Always and Forever, Lara Jean, by Jenny Han | Book Review #207

Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding.

But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. She watched her sister Margot go through these growing pains. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind.

When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

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Always and Forever, Lara Jean, is the third and final book in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved trilogy, by Jenny Han. 

When I found out that Always and Forever, Lara Jean was indeed going to be a book, and that it was getting published, I was…wary. The first time I had read To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, I didn’t like Lara Jean’s attitude. She reminded me of a spoiled child. You know the one–the one where, if they were in a store with their parent(s) and didn’t get what they wanted, they’d stop their foot and cross their arms and just huff, until they got what they wanted.

Now, I can honestly say that Lara Jean has grown so much as a character. She no longer reminds me of a spoiled brat. Lara Jean reminds me of a girl who is about to discover the world.

I really enjoyed reading Always and Forever, Lara Jean. I can honestly say that this book is just as an emotional roller coaster as the previous two books are. I got so swept up in the whirls and whorls that are the emotions of the characters that make this book! Seriously! I was still able to laugh while reading parts of the plot, and frankly, I’m pretty sure that’s why I love this book: because I was able to laugh. — Being able to laugh while reading a contemporary is almost always a must. So when I read parts that made me laugh out loud, I was so grateful.

Han manages to show the highs and lows of high school life, and she shows them well. I’m not even kidding. The scenes when Lara Jean is physically — as physically as she can for a fictional character — in school, almost align to my high school experience.

However, with all of this mentioned, there were one or two things that I found to be predictable. I’m alright with that though. In the end, the things that I predicted were small things.

I love that by the end of the book, Peter and Lara Jean decide to just do what they think is right–not what someone else says. I love the relationship that Lara Jean and Peter have. Honestly, I do–and I love how Peter is just one of the family now as well. I’m repeating myself now, but I’m so happy that Peter and Lara Jean have carved out their own ending instead of listening to others’ advice.

I ended up giving Always and Forever, Lara Jean, 4 of 5 stars on Goodreads.

Have you read Always and Forever, Lara Jean? What did you think of it? 

Happy Reading!
Adele