To All the Boys I've Loved Before

3/5 stars

I guess going into this novel I was expecting something more. I knew I would get fluff, romance, a focus on the protagonist's family. Which was definitely in this book, but it just wasn't enough for me.

I like to start out with the positive, so there are things I did love in this book. The family dynamic was great. I enjoyed seeing the way each sister cared about one another, and how their father fit into the big picture. I also enjoyed how simple the story was, that you can just go in and have a fun time reading it.

I had problems with every character. The book constantly mentions how when the sister's mother died, that they had to grow up fast, but I didn't feel as if that is shown in the book rather than told. In fact, in my opinion, Lara Jean was very immature for her age. This entire book could have been avoided if she wasn't so impulsive, and took a second to think before speaking. Through her actions and voice, I had to keep reminding myself that's she's 16, not 12. And how they constantly refereed to their parents as “Mommy” and “Daddy” got old really fast.

Kitty was annoying, mostly because of the fact that half the time she acted like a 5 year old, and the other half she acted as if she was a teenager. I did like Margot, but she was only in the book for a few chapters. The only redeemable character for me was Josh, who had so much potential that got tossed to the side. The author kept on focusing on Peter, who, to me, was just a giant ass.


I'll probably pick up the next book soon, mostly because I'm curious how this story can expand to three books.

I enjoyed this book. It was light and fun for the most part and I really enjoyed the cozy family relationship themes throughout the book.

The ending though? Why? A lot of drama was thrown in at the end and the main character is really upset but then suddenly everything's fine in the most anticlimactic way.

I feel like the whole drama at the end was unnecessary, but I will try the sequel to see if that makes me like it more.