Book Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control in this heartfelt novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once?

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.

To All the Boys I Loved Before was a cute, quick, predictable read that focused equally on the importance of familial relationships and romantic ones.

The protagonist, Lara Jean, is a sweet, innocent young lady. She had a very young-sounding voice, so I kept imagining her as a twelve or thirteen year old instead of a junior in high school. While her naivety was endearing at first, I never really got the sense that she had matured over the course of the story; she stepped outside of her comfort zone a bit, but given that the book was about moving on and taking more responsibility, I suppose I had expected this to be a bit more prevalent.

The familial aspect of the story was easily my favourite part. I loved how supportive and present Lara Jean’s father was, and how much the sisters cared about one another. From protective, independent Margot who had taken over a maternal role to the adorable younger sister, Kitty, who reminded me so much of the kids that I used to babysit, it was nice to see an authentic portrayal of a close-knit family.

The romance, while sweet, never caused me to become emotionally invested in its outcome. Peter Kavinsky reminded me of a few boys that I went to high school with: endearing at times, but not so overly sweet that his portrayal bordered on wish-fulfillment. His characterization was authentic, and I loved how he was just a regular guy.

My main complaint is that Lara Jean’s best friend, Chris, seemed to only be there to provide her with a semblance of a social life and a female friendship. It was also ridiculously easy to determine who had sent out the letters, but considering the story was more about how Lara Jean dealt with the aftermath than determining who had done it, I didn’t mind too much.

The ending was very open-ended, nicely setting up the next book – and the subsequent love-triangle that I’m sure will follow. I was initially disappointed that To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before wasn’t a standalone, but it was sweet enough that I’m looking forward to reading the sequel when it’s released next year.

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Book Review: My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or Kwanzaa, there’s something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons to stay indoors and fall in love.

My True Love Gave to Me was, for the most part, as adorable as I had expected. Like most anthologies, though, the stories were quite hit or miss for me: there were some that stood out (namely the ones by Rainbow Rowell, Stephanie Perkins, Laini Taylor, and Kiersten White) while others were less convincing and would have worked better as novellas or full-length stories. Despite that, the stories all intrigued me enough to add some previously unknown authors’ works to my ever-growing to read list, and reaffirmed my love for some of my favourite authors.

My True Love Gave to Me features characters from all sorts of backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientations, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a nice mix of contemporary and magical stories in this collection. While the stories were all quite different, they all captured several important aspects of the holiday season, most notably hope and love.

Overall, My True Love Gave to Me is a cute, quick read that captures the magical feeling that surrounds the holidays. I can certainly see myself rereading my favourites closer to the holiday season, and can’t wait to display this gorgeous cover on my bookshelf.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

to all the books I’ve loved before: JELLICOE ROAD

Hi there, everyone! This tag was created by Chyna at www.lite-rate-ture.com and was inspired by Jenny Han’s novel To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Basically, the idea is to write letters to books that you either love now or once used to love. I wasn’t tagged in it, but I decided what the hey! Life is too short to wait to be tagged, you know?

For my letter, I have chosen to write to Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Here goes nothing!

Dear Jellicoe Road,

You’re perfect. You know that, right?

I’ve been in love with you since the very first time I read you years ago. There’s something about your fascinating story, your raw emotion, your puzzling mysteries, that I just can’t get enough of. Each summer I pick you up again only to read you once and then to abandon you on my bookshelf for another whole year. Any other book would have left me long ago, but not you. You’re loyalty is impeccable. That’s one of the many things I love about you.

Each time I open your front cover to read you again there’s a fear that lingers in the back of my mind. For some reason I’m afraid that our love won’t be the same this time around, that something will have changed to make the flame dimmer. But then I read you and I’m right back to where I started, head over heels in love for the countless time with you.

Thank you for keeping up your end of this relationship. And don’t you ever worry- I’ll never tire of reading you.

Love,

HOLLY

And there you have it! Boy, that was strange to write. It’s weird writing to a book like it’s a person!

What book would you write a letter to? What would you say? Would it be to your current crush or an awful ex? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

Book Review: Burn For Burn by Jenny Han

BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY…
THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she’s ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she’s not the same girl anymore. And she’s ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won’t stop until they each had a taste.

My Rating:

I love revenge stories. There’s just something so liberating about exacting your revenge upon someone who has wronged you – or so I’d imagine, considering I’ve never actually followed through with any of my elaborate schemes. Of course, even with the best laid plans, revenge is often messy and involves heavy consequences, which is a lesson that the girls learn the hard way.

At first glance, the three girls couldn’t be more different: Lillia is the pretty, popular cheerleader who seems to want for nothing; Kat is a strong, brash outcast with a rough home life; Mary is sweet, shy new girl with her fair share of secrets. As their desire for revenge brings them together, they slowly grow to care for one another and truly become a force to be reckoned with. The girls each have distinct voices and compelling stories, so you can’t help rooting for them even if you don’t support the idea of getting even. The supporting characters are just as fleshed out, blurring the line between “friend” and “foe” as the story progresses.

The revenge itself certainly can’t be described as “sweet.” It starts out as a series of pranks that are mostly innocent but quickly escalates as the reasons why each girl desires retribution come to light. The final revenge scheme is taken too far, causing everything to quickly spiral out of control.

Burn For Burn is primarily a contemporary novel, though small hints of paranormal activity crop up every once in a while. Towards the end, this paranormal aspect becomes more important (and more intriguing), culminating in a game-changing, cliffhanger ending. Although this twist was fairly unexpected, I loved it and can’t wait to see what it will mean for the girls and their schemes.

Overall, Burn For Burn is a dark, suspenseful tale of revenge and unexpected friendships. It’s an excellent start to a series, and I can’t wait to read the sequel!