| In the Book |
In the Movie |
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Josh is a long time family friend. Lara Jean says it is because her dad is an OB/GYN and has three daughters. Josh goes fishing with her dad and is close to the three sisters. Josh says he could accompany Lara Jean on a trip to Paris during the next spring break. Lara Jean loves Josh, but can't bring herself to tell him so as he is her sister's boyfriend. |
Lara Jean has a long term crush on Josh. Josh is a good friend of the Covey family and Lara Jean continued to be his close friend after Margot started dating him. Lara Jean even went on dates with them. |
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Margot reveals she broke up with Josh after dinner last night. She claims she is not upset about it as their mom told Margot that she would not be pining over a boyfriend while in college, but she later cries over the breakup. |
Josh bought a plane ticket to Scotland to visit Margot during Thanksgiving. They argue about it; Margot breaks up with him; Josh is upset. She says that their mother told him before she died years ago that she should not go to college with a boyfriend.
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Lara Jean carefully watches Margot do things around the house so that she will be able to take care of the family as the oldest sister after Margot leaves. Eve Covey died after slipping on a wet floor in the house and bumping her head. |
Margot reminds Lara Jean that she will be the oldest sister after she leaves for college. No details on how Eve Covey died. |
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Kitty is on the school swim team. Josh does not attend as promised. Margot lies and says Josh had to work late. Kitty wants an Akita puppy and name him Josh. Josh and Lara Jean both had crushes on each other when they became neighbors. Josh admits this, but Lara Jean does not tell Josh about her crush. |
Margot does not look back at her family when she goes to airport security. Kitty asks for a dog as soon as Margot leaves, her dad says no.
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Lara Jean is 16 going on 17, Katherine is 9 and Margot is 18-19. Margot's nickname is Gogo. Katherine's nickname is Kitty because Lara Jean thought she looked like a little kitten when she was born. Lara Jean is 5'1" and slim.
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Lara Jean is 16, Kitty is 11. Lara Jean is 5'3" and full figured. |
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Chris is Lara Jean's best friend. But by age 13 she smokes and sneaks out to see boys she met at the mall. Margot and Chris do not like each other. Margot is a volunteer at a nursing home. Chris got wasted on Four Loko and did a striptease on a house roof in front of Peter and other students. Chris lost her virginity as a freshman and typically wears shorts so short that her underwear shows. |
These details are not in the film.
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Lara Jean gets into an accident while driving. Calls Josh for help. Peter offers to help but she says no. |
When backing out of the school parking lot, Lara Jean almost runs over Peter while he is walking by.
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Chris tells Lara Jean that Gen dumped Peter for a college guy; claims Gen was cheating on him all summer. |
The next day while Lara Jean is running around the track with Chris, Peter interrupts them. Chris asks about Gen dumping Peter for a college guy.
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Peter meets Lara Jean in the school hallway while she is talking to Chris. Peter sends Chris away and asks Lara Jean her about the love letter. She runs off to the girl's room to read the letter. Later she can't find the hat box she kept the letters in. After dinner Josh comes over to talk about the love letter he got from her. Lara Jean runs out of the house and hides in a neighbor's tree house. Josh confronts her the next day about it at school. She makes him promise to never tell Margot. When Peter passes in the school hallway, she jumps into his arms, kisses him and tells Josh that they are dating. |
Peter talks to Lara Jean about a love letter he got from her; saying they don't have a chance together. Lara Jean faints. After she comes to, she sees Josh walking up with another love letter. Lara Jean kisses Peter, then runs off to the girl's room. |
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Peter broke up with Gen the previous year and dated another girl until Gen e-mailed the girl's parents telling them that their daughter was sleeping with Peter. The girl's parents sent her to a private school.
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This did not happen in the film.
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When Lara Jean is telling Peter who else got her letters and she mentions Lucas Krapf, Peter says Lucas is gay and knows it by the way he dresses. Lara Jean says Lucas is not gay. Lucas is gay, but not out completely. |
In the girl's restroom Lara Jean is confronted by another boy, Lucas, with a love letter. He asks her, “you know I'm gay”? She did not, but said she knows. Lucas asks her not to tell anyone as he is not completely out yet. |
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Lara Jean remains close with Josh. Peter does not like it when she hangs out with Josh in public. |
Peter says they should pretend to be a couple to make Gen jealous and get back together with him, she agrees. Lara Jean becomes friends with Peter's group of guys as they continue to date. She regrets not being close with Josh anymore. Josh says Peter is a complete dick while Lara Jean is an innocent girl.
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No films in the contract. Lara Jean learns later on from Chris how many student hook-ups there are on the ski trips. |
As part of their contract, Peter and Lara Jean agree to watch 16 Candles and Fight Cub together. Peter also wants her to go on the school ski trip together. She knows that many student lose their virginity on those annual school ski trips. |
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This does not happen in the book. |
Chris and Lara Jean are eating under the bleachers and accidentally spy on Peter and Gen having an argument. Gen does not want Lara Jean going on the ski trip with Peter as she is probably breaking up with her boyfriend.
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Lara Jean's dad says he is glad she is going on the ski trip. Margot tells her to be careful out there, Lara Jean thinks it is about the slopes, but Chris tells her it is about losing her virginity as the ski lodge is a popular place to hook up. Chris says she gave up her "V" there when she was a freshman. Lara Jean is surprised. |
Lara Jean says she will go on the ski trip if she can get Chris to go, knowing she never goes on school trips. Peter begs Chris to go. Chris says Lara Jean needs to go skiing to keep Gen away from Peter. Chris says she will go on the ski trip to make sure Gen does not get Peter. Her dad says she should go on the ski trip as he is happy that she is having fun with new friends. |
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Peter gives Lara Jean and Kitty a ride in his 2-seat Audi; Kitty sits on Lara Jean's lap. Later on when he gives the girls rides, he uses his mom's mini-van. Lara Jean does not like it that Peter tells Kitty that she is his boyfriend; she does not want her family to know. |
Peter drives Kitty and Lara Jean to school in his Jeep. Kitty tells Peter he can call her Katherine as they are not friends. He asks her for some of her yogurt drink, he likes it and says he will drive them to school again tomorrow if she gets him more of the drink, She says Peter can call her Kitty. Lara Jean is not concerned that Peter tells Kitty they are dating, but later she realizes that Kitty will be upset after they break up.
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Peter does not like Josh because in 7th grade Josh tattled on Peter for cheating on a test in school.
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This is not in the film. |
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Josh's parents frequently fought when he was younger. Josh went to the Covey house when they were fighting. |
This does not happen in the film.
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Peter takes Lara Jean to the party, does not get a warning from her dad. While dressing for the party, she finds a letter in Margot's closet from Josh that reveals her sister had sex with Josh. |
Peter shows up while Lara Jean is making cupcakes and reminds her she has to go with a party with him. Her dad interrupts; Peter says he is taking her to a party. Lara Jean's Dad encourages her to go. Dr. Covey tells Peter when they are alone in the kitchen "No drinking, no drugs, no hands". Peter agrees. Nothing about Margot and Josh having sex. |
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This does not happen in the book. |
Gen confronts Peter about him dating Lara Jean. She takes the Lara' Jean's scrunchie from Peter; he had previously taken when he let Lara Jean's hair down. Gen ties back her hair with it and refuses to give it back.
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Lara Jean and Peter go shopping at an estate sale for his mom's antique store. |
This does not happen in the film. |
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Lara Jean dresses as Cho Chang (Harry Potter) for Halloween contest at a local theater. Lara Jean, Kitty and Peter have a dance contest at her home after the party. |
This does not happen in the film.
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Lara Jean remains close with Josh and enjoys the company of Peter's friends. Peter does not like it when she hangs out with Josh in public. Peter's friends enjoy it when Lara Jean is out with them and Peter. Peter tells Lara Jean that his friends did not like Gen. |
Lara Jean becomes friends with Peter's group of guys as they continue to date. She regrets not being close with Josh anymore. Josh says Peter is a complete dick while Lara Jean is an innocent girl. |
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This does not happen in the book. |
As he drops her off for the ski trip, her dad lectures her on sex and avoiding it till she is older. Lara Jean is shocked when her dad gives her condoms.
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The teachers search the student's luggage for alcohol. Lara Jean tries to warn Chris, but she already filled a shampoo bottle with tequila; the teachers do not find it. |
This does not happen in the film. |
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Lara Jean goes to the hot tub just prior to curfew and is surprised to see Peter there alone. They make out. |
Lucas says Peter is waiting for her in the hot tub. She did not bring a bathing suit, so she is in her nightie. Lara Jean sits on Peter's lap while they make out.
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Gen accuses Lara Jean of having sex in the hot tub with Peter. When Lara Jean talks to Peter about it, she thinks he is too casual about it and does not care about her reputation. When Lara Jean gets home she throws away all of Peters little notes to her and deletes his contact info from her phone. |
Lara Jean knows something is wrong when there are wolf whistles at her on the bus to go home. Gen accuses Lara Jean of having sex with Peter in the hot tub and later shows off the scrunchie she got from Peter, saying he gave it to her. Peter admits to going to Gen's room the previous night. Lara Jean says she will not be around Peter anymore. |
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There is a recital party prior to the ski trip. |
This does not happen in the film.
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Margot and Lara Jean argue about Lara Jean's hot tub sex rumor and the video posted online. Lara Jean tells Margot she knows (from reading a letter) she had sex with Josh. Margot is furious that Lara Jean invaded her privacy. Peter contacts the video hosting site and threatens to sue them for posting an underaged sex video; the video is removed. |
Lara Jean is upset and rips up the contract she made with Peter. She gets a message; it is a video of her making out with Peter in the hot tub at the ski lodge. Margot gets Intra-gram to take down the video after she contacts them regarding child porn laws. |
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Lara Jean and her dad go to her mom's favorite diner to eat and talk. He says he relied on Margot and Lara Jean too much after his wife died. |
This does not happen in the film.
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Margot tells her dad about the hot tub sex rumor. Dad talks to Lara Jean and says he wants to make an appointment for with an OB/GYN. Lara Jean promises that she did not have sex, her dad believes her. |
This does not happen in the film. |
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Kitty gets a Wheaten Terrier mix puppy for Christmas. Kitty names him Jamie Fox-Pickle. |
No puppy.
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Kitty admits to sending the love letters and regretted it right away. Kitty sent them because she was mad at Lara Jean for teasing her about liking Josh. Kitty gives the hat box back to Lara Jean and is forgiven. |
Kitty admits to sending the love letters as she felt Lara Jean was too lonely and needed a boyfriend. Lara Jean is furious, but forgives Kitty; Kitty owes Lara Jean braid crowns for the rest of her life. Kitty is grateful to live to go to 7th grade. |
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When Kitty gives the hat box back to Lara Jean, it contains the notes from Peter that she thrown away. Kitty had retrieved them from the trash. Lara Jean writes a real love letter to Peter. |
Lara Jean goes to see Peter at the lacrosse field after practice. She reads him a short letter saying she likes him and not in a fake way. Peter says he went to Gen's room that night to tell her that it was over because he is in love with Lara Jean. Peter says they don't need a contract for a relationship, only trust. They kiss passionately.
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This is not in the book. |
A mid credit scene shows a young man (John Ambrose McClarin) arriving at the Covey house with the last of the love letters and some flowers for Lara Jean. |
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The book is written in the first person and is entirely from Lara Jean's point of view. |
The film occasionally shows the plot from points of view other than Lara Jean.
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