To All the Boys I've Loved Before Library Binding – 26 Jan. 2016

I had seen this book advertised everywhere so gave in to my intrigue and decided to see what it was like. Initially I was a little frustrated with the first few pages with the writing structure whilst characters were being described and the plot premise was being introduced, however the more I read the better it developed and the more immersed in the plot I became.The book is about Lara Jean, the middle child of three sisters. Lara Jean and her siblings are being raised single handedly by her father, and you learn about how that has shaped the dynamic of not just her life but also that of her older sister Margot, and her younger sister Kitty.With Margot moving away to university, it is Lara Jeans time to come into her own, to prove she can 'do it all', and that she is a 'mature and refined adult', but unfortunately for Lara Jean it all goes a little bit wrong.After an unexpected incident of letters she'd penned to boys from her past and present get mailed, she is forced to own up to her crushes, or in some cases make up a lie to get out of feeling mortified.The book has some real funny and gripping moments and is very believably told from the perspective of a teenager. It is well constructed and I couldn't put it down.I wanted to read this book before watching the Netflix production and I am glad I chose to do this first, as there's just always something better about a book compared to the screen adaptations.I would recommend this book to all romance lovers, someone who would like to read something current and light-hearted.

I downloaded this one after watching the Netflix adaptation during the summer, which I loved. This is probably the first YA romance/romcom I've ever read (if I read YA, it's usually fantasy) but I really enjoyed it. The film is mostly faithful to the book, although the ending is slightly different (but not in a bad way!)Lara Jean Covey is the middle one of the three 'Song sisters', who are extremely close after the death of their mother a few years back. The only gift Lara Jean had from her mother, that was not duplicated to her sisters, is a teal-coloured hat box in which she keeps a bundle of love letters. These are not letters she's received but ones she wrote and never posted, letters written to help her get over the various crushes she has had over the years. Then one day, the letters are mysteriously posted, leading to all sorts of complications.I'm not usually keen on stories that go into a lot of detail about the characters lives; I prefer to get right to the action! But I absolutely loved this book because of all the detail about Covey family life. I loved the way the sisters try to encourage their hapless father to get out and date again, by ironing his tie and practically shoving him out the door. I loved the down-to-earth humour of Lara Jean's 'fake' boyfriend Peter: "As soon as you and I are done, he's gonna pull some cheesy-ass move and, like, profess his love for you with a boom box. I'm telling you, I know how guys think." I even adored Lara Jean's eccentric best friend Chris, who turns up in the middle of the night for sleepovers.To All The Boys I've Loved Before is sweet, funny, and heart-warming without even trying. The characters are adorable and I completely fell in love with them. So I have no hesitation in recommending it to fans of contemporary romance, romance and romcoms, whatever their age! One of my favourite reads this year.

It has taken me way too long to get stuck in to the ‘TATBILB’ book series and once I did, it took me about a little over a week to finish all three. I watched the movie for TATBILB literally the day it came out and fell in love with it, as did pretty much the entire world. It’s a story-line that has been told time and time again, however, Lara Jean, her family, Peter Kavinsky, Josh, all the side characters – you’re just not going to get any better than them and that’s what makes this story-line it’s very own. Something that no one has done before and no one will ever top.If you’ve watched the movie and/or read the books, you will know that TATBILB follows sixteen-year-old, Lara Jean Song Covey and her love letters. Lara Jean has a thing for writing love letters, dedicated to all of her crushes up until the present, however, she will never send them out. She keeps them treasured away for her and only her to read over and over again. When a little teasing at the dinner table takes a turn for the worst, all five of Lara Jean’s crushes receive their letters, one including the beloved and popular, Peter Kavinsky.Two rather big and life-changing events in Lara Jean and Peter’s lives leave them both in positions that they really need to get themselves out of and what could help that more than fake dating? Probably a lot, but this is the story of Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky, that is going to have you head over heels in love with them within seconds.Not only was Lara Jean trying to cover her back from a previous crush that could turn back around on her really hard, she was also having to deal with her eldest sister, Margot, moving to Scotland for University. The Song sisters have such a unique and special bond between the three of them and it did have me a little green with envy throughout, not growing up with sisters of my own (Shush don’t tell my brothers that though, I still love them more than life itself). With Margot having taken on the mom role, after their mother sadly passed away, Lara Jean knew that this was now going to be passed on as her responsibility and she needed to continue the hard work Margot had put in to taking care of their father and youngest sister, Kitty.TATBILB is such an easy read, with chapters only taking up to 1-3 minutes each to read which I L.O.V.E.D!! I absolutely live for short chapters, as my attention span is about 5 minutes – if a chapter is longer than that, there’s a slight chance you’re going to lose me half way through for a little bit. However, that being said, the longest chapters of this book take up to no more than 12 minutes, which is an absolute joy, so thank you Jenny for keeping your books short and sweet. Being as it is the year I turned 22, I always feel a bit nervous reading books based in school’s, like people might find out and judge me? I don’t know, it’s a stupid thought, however, I really just love the simplicity of being taken back to school, where all you had to worry about was whether that boy you like likes you back or getting your homework completed in time or whether or not you was going to be invited to the latest and trashiest party – none of it is really as important as you think when you’re sixteen.The book is so incredibly cosy and I found myself yearning to have the type of dynamic and vibe that the Covey household does. I also found myself feeling determined to be as productive as Lara Jean – with her love for creating scrapbooks, testing new Korean face-masks and consistently baking for her family, I wish I had her self-care routine! I do really admire Lara Jean, not only for her outstanding skin-care routine, but also because she really does prove herself and show everybody that she is more capable of life than they all think. She comes across as the shy girl who loves to make crafts and bake, yet her confidence shines so bright and her ways of dealing with hard situations really make you want to applaud her. Don’t get me wrong, although the book makes you want to believe she is living this perfect life, Lara Jean definitely has her flaws – confrontation being the main one and I really can relate to that, as I am the worst person when it comes to confrontation. I’d rather just run away and not deal with anything than have to face something that could be either painful or just straight up awkward.You’d be crazy to not love the growing friendship between Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky. Two complete opposites, yet they somehow make it work. Rekindling their friendship was really heart-warming to watch, as you learn that they had been friends since their childhoods, yet walked in opposite directions of each other the more the years went by, and the closer Peter got to the wicked witch, Genevieve. The more they were fake dating and getting to know each other, you could see how much they were growing on each other, romantically, however, they still have each other’s main goals in their heads and stop themselves from admitting how they really feel. I really do believe that they are an unexpected couple who are absolutely made for each other.