To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han- Review

To All The Boys I've Loved Before- Review

As of yet I have not been able to find that perfect rom-com novel, the kind of story able to lift up your spirits even after a particularly difficult day. However, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han comes pretty close to achieving this result. The plot of the novel is as follows: Lara Jean, an incoming junior has been in love with her best friend (and sister, Margot’s boyfriend) Josh for years now, however now that Margot is on her way to college, she decides to do the decent thing and call it quits. In her lifetime, Lara Jean has loved five boys and wrote letters of confessions, which she kept to herself. In short, she’s a romantic. However the worst occurs, when is appears someone has sent all of her past/current crushes the love letters, including Josh and Peter Kavinski, the most popular boy at school. The next day, Lara Jean is confronted by Peter, who although kindly, still rejects her. However, in order to deter Josh from assuming she still harbors feelings for him, Lara Jean kisses Peter. This then puts into motion a series of events, in which after being dumped by his long-time girlfriend, Peter enlists Lara Jean’s help, with the intent to develop a fake-relationship. As the novel progresses, the reader is given a first-hand account of their interactions and progression in their relationship, which transitions from an act, to what seems like true love.

By now you’ve probably come to understand this novel isn’t an upper-level romance classic, such as Romeo and Juliet or Pride and Prejudice. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is instead marketed towards those of a younger generation, most likely still in high school. However, one of the key components of this novel and movie is its inclusivity pertaining to culture and race. Lara Jean is half Korean, on her mother’s side, and I believe both the novel and its film adaptation creatively incorporate various aspects of Korean culture. From a Korean-inspired Thanksgiving dinner, to Peter expressing an avid interest in the Korean yogurt drinks Lara Jean and her family regularly consume. The movie itself was adamant in maintaining the novel’s theme of Asian-American culture, and as a result hired Lana Condor, a Vietnamese-American actress and dancer, as the lead. I found this particularly appealing, as only a few days prior to the movie’s release, the film adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians (which features an all Asian-American cast) was released in theaters. Both films were directed to a young adult audience, and both introduced Asian-American culture, which in turn greatly impacted the reflection of diversity in media.

Now, onto the more plot-heavy content of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. In truth, I personally enjoyed the film adaptation more than the novel, and this may be in part to my short-attention span, or limited time. However, the main problem I had with the novel, was thankfully resolved in the film. The novel ends with Peter and Lara Jean breaking up with each other due to a simple case of miscommunication, and Lara Jean deciding to confess her true feelings. Nevertheless, the reader is left unsatisfied as their really in no conclusion, nothing is truly resolved. In the movie, however, the two reconcile and you are left feeling more than content. I would definitely recommend To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han to all lovers of a typical teen romance. Even those who tend to stray away from this particular genre would enjoy reading this novel as it requires little to no effort, and will leave you smiling the entire time. Although at times you may find yourself reeling at certain characters’ decisions, or Genevive’s pettiness, the progression of Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship is extremely heart-warming and will allow you to overlook times during which the novel falls flat. 

- Mariam Vaid