5 Stars

You can find this one and more of my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.

Well I think that by this time everyone knows what this book is about, but I'll explain it anyway very briefly just in case. The book fol
I enjoyed this book, especially the writing style, who as always is super light, easy to read and addictive, I love that about this writer. I'm super pleased to finally have read a book with so much hype, it was about time!. Now I'm super excited because I can see the movie!

description

3.5/5 Stars

You can find this one and more of my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.

Well I think that by this time everyone knows what this book is about, but I'll explain it anyway very briefly just in case. The book follows Lara Jean, she has written a letter to each of the boys she has been in love with during her life, but she has never sent them, but keeps them only for herself. Until one day these letters are sent unexpectedly and all the feelings of Lara Jean are revealed and it's from here that the story begins

I confess that I'd expected, before reading it, something adorable and easy to read coming from Jenny Han, I love several of her works, especially the trilogy The Summer I Turned Pretty, so I kind of knew what I would find in this book. It's very good when you feel that a book is light and you're having fun with it, that's always welcome, and I think it's the strongest thing about the book. And even when I had a good time with it, I don't feel that I've been as impressed as everyone else, I think I have read better romantic plots before and this has some points that were a bit "Meh" for me and I'll clarify which are later

First of all I will not talk much about Jenny Han's writing style because I think it's clear that I LOVE her, she's one of my favorite writers and I always know that I can find something absolutely addictive with her books. So I'll immediately talk a little about the plot in general ....

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I think the promise of the book is great, I loved Lara Jean writing letters to the guys she has fallen in love with no intention of sending them, I feel that it's something that she does to herself, putting all her feelings in a paper, I think it's something very special and healthy to do. Even so I would have liked to see a greater development on this subject in particular and I would have loved that the center of the story were these letters and what they caused, but unfortunately I think that the plot deviates completely and the letters theme it ends up not having so much weight after all.

As for the characters, I haven't really fallen in love with any of them, I think that most of them are quite naive and immature, especially Lara Jean, she's SO dramatic, at times , was really hard to stand her. I feel that she's a very immature character for her age and I think she really creates more drama, inside her head, than there really is and everything ends in an even bigger problem. I love relationships between sisters developed in books, but this time I'm not really sure, I quite liked Margot, I think that as an older sister she has had to take many responsibilities after her mother's death and I can understand that's why she's a bit bossy at times, but I feel that despite some unnecessary drama scenes, she really loves her sisters and I've felt it, as an older sister myself, I felt closer to this character than to other ones. And then we have Kitty and OMG, don't kill me guys, but this character is so annoying , I think all this will be quite controversial but I can't lie to you

On the other hand, I LOVE the father of the girls, he's a great man, so sweet and present, I adore the parents figures who raise their daughters alone, I've always admired that.

I've never heard so much about a character as I've heard about Peter Kavinsky, this guy is everywhere! I haven't seen the movie yet but I've seen images of the actor who plays it and he's BEAUTIFUL, so I understand alot now lol. Well, I'll talk a little about romance and good news: I ENJOYED it! YAY!!! I really loved Peter and Lara Jane scenes together, I think they're fun and they have made me laugh, I've also found myself smiling like an idiot in some scenes where they just look at each other, so I must confess I understand the hype around this relationship . On the other hand, I REALLY like Josh as a person, I think he's a very sweet guy, the only problem I had with him is that I don't like his romantic aspect , I don't understand his lack of decision or his confusion about what to do, it's weird, I think if you feel something for someone you should have it more clear and more when there are sisters involved!, jusy saying

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This is one of the most difficult reviews because I know that everyone loves this book and I still have that kind of unpopular opinion, but I don't want you to get confused about, Yes, I had some problems with the book, I don't think they're memorable characters for me, but I still ENJOYED it, it's entertaining and it's a story that you easily read in a day, it's not heavy at all and I also love Jenny Han, so reading a book from her is always something special for me.
I'm very curious about the following book, because of course I'll be reading it, I wish to find a growth basically of all the characters, much more romance and more of those incredible dialogues that only Jenny Han can write
...more

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Jul 28, 2016 Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: poc-main-character, cover-envy, contemporary, favorites

“Life doesn't have to be so planned. Just roll with it and let it happen.”
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is one of my all-time favorite contemporary series and I love it so much that it’s hard for me to form coherent thoughts and not babble “I love it so much” a million times. The story follows Lara Jean Song Covey after her love letters, written to crushes after she gets over them, are mysteriously sent out. And Lara Jean must not only deal with sister drama, and school drama, b
“Life doesn't have to be so planned. Just roll with it and let it happen.”
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is one of my all-time favorite contemporary series and I love it so much that it’s hard for me to form coherent thoughts and not babble “I love it so much” a million times. The story follows Lara Jean Song Covey after her love letters, written to crushes after she gets over them, are mysteriously sent out. And Lara Jean must not only deal with sister drama, and school drama, but a lot of romance as well!

Things I liked
I am such a sucker for sister relationships in stories and I love the Song girls with all my heart. There is just such a pure and realistic portrayal of their relationship that I’m desperate to be a part of their family.

Lara Jean is probably the character I relate most to in all of YA. I just feel like were the same person, in spirit if not in action. And it might just be because she’s so relatable and endearing, but you can’t help but want to be her friend.

This story has one of my favorite tropes: fake dating! Lara Jean and Peter’s history gives them the perfect setup for their fake relationship. They have a ton of chemistry and you want them to be together for real.

Things I didn’t like
The end is so abrupt. Honestly, the first 2 books kinda run together in my mind so I forgot how “part 1: this one feels but it’s very much the beginning of the story, not so much a story on it’s own.

I thought that most of the side characters were underutilized, specifically Chris, Lara Jean’s bff, and Gen, Peter’s ex. They both have so much history with both Lara Jean and Peter and could have been used more in the story.

I wanted to reread this because the movie’s coming out next month and I’m so happy I did. This book just puts me in the best mood and makes me want to read more and that’s why it’s one of my favorite. This is the perfect summer read to completely entertain you and make you have the best time. ...more

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Feb 19, 2016 Jorelene rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, owned-hardcover, first-book-in-series

All book reviews I write are spoiler-free!

Rating: 4/5 stars

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is the first in a duology. This book is a lighthearted, super cute read.

I really enjoyed the interactions that the protagonist had with other characters. There was a lot of fun banter throughout the book, and the family relationships were heartwarming overall. Sure, some scenes were very frustrating because I felt like I wanted to shake some sense into characters, but I suppose that comes with the territ ...more

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Jun 12, 2015 Michael rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-reading-2015, audio-book, read-in-2015

Have you ever had one of those weeks when a couple of the books you're reading seem to be related even if they're from two different sections of the bookstore or library?

In the case of Every Fifteen Minutes and To All the Boys I've Loved, it's not a thematic similarity the books share, but instead my growing frustration with the main characters of each novel. Reading/listening to both books, I kept having to resist the urge to want to reach into the novel and tell the protagonist to wake up and ...more

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Sep 02, 2016 Closet Readers rated it really liked it

❗️The review can also be found on our blog Closetreaders

This is too cute.

The main character is Lara Jean a 16 year old girl who is going to have to learn to grow up and take control now that her older sister Margot has left for college. She is a very closed up person and likes things simple, like hanging out with her family on Friday nights instead of going to a party. That doesn't mean Lara Jean isn't your typical teenage girl though. She has crushes. Except she claims it's not just a crush i ...more

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Jul 31, 2014 Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series-book-1, reviewed, fiction-young-adult, g-t-contemporary, genre-coming-of-age, genre-romance-deliberately, stars-5, imo-could-read-again, imo-worthy-love-interest, g-c-asian

Right from the get go I could tell that a lot of development went into the different characters featured in the story surrounding Lara Jean. I could appreciate that. I also liked that I didn't think about the writing! Normally there are little inconsistencies and bad writing choices that just nag and pick at me. Not so in this case. So far win, win.

Lara Jean I realized right away is not MY kind of character. She is a middle child who adheres to typical middle child thinking. And I found when I g Right from the get go I could tell that a lot of development went into the different characters featured in the story surrounding Lara Jean. I could appreciate that. I also liked that I didn't think about the writing! Normally there are little inconsistencies and bad writing choices that just nag and pick at me. Not so in this case. So far win, win.

Lara Jean I realized right away is not MY kind of character. She is a middle child who adheres to typical middle child thinking. And I found when I gave her a chance Lara Jean was a character I could enjoy. Is she a child? Yes, a child in high school growing into a young woman. And she has a big sister she looks up to and a little sister she hopes will look up to her. I would be greatly surprised if Jenny Han wasn't a middle child herself she has written such a winning character. I just really enjoyed seeing things from a perspective I myself would never have (as an oldest). This really made the book for me.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the plot of the book. I kind of expected a harem type of girl meet boy romance to play out with Lara Jean being overwhelmed by choice. We'd be hit by all the stereotypes and she'd chose The One. Is this a romance? Yes, but not the he's so hot I can't wait for him to rip off his shirt type of romance but a sweet, its all about your imagination type of romance. Is there sex? Yes, and no. It's approached in a realistic way that can open dialogue between you and your child about the subject. This has the kind of story I would like my preteen/teen daughter to read.

So really the details are all about taste. Some might hate Lara Jean and her story but not because it wasn't well written but because their taste levels are seriously suspect.

*WARNING: Mild Spoiler*

I admit at first I was really pulling for Josh. I like me a good kid that likes doing family things. At the same time there is something so wrong about hitting on your ex's sister. Even if she is your friend and you liked her before! I really loved Kitty and the role she played between the boys. I appreciated her single father. And her best friend, Chris, so funny! But, like Lara Jean I came to really love Peter. He was no more perfect than Josh was and I think that was one of the strengths of the book. No boy is perfect, just perfect for you.

I liked that for the first time Lara Jean was experiencing love and what it really means to fall in love. Did she love those boys of the 5 letters? No, of course not! She was crushing. She didn't really even know them. So I really liked how she got to know Peter. And Peter wasn't no cardboard cut out either. He's already had his first love and like first loves was struggling to let go. Understandable. Also understandable how Lara Jean freaked out! But that's all part of the learning process.

I totally guessed who sent the letters and it worked for me. The end was obviously set up for a trilogy but isn't that Jenny Han's typical setup?!

BOTTOM LINE: A sweet and real view of high school first love.

P.S. It scares me that so many reviewers expect a high schooler to act like a college student. I assumed they understood reading YA that high school is just a setting where the opposite sex come into contact regularly and a writer isn't expected to write sex scenes. Most of the time in YA the characters act more mature than they really would be; i.e. they aren't acting realistic for their age. Generally most YA stories should be set in college or the workplace, the problem is that jettisons them out of the YA book genre. Decisions, decisions. ...more

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Sep 19, 2018 lady h marked it as dnf

DNF @ 25%

The writing is insufferable. Lara Jean, who is supposedly sixteen years old, sounds about nine, and I just could not get past that, especially with the plodding narration, which is just a straight-up delivery of facts in staccato sentences.

There's a film now, so I'll just watch that, because I'm sure it will be fun and cute and fluffy without my having to suffer through Lara Jean's incredibly juvenile narrative voice. ...more

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Mar 06, 2016 Kirsty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: diverse, owned-physical, reviewed

Edit, Aug 2018: I think I liked it miles better the second time around???

This was so adorable, review here https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com... ...more

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May 22, 2017 Nẹdu rated it really liked it · review of another edition

*3.5 stars*

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Mar 05, 2016 Kate rated it really liked it

From my blog- https://katereadslit.wordpress.com/20...

First off, the cover and design is SO pretty! It also really fit with the actual contents of the book. It was such a sweet book and honestly, it made me laugh and cry. I loved the characters and their development. The beginning was nice but in my opinion, the middle got kinda slow. Then again, I hardly ever read contemporary and it just took me a minute to get into it. Lara Jean was such an innocent narrator compared to the fantasy books I us ...more

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Apr 09, 2015 Ashy sebastian rated it did not like it

1 star.
why, you may ask?
Laura Jean acts like a 10 year old, has no character development, has feelings for her S I S T E R ' S ex.
The book is wrong in so many levels.
she is a very innocent and dreamy eyed girl who has a very 'damsel in distress' ambiance. I prefer the leading female role to be strong and actually have a personality. I am so sorry Jenny Han, but I was very disappointed in this book. ...more

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