We’ve all heard the saying, you’ve probably even uttered similar words yourself:
The book is better than the movie.
But on rare occasions, the movie version actually turns out to be better. I loved To All the Boy’s I’ve loved Before when I read it last year, so I was a little hesitant when I heard a movie version was going to be made, but I needn’t have worried because it turns out I actually preferred the movie. So today I thought it would be interesting to do a little comparison.
Plot
For the most part, the movie and book follow the same plot, but there are some parts of the book that are cut from the movie:
Shopping at the Mall & Car Crash
At the beginning of the book, Lara Jean attempts to drive to the mall to meet up with Chris but ends up in a minor car crash on the way there and if I’m remembering correctly its then that we first get introduced to Peter. In the Movie, we first get glimps of Peter when Lara-Jean goes back to school and Jen is being mean to her before class.
Kitty’s crush on Josh
In the books it’s made apparent that Kitty has a crush and Josh, Lara-Jean teases that Kitty about and they end up having an argument about it. There’s no hint of this in the film, other than Kitty mentioning that she misses Josh coming over.
Halloween
This is a scene I really wish had made it too the movie, for Halloween Lara-Jean dresses as Cho Chang, Josh dresses as Harry Potter and Peter dresses up as Spiderman.
Christmas
In the book, Christmas is a big event. Margot throws a party and it’s then that Margo finds out that Lara Jean used to love Josh. In the Movie there is no Party and Christmas is slightly glossed over.
There are other things that were missed out and slightly different but I think these are the main ones.
Characters
Lara-Jean
For the most part the movie got Lara-Jean spot on, however, there were some things about her that didn’t make it to the screen:
- She’s an avid baker
- She worries a lot about her family
- She’s a little more, I want to say this but whiny.
I much prefer Movie Lara-Jean, Lana Condor really brought her to life, she is more confident and more endearing in the movie. One thing that did translate though is LJ’s quirky fashion sense – I loved her outfits.
Kitty
I feel like the movie toned down her laryness and immaturity a lot, she a little more childish and brash in the books, but she was still a joy to watch.
Margot
Margot is way more uptight a little emotionless in the books. I loved Janel Parrish’s portrayal of her though, she made her seem more human.
Josh
He plays a much bigger role in the book, there’s even a scene where he kisses Lara-Jean, I didn’t really mind him not getting much screen time though because I don’t like his charater that much at all.
Peter K
I’m not going to mince my words here, but I thought book Peter was a bit of douche! He is more arrogant in the book, I actually didn’t like him that much for like 90% of the book. Movie Peter, however, is much better, Noah Centino does a great job of making his character likable.
Other Characters:
- Jen – pretty much spot on, she’s a bitch in the books and a bitch in the movie.
- Chris – she is way more out of control in the books – to the point that I’m not really sure how here an LJ are friends.
I think that pretty much covers it. Oh, one other thing, Netflix has a Spotify Playlist that goes along with the movie – it’s so awesome I can’t get enough of here’s the link have a listen.
What about you? Did you prefer the move or the book? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Books & Other Pursuits 