By Molly McCall, age 13
Jenny Han’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” (Simon & Schuster, 2018) is a humorous, romantic young adult book. The narrative writing style made me feel like I was in the story and could really hear the main character’s thoughts. This book made me want to turn each page to read more. Family, friends, diversity, and high school experiences are the main themes in the book. It’s a perfect book for teens because these are topics and themes that many can relate to.
The book is about a 16-year-old girl named Lara Jean who wrote letters to the boys she has loved. The letters stay safely in her hatbox and are for no one but her. Then the letters go missing from her hatbox and appear in the hands of the boys she wrote them to. Although this becomes stressful for her, she has the opportunity to create new friendships and bonds with people she might not have initially expected to.
Some reasons why I appreciated this book and I think others will as well: as a teenager, I like a good romance story, and the lighthearted romance in this book makes for an enjoyable read; however, the book touches on numerous subjects that many teens can relate to. It reaches out to all readers making them aware of common topics such as diversity, the importance of friendships, good decision making, and different family structures. I enjoyed this book so much I recommended it to family and friends as well as reading the sequel!
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