"'Lara Jean, I think you half-fall in love with every person you meet. It's part of your charm. You're in love with love.'"
Lara Jean and Peter were just pretending to have a relationship. Somewhere along the way, she got a little forgetful about what was real and what was make-believe. But Peter was just going along with it, right? He couldn't possibly like her the way that she likes him, could he?
When they decide to start dating, Lara Jean is excited and nervous, at the same time. She loves the way being with Peter makes her feel, but she's afraid he'll hurt her or expect too much from her, so they make a contract which includes a promise not to break each other's heart. Of course, she's still not happy about his relationship with Genevieve, his ex-girlfriend and Lara Jean's former best friend, but she's trying not to dwell on it too much. She should trust Peter when he says there's nothing going on beyond helping a friend through tough times, even if she feels like sometimes he'd drop everything for Gen, but not for her.
When a video of Lara Jean and Peter is made public, she is horrified by the things people assume about her. She is touched by how much Peter is bothered by it, but he insists Gen had nothing to do with it, even though Lara Jean knows it was her. Even more than the embarrassment factor, Lara Jean is irritated by the double standard that exists between girls and boys.
"Boys will be boys, but girls are supposed to be careful: of our bodies, of our futures, of all the ways people judge us."
Unexpectedly, another boy from Lara Jean's past reappears, awakening feelings from when they were younger, and confusing her. Is it possible to be in love with more than one person at the same time, even if you're not acting on those feelings? How do you know whether the way you feel about a person is based on nostalgia or real life?
Two guys vying for her attention, worrying that her widowed dad needs to start dating, dealing with betrayal and uncertainty in her relationship with Peter—it's a lot for anyone to deal with, let alone someone with as much sensitivity and heart as Lara Jean. But she's determined to make the most of her life, even if not everyone will be happy with the decisions she makes.
I really enjoyed To All the Boys I've Loved Before, the first book in the series (see my review), and I felt the same way about this second book. It was great to return to Lara Jean's world and all of the characters I enjoyed in the first book, and that same charm and heart was here as well.
I haven't watched the television series based on these books, but I've heard it's good, too. Jenny Han created such a great cast of characters, characters I root for (and against, depending on the person). P.S. I Still Love You, like its predecessor, hooked me from the very first page. Of course, I want to dive right into the third and final book, but I'm going to wait a bit, because then I'll have nothing to look forward to in regard to this series! (Such a hardship, reading is.)
Is it predictable? Sure. Does it matter? Not in the slightest. For a fun, sweet, enjoyable, romantic diversion, dive in to this series.
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