PAGES: 355
PUBLISHER: S&S
RELEASE DATE: 15th April 2014
EDITION: US hardback, purchased
SHELF LIFE: six months
OTHER TITLES BY THIS AUTHOR
Shug, The
Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s
Not Summer Without You, We’ll
Always Have Summer, Burn for Burn, Fire with Fire,
Ashes to Ashes
SYNOPSIS
Lara Jean keeps her love
letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.
They aren’t love letters that
anyone else wrote her, these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s
ever loved – five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul
and say 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 form imaginary to out of control.
VERDICT
Jenny Han’s
Summer trilogy is the epitome of my
perfect contemporary YA so my need for To
All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was great. I saved it for as long as I could,
but over the weekend, I finally caved. And it was delicious.
Lara Jean,
Margot and Kitty are the Song girls. They are a team, a band of sisters to keep
daddy under control and to look after each other. Their relationship feels
genuine and fraught with the realistic tension of sisters growing up and the
threat of growing apart. It’s such a refreshing focus for YA; I want more books
to focus on sisterly relationships. The connection between the three girls is
constantly evolving over the course of the novel, especially as Margot, the
eldest, leaves home to go to college in Scotland. Lara Jean is now the oldest
and has to take over the responsibilities of the head of the house.
The loss
of Margot from the house throws up an undertone of sadness from me. After their
mother’s death it fell to Margot to look after everything; she became the
stand-in mum for Lara Jean and Kitty and although she’s judgey, pushy and
controlling, I felt sorry for her. She can’t have had much of a childhood with
the weight of two sisters on her shoulders.
As well
as the new tonne of responsibilities resting with Lara Jean, she also has the escaped
love letters to contend with. The very idea makes my blood boil, my skin crawl
and my entire body cringe – Lara Jean’s situation is quite possibly one of my
very worst nightmares. It changed Lara Jean. She was catapulted into a whole
new life at school and challenged the way she thought about people. I have to
admit that I veered wildly between my feelings for Peter, and I still can’t
decide. Josh, however, has my heart securely packaged. But I’ll let you read it
for yourself to see who she chooses, if she chooses at all, that is...
To All the Boys I’ve Loved
Before is a
gorgeous and heart-warming tale of sisters, falling in love with the one you
never expected to and the importance of a love letter. PS I Still Love You can’t come soon enough.
SHOULD IT HAVE STAYED ON THE
SHELF?
Absolutely
not. I’m surprised I held out for as long as I did! I’m a huge fan of Jenny Han’s
contemporary and I’ll read all of it.
Sophie
Now I really need to buy this one - great review :)
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