By now, you have probably heard of the Netflix rom-com To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, and the ever so charming Peter Kavinsky who has become many a girl’s dream boyfriend. And if you haven’t, what are you doing with your life? Log on to Netflix (yours or someone else’s) and get set for the rom-com which is sure to become your new comfort watch.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is about a teen girl, Lara Jean Covey who writes love letters to every guy she has a massive crush on, but never sends them out. Except, one day, she finds out that the letters have somehow been sent out. Next thing she knows – her childhood crush Peter Kavinsky, to whom one of the letters was addressed, comes up to her and asks her if she wants to be in a fake relationship. And that got me thinking – what would you do if you received a love letter from a random person? I asked a ton of people, and here are the responses I got!
Ignorance is bliss
Avoiding the situation seemed to be the most common strategy. Not a lot of people appreciated the gesture and wanted to avoid it like the plague. Much like Lara Jean when she jumped out of her first-storey bedroom in order to escape facing Josh. Here’s what people told me they’d do.
“Pretend like it never happened and avoid them.”
“It would be a pleasant shock, but I would read it and throw it away. Won’t respond back.”
“I’d be extremely flattered. Awkward if I have to respond to it or address it, but ego boost.”
“Make it a point to make my refusal as kind as possible.”
“I would be extremely flattered, and the words would have an impact on me, but that’s it.”
“I will just laugh it off.”
Enthu Cutlets
Some of our respondents, on the other hand, were very into the idea, and did not shy away from the prospect of writing back to or even meeting their admirers!
“I’ll go running to that person, I’ve never got a love letter before.”
“Always a pleasure.”
“I will be super excited, who doesn’t love ‘love’ letters? It’s rare!”
“I’ll be like, ‘Let’s get together and disappoint each other’.”
“Respond back asking, “Hello friend, when do you want to go for some coffee?”
“I’ll write back to the person, let’s see what happens.”
Grammar Nazi Alert!
We had a couple of grammar Nazis in the bunch, whose primary responses were to plug the letters through their Grammarly scanner. And if it fails the grammar test, then automatic rejection.
“I’ll check for mistakes and errors.”
“It depends on the guy’s grammar.”
Terms and Conditions Apply
A couple of people were quite adamant that they would only reply if the person who wrote to them was cute.
“Tell him that I’m flattered but that’s about it. (Unless the guy is cute).”
“Hahaha. LOVE ME SOME FLATTERY!! But if he’s a creep then I don’t know. He should be cute loll.”
Is this for real?
One of my favourite responses, this would have been reaction to the situation as well. I find it hard to fathom that anyone in this day and age would write love letters – and then actually send them to me.
“It might be a prank.”
“Confront the person first, of course.”
Not ready to mingle
And lastly, one of our not-so-single respondents came up with the most diplomatic answer.
“If that person is good-looking, ‘Damn, I wish I was single’. If not, ‘I’m glad that I’m not single.'”
So, there you go, folks. Turns out that the worst possible response you can get to a love letter is (surprise, surprise!) rejection, and if you are not approaching someone you’re anyway rejected.
It’s time to whip out those writing pads and old-school envelopes and try writing a letter to your crush (if you want to, that is). Maybe, just like in the movie, your Peter Kavinsky or Lara Jean is out there waiting for a sign from you. You’ll never know until you try, that’s for sure.