To All The Boys I've Loved Before | Viewing Party + Thoughts on the Movie

Practically ever since we found out the official release date for To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Alexa, Kristin and I talked about having a viewing party together. We had set the date for this past Saturday and on Friday, it was basically all I could think about especially as the rave reviews for the movie came pouring in on Twitter. And oh my goodness, not only was the party so much fun (thanks to Kristin's awesome decorating skills), but this movie was so deserving of all its praise. I'm so happy I got to watch it with friends who also love the book and these characters as much as I do. 

But before I get into my personal thoughts on the books, I first need to talk about our party. Aside from the decor being perfect, we also planned our outfits accordingly because clearly we had a theme going. I can't say enough how much I appreciate having friends who I can fangirl with and just plan these sorts of things with? Not all my friends would get it and I'm so thankful these two do. 

Viewing party!

I mean just look at that decor!  • Posing with the books 

Party necessities: braids (I did their hair!), pizza and cupcakes.

We took so many pictures that day and while I loved all of them, this one on the right is my favorite.

And now for my thoughts on the movie ...

The short version? I absolutely loved it and was probably the best movie adaptation I've seen of a young adult book period. 

The longer, gushing version? The movie reminded me of why I fell in love with the books in the first place and the strong connection I felt to Lara Jean (played by Lana Condor). In so many ways she's how I was in high school. Even though I participated a lot at school and had a great group of friends, I was always kind of a homebody and always had a book on me (still true today). I also definitely liked the idea of romance and loved playing out those scenarios in my mind or in my journal but I wasn't ready for the realness of it. At least not then. Lara Jean is one of the few characters I've seen to feel the same way and I loved seeing that play out on screen. But the reality of love genuinely means a lot her and again, the way she sticks to that, stays true to herself and continually spoke her mind in both funny and vulnerable ways was such a joy to watch. 

Plus the movie did a great job of capturing the bond between the sisters, which were some of my favorite scenes. And they actually nailed the romance. That's almost always my biggest complaint with every YA movie adaption I've seen because they either get it wrong or make it awkward and weird. But not this one! The actor playing Peter (Noah Centineo) is extremely charismatic and the chemistry he had with Lara Jean made their evolving relationship believable (and swoonworthy!). I'm seriously crushing on Peter/Noah now!

Whether you've read the books or not, if you have Netflix – watch this! It's such a feel-good movie and one I can see myself returning to over and over again. 

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Have you watched the movie? I'd love to hear your thoughts!