Book Review #57: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Hey Guys x

I reviewed the film version of this HERE, and made no secret of the fact that I completely loved it. I actually watched it again this week and loved it even more, so I thought it was time to finally review the book version.

So, just like the film, the book is about a girl called Lara Jean Song Covey, who is navigating life  after her sister Margot moves away for university. Lara Jean is a dreamer, who writes letters to the boys that she falls in love with, so that she can get over that love and lock it away forever. But one day, her love letters get out... and her life completely changes when her sister's boyfriend gets one. So, to throw him off the trail, she orchestrates a fake relationship with Peter Kavinsky, the popular boy who never usually noticed her. But as the lines between real and fake become seriously blurred, Lara Jean begins to wonder why they started faking in the first place...

So thankfully, I loved the book as much as I loved the movie! In fact, writing this post prompted me to go straight to amazon to buy the two sequels (They're only £5 each, so get them now!) because I really want to know how the story continues!

One of the criticisms that I read in Amazon and Goodreads reviews before purchasing the book were that it was hard to read because the voice of the protagonist was childish and annoying. But for me, this just added to how much I liked it. The book is written to be a young adult novel, from the point of view of a young adult. Lara Jean is a very relatable protagonist and I thought her voice was perfect for the story that was being told.

The book had a great amount of supporting characters, from Peter K, Josh, Margot, Dr. Covey, Chris... but my favourite of them all has to be Kitty. She was my favourite in the movie, but in the books she's just in a league of her own. She's wise beyond her years and she's the perfect opposite of Lara Jean in the best way. Their personalities clash and compliment amazingly!

What was good?
The story itself. Fake relationships are always incredibly interesting to read about, and this one was done in such an original, exciting way that I could barely put the book down. I'd read a hundred stories about Lara Jean and her life if I could!

What was bad?
When comparing the book to the film, I have to say that I enjoyed the film version of Peter Kavinsky much more than the book version. In the film, he was mostly loveable, and though he did some things that I didn't agree with (like letting Gen keep Lara Jean's scrunchie!) I still ended up just loving him. But the book version of Peter had a lot more douchey moments and seemed more full of himself. He was still really sweet and loveable, but I hope that his character gets better in the next books!

Overall
If you liked the movie, read the book! If you haven't seen the movie, watch the movie, fall in love with it, and then read the book. Either way, consume this media, because it needs to be read and watched!

3/5 Stars!

Lou