The Reading Warehouse

Lara Jean Covey writes romantic goodbye letters to boys "when I don't want to be in love anymore," never intending for them to see the light of day. She understandably panics when the five letters are somehow mailed out, especially because she wrote one to Josh, her older sister Margot's nice, nerdy ex. To convince Josh that she's over him, Lara Jean pretends to date popular Peter, who agrees to the charade to make his former girlfriend jealous. But when Peter holds her hand or jokes around with her younger sister, Kitty, Lara Jean begins to wonder "what's real and what's not." As in Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty, there's a love triangle at work, but Lara Jean's personality—goofy, awkward, prone to strong emotions, and entirely naïve when it comes to boys—give this touching story an individuality and charm all its own. Han creates a realistically flawed cast, especially half-Korean Lara Jean and her sisters, who work hard to be good to one another after their mother's death (even when they're at one another's throats). Ages 12–up. Agent: Emily Van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Apr.)

Gr 7–10—In this lovely, lighthearted romance, high school junior Lara Jean writes never-to-be-mailed letters to every boy she's ever liked. The teen falls for Josh, the boy next door. The catch: he's her older sister's very recent ex-boyfriend. But when her letters are accidentally sent out, the protagonist is desperate to convince Josh that she's over her crush. Peter, a popular boy at school, also received one of Lara Jean's love letters, and—hoping to make his ex-girlfriend jealous—agrees to be her "pretend" beau. Once older sister Margot leaves for college in Scotland, Lara Jean's interactions with Josh are more complicated. Lara Jean also must take care of her younger sister, Kitty, since their mother died six years ago. Unlike typical teen romances, this is as much the story of a family as it is about falling in love. Family traditions are skillfully woven into the first-person narrative, including some from the mother's Korean heritage. Though the three sisters are very close, they also have conflicts to resolve, and Lara Jean's perspective as a middle child suddenly left in charge is compelling. Readers will be intrigued by the narrator and Peter's complicated relationship. Does she really love Josh, or is Peter the one for her? Most teens will guess the outcome but enjoy the many twists and turns along the way in this lyrical novel. Readers will remember the Song sisters and the boys in their lives long after the final page turn.—Miranda Doyle, Lake Oswego School District, OR