Series review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han I am sad to see this series end. It definitely took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. Overall, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before has amazing characters, particularly Lara Jean’s family members. It does have some substantive holes in the plot. The romance is believable, while maybe a little exaggerated at some points. This series gives you the gushy feelings x1000, especially in the first volume. The second instalment was a huge bust, yet it was partly redeemed by the last one. I am going to briefly talk about the first two novels in the series, and elaborate more on the conclusion. Obviously, I'll only put the summary for the first novel since I don't want to spoil anything. If you are interested in reading more of my thoughts on the first two, complete reviews are available on my Goodreads account. Enjoy reading! To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #1 To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before August 2015 5/5 Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2014), Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee for Young Adults (2016), Lincoln Award Nominee (2018) French: À tous les garçons que j’ai aimés Summary 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. -- Goodreads I will vigorously force everybody in my entourage to read it for the next months. Lara Jean was relatable and charming, so was her whole family. I especially loved Kitty, she was funny and not one of those obnoxious little siblings. Often, in YA, parents are just ignored or portrayed as annoying or crazy, it was refreshing to see a dad that was invested and trying his best to raise 3 girls. I will say that there is some kind of a love triangle but it’s done in a believable way, not focused on the romantic gesture and more of the feelings and history behind Lara Jean’s attachment. It is so much more than just a regular contemporary and it definitely deserves all the hype there is around it, do not hesitate to read it. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2 P. S. I Still Love You October 2015 2/5 Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2015), Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for Young Adult (2015) French: P.S. Je t’aime toujours I am so mad at this book. I wanted to love this book, yet it disappointed me in so many ways. I know a lot of people really love this one maybe more than the first one so I’m the unpopular opinion in this sea of feels but hey, I’m owning up to it: P.S. I still love you was not my cup of tea. My main problem was the plot. It made no sense, it was full of holes and the ending felt very rushed and botched. It is quite hard to critic the plot without spoiling anything but I will say that the love triangle in this book was the big downfall. I hated it, which is ironic since it didn’t bother me in the first one. I feel like it was just thrown in there to make the conflict move forward, but it just didn’t make sense and something else could have done the job (something that didn’t repeat the same intrigue as the first one). I also didn’t like how much of the conflicts in this book revolved around romance, and less family. Jenny Han all charmed us with this wonderful family aspect, but in this one even the family is tainted with love affairs. One of my favourite parts of the first one was obviously Margot and all the sisterhood conflicts between her and Lara and it was totally lost in this one. The incoherence just ruined it for me. On the plus side, I will say kudos to Jenny Han for making great points about double standards and sex. Oh yes, dare I say it, every single girl out there has insecurities about sex and it is totally natural and I love that the author included that in a subtle way that empowered Lara Jean and not put her in this position where she is dominated by a guy who has more experience than her. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #3 Always and Forever, Lara Jean January 2018 3,75/5 Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2017) French: Pour toujours et à jamais, Lara Jean Always and forever, Lara Jean (AAFLJ) was a conflicting reading experience. The story starts from where the previous novel, P.S. I Still Love You, ends which means Lara Jean is entering senior year with her boyfriend. For me, it was a weird mix of nostalgia, and current struggles. Since the Quebec and American school systems are different, although I am entering university next year, I already had my prom and my high school graduation. (Basically, in Quebec, we graduate high school at 16/17, then there’s a two years interlude called CEGEP before getting into university). AAFLJ brought back some of the best memories of my “senior year”: promposals, first boyfriend, graduation, the senior trip, shopping for prom dresses with my family, prom… I was overwhelmed with nostalgia of a time that I often miss. It also brought back all the unpleasant memories like breaking up, fights, saying goodbyes… Since Lara Jean’s experience and mine are not exactly the same, I couldn’t help but ask “what if things had been different?” These last two years are the first time that I’m older or more advanced school-wise than most YA characters so I am bound to feel that nostalgia more often, but AAFLJ still caught me off-guard. At the same time that this wave of nostalgia was pulling all my heart strings, I also found myself relating to Lara Jean’s current struggles, particularly the college applications dilemma. Oh, how I understand the stress… Between the recommendations letters, letters of intent, curriculum vitae, the grades, there’s not much time to breath. I usually try not to think too much about it and just do my best, but Lara Jean’s overanalyzing triggered by hidden anxiety. We have all analyzed grades of past applicants and our own, scavenged the university website for little clues as to what they might want to read in the letter of intent, and continuously freak out before hearing back from whatever application website they are using these days. Between the nostalgia and the very real present it felt like AAFLJ was a utopia. It felt very close, yet very far. That being said, I would adore to have sequel for this series. I wish I could read about Lara Jean going through her first year of college. Han wrote in the Acknowledgements of AAFLJ that this third tome would be the last one, but since when does that actually apply in the YA world. The Wolves of Mercy Falls, The Selection, Magonia… all came out with another book or more after the supposed closure of the series… I am just throwing the thought into the universe. AAFLJ was a definite improvement from P.S. I Still Love you which was insanely disappointing. It was not as incredible as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but Han kept the best parts. You cannot discuss this series without talking about the family dynamics of the Song girls and their dad. It is such an organic and honest depiction of family life, the happy moments, the anger, the bickering… Kitty has way too much sass to be in middle school, but it makes her such a great character. As for boyfriend Peter, well he is definitely not my type of guy, but one cannot deny that he is charming and charismatic, and has been a good boyfriend since the beginning on the series and not some cheating, self-centered guy. Koodos to Peter. The biggest downfall with this book was the plot. Like in P.S. I Still Love You, it was too fast and needs to be more fleshed out. I get that Han was trying to pack a whole year into a tiny novel, but if it had been 100 pages longer, we could’ve seen much more of the crucial events like prom, graduation… It was brushed over, and felt very rushed at some points. The same goes for the ending. 20 pages from the end, the main conflict wasn’t resolved, and a plot twist was thrown in too. The resolution wasn’t really one either (which I partly why I want to have a sequel). Regardless, one can’t help but be charmed by Lara Jean and be overwhelmed with cuteness. Sure, it is a very teenage-like romance, but, as many would say, age doesn’t matter as long as the feelings are true. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is not the best romance series out there, but it is refreshing, adorable and deals with profound issues that touch every teenager. If you liked To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before you will love… The Wishes series by G. J. 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