Jenny Han
Jenny Han (born September 3, 1980) is an American author, screenwriter, executive producer, and showrunner.[1] She is best known for writing the The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, which she adapted into a TV series for Prime Video. She also wrote the To All the Boys trilogy which was adapted into a Netflix film series.[2][3]
In this Korean name, the family name is Han.
Jenny Han
September 3, 1980
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Author
2006–present
The Summer I Turned Pretty series
To All the Boys series
Early life and Personal Life[edit]
Han was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, to Korean-American parents.[4][5] She graduated from Governor's School for Government and International Studies in 1998,[6][7] then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[8] In 2006, she received her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at The New School. Han has never been married and has no children, she resides in Brooklyn New York
Career[edit]
Author[edit]
Han wrote her first book, the children's novel Shug, while she was in college.[9] Shug was published in 2006 and is about Annemarie Wilcox, a twelve-year-old trying to navigate the perils of junior high school.[10]
Her next project was a young adult romance trilogy about a girl's coming-of-age during her summer breaks. The three novels, The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, and We'll Always Have Summer, were published from 2009 to 2011 by Simon & Schuster and quickly became New York Times Best Sellers.[11] The trilogy is the story of protagonist/narrator, Belly Conklin, who falls in love with two brothers she has known her whole life and works through a messy love triangle.[12]
Han's second young adult trilogy was co-written with Siobhan Vivian and began with the 2012 publication of Burn for Burn. The novel follows three high school girls seeking revenge in their island town and contains paranormal and romance elements. The trilogy includes Fire with Fire, published in 2013, and Ashes to Ashes, published in 2014.
In 2014, Han released a young adult romance novel, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, about Lara Jean Song Covey, a high school student whose life turns upside down when the letters she wrote to her five past crushes are mailed without her knowledge.[13] The novel was optioned for a screen adaptation within weeks of its publication.[14] The sequel, P.S. I Still Love You, was released the following year, and won the Young Adult 2015–2016 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.[15] A third novel, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, was released in 2017.[16]
TV and Film[edit]
Han executive produced the Netflix adaptation of her novel To All the Boys I've Loved Before, starring Lana Condor in the lead role, which began filming in July 2017 and was released by Netflix in August 2018, to positive reviews.[17] Han had a brief cameo in the film. Han also executive produced the sequel films To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and To All the Boys: Always and Forever which were released in 2020 and 2021.
In June 2022, The Summer I Turned Pretty was released on Amazon Prime.[18] Han created the series, which is based on her book trilogy of the same title, and serves as showrunner and executive producer.[19] Han has cameos in the first and second season.[20] The television adaptation was noteworthy in part because there were a number of modifications to make the story more diverse. For example, in the book, Belly appears to be of European descent, as confirmed by the original book cover.[21] However, in the television series, Belly is biracial; her dad is Caucasian and her mom is Korean-American.[22] The series was renewed for a second season before the first season was even released.[23] The series has been renewed for season 3 at Prime Video.[24]
In 2022, Han launched her production company, Jenny Kissed Me, after signing a multiyear deal with Amazon Prime Video.[25] Of the deal, Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, said "Not only is Jenny Han a beloved and best-selling author, but she has also brought her voice to screens around the world, speaking to her fans with an authentic voice that inspires, moves and entertains her huge and growing fan base. We are so excited to now be the home for Jenny and her fantastic work to come. I know our global prime audience will thank us."[25] In 2023, Han was named one of the Top 50 TV Producers of the Year by Variety and was named to Adweek's Creative 100.[26][27]
In May 2023, XO, Kitty, a spinoff television series to To All the Boys film series was released on Netflix.[28][29] Han created the series and serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner on the first season. The series follows Lara Jean's sister, Kitty Covey, as she goes on her own journey to boarding school in Seoul, South Korea. Season 1 was nominated for an Emmy for best teen series. [30] In June 2023, Netflix announced that XO Kitty was renewed for season 2.[31]