And now that the year is almost over, I know for sure that I am also over you. I’m immune to you now, Peter. I’m really proud to say that I’m the only girl in this school who has been immunized to the charms of Peter Kavinsky. All because I had a really bad dose of you in seventh grade and most of eighth. Now I never ever have to worry about catching you again. What a relief! I bet if I did ever kiss you again, I would definitely catch something, and it wouldn’t be love.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are the 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 from imaginary to out of control.

I first fell in love with To All the Boys when I saw the Netflix movie in 2018. I hadn’t read the books yet. Usually, I’m not one to watch a movie before reading the book because I typically have a problem reading something after seeing its film/television adaptation. But my life was so busy then, and I never thought I’d end up reading the books anyway, so I decided to watch it. An hour and a half later, I’d come to two conclusions: 1) I would watch any movie Noah Centineo was in from then on (I mean, can you blame me?) and 2) I needed to read this series. Fast-forward to 2020, I finally had time to pick this book up, and I’m so glad I did.

Lara Jean is your classic romantic. She’s not the popular girl, but she’s well-liked, just a little bit naïve, and grounded. She’s relatable. Peter, however, is the opposite. He’s your typical popular boy: a little cocky, plays a sport, and is dating the most popular girl in school—or at least was. He’s the boy that nearly every girl has had a crush on at some point. I know I had my own Peter Kavinsky (although he wasn’t nearly as charming as Peter, never gave me the time of day, and I stayed over him once my unrequited middle school crush was over). 

The two of them make a nice pair. Yes, Peter and Lara Jean are seemingly opposites, but they both care, which is more important than extracurriculars anyway. Lara Jean loves profoundly and honestly, whether it’s her friend Chris (who is a whole mood), her sisters Margot and Kitty (who is, I think, my favorite character. That little girl is a firecracker), or the boys she wrote letters to. Peter loves almost effortlessly. He has lots of friends, but he seems to honestly like and get along with them, he has a close relationship with his family, and although Genevieve is kind of a nightmare, he still cares about her even after they break up. And then, of course, there’s how they end up feeling about each other, but I won’t spoil it too much for you. 

I absolutely adored this story. Admittedly, it did take me a while to get into the groove of reading this book (Christmas then moving apartments had me put this book down for quite a while), but I think it just took me a little bit to get used to the writing style. It had been a long time since I’d read something in the first person, and the prose style was very straightforward with short sentences and chapters. However, once I got used to both, I decided it really worked. Lara Jean’s inner monologues had me laughing one minute and feeling all the feels the next. It really helped me understand her as a character. I felt like I went on this journey with her, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for me next.