On May 2, 2017 Jenny Han published her final book to the Dear All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before series. The romance series is a happy and lighthearted story that is worth reading.
Summary
Lara Jean is about to embark on her senior year of high school alongside her boyfriend, Peter. When her anxiety levels begin to rise, her future plans fall into a million pieces. Her boyfriend, Peter has accepted a sports scholarship to UVA and he urges Lara to apply to the same school. The lovers can’t wait to start a new chapter of their relationship together but, things don’t go as planned. Lara Jean doesn’t receive any acceptance letters in the mail and starts to lose hope of attending any college. Bittersweet she gets an acceptance letter from the College of William and Mary and decides to attend school there.
Meanwhile, at home, Lara Jean’s father continues to date their neighbor, Trina Rothschild. Therefore when Margot returns home with her boyfriend, Ravi, their father asks his daughters for their blessings to wed Trina. The sisters undoubtedly they give them their blessing, though Margot, is less accepting than her sisters.
As Lara Jean finishes high school, she finds out that UNC has taken her off the wait-list and accepted her. She immediately pushes it to the side when her friend Chris urges her to take a spontaneous road trip to see the campus and what she will be missing if she sticks to her plan. Lara Jean falls in love with the campus and decides to go to school there despite, the distance from her family and boyfriend. Lara begins to feel overwhelmed and fearful of her future however, college starts soon and she will be forced to make a decision.
Opinion
After reading, Always and Forever, Lara Jean (third edition) I felt that it was very predictable and had a dull plot. I felt there was nothing that urged me to keep reading. Each event just came after the other and almost made it difficult to maintain focused. If the story took some type of turn such as a cheating scandal, it would have been more intriguing.
On the flip side, Dear all the Boys I’ve Loved Before (first edition), was unlike any other romance novel I’ve ever read. Lara Jean has been bit of a hopeless-romantic, but the unthinkable happens and she finds herself in a relationship with her crush. Throughout the book Lara Jean portrays such a relatable introverted person. This book without a doubt out shined my first impression and I would definitely recommend it to teenage girls.
P.S I Still Love You (second edition) is the second book in the Dear all the Boys I’ve Loved Before series and it also a good read. In this book the reader gets to experience Peter and Lara Jeans’ love story when another boy tigers old feelings, and Lara finds herself torn. Even though, she bounces back and forth from her old friend and Peter, she chooses Peter.
However, it is very realistic to young adults and teenage relationships. The reader can’t help but swoon for Lara Jean and Peter in Dear all the Boys I Loved Before. This book is appropriate for ages 15+ because there is some mature content. Therefore, if you are 15+ and enjoy a cheesy love story, I recommend you read this book series.
