Wrap up – To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before Trilogy by Jenny Han

Fun realistic contemporaries about family and facing the loss of security of childhood.

  

It took me a while to pick up ‘To All The Boy’s I’ve Loved Before’ – there was something about the blurb that failed to hook me, but thanks to continuous rave reviews from friends, I eventually picked it up and gave it a go. I was blown away by the family dynamics and the relationship between the sisters at the forefront. I must admit though, I found myself rolling my eyes many times. But the stand out character was Kitty, Lara Jean’s annoying little sister. Their dynamic felt very real and created expert tension for the story.

You get a strong sense of how these girls grow up throughout the trilogy, still in that cute, light and fluffy narrative tone of Han’s writing. It really captures the worries we experience when facing the world after school, losing family (either to death, divorce or moving away,) school grades and, of course, boyfriends. I was transported back to the nostalgia and angst-ridden years of my own high school experience. Though I wasn’t as goody-two-shoes as Lara Jean.

Even though the finale ‘Always and Forever, Lara Jean’ deals with some great issues, it fell a bit flat for the conclusion of this trilogy… but in saying that, ringing true to the realism that embodies this collection, Lara Jean’s story has not ended. It is only just beginning as she take her first steps into adulthood and academia. Maybe we’ll get more of Lara Jean’s story in many years from now?

Definitely one I’d recommend if you’re into romantic contemporaries with a strong familial presence and a fairly passive main character. Though there is some light wit that keeps the tone delightful. This series certainly gets better the further you get into the series, with the last book switching up the tone a bit as Lara Jean faces an uncertain future and has some hard decisions to make.

And with the film adaptation due for release in 2018 (at this stage,) starring Lana Condor; I’m excited to see how this series will fare – and if all three novels with get a treatment… of course depending of the performance of the debut at the box office. In a world where the majority of film successes are white-washed (with a male lead,) it is going to be an interesting social experiment seeing how this movie is launched and received by audiences.

For individual reviews click on the links below:

‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’ – https://strokingfire.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/book-review-to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before-by-jenny-han/

P.S. I Still Love You’ – https://strokingfire.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/book-review-p-s-i-still-love-you-by-jenny-han/

‘Always and Forever, Lara Jean’ https://strokingfire.wordpress.com/2017/11/21/book-review-always-and-forever-lara-jean-3-to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before-by-jenny-han/

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