Published: May 26th 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genres/age group: Contemporary, romance, young adult
External links: Goodreads • Amazon
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.
My heart is broken, but my heart is true. Forgive me if this review makes little to no sense as I feel so ambivalent right now.
P.S. I Still Love You begins where To All the Boys I Loved Before ended. Whilst I adored To All the Boys (you can read my review here), P.S. I Still Love You lacks the lightheartedness and sheer adorable was of the first book. As always, it entails the story of an emotionally involved - and rather naive - Lara Jean Song as she documents her blossoming feelings for Peter Kavinsky, everyone's favourite bad boy. Undeniably, as a couple Lara Jean and Peter experienced many setbacks (like that infamous hot tub video) and in all honesty I felt that their relationship was particularly problematic from the start.
My main issue with the book was definitely Peter and Lara Jean's relationship - and the fact that I loved John as a character and secretly 'shipped' Lara Jean and him together. John was a total romantic and such a genuine guy. It was hard to wrap my head around as to what Lara Jean actually saw in Peter; a hormonal teen who's way too close to his ex. Peter and Genevieve's relationship was far too close for comfort in my opinion, and it left me feeling frustrated when Lara Jean just allowed it to happen. I will admit though, Peter was very sweet to Kitty, so I guess that kind of justifies it (kind of).
Unlike the first book, Lara Jean becomes a massive pushover in the second. On numerous occasions, she allowed people to manipulate her and push her around (such as Chris her apparent "best friend" I still don't understand their friendship, Genevieve, Peter, Kitty, and even the old woman at the care home, Stormy). I was so disappointed when it was unveiled as to who shared the hot tub video, a main scandalous event for half the book, as I thought Lara Jean would handle it well. But she didn't! In fact, it just kind of slipped away, as if nothing ever happened in the first place.
As Judith points out in her review, the story at times felt quite immature for the young adult audience. For me, the way some of the characters acted at times teamed with the necessary drama felt childish. On the other hand, however, there was also a few older scenes scattered throughout the book and ultimately I just felt there was a total lack of coherence.
I did, however, finish the book and regardless of everything I've just stated, I did enjoy it. For me, Lara Jean's family truly made this story worthwhile. Kitty has grown up a little since the last book and is waaaaay too inappropriate for a ten year old. As you can imagine, this only amounted to sheer comedy and I found her scenes hilarious. Margot, as always, is still in Scotland and is absent from most of the book. I missed seeing Josh but John made up for it. I think the absence of main characters from the storyline really showcased how much Lara Jean had to think independently and discover what she wants and who she really is. I'm not quite sure if she's discovered what she really wants by the end of the novel, or if she's just "going with the flow", but I'm glad I have read this book as the cliffhanger at the end of the first one was unbearable.
My rating: ★★★½
