To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

I found myself in a rare situation this week - I finished my reading goals for November a few days early. I didn't want to start in on my December picks until it was officially December, so I grabbed one of the many unread young adult books off my shelf and settled in for some pure fluff reading. I ended up with Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before. I figured that I was in for a light, fun read, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised with the thoughtfulness and charm of this one.

The plot follows sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song. Lara's mother passed away when she was a little girl, so she lives with just her dad and two sisters. Her old sister Margot has taken on a lot of the jobs a mother would typically do around the house, and has become the glue that holds the family together. Her younger sister Kitty is opinionated and outgoing. She is nine, and the baby of the family. Lara herself is the middle child. She enjoys quiet hobbies like scrapbooking and knitting. She's shy as well - she's never had a boyfriend before. Instead of approaching boys she likes, she writes letters to them in which she pours her heart out. She addresses the letters, but never sends them. She keeps them in a box in her closet as a reminder of her feelings.

All three sisters are extremely close to each other and have an unspoken pact to be well-behaved in order to make life easier on their dad. This becomes a bit more difficult when, at the beginning of the story, Margot heads off to college overseas. This means that Lara now has to take on a lot of the housekeeping and childcare duties that Margot used to do. To make mattes worse, while in the midst of sorting out her feelings over this big adjustment, Lara's box of love letters disappears from her closet. Before long, she realizes that someone found them and actually mailed them.

As the recipients start receiving their letters, Lara's quiet life is suddenly turned upside down. As all the boys she's ever loved start approaching her, she is forced out of her comfort zone and ends up in several sticky situations. In order to put things right again, she has to build up her confidence and face up to feelings that she's had locked away in her heart for a long time. To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a sweet coming of age story about how we deal with the beautiful, crazy, cringe-inducing, and absurd aspects of love.

I liked this novel a lot more than I initially expected I would. It was just so darn genuine and nice! I really related to Lara's character. We both like the same hobbies and have the same general demeanor, so it was easy to get engaged in the story. I liked Lara and wanted her to figure everything out. I also liked the fact that she was a biracial protagonist. Her mother was Korean and her father was white. Throughout the story, there are a lot of small references to Korean foods, traditions, etc. These details helped add depth to Lara's character. Most of the young adult fiction I have read stars white characters, so I appreciated the diversity.

I also appreciated the fact that while To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a teen romance, many other themes are covered. Self-confidence and family relationships are just as central to this story as the romantic elements were, which helped make it more realistic. Lara is a teenager with teenage problems to sort through at home and at school. I couldn't help but compare this to the last young adult novel I read, The Song Will Save Your Life, which featured a cynical protagonist that drifts from one unlikely scenario to another. All the Boys, with its kindhearted protagonist and normal family, was a breath of fresh air in comparison.

I would heartily recommend this novel to my students and to any fans of young adult fiction. It features a cute plot, realistic characters, and worthwhile themes. It's sweet without being too saccharine and emotional without being too sappy. It strikes just the right notes and makes you feel happier after reading it. This was a surprise hit for me. 


Challenge Tally
TBR Challenge (previously owned): 55/60

Total Books Read in 2017: 69