Have you ever wondered what life would be like if everyone you’ve ever had a crush on found out on the same day? Well, the new Netflix movie, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” depicts what would happen in that scenario.
Before the movie hit the Netflix screen, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” was a 2014 young adult romance novel written by Jenny Han. Han began writing the novel based on her past experience of writing letters — but never sending them — to her crushes when she was a teenager.
Netflix released this romantic comedy directed by Susan Johnson and featuring a dreamy cast on Aug. 17, and in that time, it’s garnered a 95 percent approval rating, according to Rotten Tomatoes, and has gotten lots of buzz on social media.
In the film, Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor), a half-Korean, half-Caucasian 16-year-old girl, writes five love letters to the guys she once thought she loved. Lara Jean’s older sister, Margot (Janel Parrish), is all packed and ready to leave for her freshman year of college in Scotland when she decides to break up with Josh Sanderson (Israel Broussard), her longtime boyfriend and next-door neighbor.
After Margot leaves town, Lara Jean’s life completely falls apart when all five letters are mysteriously sent out without her permission. Despite writing these letters and addressing them, Lara Jean kept them hidden in a box in her room thinking no one would ever see them.
Spoiler alert: Once the letters are sent out, Lara Jean panics about what to do, because a letter was addressed to her best friend and secret crush, Josh.
Josh, however, is just one of the five who receive a letter. Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), the most popular boy in school, also receives a letter. In an attempt to avoid talking to Josh, Lara Jean pulls a classic rom-com move and starts fake dating Peter, who has his own motive — making his ex-girlfriend Genevieve jealous.
From the beginning of this “relationship,” Lara Jean and Peter set up a list of rules that explain how to behave around each other. As Lara Jean and Peter spend more time together, Lara Jean becomes more confused about whether her feelings are real or fake.
After watching this film not one but three times, what I enjoyed most about it was its not-so-typical love story. The movie’s plot was original and kept me hooked throughout the film.
When Han finished writing “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” she was not done with the love letters just yet. The book was followed by two sequels: “P.S. I Still Love You,” released in 2015 and “Always and Forever, Lara Jean,” released in 2017.
Considering how great a love story this is, all we can hope is that Netflix will be releasing the sequels soon.
