To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Written by Jenny Han

Narrated by Ali Ahn

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is now a major motion picture streaming on Netflix! What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them.all at once? Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved-five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781980047865

Jenny Han

Jenny Han is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series, now Netflix movies. She is also the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Summer I Turned Pretty series, now streaming on Amazon Prime, as well as Shug and Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream. She is the coauthor of the Burn for Burn trilogy, with Siobhan Vivian. Her books have been published in more than thirty languages. A former librarian, Jenny earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews for To All the Boys I've Loved Before

[dineothakholi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The blueprint of fake dating. Yup...argue with the wall. I said what I said.

[Ann Mason Eggert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book slayed ? all the time I was reading it!

[Adrian Cramer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is soo heartwarming and just really good. Definitely will read the second book! <3

[Brittany Sinclair · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

this is one of my favorite books! it has become one of those audiobooks to where i can just go on any chapter and immediately know what’s going on. jenny han is one of my favorite authors! her books are always a chefs kiss. if you like feathery romance, read/listen to this book!

[Nikki · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What I loved about this book: I appreciate that the main character is mixed Asian in a single parent family. It’s important for diverse identities to be represented. I wish it addressed more of what it means to negotiate a biracial/bicultural identity. I also liked how the author kept the relationships among sisters as a prominent theme. I wish the main character was more assertive about being respected by the boys in her life. At times it seems that she quietly goes along with boys without really providing consent. Most concerning is the way girls are negatively judged for having sex in this story. It would have been nice to imagine a world that’s a bit more equitable.

[Mikayla Akens-Tobin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love the movie and how it was portrayed but and I know it was based off of this books but I love how the book tells more detail and you can really create a image of everything that is going on as you read it or listen and I just love how it was and I enjoy it quite well

[Elizabeth Iman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Watched the move first, read the book next so there is nothing much to say about Peter K since I have Noah’s interpretation stuck in my head. This is a cute and fluffy story that did not end like I expected (I expected movie ending). Peter as a character (not to be mistaken as actual Peter) tries too hard to be perfect and I’m not sold on him.

[Jamie Spicer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely adore these books. They have sweet characters and a sweet plot.

[Jam Degaños-Antonio · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the audiobook version. Looking forward to the next book

[Ayana Ilkeyeva · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I actually enjoyed it)) It's just that I thought I might not like it. But it was worth listening to ??

[Eglantine Vemba · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quelle belle surprise !!! J'ai vu les 2 premiers films sur Netflix, je m'attendais à une romance banal d'ado. Mais c'est plus que cela, c'est frais et addictif.

[dmya1234588_79783441 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I went in with a blind eye on this. However I’m really glad that I did. This book was cute I should say. Very chick flick. I recommend.

[barnesbookshelf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm very familiar with the movie, which is part of the reason I wanted to read the books. I was a little surprised at some of the changes, like how it ends, but it makes sense for an adaptation to change the ending since sequels aren't always guaranteed. I still loved the book. It's a fairly quick read.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lara Jean has never really dated anyone before, but she's had a few crushes. Her way of dealing with crushes is to write a good-bye letter than she never sends before putting to bed the notion that she might ever date this boy. But when her private letters are accidentally mailed out, she needs to save face with her most recent crush (who just happens to be her older sister's ex-boyfriend) and starts a fake relationship with Peter, one of her classmates who is trying to make his ex-girlfriend jealous.

There have been many variations of the pretend relationship trope; this one is both convoluted but also refreshing in a way. Both parties are fully on board and they establish a contract with rules on how to behave early on; this is significantly better than the late 90s/early 2000s way of having various bets or other schemes in which one party is unaware of the unreal nature of the relationship. That being said, the bar is so low for boys/men that I feel like Peter wasn't terribly interesting enough for me to root for Lara Jean eventually falling for him; I also feel like his unresolved issues with his ex weren't ever satisfactorily addressed.

But, what really made this book stand out for me was that it wasn't strictly a romance. Sure, that's the conceit of the book, but a lot more time is devoted to Lara Jean and her relationship with her family. She has a close relationship with her widowed father, her older and younger sisters, and her grandmother. Although it's been many years, she is still grieving the death of her mother and now that her older sister moved away to college abroad, Lara Jean is feeling more pressure to be responsible in caring for her younger sister and the household chores.

I also really liked that Lara Jean was a "good girl" -- beyond being in charge of household duties like cooking, she is also dedicated to her schoolwork, is a loyal friend, and is a bit of homebody. Her ideas of fun include spending time with her family baking cookies, watching movies on the couch, and making up silly dances together. It's very sweet and it's refreshing compared to many titles that feature teens constantly at parties, drinking and hooking up with each other. The latter might be more dramatic but it's nice for quiet, book-reading teens to see themselves in books.

And speaking of seeing one's self in books, this book also brings some diversity to the page with Lara Jean and her sisters being half-Korean on their mother's side. The audiobook narrator brought a lot of life to the characters, giving everyone distinct voices and using appropriate emotions and inflections throughout. It felt like you were sitting down as part of the conversation. The ending of the book was actually fine enough on its own, but I can see how it easily lends itself to a sequel as well, which I conveniently had queued up waiting to go next!

[colie77 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nothing like a good old fashioned young adult chit lit. Lara Jean's inner dialogue is hilarious and I love that I see a little of my awkward self in her. I'm also always drawn to characters that on the outside are perceived as one way, but slowly over the course of the book are revealed as someone else. It's almost like the author wrote the characters to be like real people.

[sublunarie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh dear. What a beautiful, lovely, light, charming little book. I loved everything about it. It was exactly what I needed right now.

[Mibin Mammen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was really cute . I just love all the characters . It was a fast and comforting read . This book reminded me how everything I read doesn't have to be serious and filled with plot twists .

[capucinette-559393 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book.

[Lily · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Why did you change the narrator??? This narrator is not too bad but the previous one exactly sounded like lara jean! it’s a shame?

[Eni-sun · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

To all the boys I’ve loved before.

A story that is a little more childish, with something quite particular, which is emotional dependency. I think in this story, and it’s something I talked about with my book club, I learned more about Margot, Lara Jean’s sister, than about her, who is the protagonist of this story along with Peter K. They both live their lives through others. It strikes me that at their age, the immaturity is so apparent. I thought they were around 13 years old, but no, they are in high school just over a year away from going to college, and they still have the attitude of teenagers. Not so much because they don’t know what they want, because I believe at 17 you don’t have to know, but rather due to this desire to make someone jealous or to manage their lives according to what the girl next door said. I don’t know, perhaps I expect a bit more maturity, something spicy. The Song girls are very different from each other. Margot is controlling, Lara Jean is submissive, and Kitty, their younger sister, is much more mature and has a strong personality. That girl knows what she wants and goes for it. I loved her, but overall I find it quite childish, in my opinion. I prefer other things. However, as always, I will finish the trilogy because under no circumstances will I abandon a book.

I don’t have much to say; I think this is the worst review in the history of reviews. It’s not usually what I read now, or maybe I’m used to things that are a bit stronger. Perhaps if I had read it at 20, I would see it with different eyes.

I didn’t dislike it, but I also wasn’t thrilled.

The plot lacked flavor.

The letters were cool, but overall it’s not that memorable. (Translated from Spanish)

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh what fun! I see why the girls like this one so much. It is not really to my taste but I have a student who has read the series multiple times so I thought I'd see what the fuss was about. I listened to it and that may be why I liked it so much, the narrator did different voices that did not distract. The story was hysterical in parts especially the way it begins but it was also heart-wrenching in parts with sisters growing up and maybe growing apart. I will definitely read/listen to the next one.

[ms_rowse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'd seen the Netflix movie a couple of times, but a student told me I should really read the books, so I ordered the whole series. Reading this was a lovely escape today from the current world I'm living in. Feel like I want to ration the other two books in the series for when I need that escape again.

[belana-990668 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a sweet and fun story. All that teenage angst and drama, but absolutely believable, and funny, too. I meant to watch the movie, but something came up, and when I discovered the audio book, I went for that. I'm glad I did.

Great narration by Laura Knight.

[peytonhammond · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book brings back memories of the boys I loved/had a crush on through high school. I remember all of the Peter's and Josh's. I wish I had this book back when I was in high school. This book is a great read for everyone of all ages. I love this book and it will be one that I read more than once.

[fionaanne · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It never ceases to amaze me how many mediocre books win awards.

[completely_melanie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is such a cute story and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy. This was actually a book that I was able to get my daughter to read and she has no interest in books. At this point, she has finished the trilogy and is just waiting on me to catch up. More than anything I loved the relationship between the 3 sisters. I wish my sisters and I had been more like the song sisters growing up. Also I loved the fact that this book is just so darn sweet and innocent!

[alesagro16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

?Personal Review?
The story begins with Lara Jean and her hobby of writing letters that she never sends, which are actually just for herself, to express herself and find closure. However, one day she discovers that someone sent them, and now she has to face the consequences of the words she wrote one day.

The truth is that I had the opportunity to have this book in my hands, and I'm glad I didn't let it pass, I really enjoyed the story a lot, it took me by surprise and made me have many mixed feelings. It made me cry and laugh, something that hasn't happened to me with a book in a long time.

Overall, it's a quite entertaining story that reads in the blink of an eye. I highly recommend it, especially if you are a fan of fake relationship romances.

? Characters ?
I found Lara Jean to be a very interesting and original character; I identified with her on several aspects. I really liked her personality, to be honest.
Peter Kavinsky wasn't my favorite at first, but as the story progressed, I came to like him a lot; I really enjoyed how his friendship with Lara developed and how he carried himself.
Regarding Josh, I can only say that I liked the relationship he built with the family; I found it very sweet.
Margot was the character I disliked the most; she seemed very cruel and unpleasant in many parts.
Kitty and the father were very lovely characters and probably my favorites; I really enjoyed the parts where they appeared.
My favorite character in this book was definitely Kitty and Lara❣️ (Translated from Spanish)

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

diverse teen fiction (love triangle - Lara Jean is incidentally half-Korean/half-white). Sexual content includes only kissing (L.J.'s sister has, however, had sex with her long-term former boyfriend, as evidenced in a note he wrote to her), but L.J. has rumors that she has done way more circulated about her. I think there is also some mild language (maybe a "shit" here or there, not a lot).

[NaiaraMartin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The plot mainly focuses on the moment when love letters addressed to all the boys the protagonist falls in love with are sent out. All the recipients now know Lara's true feelings, which disrupts the course of events. This is how we meet Lara Jean, our protagonist. Through her, we get to know the story of her family, her friendships, and her loves.

On the other hand, we have the male characters in the novel: the boys Lara Jean has fallen for. Although there are several boys, the plot reveals the true protagonists: Peter and Josh, as the storyline revolves almost entirely around them. Josh is the "boyfriend" of her older sister, Margot, so imagine how much Lara Jean's letters could disrupt the wonderful relationship she used to have with her sister. On the other hand, Peter is a close friend of Lara Jean whose girlfriend is Gen, a very important secondary character in the plot.

Our protagonist is a somewhat shy, romantic, inexperienced girl in love but very fun. In the midst of her new situation, she feels a bit lost, overwhelmed, and desperate to fix this mess. One of the boys who has her letter is Josh, her older sister's ex-boyfriend, who lives across from her house and is adored by the whole family. She decides to come to an agreement with Peter, the popular boy in school, because it is in both of their interests to pretend to be in a fake relationship. What we don't expect is that this arrangement reaches a point where we won't be able to distinguish what is real from what is false. How far does their simulation go? Do they confuse reality with what is supposed to be an act?

Jenny Han presents a family that, lacking a mother, has had to rely on the bond between the sisters and a father who works to support the family, but is always there for his daughters as much as he can. Peter is a boy who, while not mesmerizing, is likable and enjoyable to read. The author breaks the stereotype of the "dumb" jock and is very sweet with Lara Jean despite being in a fake relationship. I found Josh to be quite unbearable, although he did play an important role in the plot.

I have to highlight that for me, it was an addictive read; the pace is fast, and from the very first chapter, I was hooked on the story. Chapter by chapter, it becomes more and more interesting, and it's one of those books I don't want to put down because it's so entertaining. The author is fantastic; she immerses us in a sweet, romantic, fun, and captivating world. Her narration is very good, explaining everything clearly, without excesses or brevities, just enough to perfectly visualize each scene and bring us very close to her characters. (Translated from Spanish)

[BryanBooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it, I enjoyed it. A nice and healthy romance, it's true that it's a bit cliché and a little tedious. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it and love it with all my heart. The relationship it shows with Peter Kavinsky is romantic and very fun at various times; his pride and egocentrism were amusing, I liked Kitty, and the strong bond between the Song sisters, as well as with their father, who in my opinion is one of the best literary fathers for the way he raised, cared for, and taught his daughters. Lara Jean is scatterbrained, curious, cliché, and somewhat indecisive, and I believe that those traits are part of a protagonist that I truly enjoyed reading about through the pages. (Translated from Spanish)