Friday

Book Beginnings is a book meme hosted by Rose City Reader where participants share the first sentence (or so) of the book, along with initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice, and the rules are quite simple: Grab a book, any book, and turn to page 56 or 56% in your e-reader. Find any non-spoilery sentence(s) and post.

This week’s book: Always and FOrever, Lara Jean

Title: Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 2, 2017

Summary (from Goodreads):

Lara Jean is having the best senior year.

And there’s still so much to look forward to: a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad’s wedding to Ms. Rothschild. Then she’ll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends.

Life couldn’t be more perfect!

At least, that’s what Lara Jean thinks . . . until she gets some unexpected news.

Now the girl who dreads change must rethink all her plans—but when your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

Thoughts

I am so glad that Jenny Han has published another of Lara Jean’s stories! To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is one of my favourite series, and I was so sad when I learned that it was only going to be a duology. Returning to Lara Jean’s world has been so much fun, and I am especially loving her baking adventures.

Book Beginning:

I like to watch Peter when he doesn’t know I’m looking.

Friday 56:

The next day is surprisingly springlike for March. The sun is shining and the flowers are just beginning to bud. It feels like I’m in You’ve Got Mail, when Kathleen Kelly goes to meet Joe Fox in Riverside Park.

About Jenny Han

Jenny Han is the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series; Shug; the Burn for Burn trilogy, cowritten with Siobhan Vivian; and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You. She is also the author of the chapter book Clara Lee and The Apple Pie Dream. A former children’s bookseller, she earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School.