Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Reading Response #1 TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE


Evy Rahmey 802                                                                                                                9/16/14

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, by Jenny Han, is a book about a girl named Lara Jean, who is entering her junior year of high school. Since a while ago, Lara Jean has been writing love letters to all the boys that she has loved. She sealed them, addressed them, but never sent them, and, instead, put them in a teal hatbox kept in her room. One day, these letters are sent out, causing Lara Jean’s life to turn upside down once the first boy told her about the love letter he got from her. 
When Peter Kavinsky, a guy in Lara Jean’s grade, gets his love letter, Lara Jean says it was from eighth grade. He laughs at the letter and doesn’t really think it’s a big deal. Then, when Lara Jean’s close family friend and neighbor, Josh, gets his letter, Lara Jean panics and says that the letter is from eighth grade, even though it was recently written. Then, to cover up that she doesn’t still like him, (even though she does) Lara Jean spots Peter in the hallway and kisses him. He kisses back and everyone is stunned. After this, Lara Jean asks Peter if they can fake date, meaning that they would act like a couple in public and at school, but not actually like each other. Peter agrees to the fake relationship, and they begin to fake date. Throughout To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, the author portrays how Lara Jean’s personality changes once Peter came back into her life.
One way in which Lara Jean’s personality changes after Peter comes back into her life is that she begins to stop hanging out with Josh. Before Peter, Josh drives her to school and hangs out with with her and her little sister, Kitty, after school. Once Lara Jean and Peter begin to fake date, Peter picks her up from school, and even takes Kitty to school, and he also comes over after school to hang out with her and Kitty. Josh beings to notice this different vibe between him and Lara Jean, and he’s sad that they’ve become so distant and they don’t have the same friendship anymore. Lara Jean doesn’t notice this as much as Josh because she has a lot of fun around Peter after she gets used to spending a lot of time with him. This infuriates Josh because he feels that Peter will eventually replace him for good as the person who is tightly knit with Lara Jean and her family. Josh also gets mad at Lara Jean for not even making an effort in hanging out with him. 
A second difference in Lara Jean’s personality after Peter comes back into her life is how she acts around people in general. Before Peter, Lara Jean isn’t as out there and she’s not as social with people that she isn’t already friendly with. After Lara Jean and Peter hang out a lot because of their fake dating, Lara Jean is introduced to Peter’s huge amount of friends and gets to know them better. Because Peter is the most popular boy in the grade, and probably the school, Lara Jean is also brought to a party and learns what is going on in her grade that she used to not be apart of. This really changes her because she becomes someone who has developed better social skills that will ultimately help her in her high school life. 
In conclusion, Lara Jean’s personality changes when Peter comes back into her life. By using this example of shifting someone’s personality, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before has really opened up my eyes to the world and make me notice that many people’s personalities have changed when even one individual enters their life. This book teaches me that we need to be open to new people and we need to be aware about how they impact us. All in all, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, by Jenny Han, shows the transition in Lara Jean’s personality as Peter Kavinsky enters her life once again.

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