Always and Forever, Lara Jean

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Author: Jenny Han
Acquired in: August 2019


Some people say that books are better than movie reprisals. I'm one of those people too, but I beg to differ regarding this book. The sequel to the popular Netflix film To All The Boys I've Loved Before, this book by Jenny Han felt a little empty when compared to the movie of the same name. Oh, Lara Jean, why do you make me say this? 


After the events of the first book, Korean-American Lara Jean Covey is now preparing to attend college. She's even set her eyes on the place: the University of Virginia (UVA) which she and Peter Kavinsky dream of attending together. But amidst wedding preparations for her dad, final exams, bidding farewell to school and trying to diffuse sister-stepmother tension, her college plans don't go exactly the way she planned. Slowly, she realises (with a bit of help) that denying herself opportunities to grow to save a relationship isn't going to help her or Peter. 


It was quite a lacklustre read as the characters in the book were pretty detached from those enacted by the cast. The book lacked the verve I loved so much in the first movie, but this fault doesn't completely trash the book. Though I could understand her dismay in not getting into UVA, her main problem annoyed me. Why did she even think of ways to save her relationship at the expense of her education? What I feel is that Lara Jean shouldn't have sought colleges with a myopic view of being with Peter come hell or high water. This adamant behaviour could have cost her the chance to learn at better places than UVA.


It just didn't meet my expectations, that's all. The Meh emoji would express my face right now most accurately. I'm sorry to say that I put down the book considerably less excited than the moment I hurriedly bought it. 


Note: The Netflix movie is a direct sequel of the first book and includes both the second and third installations of the To All The Boys Trilogy. This review is about the third and final book of the series. Also, the names of colleges are different in the movie.


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