Release Date - May 26, 2015
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 337 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**purchased**
**SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES**
Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?
In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing
I loved Jenny Han's To All The Boys I Loved Before. I loved it so much that I was hesitant to pick up the sequel because I didn't want it to change how I felt about the series. After devouring PS I Still Love You, I am happy to say that I love the series even more. Jenny Han continues to make you smile, and swoon with her story of a young girl growing up and falling in love along the way.
The Lara Jean we leave at the end of this novel is not the Lara Jean we meet in To All The Boys I've Loved Before. She is still Lara Jean, but she's grown, or at least taken the first steps down that path. The events of the novels have shaped her, which is something I always appreciate when an author does. Your character should be marked by what they go through in some way, and for Lara Jean it means growing up. She's experiencing so many things for the first time, and that shifts something in you.
I appreciated the feminist slant to Lara Jean's storyline in this book. There is a particular double standard that gets called out when something embarrassing happens to Lara Jean that made me cheer. This novel addressed the fact that girls think about sex, and that they enjoy making out with people just as much as boys do. It also addressed that slut shaming them for it is gross. I love how Jenny Han handled this plot point as it really showed how differently boys and girls are treated for the same behaviour.
Lara Jean's love of fashion, and baking are once again on full display in this novel. You'll immediately want a few of her cookie recipes and crave sugary sweetness as you are reading. These two elements are so ingrained in Lara Jean's character that the novel would feel strange without them. They add a charm to both Lara Jean and the book that almost gives it a classic, old time feel. There are a few nods to the throw back nature of both Lara Jean and the book within these pages while still making this feel entirely modern. It is a skill that Jenny Han masters within this novel, and will provide you with a warm, nostalgic feeling even though the book is not set in the past.
Love triangles are always a tricky thing. I hesitate to call this a full triangle, but there is definite
potential for romance with both boys in the synopsis. I was prepared to hate John, the boy who returns (and the recipient of letter Lara Jean never got back). I was, in fact, so hesitant that it took me forever to pick up this book. It turns out that I shouldn't have worried. I adore John. He's perfectly swoony and an excellent match for Lara Jean. I actually found myself wanting Lara Jean to end up with him instead of Peter (unpopular opinion, I know) and found that Jenny Han handled the feelings Lara Jean was having perfectly and realistically. Neither boy is a bad choice for Lara Jean, and those tend to be my favourite triangles. If I am able to see either couple as a viable option, it makes the agony of the choice have even more of an impact.
The sister bond in this novel is, once again, the heart of the series. It captured the reality of loving your sister, but sometimes being exasperated with her too. It showed that fierce loyalty and yet addressed that you can hurt each other. These relationships, combined with the father-daughter bond, ensured that family was the centre of the story in a way that complimented the romance. Lara Jean needs those anchors as she navigates her journey and it made her story feel more authentic to have them all be such big parts of her story.
This review would not be complete without a special mention of Lara Jean's sister Kitty. I think she could star in her own series in a couple years if Jenny Han wanted to return to the Song sisters. She's spunky, and wise for her age. She'd be the perfect heroine and it would be nice to check in on them again. For now though, I will content myself with continuing Lara Jean's story and picking up the third (and final) chapter much sooner than I picked up this one.
This book is the perfect blend of romance, character growth, and family bonds. Jenny Han captures that time of becoming a young adult versus being a child in Lara Jean perfectly, and offers up a lot of swoons along the way. If you haven't already picked up this series I highly recommend doing so.
The Lara Jean we leave at the end of this novel is not the Lara Jean we meet in To All The Boys I've Loved Before. She is still Lara Jean, but she's grown, or at least taken the first steps down that path. The events of the novels have shaped her, which is something I always appreciate when an author does. Your character should be marked by what they go through in some way, and for Lara Jean it means growing up. She's experiencing so many things for the first time, and that shifts something in you.
I appreciated the feminist slant to Lara Jean's storyline in this book. There is a particular double standard that gets called out when something embarrassing happens to Lara Jean that made me cheer. This novel addressed the fact that girls think about sex, and that they enjoy making out with people just as much as boys do. It also addressed that slut shaming them for it is gross. I love how Jenny Han handled this plot point as it really showed how differently boys and girls are treated for the same behaviour.
Lara Jean's love of fashion, and baking are once again on full display in this novel. You'll immediately want a few of her cookie recipes and crave sugary sweetness as you are reading. These two elements are so ingrained in Lara Jean's character that the novel would feel strange without them. They add a charm to both Lara Jean and the book that almost gives it a classic, old time feel. There are a few nods to the throw back nature of both Lara Jean and the book within these pages while still making this feel entirely modern. It is a skill that Jenny Han masters within this novel, and will provide you with a warm, nostalgic feeling even though the book is not set in the past.
Love triangles are always a tricky thing. I hesitate to call this a full triangle, but there is definite
potential for romance with both boys in the synopsis. I was prepared to hate John, the boy who returns (and the recipient of letter Lara Jean never got back). I was, in fact, so hesitant that it took me forever to pick up this book. It turns out that I shouldn't have worried. I adore John. He's perfectly swoony and an excellent match for Lara Jean. I actually found myself wanting Lara Jean to end up with him instead of Peter (unpopular opinion, I know) and found that Jenny Han handled the feelings Lara Jean was having perfectly and realistically. Neither boy is a bad choice for Lara Jean, and those tend to be my favourite triangles. If I am able to see either couple as a viable option, it makes the agony of the choice have even more of an impact.
The sister bond in this novel is, once again, the heart of the series. It captured the reality of loving your sister, but sometimes being exasperated with her too. It showed that fierce loyalty and yet addressed that you can hurt each other. These relationships, combined with the father-daughter bond, ensured that family was the centre of the story in a way that complimented the romance. Lara Jean needs those anchors as she navigates her journey and it made her story feel more authentic to have them all be such big parts of her story.
This review would not be complete without a special mention of Lara Jean's sister Kitty. I think she could star in her own series in a couple years if Jenny Han wanted to return to the Song sisters. She's spunky, and wise for her age. She'd be the perfect heroine and it would be nice to check in on them again. For now though, I will content myself with continuing Lara Jean's story and picking up the third (and final) chapter much sooner than I picked up this one.
This book is the perfect blend of romance, character growth, and family bonds. Jenny Han captures that time of becoming a young adult versus being a child in Lara Jean perfectly, and offers up a lot of swoons along the way. If you haven't already picked up this series I highly recommend doing so.
I still need to read this one as well. I just picked up the audiobook so I can listen to it. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this one and I'm super excited to see Lara Jean's development. She's such a great character and I can't wait for more. Great review!
ReplyDeleteCassi @ My Thoughts Literally
This sounds like a lovely romance book that deals with a lot of important issues; fluffy romances are fun, but I love when authors are able to deal with relationships in complex, intelligent ways, like calling out double standards and putting feminism in it. Great review, I'll definitely have to start picking up Jenny Han's books!
ReplyDelete