In the first quarter, I read the book "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" by Jenny Han. This book is a young adult fiction that contains 388 pages. After all the hype the Netflix movie received, I wanted to see how the book lived up to it's counterpart.
To summarize the book, protagonist Lara Jean Covey writes letters to all the boys she has every loved but does not send them (she keeps them in a box). However, they somehow get sent out to Lara Jean's lovers. The main problem was that she wrote a letter to her sister's ex-boyfriend that she still loved, but she did not want him knowing that so she pretended to have a fake boyfriend to conceal her emotions for him. The main character was Lara Jean but it also focused on her sister Margot a lot. Lara Jean is emotional, a true romantic; she falls in love quite easily. However, Margot is more realistic and responsible. Because their mother died when they were young, Margot had to take up the responsibility of the mother figure.
The major plot points were very predictable and actually extremely cheesy, but I think that is what you would expect from a romantic young adult book. The writing in the book was very easy to understand but also poetic. The letters that Lara Jean wrote were very dramatic but sweet which made the text interesting to read. If I could change something about the book, it would be that the characters should have developed a lot more. I would have loved to have read more of Josh (the boy next door) and how he played a role in developing the relationship between the sisters and even Peter (fake boyfriend) and Lara Jean.
You know I actually loved the movie/book but it's refreshing to have someone's opinion who has read the book as well. I totally agree it was super cheesy but also it's delightful to read something that we would expect out of a romantic young adult book because it's an escape in a way. Lastly you make a very valid point of how we don't get more of Josh and I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book/movie also but like every romantic young teen book/movie of course it'll be cheesy. I think that's what makes it good though because it's romantic and it keeps us wanting to read more.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen this on Netflix. Maybe I should watch it and see if it does live up to the counterpart. I do not like cheesy things, so maybe I won´t like it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you're honest in your post. I haven't read the book, but I watched the movie and I think your description of it is spot-on. The story is cheesy and predictable, and I wouldn't watch it again, but it was somewhat entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI actually was really curious about this novel due to the popularity of the movie. I didn't watch the entire movie, but from what I did see I would definitely agree that it is pretty predictable. It did somewhat keep me interested, but it was very cheesy and cliche.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to see the movie on Netflix because everyone has hyped it up too much, and I am afraid that it will not live up to my expectations. Also, another reason that has prevented me from watching it is that I am not a big fan of romantic comedies, simply because I prefer other genres. However, after reading your post, I now feel inclined to watch it and give it a try.
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