P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #2)

by Jenny Han

Lara Jean and her love letters are back in this utterly irresistible sequel to NETFLIX feature film To All The Boys I've Loved Before.

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

They were just pretending. Until they weren’t. And now Lara Jean has to learn what it’s like to be in a real relationship and not just a make believe one. But when another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him suddenly 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, Lara Jean is about to find out that falling in love is the easy part.

• ISBN10: 144242673X
• ISBN13: 9781442426733
• Publish Date: 26 May 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[pagingserenity]

Full review on Paging Serenity.

I thought this sequel wasn’t as quite as good as the first book. It felt like a filler novel, full of unnecessary plot points. That, combined with Lara Jean’s overwhelming nativity and Peter’s douchiness (both worse than in the first book), made this an okay novel. That said, it has some highlights like its depiction of change, for example.

[Sam@WLABB]

I really enjoyed this book. Once again, I got to spend time with Lara Jean, Peter, and Kitty (!!!!) The changes that all the characters experienced are brought to the forefront. All the characters have changed in some way: Lara Jean, Kitty, Dad, Peter, GoGo, Josh. They all are moving forward in some way. I thought the walk down memory lane was an awesome way to get some insight into the Gen-LJ-Peter situation. I thought the decision Lara Jean made at the end was very grown up, and so not the type of decision LJ from book 1 would have made. Peter also had grown a lot. He had some big moments, and really exposed his heart. It was very sweet. I thought this was a lovely conclusion to LJ's story. (but we really need to catch up with Kitty in a few years)

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

Oh, y'all! I'm so sad that this series is over! I'm telling you, for the few days it took me to listen to it, this series was absolutely everything to me. I was so consumed. It's just precious and so hilarious. This series is the audiobook equivalent of a "happy place" for me now. I think about it and get this exuberant feeling of joy in my chest and a goofy grin on my face. Great audiobooks do that to a person, you know. I can't even be mad with Jenny Han for not making it a trilogy because the way it ended was so... right. Although, I wouldn't exactly discourage another installment...Maybe just a novella? Pretty please? The thought of an epilogue makes my heart flutter! But no, I respect Jenny Han's decision to leave things as they are because you really shouldn't mess with perfection. And that's what this was: Perfection. She had me there for a minute, though. Threatening to sink my ship and all. But this wasn't that kind of story. This is the kind of story that makes you just plain happy. This series will always be special to me, like a first love. There really isn't anything left to say that hasn't already been covered in my review of the first installment or in the sugar-fueled gush session that happened on Goodreads last night when I finished it. I'm already working Han's other stories into my audiobook budget (I ration my credits!), so you definitely haven't seen the last of her on The Audiobookworm, that's for sure! I just hope her other work is as utterly charming as this series.
Narration review: Laura Knight Keating‘s narration skills absolutely blew me away. Particularly, her ability to give each character an incredibly distinct voice. The voice distinction between characters was so significant that there were a couple of times I wondered if she was sharing narration duties with another voice actor. I also appreciate the tone she used to voice the 16-year-old protagonist, Lara Jean. It was youthful, upbeat, and innocent, without being juvenile, whiny, or annoying. A narrator really has to have a solid grasp on a character’s personality in order to convey it through voice alone. I felt that Laura Knight Keating excelled at accomplishing this feat, which instantly makes her one of my favorite narrators. As excellent as Jenny Han’s writing is, Keating’s narration brings so much more to the audiobook than could ever be available in written format. Final verdict, choose the audiobook! ♣︎

[shannonmiz]

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
It's cute. I didn't love it quite as much as To All the Boys, but I did enjoy it. It's kind of off the fluff charts of course, but with some teen drama thrown in for funsies. Lara Jean still reminds me a lot of myself, and Kitty continues to be the star of the books. Seriously, can Kitty come live with me or something? Her snark, her "tell it like it is" attitude, and comparing things to The Sopranos all make her beyond lovable.

There's also some more serious stuff which brings up great discussions about double standards and the awfulness of slut-shaming. And nothing beats the sweet family dynamic and sisterly bonds. The only negative for me is that things did get a little hokey from time to time- almost too much in a few situations. But overall, adorable and sweet.

[jeannamichel]

So many feelings right now!

Lara Jean and Peter are back in the sequel everyone has been waiting for. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before ends with the realization that maybe Lara Jean likes Peter, not just in that pretending way they have been in the whole time. Maybe she likes him for real. In P.S. I Still Love You, Lara Jean and Peter make a new contract for their new, real relationship with one condition.

“I don’t want us to ever break each other’s hearts.”

With that, their relationship sparks new hiccups and understandings which neither of them could have foreseen. This novel is a simple, yet enchanting romance which concludes the duology.
Jenny Han has created such a gorgeous work of art. I know I discussed Lara Jean’s family life in the first review as being one of the most realistic looks at teen life in a long time. The family we all loved is back but seem to become the backdrop of other happenings. Han tackles cyber bullying which only supports her very real plot. Not to mention the underlying theme of growing out of certain friendships will certainly speak to any teen. Both novels are extremely relatable.

Peter has never been the most interesting of characters. Even in To All the Boys, I found him a little cliché, as well as annoying. Getting to know him better in the first prepared me for what was to come in P.S. I Still Love You but it also helped me to keep changing my mind on which boy I liked better. Remember John? He was another boy who received a letter in the first and he basically encompasses every girls’ dream boy. If things were different, it would certainly be an entirely different novel.

Upon a closer reading (here’s the English major in me speaking), the mention of The Sound of Music becomes an extended metaphor for the end of the novel. Without giving too much away, the end scene takes place in a treehouse which is about to be demolished, in order to become a gazebo. Thus, Peter indirectly represents the boy who turned out to be a secret Nazi (in The Sound of Music) and Lara Jean, the naïve girl. This observation just concludes that if there were to be another sequel, I don’t think Peter would be in the picture much longer.

The ending itself is satisfactory, neither good nor bad. It is a bit in between. It is not a perfect ending, nor an open-ended one. Lara Jean and Peter will continue their lives—it is the sort of ending like an audience would have at the theater. The curtains are drawn and it is over.

P.S. I Still Love You was truly superb. It was a fantastic sequel and, overall, the series is definitely worth many rereads in the future. It is raw, real, and enticing. Jenny Han has crafted an amazing series which readers will love long after they have finished it.

[anne]

After all Gen did to her, Lara Jean still wants to be friends...really?

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

I was really excited for P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han as I loved To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and was looking forward to seeing where Lara Jean's story would head next. While it was a really enjoyable read, I did find myself a little disappointed.

Lara Jean and Peter have just healed the rift between them that started when rumours were spread about what happened between them in the hot tub. And now there's a video – one where it seems like they're doing a whole lot more than just kissing – to put more strain on their relationship. Lara Jean is sure the video was taken by Genevieve, Peter's ex, but he's sure it isn't... always seems to be hanging around her. Lara Jean has also heard back from John, one of the boy's who was sent a letter, and he makes it clear he's interested in more than just friendship. Who will Lara Jean end up choosing?

The first quarter to third of the book is focused on the video that it put on Instagram by an anonymous poster. Because of the angle, it really looks like Lara Jean and Peter are having sex, and Lara Jean gets a lot of flack about it at school. The book takes a look at slut-shaming and sexism surrounding sex in a really awesome way, really showing the way things are in society, and how awful it is. It's quite a feminist beginning, with some added positive discussion about girls and their sexuality, depsite the crap Lara Jean is getting.

'Margot says, "Society is far tooo caught up in shaming a woman for enjoying sex and applauding a man. I mean, all of the comments about how Lara Jean's a slut, but nobody's saying anything about Peter, and he's right there with her. It's a ridiculous double standard."' (p50)

'Stormy leans in close and says, "Lara Jean, just remember, the girl must always be the one to control how for things go. Boys think with theur you-know-whats. It's up to you to keep your head and protect what's yours."
"I don't know, Stormy. Isn't that kind of sexist?"
"Life is sexist. If you were to get pregnant, you're the one whose life changes. Nothing significant happens for the boy. You're the one people whisper about..."
...
"I'm saying be careful. As careful as life and death, because that's what it is." She gives me a meaningful look. "And never trust the boy to bring the condom. A lady always brings her own."
I cough.
"Your body is yours to protect and enjoy." She raises both eyebrows at me meaningfully. "Whoever you should choose to partake in that enjoyment, that is your choice, and choose wisely. Every man who ever got to touch me was afforded an honour. A privilege." Stormy waves her hand over me. "All this? It's a privilege to worship at this temple, do you understand my meaning? Not just any young fool can approach the throne. Remember my words, Lara Jean. You decide who, how far and how often, if ever."' (p131-132)

It might sound there that Stormy is telling Lara Jean that whoever she has sex with should be someone important, but within the contect of the story, she's saying it's about Lara Jean's choice. She gets to choose, and it's up to her - whether it's with someone she's in a relationship with or otherwise. Always by her own choice, because she wants to, and for no other reason.

After the video drama dies down, not a huge amount happens. Nothing all that substantial. There are obstacles to Lara Jean and Peter's relationship, and things get rocky, and then there's the fact that John is back on the scene, but he doesn't become a "problem" until the last quarter or so of the book. But Lara Jean and her life are just so interesting, and her naivity is endearing if frustrating at times, that even though there's a lot of internalising, I was still really hooked.

However, the last quarter made me feel like this would be continued in a third book. The John problem was only introduced in any real way quite late on in the book. So there's this other option, and what's Lara Jean doing to do? And then she discovers a few things, and then the story is resolved quite quickly - in a matter of pages, and then the book ends. It doesn't look like there will be a third book. That's it, finished. It just felt way too quick for me, which is such a shame, because I was really enjoying it! I don't like rushed endings, I really don't.

But I do love Han's writing. And this book had some really beautiful things to say on love. I really like being in Lara Jean's head, and I just love her younger sister, Kitty. So I'd still say read it. I just don't like being disappointed. This might just be how Han does things, because not a huge amount happening until the last quarter was part of my problem with We'll Always Have Summer, the last book in the Summer series.

A great book with awesome characters, some feminism, quotable thoughts of love, and Han's writing... a pretty awesome read, despite the ending.

Thank you to Scholastic UK for the review copy.

[Jyc]

★★★☆ // kavinsky fucked up big time. lara jean is insecure, still extremely naïve, and idealizes love and romance too much. mcclaren could’ve been an interesting character if only it wasn’t so obvious that he’s a necessary device to create conflict. maybe they all need to stumble once or twice to learn a thing or two about relationships. kavinsky earns a point though for putting himself out there, even when covey constantly chooses to retreat to her shell.

[Nany]

Oh John, if she doesn't want you I do. 3

Lara Jean wasn't perfect, but I really hated how Peter treated her.

[Bianca]

When you lose someone and it still hurts, that's when you know the love was real.