Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family, Responsibility, and Growing Up
Love and Fear
Social Structure, Reputation, and High School
Lies vs. Honesty
Summary
Analysis
Daddy makes lasagna on Sunday, and Josh joins the family for dinner. Lara Jean feels bad when she sees Josh tense up at the mention of Margot. After dinner, since Daddy cooked, the kids clean up. When they’re finished, Josh, Kitty, and Lara Jean watch TV in the living room while Kitty works on her dog collage. Josh asks Kitty what kind of dog she wants—she wants a male Akita. But she hesitates when Josh asks what she’d name the dog. Lara Jean knows why, so she teases Kitty and says the dog will be named after a boy Kitty likes. Kitty kicks at Lara Jean so hard she rips one of her dog pictures. Josh carefully tapes it back together, and Kitty takes her collage upstairs.
Lara Jean is becoming a bit more empathetic as she notices Josh tensing up. But even as she’s becoming more aware of others’ emotions in some situations, she’s still not above teasing her little sister—seemingly about something that’s very important to Kitty, given Kitty’s intense reaction to the teasing. So, Lara Jean is in a sort of in-between state in terms of her development, where she sometimes does the mature thing and at other times struggles to be mature and kind.
Themes
Lara Jean knows she deserves the silent treatment from Kitty, since Kitty has a crush on Josh. Once Kitty is gone, Lara Jean feels terrible. Margot wouldn’t have done something so mean. She tells Josh that Kitty just likes a boy at school and says that she had crushes when she was nine. Josh wants to know who, and Lara Jean says she liked Peter Kavinsky. Josh almost gags—Peter is a “cliché” and a “cardboard cutout of a ‘cool guy.’” In return, Lara Jean reminds him that he had a crush on Ms. Rothschild, their neighbor who used to mow her lawn in a bikini top.
All three Covey sisters love and adore Josh, who seems to be the one male who’s regularly present and supportive of them. It’s unclear if Josh actually knows Peter well, so what he has to say about Peter is likely based on rumors and first impressions. So, it’s hard to tell if Josh’s assessment is correct or overblown.
Themes
Then, Josh says Ms. Rothschild wasn’t his first crush—Lara Jean was. He let her ride his scooter that one time when they were 12 and 11, so obviously he liked her. He says he got over the crush when Lara Jean crashed the scooter. As they head for the door, Josh thanks Lara Jean for being here for him during the breakup with Margot. Josh leaves, and Lara Jean can’t help thinking that if she and Josh were dating, she’d never break up with him.
Josh’s willingness to admit that he used to have a crush on Lara Jean shows that he clearly trusts her. It’s important that he makes it very clear he got over that crush quickly, as this reassures Lara Jean that he’s not going to try to date her now, and in doing so, harm her relationship with Margot.
Themes
