This book review was written by Sarah Tang of Poolesville High School
The ever-so-popular Netflix film series To All The Boys featuring Lara Jean Covey, an Asian-American high schooler navigating the tumultuous events of high school romance, started out as a young-adult trilogy written by Jenny Han. Prior to the success of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, another young adult romance trilogy, was a New York Times bestselling series. The Netflix adaptation follows the novel To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before almost perfectly.
Jenny Han is a Korean-American author who was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, and currently lives in New York City. Han graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned her Masters in Fine Arts degree in writing from The New School. In college, she wrote her first book, a tween novel known as Shug, which kickstarted her career as an author. However, like all authors, the path wasn’t always an easy one. Han was a librarian before her booming success in the writing industry, and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was almost never published; “everyone from agents to publishers let her know that people didn't want to read about an Asian American girl.”
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before follows the story of Lara Jean, a half-white, half-Asian girl with her younger sibling, Kitty, and her older sibling, Margot, who is about to head off to university in Scotland. The three siblings have a tight bond, caused by the death of their mother a few years prior. However, secrets are about to be kept between the three when Lara Jean’s hatbox of love letters gets sent out to their intended recipients. Every guy Lara Jean has ever had a crush on would receive a confession, along with how she felt about them at the time, including Margot’s former boyfriend, Josh, and their longtime neighbor.
“You'd rather make up a fantasy version of somebody in your head than be with a real person.”
―Jenny Han, To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Though the ending is rather cliche, the process delves accurately into hectic high school relationships and drama. Feelings are not as black and white as they seem; Lara Jean’s feelings for Josh came back after her older sister broke up with him, and Han perfectly encapsulates the chaos and emotional complexity going through their minds. When the most popular jock at school, Peter Kavinsky, starts dating the biggest nerd after breaking up with the most coveted girl at school, rumors are bound to spread like wildfire. The precision in Han’s storytelling propels this novel exceptionally well from the standpoint of a high schooler, and all of Lara Jean’s experiences are fairly relatable, given if the reader were in the same situation.
“Josh, you break my heart. And you're a liar. Because you know me, you know me better than almost anybody, and you don't love me.” ―Jenny Han, To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Ironically enough, this novel’s greatest issues lie within Asian representation. Even though Lara Jean is half white, the novel implies that she is fully Asian, being called the “Song Sisters” alongside her siblings, despite her last name being Covey, and the highlights of her personality point to her Asian side. Lara Jean’s character does not explore the complexities of being a “halfie,” nor does it explore the more serious complexities of being Asian. None of her love interests are Asian, and the rest of the Asians in this novel are seen as stereotypical outcasts from being too nerdy or from their interests. Despite being based on Han’s own life, Lara Jean is not full Korean like Han is either, though this is possibly just a stylistic choice made by the author. Furthermore, many of the Asian “quirks” being portrayed in Lara Jean’s character are simple stereotypes, such as being the school nerd and drinking the extremely popular Korean yogurt drink known as “Yakult.” They are only made to be parts of her personality to add some spice to the story. In the end, I am disappointed as Lara Jean being Korean feels as if it is there to just be representative, despite Han herself being Korean.
“But what now? What am I supposed to do with all these feelings?” ―Jenny Han, To All the Boys I've Loved Before
The novel is a great teen romance to read, as it delves properly into the intricacies of a developing teenage mind and offers a fresh new romance trope instead of the classic love triangle. Each main character has their own unique personality, and there are rarely lapses of an out-of-character moment for the sake of plot, aside from the lack of consistency in Lara Jean’s Asian traits. For a teen romance novel, this is a win. For diversity, this is the bare minimum. And for proper representation, you’re better off reading another novel. In the end, it is slightly disappointing how Lara Jean’s character turned out despite being written by an Asian-American author; however, its romance aspect definitely makes it worth the read.
Bibliography
Fantastic Fiction Webmaster. “Jenny Han.” Fantastic Fiction, 2021, www.fantasticfiction.com/h/jenny-han/.
GoodReads Admin. “To All the Boys I've Loved Before Quotes by Jenny Han.” Goodreads, Goodreads, 2014, www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/21442106-to-all-the-boys-i-ve-loved-before.
Han, Jenny. Jenny Han, 2021, www.jennyhan.com/.
Lee, Chris Jesu. “'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' Has Creepy Racial Things Going On.” Plan A Mag, Plan A Mag, 19 Mar. 2021, planamag.com/to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before-has-creepy-racial-things-going-on/.
Wikia Contributors. “Jenny Han.” To All The Boys I've Loved Before Wiki, 2021, to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before.fandom.com/wiki/Jenny_Han.
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