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
When Lara Jean comes downstairs the next morning, everyone else is busy with recital party preparations. Margot is busy cooking with Daddy’s help. She tells Lara Jean to clean the bathroom while Kitty works on decorations and snaps when Lara Jean complains. Later, Lara Jean dresses in mixed plaids, which is supposed to be fashionable. Kitty insists it’s awful—Lara Jean looks like a bartender in Brooklyn, which she knows because she watches HBO. Kitty convinces Lara Jean to change and agrees to curl her hair. When she asks if Josh or Peter are coming to the party, Lara Jean says Peter isn’t.
The recital party gives Margot an opportunity to show off to the neighbors that she’s still in charge and capable of throwing a fun party—so it’s offensive to her when Lara Jean complains about having to help. Kitty is a little kid in many ways, but she reveals here that she knows more than she lets on; many HBO shows are for mature audiences. But still, Kitty wants to hear that things aren’t going to change, which is why she asks if Josh and Peter will come.
Themes
The recital party is in full swing. Margot is playing piano with her old piano teacher singing along, and Kitty and Josh are playing with Jamie. Just then, Peter walks in with a tin of cookies. Kitty launches herself into his arms and then leads him to the dessert table. Lara Jean scathingly asks why he’s here, and Peter says Kitty invited him. When he notices Josh looking at them, Peter says he and Lara Jean need to talk. Lara Jean refuses and tells him to leave, but Peter steers her into the kitchen.
Even though Kitty invited Peter, it feels to Lara Jean as though Peter is invading her private, safe space when he has no right to do so. In her mind, Peter hasn’t demonstrated that he’s trustworthy, so she wants nothing to do with him. And the look that Josh shoots Peter and Lara Jean suggests that the boys’ rivalry might finally come to a head.
Themes
Lara Jean says she’s upset because Peter doesn’t care that people are saying they had sex in the hot tub. She asks if she actually told his friends the truth, or if he let them think they had sex. Suddenly, Josh appears in the doorway and calls Peter a “scumbag.” Lara Jean tells the boys to quiet down as Peter insults Josh, and Josh says that this is what he tried to protect Lara Jean from. Peter points out that Josh kissed Lara Jean and the boys move toward each other, puffing their chests out.
Neither Peter nor Josh has behaved perfectly, and they’ve both made mistakes in regard to their relationships with Lara Jean. But Lara Jean finds herself caught between the two of them here trying to mediate their argument, which keeps her from having a reasonable conversation with Peter.
Themes
Lara Jean realizes Margot is standing behind Josh. Margot asks Lara Jean to say it’s not true, but Lara Jean can’t answer. Lara Jean is ready to die. Josh tries to placate Margot, but she tells him to get out. She accuses Lara Jean of betraying her trust and runs upstairs. Lara Jean bursts into tears as Josh heads for the door. Peter tries to comfort her, but Lara Jean asks him to leave. Lara Jean hides in the bathroom and wishes Mommy were here.
Finally, Lara Jean and Josh’s secret comes out—and as expected, Margot is very upset. Just as Genevieve blamed Lara Jean for her middle school kiss with Peter, Margot also blames Lara Jean without knowing the whole story. For Lara Jean, this makes her feel small and powerless, which is why she wishes for an adult like Mommy to appear and set things right.
Themes
Get the entire To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before LitChart as a printable PDF.
When Lara Jean returns to the party, the adults are having a good time—except for Daddy, who’s on the couch with Ms. Rothschild looking “mildly startled.” He jumps up and asks where Margot is, but Lara Jean says she doesn’t feel well. She tells Daddy to stay at the party; she’ll go up to talk to Margot. Upstairs, Margot won’t open her door or even answer. Lara Jean sobs in the hallway. Margot’s silence is the worst punishment.
For Lara Jean, it’s devastating to have disappointed Margot. Lara Jean wants nothing more than to maintain a close relationship with her sister and earn Margot’s approval, and now it seems unlikely that that’s going to happen.
Themes
