So. Here goes. I can't say i'm particularly qualified to write a book review other than the fact that i have indeed read some books, and i do have an opinion on them, but nevertheless i'm going to put an A Level in English to some use and try and write something somewhat informative and interesting. Wish me luck!
The book in question: 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' by Jenny Han
(Picture sourced from: http://www.bookinity.co.uk/jenny-hans-to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before-movie-rights-picked-up/)
The first of two books (as of May 2015), followed by 'P.S. I Still Love You' this is a charming book, in which 19 year old me relished in the romance and naïvety of its hopeless romantic protagonist and her, much to be envied, love life. 16 year old Lara Jean Song Covey (a mouthful of a name I must admit) is the narrator of her life, allowing the reader to be completely emerged in the story and, in my case allowed my younger self to live vicariously through her high school romances. As the title hints at, the books revolves around letters that Lara Jean wrote 'To All The Boys [She's] Loved Before' until they mysteriously (or not so mysteriously as the book reveals) get mailed to each of the 5 boys she's ever had a crush on. Now as a girl who had many a crush throughout school I cannot imagine a worse fate than the humiliating realisation of these boys knowing my innermost feelings, this is how Lara Jeans feels. The book tells a charming story of family, friendship and most of all the emotional turmoil that a first love entails.
For me Lara Jean was a compelling character, while she is completely predictable in her naivety and frustrating in her insecurities, you simply cannot help but egg her on in her quest for romance. The middle child in a single parent family Lara Jean encompasses both the maturity of a mother figure for her younger sister and the child like innocence of a girl trying to grow up. Her hopeless romantic nature and her charismatic personality is beautifully offset by Peter Kavinsky. Peter, a complicated love interest for Lara Jean is 'the popular guy' (and we all know one of those) whose 'experience' with romance and laid back attitude makes his connection to Lara Jean a wonderfully inviting story to read.
Now i'm not going to sit here and say that this is some literary masterpiece, because for me it wasn't. Some parts of the story felt irrelevant and like an obvious break from the main plot, and while I agree that these pauses in plot are important to keep the reader captivated, I felt myself getting bored and and just reading for the sake of reading. The setting focuses primarily on the high school and family home of the protagonist and while a cliche to some, there simply isn't any other setting in which a high school romance can take place, so if this bothers you, then get over it. While it's predictability may leave some readers yelling at the pages, you get what you expect with this book and anyone who is as much of a sucker for cute as I am will find themselves smiling and wishing you were 16 and in love.
Overall if you're looking for a delightful young romance to either reminisce about the good old days or to keep you entertained on the beach (or imaginary beach by the way of the living room sofa) this summer then I would fully recommend this smile inducing story by Jenny Han.
- Sam x
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