We get an insight into modern love and the perils that come with it.
This book has become so popular that it has even been created into a Netflix series.
Teen, Lara Jean, loves to daydream and write love letters to every boy she has a crush on.
These letters are never meant to be sent out, yet one day the worst happens and all her secrets are revealed for everyone to find out.
Lara does her best to try to save the situation, but it all ends in embarrassing ways.
If you have enjoyed the amusing and heartwarming adventures Lara finds herself in, then you will enjoy this selection of books that follow similar themes.
If you love To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy books like Something To Talk About, A Taste For Love, and True Letters From a Fictional Life.
Check out our list of 6 books to read after To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.
Themes In To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
Coming Of Age
The main theme of this book is coming of age, which is handled via Lara Jean’s character.
We see how she develops from being overly reliant on her family to a more mature character capable of making her own decisions and leading her own life.
Lara Jean is reliant on her older sister Margot at the beginning of the book as she is getting ready to move to Scotland.
Lara Jean finds it difficult to imagine life without Margot because she will miss her sister’s company.
She is also concerned that her family won’t be able to function without Margot to plan things out.
Love And Fear
Although she has fallen in love with exactly five boys throughout the past few years, Lara Jean has never been in a romantic relationship prior to the start of the book.
This abruptly changes when Lara Jean starts a phony relationship with Peter, one of her previous crushes.
Lara Jean fears being in a committed relationship and falling in love again.
As the story goes on, it demonstrates that being terrified of romance and intimacy is common, particularly for young people in their first relationships, like Lara Jean.
High School Social Status
Laura Jean is horrified when the boys she wrote letters about approach her.
They all go to the same school as her, and we see her social status in school immediately change.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, we see how Laura navigates her new status in high school and how it affects her.
Liza Yang, a senior in high school, is almost ideal in her classmates’ eyes. Beautiful, polite, and smart.
Liza is more determined to challenge all of Mrs. Yang’s conventional ideas than her older sister Jeannie is, particularly when it comes to dating.
The one thing that unites mother and daughter is their shared passion for baking.
When Liza appears on the first day of the bake-off, she discovers that all the competitors are young Asian American guys her mother has specifically chosen for Liza to date.
Liza starts to understand there is no recipe for love as she struggles with her feelings for James and her need for her mother’s acceptance.
Pros
Insight into Asian culture and food.
Development of all relationships (family and romantic).
Good character growth.
Cons
Takes a while to get into the action.
Themes: Family expectations, relationships, and food.
Mia is hoping to spend a lovely summer in France chasing her ambitions, but as she lands in Paris, she quickly finds it could be trickier than she had anticipated.
The first is her competitor Audrey, who will do anything to expose her.
She also has a ballet teacher, whose impossible standards stretch her to the limit.
Then there is Louis, who is devastatingly charming.
He is anxious to show Mia his city, and Mia is more than willing to board his Vespa and embrace him as they pass the Eiffel Tower’s sparkling lights.
Her summer of focusing on her dreams is put into chaos as she tries to navigate this new love.
Pros
Great world-building.
Interesting side characters.
Good balance of romance and Paris culture.
Cons
A twist ending isn’t for everyone.
Themes: First loves, friendship, romance, and adventure.
A brilliant athlete, honorable student, and Theresa’s sort-of lover, James Liddell is a happy, easy-going guy.
As anyone in his small Vermont town would be able to tell you if you asked them.
However, James recounts a new tale each time he takes a seat at his desk to write. He confesses the truth: despite his best efforts, he just isn’t into Theresa.
He keeps thinking about a boy who happens to be his friend.
James hides this in his private letters, but when his deepest secrets are revealed, he must deal with the ramifications in his little town.
Pros
Plenty of twists and turns.
James is a lovable character to follow.
Gently deals with James coming to terms with his sexuality.
Cons
Lots of characters to remember.
Themes: Truth, lies, high school, LGBTQ, and coming of age
The moment Hollywood superstar Jo is seen making her assistant Emma giggle on the red carpet, the tabloids immediately declare that the two are dating.
The timing of the alleged scandal, which jeopardizes Jo’s new film and Emma’s promotion, couldn’t be worse.
As the rumor grows, it begins to have an impact on every aspect of their lives.
The two women start spending more time together as the premiere of Jo’s film project approaches.
Then they start to see that perhaps the rumor is not so untrue after all.
Pros
Great tension between the two protagonists.
Well-placed comedic moments.
Friends to lovers trope.
Cons
Slow-paced.
Themes: Love, LGBTQ, friendships, worth ethic, faking dating, and rumors.
While Lina is in Tuscany for the summer, she is not in the mood for the country’s well-known sunshine.
She’s only there because her mother wanted her to see her father before she passed away.
Then, a notebook that Lina’s mother had written while she was in Italy is presented to her.
Suddenly, Lina is finding a magical world full of art, hidden bakeries, and undiscovered relationships.
A world that motivates Lina and the lovable Ren to follow in her mother’s footsteps and discover a secret that has been kept hidden for a long period of time.
Everything Lina believed about her mother, her father, and even herself will change as a result of this secret.
Pros
Fantastic character development.
Handles the subject of death well.
Interesting love triangle trope.
Cons
Predictable ending.
Themes: Mystery, love triangle, adventure, love, loss, family, and secrets.
Noah Burton works as a Librarian full time, and is a blogger in his spare time. His goal is to write compelling recommendations for all of the most popular books he can find, from science fiction to romance.
With a passion for books, a drive to find new reads to get stuck into, and a love for sharing book recommendations with others, Noah can help you find the next novel for your bucket list.
