If you’ve been looking for a YA book series to pick up and dive into then you’ve got to check out Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series. It’s a series unlike any other I’ve read before and I can honestly see myself reading it again in the future.
I was introduced to this series when I watched the movie series on Netflix. I fell in love with the characters – Lara Jean, Peter, Kitty, and even Mr. Covey – and when the movies ended I found myself wanting to stay in Lara Jean’s world a little longer. So I bought the box set and started reading and let me tell you – the books were even better than the movies. If I’ve piqued your interest, just keep on scrolling.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
This book series is about a teenage girl named Lara Jean Song Covey and all of the people she loves. She lives with her two sisters – Margot and Kitty – and her dad and is very content with staying home on a Friday night hanging with her family or baking delicious treats to her heart’s content. She has a best friend named Chris and an arch enemy named Geneiveve, but no boy in her life – and she’s kind of ok with that. She’s had crushes in the past but instead of acting on her feelings she writes each boy a love letter. Everything is going smoothly until all of the letters mysteriously get sent to each of the boys in the mail. That’s when the fun begins.
I really enjoyed reading the first book because it emphasized the impact relationships have on a person. Even though this book is a love story between Lara Jean and Peter, the real love story is between Lara Jean, her sisters, and dad. Jenny Han has a way of taking you right into Lara Jean’s thoughts and feelings without making you feel like you’re on the outside looking in.
In the second book the story picks up with Lara Jean realizing she’s in love with Peter and trying to navigate being in her first real relationship. She’s never had a boyfriend so she’s not sure how to act sometimes, especially when dealing with Peter’s ex-girlfriend, Geneiveve, who’s still friends with Peter. While Lara Jean tries to figure out how to deal with Peter and his past she also reconnects with an old crush, John Ambrose McClaren. Turns out he liked her too and knowing that causes Lara Jean to second guess her relationship with Peter.
Jenny Han did an excellent job of bringing Lara Jean’s concerns to life. And I also really liked how she expanded Lara Jean’s family by giving her dad a girlfriend. The second book also shows you how Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship changes and grows – which I thought was very realistic.
The last book in the series was the perfect send-off for Lara Jean, Peter, and the whole Covey family. It takes place in Lara Jean’s senior year. Lara Jean and Peter have a plan – they’re going to go to the same college and stay together and not be like the other high school couples who break up before graduation. Everything looks like it’s going to be fine until Lara Jean doesn’t get into the same school as Peter and her world is turned upside down. Will they stay together? Can they make it work? Is this really the end for Lara Jean and Peter? You’ll just have to read the book and find out.
Jenny Han did an excellent job of tying up loose ends and giving everyone what they want – a happy ending for each character. I really liked how the book depicted the bittersweetness of graduating high school and trying something new. I also liked how Lara Jean’s family grew and how Jenny Han didn’t shy away from the struggles blending a family can have. Yes, it’s an ending but it’s also a new beginning and each book was totally worth the read.
Verse of the Day: Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? – Psalms 56:3-4
