To All the Boys I've Loved Before

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a 2014 novel by Jenny Han. Han was inspired to write the book based on her own habit of writing long letters to boys she had crushes on as a teenager.^[1] The novel was followed by a sequel, P.S. I Still Love You, released in May 2015.^[2]

Plot

Lara Jean is a sixteen-year-old girl who is half-Korean and half-white. She is exceptionally close to her older sister Margot and her younger sister Kitty and the three of them refer to themselves as the Song girls, using their now deceased mother's maiden name. Just before Margot leaves for university she breaks up with her boyfriend Josh, who is also their next door neighbor.

Lara Jean, who once had a crush on Josh, finds her feelings for him coming back after Margot leaves and Josh admits during a conversation about crushes that his first serious crush was on Lara Jean. To cope with her feelings, Lara Jean writes a long post script to a letter she wrote when she found out Josh had a crush on Margot admitting that she still has feelings for Josh.

Peter Kavinsky, one of the boy's Lara Jean had a crush on, approaches her one day during school to tell her he doesn't have an STD. Lara Jean is confused, but realizes that he is quoting from a letter she wrote him when she had a crush on him. When Josh approaches Lara Jean to tell her he is confused that she was attracted to him, Lara Jean tells him that her feelings for him are over as she is dating Peter. Peter decides to go along with the lie as he has just broken up with his long-term off and on again girlfriend Genevieve and wants a clean break.

Lara Jean and Peter set up a list of ground rules on how to act and behave around each other. The more time they spend together, the more confused Lara Jean gets as Peter acts as if he is really Lara Jean's boyfriend. Josh gets jealous of Peter and when Lara Jean confronts him about his jealousy he kisses her, and tells her he wants to be with her, causing Lara Jean to realize that she wants to date Peter for real.

On a school ski trip Peter tells Lara Jean he does want to date her and the two of them kiss in the hot tub. The following day Genevieve tells her that there is a rumour that Peter and Lara Jean had sex in the hot tub and that Peter did nothing to deny it. Humiliated, Lara Jean avoids Peter during Christmas break. Kitty, however, invites him over to the Covey's for dinner. When Peter tries to talk to Lara Jean, Josh steps in to try and protect her, and Margot ends up hearing that Josh and Lara Jean kissed.

Margot and Lara Jean eventually reconcile, but Lara Jean remains angry at Peter until Kitty admits that she stole her sister's hatbox and mailed the letters as revenge for Lara Jean almost telling Josh that Kitty had a crush on him. Kitty tells Lara Jean that Peter really cares for her and returns the hatbox now filled with the notes that Peter gave Lara Jean while they were fake dating which Kitty fished out of the trash. Reading them over, Lara Jean has a change of heart and takes out her pen and paper to write a real love letter to Peter.

Reception

The novel appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list for Young Adult fiction.^[3]

References