Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/15/2014 Lara Jean writes plenty of love letters, but she never sends them. It’s just her way of moving on from a crush. When her secret box of letters goes missing and she discovers they’ve been mailed—including one to her sister’s ex-boyfriend—Lara Jean has to come face-to-face with her past and in the process learn more about her future. While the core of the novel focuses on Lara Jean learning to branch out and take risks, other issues of family, sisterly bonds, and coping without a mother run through the narrative. Though some of the side characters could be better developed, Lara Jean is a quirky, low-key protagonist who is off the relatability charts: she loves vintage clothes and prefers to stay at home, knit, and work on her scrapbooking. Short chapters and a convincing romance keep the story sailing as Lara Jean learns, at long last, to take charge. A wonderful choice for fans of Sarah Dessen and Stephanie Perkins. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2014 Gr 7–10—In this lovely, lighthearted romance, high school junior Lara Jean writes never-to-be-mailed letters to every boy she's ever liked. The teen falls for Josh, the boy next door. The catch: he's her older sister's very recent ex-boyfriend. But when her letters are accidentally sent out, the protagonist is desperate to convince Josh that she's over her crush. Peter, a popular boy at school, also received one of Lara Jean's love letters, and—hoping to make his ex-girlfriend jealous—agrees to be her "pretend" beau. Once older sister Margot leaves for college in Scotland, Lara Jean's interactions with Josh are more complicated. Lara Jean also must take care of her younger sister, Kitty, since their mother died six years ago. Unlike typical teen romances, this is as much the story of a family as it is about falling in love. Family traditions are skillfully woven into the first-person narrative, including some from the mother's Korean heritage. Though the three sisters are very close, they also have conflicts to resolve, and Lara Jean's perspective as a middle child suddenly left in charge is compelling. Readers will be intrigued by the narrator and Peter's complicated relationship. Does she really love Josh, or is Peter the one for her? Most teens will guess the outcome but enjoy the many twists and turns along the way in this lyrical novel. Readers will remember the Song sisters and the boys in their lives long after the final page turn.—Miranda Doyle, Lake Oswego School District, OR - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.