The swoon felt by Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) and the goofiness portrayed by Noah Centineo as Peter Kavinsky is an honest sum of emotions felt after watching “To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”

This movie is based on the 2014 novel by Jenny Han, which she originally wrote based on her own habit of writing love letters to boys she had crushes on in high school. This is a movie for the hopeless romantics like Han and Lara Jean.

Lara Jean and her sisters are a very close-knit group. So when her younger sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart) started to sense Lara Jean’s problems with love, she mailed out her five letters in hopes of giving Lara five opportunities for romance. This may have been an “awwww” moment for the audience and love fanatics, but not for Lara Jean. However, this humiliating interaction brought Peter back into Lara’s life resulting in a clever plot-twist.

Centineo played the part of Peter with flair. There are videos spreading like wildfire across social media of his famous pocket-spin (influenced by the 1980s film “Sixteen Candles”) and his charming but casual catchphrase “Woah, Woah, Woah,” which he used throughout every scene. His quirky attitude added a lighthearted touch to the plot. Fan pages have been created and heart eyes have been made for Peter Kavinsky.

In the beginning, Lara Jean finds herself fighting feelings for her childhood best friend Josh (Israel Broussard), who just so happens to be her older sister’s recent ex-boyfriend and one of the boys who received a love letter. Not wanting a catfight with her sister, Lara Jean hesitantly agrees to Peter’s plan to pretend they are in a relationship in order to produce jealousy in Peter’s ex-girlfriend Gen, played by Emilija Baranac. However, their relationship takes a turn when this “couple” realizes that their love has grown and they aren’t pretending anymore. This leaves viewers on edge through the film waiting for what they have hoped for all along–a true love story for Lara Jean.

Toward the end of the movie the relationship goes through some nail-biter issues that can potentially upset some viewers.Watching the lovebirds argue is a bit intimidating, especially with hopes of them ending up together. It’s not the fact that we don’t know whether or not they will couple up because, spoiler alert, it’s a teen romance film, but more along the lines of the idea that they might fall out of love.  

This rom-com has a relatable plot along with jokes sprinkled throughout. It is perfect between love and cheesiness within scenes. Viewers won’t have to pretend to fall in love with this film.

My rating: A+