SYNOPSIS:

Lara Jean has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK IT OUT?

For anyone who has ever crushed hard but kept quiet, this book sounds alternately terrifying and like a dream come true.  Who doesn’t wonder ‘what if?’ about past loves?

Speaking of, we love so much about that cover: seeing a teen of color protagonist on her own cover, Lara Jean’s sparse but elegant bedroom, and the typeface for the title looks like the protagonist had taken a sharpie to an old photo.

Plus, that title is the name of a song by the amazing Alanis Morissette and the written-but-not-delivered letters recalls another of her songs, Unsent.  Which means that author Jenny Han has some great taste in music and a killer set of inspiration for this one!

OTHER YA MAG COVERAGE

Jenny and Siobhan discuss their new book Burn for Burn

Fighting Fire with Fire with the Ladies of Burn for Burn

EARLY REVIEWS SAY…

An ultimately compelling exploration of teenage growth and young love. (Kirkus Reviews)

Lara Jean’s personality—goofy, awkward, prone to strong emotions, and entirely naïve when it comes to boys—give this touching story an individuality and charm all its own. Han creates a realistically flawed cast, especially half-Korean Lara Jean and her sisters, who work hard to be good to one another after their mother’s death (even when they’re at one another’s throats). (Publishers Weekly)

NECESSARY DETAILS

YA Contemporary Romance

Hardcover & ebook, 386 pages

Published on April 15, 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (ISBN 1442426705)

http://books.simonandschuster.com/To-All-the-Boys-Ive-Loved-Before/Jenny-Han/9781442426702