Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #3)

I kind of wish this book would have covered how they dealt with college.. there was such a big deal made about them being so far away from each other but didn’t touch on how they dealt with her going to Korea for a month nor what happened in college… did she like UNC? Did she transfer to UVA? Did they stay together?

I am floating on Cloud Nine after reading Always and Forever, Lara Jean. Jenny Han surprised her fans with the most heartfelt novel in the series! Always and Forever, Lara Jean sparkles with its pop culture references, Lara Jean\’s pursuit for the perfect chocolate chip recipe, Peter\’s charm and of course the sisterly bonding between the Song sisters. The novel dives in around Easter time during Lara Jean\’s senior year of high school. Everyone is waiting to hear back from college and Lara Jean is super nervous to see where she gets accepted to. Readers are reunited with returning characters and are introduced to some new faces. Always and Forever, Lara Jean is a roller coaster full of emotions with a forthcoming wedding, a death of a loved one and senior year with its ongoing anticipation of going off to college. Always and Forever, Lara Jean shows realistic display of anticipation for the college waiting game. The excitement and the upset are both on point and the ups and the downs of relationships are true. But in the end, everything is worth it. Although people may have certain thoughts about Lara Jean\’s and Peter\’s relationship, it is ultimately Lara Jean\’s and Peter\’s decision that matters. Through best of times and the worst of times, they stayed strong. Both write their own story as they mature from book 1 to book 3. Although, I always rooted for a Lara Jean and John Ambrose McClaren shipping, Miss Han\’s ending of the novel brings the series full circle because, after all, it all started with a love letter. The message in Lara Jean\’s yearbook from Peter is perfection! I don\’t want to spoil it but you MUST pick up this book if you\’ve read the first two books in the series. For those who haven\’t read To All the Boys I\’ve Loved Before, add it to your TBR list. In fact, marathon To All the Boys I\’ve Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever, Lara Jean!

It felt so right to leave Lara Jean and her story with this book. I loved all the pop culture references and the sweet moments between her growing family and Peter. Despite the plan of this series being only two books, this addition does not seem forced. The story flows just a well as the first two and I finished this book completely satisfied with the ending! I was not disappointed whatsoever.

This is the sequel that I was waiting for. Just so much cute. Lara Jean and Peter continue their relationship as they try to negotiate their launch into adulthood. All of the conflicts in this book comes from the simple fact that Lara Jean and Peter are 18 and having to make their first huge life choices. What are they going to do after graduation? Will they stay together? Go to college together? Plan their lives around one another? How much of your life can you plan out when you are only eighteen? What does it mean to be an adult and to grow up? Anyone who has graduated or is about to graduate know how this feels. I love the idea explored that sometimes disappointment can lead to unexpectedly open doors. Lara Jean is still one of my favorite YA contemporary YA characters ever. Her introversion is so relatable. Yay, for staying home on a Saturday and baking cookies. I love that she stays so true to herself throughout the book even when she isn\’t sure what she truly wants. Why is Peter\’s mom such a b- about Lara Jean? I am going to say it: Lara Jean could probably do better than Peter. I mean aside from being beautiful he isn\’t all that extraordinary. Don\’t get me wrong; I love him. I just think that we should acknowledge that Lara Jean is dating down. Having said I ship them forever and I won\’t be mad if Jenny Han writes a book set fifteen or years later where they are getting married. Lara Jean deserves her ethereal wedding aesthetic. “I guess that’s part of growing up, too—saying goodbye to the things you used to love.” The side characters in this book make me so happy. Kitty is the best little sister in the world. She is just the perfect combination of obnoxious, independent, and sweet. I maintain that she deserves a spin off series of her own. I also love Margot\’s character arc in this book. I started off being irritated by her choices, but I eventually came around. Lara Jean talks about having nostalgia for a life that you still have. Which is such a relatable thing. It reminds me of how I have felt right before moving from a country. I am not gone yet, but I feel all wistful and generous because my time there is almost over and I won\’t be able to have that experience again. Lara Jean feels the same way about her high school life. I can also relate to using micromanaging as a coping mechanism. I too, latch onto organization whenever things in my life feel out of control. Lara Jean starts to fixate on details to distract herself from the fact that her life is not completely going according to plan. Love Always, Lara Jean made me so happy. I enjoyed every moment that I got to spend with Lara Jean and her family again and I am incredibly satisfied with how everything turned out. If you enjoy contemporary romantic YA, I urge you to check this series out.

And that’s pretty much exactly how I feel about this series. What I really like about Jenny Han\’s writing is that she captures what being a completely normal teenager feels like, complete with angst, family drama, boyfriend troubles, prom dances and University applications (and the disappointments that come with it!). Sounds easy, definitely isn\’t, and Han made me feel like I was reliving all of it again – not fun, but very clever. So that\’s what this book is about – how Lara Jean is going to cope with choosing where she applies, how she stomachs the University responses and what this will all mean for her relationship with Peter. Ultimately, she has to decide if she will choose herself or choose Peter and her relationship with him. It\’s most definitely a book about growing up. It\’s also not very engaging however. I\’ve really struggled to connect with the characters and be gripped by the plot in this series – it just feels very superficial and lacking in development in lots of ways. A large part of the problem, I think, is that Lara Jean is really not very likeable and Peter and I got off on the wrong foot. I just don\’t like either of them particularly, and this makes it really difficult to root for them. I don\’t think I\’d be continuing on in the world of Lara Jean if her story continued, and I don\’t think her story will stick with me much, but still this series remains to be a unique insight into how much being a teenager sucks! And I can definitely get behind that.

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