Always and Forever, Lara Jean (#3 in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before Series) by Jenny Han

So I did it!

I finished my first series in YEARS!!

I have completed the To All the Boys I've Loved Before Trilogy!  I am pretty dang proud of myself right now, because I don't remember the last series I finished completely!  I mean I have finished plenty of series, but not in recent years!

So here is my review of the final book in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before Trilogy, Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han.

From Goodreads:

Lara Jean is having the best senior year.

And there's still so much to look forward to; a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad's wedding to Ms. Rothschild.  Then she'll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends.  

Life couldn't be more perfect!

At least, that's what Lara Jean thinks... until she gets some unexpected news.

Now the girl who dreads change must rethink all her plans -- but when your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

My Thoughts:

I have truly enjoyed this series!  It has been such a fun series, containing all my favorite things...romance, teen drama, high school moments, growing-up, self-discovery, and so much more! In this book, Lara Jean even goes to New York City, which as I may have mentioned before, is my favorite place to visit!!

Lara Jean has grown a lot since the first book.  She even has become better about changes happening in her life, like her father getting remarried!  While I do think the ending Jenny Han gave to Lara Jean's story was appropriate, I will say I prefer the first two books in the series over this one.

***WARNING*** You may find some spoilers ahead!!!

I really enjoyed the conclusion overall.  I liked how Lara Jean came from being a bit too co-dependent on Peter at the beginning of the novel, to discovering more her independence, while still realizing that she can still be in love at the end.  I loved Peter in this one.  I also think he has grown a lot over these three books.  In the first and second book, I found Peter to be a bit cocky and full of himself at times, but in this one he really has blossomed into someone who truly loves Lara Jean and would do anything for her.  I loved that so much!  He still had his dreams and ambitions, and while he has a hard time with Lara Jean's decisions, he is still supportive.  I also love how he gets along with Lara Jean's family!

One thing, I was a bit frustrated with was when Lara Jean couldn't drop the whole Peter seeing his dad thing.  I think she should have respected Peter's feelings about inviting his dad to his graduation, and having him be involved in his life.  It happened before him and Lara Jean were a couple, and it obviously messed with Peter a lot, that his father abandoned him, his mother, and little brother to start a new family with someone else, and not want contact with them until now.  She continuously would bring it up, and honestly, I'm surprised Peter didn't freak out on her more.  

I was heartbroken at the beginning when a fairly regular person of the series passes away.  That was a little bit unexpected, even though I should have known it would be a possibility.  

***END SPOILERS***

Lara Jean has an ending that I think a lot of readers will be satisfied with, and even though I wish we could have gotten a tiny little sneak peak into the future of her life, Jenny Han left the series's ending a little bit up to the imagination of the reader too, which was pretty sweet.  She sounds pretty definite in her author note at the end, that she won't be writing more, but maybe one day, I think their could be at least a sweet short story that could be written to give us readers just a tiny bit more ;)...

Overall Rating:

I truly enjoyed this series!  I really recommend it to contemporary romance fans!  Especially YA readers!  It is really cute!! I just rewatched the movie on Netflix for To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and it has gotten me even more excited for the sequel, which has been filming since March!  Hopefully we will get that by the end of the year!  I'm very much looking forward to it!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

The Romance Bookie :)

PS:  Remember that I'm currently hosting a giveaway!!  You can check it out HERE!