Book Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Hey Readers!!!

Today I'm coming to you for a book review/book talk for To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han!

I'm really excited about this review and this series because I haven't read a contemporary in a LOOOONG time, so it was so nice to fall in love with one again.

So here we go!

Goodreads Summary:

"To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all."

My Rating:

5/5 Stars!!!!

Book Review:

I really enjoyed reading this book! Lara Jean is your typical, albeit immature, teenaged girl. She has all the drama every girl goes through, and it really brought me back to my teenage years when I had to deal with crushes and first love.

There were some things that I struggled with in the book. As I have already briefly mentioned, Lara Jean is really immature for a girl her age when it comes to boys. Most teenagers are when they are dealing with crushes, but this is on the ridiculous level. This is something that I really struggled with while reading this book, but I was able to look beyond it because I loved the humor and the story itself. 

I am so glad that this is part of a trilogy and not a stand alone, because the book ended way too soon for me and I am dying to see what happens for Lara Jean in the next books.

If you like contemporary, young adult, romances, I think that you will really enjoy this story. It is such a wonderful book. I definitely recommend it! 

Spoilers Ahead!!!!

Continue at your own risk!!!!!

Turn back!!!!!  You've been warned!!!!!!

Book Talk:

So here we are, in the spoiler-y section. If you've come this far, I assume you've read the book, because I'm probably going to ruin it for you if you haven't, which means you gots to go! 

Lara Jean:

First of all, lets talk about Lara Jean. She is your typical teenager when it comes to family struggles and falling in love at the drop of a hat. She has fallen in love 5 times in her short life time, and it is 100% relatable. I swear I fell in love that many times, if not more, in high school. I honestly wish I had though of writing letters to the guys I "loved" in order to get over them. It's kind of genius. 

Something that drove me a little crazy about our dear Lara Jean was that she was pretty immature around  and about guys. She said and did some things that were just unbelievably immature, but who doesn't as a teenager?! The immaturity that drove me crazy was the thoughts that went through her head about the boys. Things like "Boys backs feel so different from girls backs..." or something to that affect.... I mean....of course they do. We are made differently! 

I admired that Lara Jean cared so deeply for her Dad and her sisters, Margot and Kitty. I loved the family being involved in the story like they were. It was nice. 

I really thought that she would end up with Josh for a while at the beginning of the book. I'm glad she didn't, because her relationship with Margot would have been RUINED if she had. I'm glad she fell in love with Peter instead. I really like Peter! He's a nice guy and not the typical "jock" stereotype you find in YA novels, which is refreshing! I hope that she and Peter get together again in the second book! I'll probably lose my crap if they don't. 

Peter:

I love Peter!! I want him with Lara Jean! They are beyond cute together and I just can't even. He is more that your typical jock, which as I said above, is really refreshing because most YA contemporaries have the jock stereotype in full force. I liked the sweet gestures he made to Lara Jean, even though the relationship was all for show at first. It was precious. The notes in the locker, the comments about her being cute and the little kisses. Ugh! SO CUTE! I ship Peter and Lara Jean for sure! No doubt! I was so sad when Lara Jean asked him to leave her alone at the end. 

Poor guy is too hung up on Gen. She's a psycho b***h. For real. So vindictive and mean! He needs to let that go ASAP. 

Josh:

So Josh was dating Margot for a long time. Something like three years?? Margot broke up with him before going away to Scotland for college and he got one of Lara Jean's letters. He kind of realized he might have feelings for her and it was super awkward and intense between him and Lara Jean for a while. 

Margot comes home for Christmas break and she finds out that Josh kissed Lara Jean and she loses it and is soooo angry with Lara Jean. She found out because Josh was arguing with Peter at Lara Jean and Margot's recital party and she overheard. Stupid Josh...and stupid Peter. 

I think Josh and Margot will work it out and get back together, and if not I think they'll at least be friends.  I hope so anyway! 

Josh is cool. I like Josh. 

Margot:

This girl stresses me out! She's a bit too uptight for my liking. I think thats because she had so much responsibility on her shoulders after their mother passed away. She was basically her sister's mother and she had to help take care of their dad as well. 

I still don't know why she broke up with Josh.....it's really not very clear. We only know that Josh thinks its because they had sex and Margot was scared off by getting close to him. Which makes sense, but I want to know for sure! 

Kitty:

OMG I love Kitty! She adds so much comic relief to  the story and thats always nice to have. She's so sweet  and innocent but also so grown up. I think its adorable that she has a crush on Josh, and Im pretty sure she gets a crush on Peter too. 

I like that she invited Peter to the recital party for Lara Jean behind her back to try to get them to fix their relationship. So cute!

We find out at the end of the book that Kitty is the one who sent Lara Jean's letter out and got this whole ball of poo rolling. She was so sorry about it and genuine. Lara Jean couldn't even stay mad at her cause it was so sweet! I like that we found out who was responsible at the end so that we weren't left wondering. 

I've covered all of the main characters! The only character I didn't discuss was Chris, and she's a supporting character and I don't have a lot to say about her honestly. She's a bad influence. 

In the next book I'm hoping for Peter and Lara Jean to get back together and for Margot and Josh to work things out. 

I want the girls' dad to find a girlfriend because its so sad that he's alone. 

I hope that you've enjoyed this review/discussion for this wonderful book! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

I can't wait to pick up the next books in the series and I hope that you all do too! 

Happy Reading!!!!!

XOXO,

Eden

Champion by Marie Lu

Hie everyone! It's been a while. I hate to say I was in a heck of a book slump after finishing Soldier by Julie Kagawa. I was pretty devastated if you couldn't tell....

I finished Champion by Marie Lu, the third and final installment in the Legend Trilogy, today after trying to get through it for about  a month. I hit halfway yesterday and suddenly I was engrossed and I couldn't put it down.

Soooo without further adieu, here is my review for Champion!

Goodreads Summary:

"He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion? 

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position. 

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything. "

My Rating: 5/5 Stars!!!!!

Non-Spoiler-y Thoughts:

First of all, I want to say that I was not prepared for the level of emotion I felt with this book. 

Obviously, I loved this book! I've said before that a book that gives you all of the feels has done its job and it has done its job well. Better than that! It excelled! 

The love story in this book is breath-taking. Seriously. June and Day are amazing characters and they are perfect together. 

The bond between Eden and Day is also beyond amazing. I don't have siblings, but I imagine I would feel the same bond that Day and Eden do. 

I really enjoyed the action in this book. It's different than the action from the first two books, but it is still absolutely thrilling. This book's action is all about war. Not rebellion and making statements like with Legend and Prodigy. 

I adore this series and I am honestly sad that it's over. I needed more. The ending left me kinda just hanging, but it was an okay ending. Much better than what I expected, but I still need more!! 

Outside of that fact, I can't rave enough about this series. 

Pick them up and read them! Seriously! You won't regret it! 

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!!! 

YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!!!! (In best Gandalf voice)

Seriously. Turn back. 

Book Talk (SPOILERS) 

 Alright so if you've read all three books, you'll be fine continuing on with this section of the post. 

If not, go away. You'll wish you had listened to me if you get spoiled. 

So here we go. We'll start with Anden. 

Anden is the new Elector of the Republic. He is madly in love with June. Anden is struggling to be a better Elector than his father, who was ruthless and had no qualms about killing innocents. I actually really like Anden and I have some sympathy for him because of the position he is in. He is under a ton of pressure at such a young age. For a while I thought that Anden and June would end up together, but hoped they wouldn't. He's really a stand up guy, and I'm glad that June has Anden in the 10 years that she and Day are apart. 

Now for Tess! She has REALLY matured in this book. She is pretty much over her infatuation with Day, which made me happy. She really just wants him to be her family. She is such a strong young woman. She feels so deeply and wants to save everyone that she loves. Unfortunately that isn't possible at one point in the book, and we see her reaction to the fact that she can't. The following meme represents my feelings for Tess in the previous book. She has redeemed herself.

Pascao is a character that is definitely not a lead, but I really liked his presence in the story line. He really helps Day and I think that they are pretty close friends. There isn't much to say about him except that he's a total bad-a** and I love him.

Eden, Day's little brother is another character that I think adds a lot to the story without being a lead character. His presence helps show what kind of heart Day has to his family. He loves Eden so much and would do anything for him, even if it means dying himself. I especially like that Eden goes to college in Antartica and he comes back to the Republic in the epilogue for a job interview in Batalla. That wrapped up his story line really well! (Love his name, because it's mine.) This meme is me every single time Eden is in the story.

JUNE! 

This girl kills me at some points in the book (the end!) I love the story that has unfolded between she and Day. She is so stiff and with him she doesn't know how to act. When she FINALLY tells him she loves him, I was so emotional. Basically, Day tells her that if she doesn't love him he needs to know so that he can stop torturing himself. He says ," Help me." June tells him she can't help him because she loves him. It was a beautiful moment. I really like that they had the one intimate night together (not that Marie said they were intimate, but we know ;) ) It was beautiful. She says," Nothing compares to him. And right now, I want nothing else." 

I HATED her for not telling Day who she was and what they meant to each other after his surgery. She just told him thank you for everything he had done for her and walked away forever. Ugh. So hard to read that part. 

June is still a complete kick-a** female lead in this book. I admire her and I applaud Marie Lu for creating such a marvelous character!!

DAY!!!! 

Day is my favorite character, if you can't tell.... I'll love him forever. 

His story is so heartbreaking and I love how he has overcome so much in his life and is still such a wonderful guy. His love for Eden is amazing and his love for June leaves me speechless. I need that kind of love in my life! Right now! 

When he's begging June to tell him how he feels and to help him I was so emotional. I know that feeling! It was so heartbreaking. 

My favorite part of that scene was when he says, "Billions of people will come and go in this world, but there will NEVER be another like you."  I swooned. Literally swooned, y'all. 

At the end of the book, when Day and June see each other again after the ten years they haven't seen each other, June sees that he is still wearing the paper clip ring that she gave him at the beginning of the book. I had real tears again guys. I'm not usually a book crier, but apparently my book selections have been on point, because I have sobbed. The paper clip ring part is so romantic and just so emotional. Then he tells her that he has known her before, so he remembers her in bits and pieces. He remembers parts of their relationship. He tells her that he wants to get to know her again if she'll let him. I was just so happy that they were going to be together again that I couldn't contain the tears. The book ends with the two of them reintroducing themselves to each other.

THE END! 

I have one negative thing about Champion. I needed more closure. I needed to see their wedding, or I needed children, I just needed an honest happily ever after. 

Besides my one negative, 

I LOVED this series so much. I don't think I have ever seen a love like the one between Day and June. It was EVERYTHING! Every. Thing. All of the feels guys. All of them. I cried so much.

There has never been a dystopian like this, I swear. At least not one that I have read. 

I'm really sad that this path in my reading adventures is at an end. I haven't loved a series this much in a while (not counting Falling Kingdoms). This has been amazing, and I really hope that someone who reads this has been encouraged and inspired to pick this series up. I know you'll love it. :) 

I hope that you have all enjoyed my Legend series posts! 

I'll be back with more reviews before long. School is almost out and I should have a little more time for reading after graduation! 

Happy Reading!! 

XOXO,

Eden