To All the Boys I've Loved Before

(To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1)

by Jenny Han (Goodreads Author)

4.16 · Rating details · 347,598 ratings · 33,310 reviews

Netflix’s new teen romantic comedy, is enchanting. It is what the kids call wholesome, pure, and
Soft. I watched it on a Friday night and fell asleep with a smile on my face. Then I woke up on
Saturday morning and decided to watch it again.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is that kind of movie: the kind that is as sweet and addictive
as candy, that wants its audience to indulge in multiple repeat viewings. And, because it’s on
Netflix, you can — which means that, judging from the state of Twitter and Tumblr right now,
To All the Boys is already well on its way toward developing a cult fanbase.

In part, that’s because of the way it plays off of familiar tropes and archetypes: not
deconstructing them or taking them apart, just executing a classic formula with care and
affection. But mostly, it’s because of the unabashed sweetness of this movie, and the way it
builds itself around nice people who care about each other and want to do nice things for each
other, like for instance writing each other love letters or letting the other person use them as a
pillow during a nap. It is heart-melting.

To be fair, it does have an existing fanbase to draw from. To All the Boys is based on a 2014 YA
novel of the same title by Jenny Han, which became a New York Times best-selling series.
There’s name recognition to work with here.But the Netflix movie, directed by Susan Johnson,
isn’t just a paint-by-numbers adaptation. It’s a stylish pastel-tinted confection of a movie, one
that knows every single one of the romantic tropes it’s working with backwards and forwards,
and loves them with all its pure and wholesome heart.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a nearly perfect teen movie to watch for the third time in three
days. I highly recommend this book for teens or adults who love a slightly silly but
romantic love story.

Suggestion: I highly recommend this book for teens or adults who love a slightly silly but
romantic love story.
Film Review: Five Feet Apart

March 19, 2019 Kelsey Clark Film Review

The casting for this film is actually great for its target audience of young adults. Richardson is
incredibly likable as Stella, portraying a strong and independent young woman who can handle
the world and her illness with grace. She navigates a peculiar teenage existence but is still highly
relatable, as we see her FaceTiming with her friends and working on her YouTube channel trying
to educate the world about cystic fibrosis. Poe (Moises Arias), Stella’s best friend and fellow
teenage sufferer of CF, is also adorable—he and Stella nicely bounce off each other with an
accurate portrayal of young friendship. Cole Sprouse’s Will is plausible but sometimes
infuriating, as he makes cliché decisions and maddening actionsThe romance in the film is
frustrating at times.

Ugh, sorry Hollywood, but at no point is asking to draw someone a super normal thing to do that
will send a woman into a frenzy. Personally, I would search frantically for my mace. The other
interaction that bothered me is when Stella opens up about the death of her sister. Clearly
unexpected and heart-wrenching for Stella, she finally opens up describing how her sister broke
her neck and died drowning. Rather than being supportive, or simply listening—proving that he
understood her heart ache—Will says that they are all going to die just like her: drowning, but
without the water. Well gee, thanks for cheering me up there buddy. Is that Stella’s response?
No. Instead she laughs and undresses in front of him.

This interaction just didn’t sit right with me and left a sour taste in my mouth.The climax of the
film did subvert my expectations initially, but it still feels like contrived drama for drama’s sake.
After some difficult news, Stella decides she wants to see the lights (something only briefly
mentioned earlier in the film) and the two set off to ‘live a little’ or something… Not only was
this decision out of character for Stella, but it seems to function only to provide a
dramatic/romantic scenario for our two lovers. Even though Stella’s change of heart in the back
end of the film is understandable, it still seems forced. By the time these two characters are
finally able to make contact (sort of), it feels like a moment added for the young teenage girls
watching, rather than what these incredibly disciplined young teenagers would have chosen. But
perhaps I’m just out of touch?

I highly recommend this film because of the unusual storyline and ending that makes the
audience curious but also satisfied. there are also many detailed health terms that were
born from professional research.Being able to display a young, strong woman who is actively
taking charge of her life is refreshing in a young teen romance (ugh, Twilight anyone?) and the
concept of love without any physical contact is touching