Synopsis

A teenage girl’s secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life.

Review

I don’t really know how to begin this review and I don’t want to annoy all those who have loved the movie.

Am I the only one who thinks the movie was overhyped? Seriously, there was nothing special about it.

Difference

• I would have loved it if they included all the Korean stuff mentioned in the book.
• Margot was more Asian and she shares the same characteristic as Lara Jean. She looked old in the movie and she looks like a Latina.

• Josh Sanderson was so much better in the book. His character is too lame in the movie. But I liked the actor playing it!

• Chris was wilder in the book. She didn’t spend time with her in school. She usually sneaks in at her house at night – mostly after partying until the wee hours of the morning.
• Genevieve was bitchier in the book and more matured. She looked so young in the movie.
• I never imagined Lucas to be a black. (I don’t mean to offend anyone.) I was actually looking forward to seeing his character come to life but the movie fell short in that regard. He has great taste in fashion in the book.
• Kitty and Lara Jean were like a cat and dog in the book. Kitty actually sent out the letters to spite Lara Jean when she teased her about revealing the name she wanted for her future pet dog.
• The Christmas tree was put up before Margot came home for holidays.
• Dr. Covey was a lot cooler in the movie. He was a busy bee in the book but a lot more emphatic.
• I would have loved to see Ms. Rothschild in the movie!
• I was distracted by Lana Condor’s false eyelashes.

• Margot broke up with Josh in private. They didn’t have an argument in front of the Covey family. Neither did Josh bought a ticket to Scotland. Although, they plan to go to Paris.
• Peter actually helped Lara Jean in baking the cupcakes before they went to the party. That actually made me like his character.

• Lara Jean thought she still loved Josh and Josh thought the same way too. They even shared a kiss.

• Lara Jean jumping on Peter and kissing him impulsively, happened in the hallway of the school just when he Josh wanted to talk to LJ.

• Peter and LJ’s first kiss was at a friend’s house. They were at a friend’s house and they were the last to be picked up. Peter made the first move to kiss her.
• I wished Josh was given more exposure because he was basically a part of the Covey household.
• I don’t know if it was just me, but I felt like the cast was just reading the script and not acting them out. It felt like watching a book (not in a good way though). Does that make sense?
• Peter’s car is supposed to be a two-seater (Audi). The first time he fetched LJ, Kitty had to sit on Lara’s lap. But Peter used his mom’ minivan the next day because Kitty always goes with them.
• I wished they included that seen when LJ and Peter went to the antique sale. That showed Peter’s sweet side and LJ’s crazy personality.
• When LJ and Peter went to a party, Peter actually messed with LJ’s hair and threw her scrunchies on the grass.

• The safety sex talk between LJ and her dad happened late in the story. It was Margot who convinced her dad to talk about it. That was an emotional scene. That should have been included.
• It would have been funnier if the content of LJ’s letter to Peter was revealed.
• In the movie, LJ almost runs over Peter. In the book, LJ totaled Margot’s car and the car was heavily damaged. As she was waiting for the Triple-A, she saw Peter and they had a little chitchat.
• There was a Halloween scene in the book where LJ dressed as Cho Chang and coincidentally, Josh dressed as Harry Potter. It made Peter jealous.

Well, I did enjoy the movie but I think part of the reason I found a lot of stuff not into my liking was that I read the book before I watched the movie. Everything was still fresh in my memory so I kept comparing what was happening in the movie against what really happened in the book. I’m sorry. I’m not this much of a snub. I happen to like few books adapted into movies, such as Love Rosie, The Notebook and even A Walk to Remember.

On the good note, they did a good job in choosing the lead characters – Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky. There was definitely a chemistry between the two. I just wished they gave more exposure to Josh because he deserved so much screen time. Non-readers would have difficulty choosing between him and Peter if given the chance. I also think the movie was rushed, which I understand given the time frame it would probably be hard to include all the momentous scenes.

To read the review of the book, click the picture below.