Lara Jean is the narrator and main character of this novel. Her former friend Genevieve accuses her of being prissy and “sugary sweet” (330), but she is a more complicated—and formidable—character than that. Though organized and deliberate, she can also be impulsive and flighty, as is seen in her attractions to both Peter and John and her sometimes thoughtless way of handling these attractions. She can also be competitive, insecure, and jealous, as is seen in her reaction to Genevieve.

Part of Lara Jean’s character arc in this novel involves taking stock of her own complexities and her capacity to hurt and confuse the people around her. Lara Jean is a social character, to whom parties, rituals, and events are important. Perhaps because her mother has died, she often takes a maternal role with her father and her sisters, Kitty and Margot, and she also enjoys getting involved in larger community events, such as PTA-sponsored cakewalks and USO-themed cocktail parties at retirement homes. However, her commendable focus on other people has sometimes come at the expense of self-awareness, and her earnest yearning for old-fashioned order and decorum has sometimes made her brittle and inflexible. Her experience with Peter, John, and Genevieve helps her to see this at the end of the novel.