To All The Boys I've Loved Before Series

By: Jenny Han

DNF

Perhaps if I had read these as a teenager, I would have felt differently... but alas, here we are. Reading it as an adult makes me think twice. I did love the first one. I thought it was cute and high school realistic, but it was when Lara Jean and Peter started dating that I got a little uncomfortable. Surely, the bullying is common and relatable for teens raised in a technology/social media age; however, I hate that this book makes it seem... okay.

The other aspect of this book that I don't enjoy is the on-again off-again relationship. I hate that Lara Jean and Peter only have the solution of breaking up, and walking away based on assumptions and not conversations. I got about halfway through the second book and read a Wikipedia review of the third, and this was the only plot line I gathered from the two. To me, it teaches teenagers that the breaking up cycle is normal. It's not.

This series sort of reminds me of The Cruel Prince. Everyone romanticizes it, but it's not a healthy relationship by any means. Of course, Lara Jean and Peter are nowhere near as toxic and domestic violence-y as The Cruel Prince, but based on what I've seen in bookstagram, people still romanticize it.

I don't know. Maybe I can't talk because I didn't actually read the last two, but the second one just made me uncomfortable. Between the bullying, insecurities, and weirdness, I just couldn't get into it. I know that it's actually geared to teenagers, so maybe that's part of it, but it was a no-go for me, unfortunately.