I have been reading a lot of heavy political books this summer and every now and then I like to treat myself to a cute, light, contemporary, summer read. Or a CLCSR, as I am now classifying books that do not involve complex thinking and have an appeal to them that you cannot really describe. These two books are the epitome of CLCSR and I am really happy I chose to read them.
I have heard great things about Jenny Han, I know she has a series titled: The Summer I Turned Pretty, which I now want to read. She is a great writer, I love her style and I love her characters.
To All The Boys I Loved Before and P.S I Still Love You are about the ups and downs of boy crushes felt by one Lara Jean. Lara Jean is in grade 11 and has never really dated, she loves to bake, wears cute clothes, and loves her family. I found her to be a very relatable character as she seemed to have all the same interests I have and was quiet and at times awkward when it came to guys, which I think is something we can all relate to.
In To All The Boys I Loved Before, Lara Jean has to deal with the unthinkable. See she has crushes on guys but does not really act upon these crushes. Instead, to get over a guy, she writes him a letter. In this letter she expresses her inner most feelings, why she fell in love with him in the first place, and why she is no longer in love with him. She seals the letter, addresses it and then puts it in a hat box under her bed, essentially discarding her feelings for the guy. So of course, one day the letters get mailed out, to each of the boys and not only do they receive them but they confront her about it as well...I cringed for her, just at the thought of that happening. And so Lara Jean, now has to try and convince these boys that the feelings she had no longer exist (which is true in some cases) and convince herself that she may still harbour feelings for a few of them.
If you do not wish to know what happens in the sequel please stop reading, there will not be any major spoilers but subtle hints.
In P.S. I Still Love You, Lara Jean is now in a relationship with one of the guys to whom a letter was sent to. Her first boyfriend and well her second go around at dealing with drama, make for a sequel I could not wait to read. Not only is she trying to fix/save the relationship she desires but she is also dealing with jealous, petty mean girls and one of the other boys who received a letter. While sequels tend to disappoint, this one lived up to the awesomeness of the first book.
I genuinely enjoyed both of these books and recommend them if you are looking for a great read. I am going to be sure to check out Jenny Han's other novels.
Let me know what your thoughts were on these books. Do you have any recommendations for a CLCSR?
Happy Reading!
Labels: Beach Reads, Book Review, CLCSR, Summer Reads
