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Feb 13, 2020carolwu96 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I have not read YA fiction in forever and have never been a big fan of romance, but I did appreciate how realistic the narrative was. Lara Jean’s daily life as an Asian, big sister, and someone caught between cultures really resonated with me. Her mental activity concerning her crushes also hit me in the feels! Although I did feel that the book lacked depth, if it was just meant to be a quick fun read, who cares about depth anyway? 🤷🏻‍♀️ ⁣⁣ As for the movie...⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I managed to sit through the movie but was disappointed given the hype. It not only glossed over the heavier elements, such as moral conflicts and bullying, but also took out other plots to focus on the romance. Just when I thought the movie was going to explore the way two people managed to truly understand each other despite differences in social status, the movie deviated from that too. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ My biggest problem with the movie lies in the way it downplayed the whole Korean identity issue and the importance of family. While the girls in the book referred to themselves as “the Song sisters,” in the movie they referred to themselves as the Covey Sisters. Actually, very little was mentioned about the Asian identity besides the Korean smoothie and burnt cuisine, which was superficial and underlined their whiteness instead. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Similarly, while the book put a lot of emphasis on Lara Jean’s ability to self-reflect and the support system within her family, in the movie their main function seemed to be to contribute to the romance.⁣ In other words, the filmmakers took a fairly wholesome about high school life and turned it into one about a social Cinderella who managed to catch the eye of the “it” boy. ⁣ ⁣⁣ For more book and movie reviews, visit me on Instagram @ RandomStuffIRead :)