You’ve read Jenny Han’s book. You’ve watched the Netflix movie. You’re obsessed, and we are too! And because we’re #readthebookfirst kind of people, we pulled out everything that was missing from the book of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before that wasn’t in the movie.
Scenes
Halloween
We LOVE the Halloween scene in the book when Peter dresses as Spiderman and Josh dresses as Harry Potter to compliment Lara Jean’s Cho Chang (did he plan it??).
Lara Jean’s car wreck
We missed the Lara Jean’s car wrecks where both Peter and Josh come to her rescue. But Lara Jean backing her car into Peter in the movie is a def a fave moment.
Antique shopping
Peter’s mom owns an antiques shop downtown (with a gold heart locket Lara Jean adores) and in the book, Peter and Lara Jean go to an estate sale together to get some furniture for the shop. It’s such a fun chapter, with Lara Jean making them both lunches, and the two of them racing the rival Epsteins to get to the sale first.
Laura Jean and Peter’s first kiss
There’s no spin the bottle excuse for seventh-grade Peter kissing Lara Jean in the book. He just straight-up kisses her! However, in eighth grade, Lara Jean does kiss John McClaren during spin the bottle.
Christmas Cookie Bonanza
Josh and Peter get into a bit of a tiff over whose cookies should be baked as part of the Christmas Cookie Bonanza. Team #fruitcakecookies. And when Peter brings his fruitcake cookies to the Covey holiday party, we swooned (especially when we found out in book 2 who made those cookies!).
Hot tub fall-out
In the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before book, Lara Jean’s makeout session isn’t uploaded to Instagram, but Gen does go around spreading rumors about it. It does get posted online in the sequel, P.S. I Still Love You. Ugh Gen why.
The ending
Unlike the movie, the book doesn’t end with Peter and Lara Jean getting back together. Instead, she begins to write him a love note that she hopes will get them back together. AHH what a cliffhanger!
Details
Peter’s car
We love that in the book, we see Peter switch his two-seat Audi for his mom’s minivan so he can pick up Lara Jean AND Kitty.
The dog
Kitty only asks for a dog once in the movie instead of the 500x times, but hey, it works because they get a puppy for Christmas in the book! Shout-out to Jamie Fox-Pickle!
Kitty’s age
Kitty is aged up a bit in the movie- from nine to eleven- but no matter her age, she’s the best hair braider, ever.
Location
The book takes place in Virginia, but the movie takes place in Oregon.
Lara Jean’s “Large” nickname
Peter’s friend nicknames Lara Jean “Large” in the book, but “Largy” in the movie. In the book, she’s the one who says her name squished together sounds more like “Largy.”
The last slice of pizza
Lara Jean accuses Peter of always taking the last slice of pizza in her original love letter to him, but he takes it to heart and makes sure to ask her before taking the last rice ball she made him for lunch.
Some of our favorite lines
Lara Jean to Peter: “Wait…can you read?” LJ, give the man some credit!
Peter K to everything, always: “You’re welcome” *heart eyes*
People
Josh
Josh didn’t get quite as much play time in the movie as he does in the books (but he did get to skulk more!). We like book Josh a bit more, even though he kisses Lara Jean before Christmas and makes her cheat on her fake boyfriend.
John Ambrose
John Ambrose McClaren aka the One That Got Away. In the book, Lara Jean goes to see John Ambrose at a Model UN competition and is an adorable little creep to see what he’s up to. We never do learn in this book if he got his letter…
There are of course other little differences as well, like scrapbooking, Peter bringing Lara Jean donuts, Christmas decorating, the Recital Party, and the reason that Kitty sent the letters.
But despite all these little differences, we love how accurate the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movie is to the book!! Now excuse us while we go watch the movie again, and read the book, and watch the movie, and…