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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This might be my least favorite in the series. I don't know. It was nice to have some loose ends tied up but I honestly don't think this book was necessary, and everything would have been totally fine if left to how the second book ended. Sometimes it felt like I was just reading fluff and nothing really interesting was actually happening in the story. Things were being described as happening, but I didn't really feel engaged or involved.
I know after the second book I said I didn't really understand the appeal of Lara Jean and Peter being together (and I still think they should have broken up before going to college), but this third book did show the more positive aspects of their relationship and I can see why people are rooting for them to make it. I hope somehow they end up making it if that's what they want, but I feel like Lara Jean especially needs some time to figure out who she is before settling down. My prediction: They end up breaking up halfway through freshman year because they both get super involved in their own college stuff and long distance is too hard, and then a few years later they run into each other at the grocery store or something and it all kind of starts up again, but this time it's much better because they're more worldly and mature.
I know after the second book I said I didn't really understand the appeal of Lara Jean and Peter being together (and I still think they should have broken up before going to college), but this third book did show the more positive aspects of their relationship and I can see why people are rooting for them to make it. I hope somehow they end up making it if that's what they want, but I feel like Lara Jean especially needs some time to figure out who she is before settling down. My prediction: They end up breaking up halfway through freshman year because they both get super involved in their own college stuff and long distance is too hard, and then a few years later they run into each other at the grocery store or something and it all kind of starts up again, but this time it's much better because they're more worldly and mature.
lighthearted
medium-paced
”What if I came here and I ended up loving it? What if, after a year, I didn’t want to leave? What then? But wouldn’t it be great if I loved it? Isn’t that the whole point? Why bet on not loving a place? Why not take a chance and bet on happiness?”
- Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Tropes: High School, Childhood Crush, Opposites Attract
Representation: BIPOC
Spice Scale: 🫑
CW: Death of a Parent, Underage Drinking
Always and Forever, Lara Jean was hands down my favorite in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series. It opens a year after the events of P.S. I Still Love You. Lara Jean and Peter are well into their senior year of high school and dealing with everything that goes along with that; waiting for college acceptances, senior class trips, prepping for prom. Although it’s been nearly ten years since I was a senior in high school, reading Lara Jean go through all of the ups and downs of that year brought me right back. And I think that was my favorite part of this book and why it ended up being my favorite in the series.
I’ve never fake-dated my middle school crush and had that turn into a real relationship—and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that not many other people have, either—but almost everyone has gone through the panic of graduating from high school. Reading this book, I remembered the anxiety that went along with waiting for college acceptances, the joy of watching my friends get “promposed” to in elaborate ways, and the paradoxical feeling of both excitement and terror at the fact that everything was changing.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean is raw, real, and relatable in a way that the first two books were not but still had that same charm. Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship is as adorable as ever—minus the bumps along the way—and the side plot with Lara Jean’s dad getting married is heartwarming. As always, I loved Lara Jean’s dynamic with her sisters and her friendship with Chris and Lucas, as well as the growing relationship she has with Trina. As I mentioned in my review of P.S. I Still Love You, the series was intended to be two novels, not three, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in the series, I couldn’t have imagined the series without the third installation. It’s a perfect way to wrap up the series and say goodbye to the characters I’ve grown to love.
- Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Tropes: High School, Childhood Crush, Opposites Attract
Representation: BIPOC
Spice Scale: 🫑
CW: Death of a Parent, Underage Drinking
Always and Forever, Lara Jean was hands down my favorite in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series. It opens a year after the events of P.S. I Still Love You. Lara Jean and Peter are well into their senior year of high school and dealing with everything that goes along with that; waiting for college acceptances, senior class trips, prepping for prom. Although it’s been nearly ten years since I was a senior in high school, reading Lara Jean go through all of the ups and downs of that year brought me right back. And I think that was my favorite part of this book and why it ended up being my favorite in the series.
I’ve never fake-dated my middle school crush and had that turn into a real relationship—and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that not many other people have, either—but almost everyone has gone through the panic of graduating from high school. Reading this book, I remembered the anxiety that went along with waiting for college acceptances, the joy of watching my friends get “promposed” to in elaborate ways, and the paradoxical feeling of both excitement and terror at the fact that everything was changing.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean is raw, real, and relatable in a way that the first two books were not but still had that same charm. Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship is as adorable as ever—minus the bumps along the way—and the side plot with Lara Jean’s dad getting married is heartwarming. As always, I loved Lara Jean’s dynamic with her sisters and her friendship with Chris and Lucas, as well as the growing relationship she has with Trina. As I mentioned in my review of P.S. I Still Love You, the series was intended to be two novels, not three, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in the series, I couldn’t have imagined the series without the third installation. It’s a perfect way to wrap up the series and say goodbye to the characters I’ve grown to love.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Re-read. Fun, and I always love Jenny's writing style. While this was enjoyable to read, I definitely felt like it would have been better as a bonus novella with just a few chapters: focusing directly on Peter and Lara Jean's relationship/college plot. The side plots were quirky and okay, but it felt like fluff/filler. Still would read again and again, though.
Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace when I read this book but it's my least favorite of the trilogy. I'm not sure what it was but this book just didn't seem to have the charm the first two had. I wasn't invested in the story, and was even annoyed by parts. I thought Kitty was a gem of a character in the first 2 books and all 3 movies, but her character in this last book really got on my nerves.
Oh well. It was still a cute YA romance trilogy. It's probably my cold, cynical heart that's keeping me from liking it.
Oh well. It was still a cute YA romance trilogy. It's probably my cold, cynical heart that's keeping me from liking it.