REVIEW for To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Thank you to the wonderful people at Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:              To All the Boys I 've Loved Before

AUTHOR:         Jenny Han

GENRE:            YA

RATING:      


This book had been on my "dying to read" list for some time, so when I was offered an ARC to read and review, I was thrilled.

First of all, I love, love the title of this book and the premise behind this story sold me as a "must read".

Lara Jean knows about heartbreak - she has had her share of boys she has loved and lost and more deeply, the loss of a parent at a young age.
I admit that I completely identified with Lara, having loss my dad at a young age and having also loved and lost (the good, the bad and the ugly) as well.  Although I am now an adult, some of the boys in my young life marked me more than I realized and some even helped formed the adult that I am today.  I would love to be able to go back in time (as an adult) and watch my young self talking and dealing with these young boys.  What would I think? We have all, at some point or another, wondered about the "what if" - sometimes being thankful that nothing happened and sometimes wishing we had made a different choice.

All of this drew me to this book and I simply loved how the author incorporated Lara's sweetness and honesty when writing to each boy.  To me, this is the strength of this book - Lara pouring her heart out to the boys of her life - without realizing that, in many ways, she was also writing to her mother.

Yes, the reaction to these letters is also interesting, although I find myself going back to reread the chapters where Lara writes her thoughts and emotions down - feeling as though the author has truly connected her character with her reader.

This was a wonderful read, I loved it.