"Always and Forever, Lara Jean" by Jenny Han

-
Always and Forever, Lara Jean is the concluding novel of the trilogy To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Lara Jean is now a senior in high school and things are going well for her. She is dating Peter Kavinsky who is the perfect boyfriend. Her dad has proposed to Ms. Rothschild and LJ could not be more thrilled. Everything seems to go as Lara Jean has planned until things take a serious turn and she is forced to make serious life decisions that are going to affect her and the people around her.

Jenny Han has a true talent for creating the perfect setting. Her writing makes you feel like you are in the book experiencing and feeling everything the characters of the book are feeling. For instance, she has built up this cosy, loving and harmonic setting around the Covey home. It is Lara Jean's safe haven. It is where she grew up, has had her best memories and also where her mother lived and died. The house is actually where most of the book takes place and therefore it plays a central role throughout the trilogy with its special atmosphere. Lara Jean is certainly a homey person. She is very down to earth and loves making an effort out of everything she does. She's loving and lets a few good people in who she loves wholeheartedly. Meanwhile, a very nostalgic side to Lara Jean also exists. This is seen in the way she has a hard time letting things go. For instance, she can't let go of some old Christmas ornaments because they remind her of her mother. She also creates a scrapbook filled with all of her and Peter's memories just so Peter can have that with him. Lara Jean also has a passion for baking and wearing cute outfits. She is a human sunflower. Bright, happy and loving. I have truly come to love her character. 

A central theme of this novel is making decisions. We make them all the time. Some more serious than others. Lara Jean has to make some life-altering decisions regarding where she wants to go to college. Should she stay inside her comfortable bubble? Or should she for once dare to branch out and give the unexpected a chance? The thing with Lara Jean is that she already thinks she has everything figured out. Like most of us do. We want to plan everything ahead of time, but the thing is that whenever we plan something, life gets in the way. Things, that are out of our control, happen and we can either choose to run or embrace whatever life throws at us. At the same time, Lara Jean is so  caught up in her plan that she forgets to be open to what's been given to her. It's also due to the fact that she has this idea that if she doesn't do things a certain way things will end up badly for her and Peter; her decision on which college to go to will determine what happens to their relationship. She starts doubting the two of them which has to do with something her mother once told her: "Don't be that girl who goes to college with a boyfriend." The saying is actually ridiculous, but it has Lara Jean wired up and confused. Therefore, one of the messages of this novel is that we can't always plan ahead of time. Life is uncertain and that is what we must be prepared for. When it comes to love, it's important that the couple is equally invested in the relationship. True love can make it. Even if people tell you otherwise, you just gotta prove them wrong. 

All in love, I truly found this book soothing and great. It made my heart smile and gave me hope for the future. It's a realistic book that shows young people that we all have many decisions to make as we grow older. It also teaches us how we should stay open to what life hands us. Even though we don't always get what we want, it could still turn out to be something great. So stay open, read this book and be grateful for what you have!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SOLGT

-
Image
Nadia og hendes datter Tina (til venstre) Zana (til højre) En sand historie fortalt af Zana Muhsen: Zana og Nadia Muhsen er 2 piger på 15 og 14 år. Deres mor er briter, og deres far er araber. Som de voksede op, var deres frihed meget begrænset. Deres far var meget streng og vogtede konstant over dem. En dag fortæller deres far dem, at de skal til Yemen på en drømmeferie i 2 uger. De siger ja med det samme, da de aldrig har været ude at rejse før, og fordi det lyder meget spændende. Zana rejser nogle dage før Nadia, med hendes fars ven Abdul Khada og hans søn Mohammed. Da Zana ankommer til Yemen, er det overhovedet ikke som forventet. Der er utroligt varmt, og landskabet skifter meget fra landsby til landsby. Zana går anderledes klædt i forhold til andre kvinder, som er fuldt tildækket med lange bukser og tørklæder. Zana er meget uvidende og venter på, at hendes ferie skal begynde. Hun tror jo, at hun skal på en drømmeferie, men i virkeligheden har hendes far solgt h...
Read more

Forfatningen af Gemma Malley

-
Image
Anna er et Overskud. Hun lever i året 2140, hvor man har evigt liv, fordi man kan tage nogle stoffer, der hedder LangtLiv. Det har gjort, at verden er blevet overbefolket. Derfor står der i Forfatningen, at det er forbudt at få børn. Nogle børn, der bliver født ulovligt, bliver dræbt, andre bliver sat på et Overskudshjem som Anna. Hun bor på Grange Hall. Hun hader sine forældre. Det var en synd, at de fik hende, og nu betaler hun prisen for det. På Grange Hall bliver børnene oplært i forskellige ting som usynlighed. De får hele tiden at vide, at de ikke burde være der. - hvert minut er stjålendt. De må ikke stille spørgsmål, de bliver tæsket, hvis de gør noget forkert, de bliver isoleret, de har ingen ejendele, og de skal hele tiden kigge ned. Anna er Præfækt, og hendes mål er at være Værdsat. På Grange Hall er lederen en sur og meget skrap dame, Mrs Pincent. Der er ikke noget kærligt eller menneskeligt i hende. Hun bestemmer, hvad overskuddenes straf er, og hun viser ingen barmhj...
Read more

"It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover

-
Image
Lily Bloom grew up in a house with an abusive father and a mother who couldn't say no. As Lily grew up she came to hate her father for his actions and swore that she'd never be with a guy who abused her. Lily is 23 years old and has moved away from her hometown. She now lives in Boston. One special night she meets the handsome and successful neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid. They immediately connect and have a rare, but honest conversation about the naked truths of their lives. They think they'll never meet again, but that's the funny thing about the universe. We never know what's going to happen to us.  I was very excited to read this novel as I had heard great things about it. I even saw that it won a Goodreads-award. That's why I thought it would be absolutely amazing. It's not that I was disappointed when I finished the novel. I am just being honest as I write that the issue with this novel is that it in some ways fails to be authentic.  To be fair, the...
Read more