Review: P.S. I Still Love You

P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han
Published: May 26th, 2015
Hardcover, 337 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

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 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 amazing.

Lara Jean is your typical teenager. She loves her fashion, loves throwing parties and loves boys. When we first met her in  To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we met a young naive girl who hadn't really kissed a boy and who was experiencing her first real love. Now a little older, a little wiser and somewhat in love, Lara Jean will discover what it's like to be in her firs real relationship and how maybe it's not as easy as it looks from the outside.

Lara Jean and Peter are officially official. I loved seeing Lara Jean in a relationship. The cute romantic moments that they share are great and it was nice to see this new part of Lara Jean's life. She is very different around Peter, somewhat nervous about where the relationship is going and happy to be finally be his girlfriend. I certainly remember being in my first relationship and being nervous about how far it might go and whether I was ready for it. I'm glad Jenny Han had a focus on this and how LJ was feeling about sex. I'm also happy with how she handled everything thrown her way and never let Peter pressure her into anything. But the more LJ said no, the more distant Peter became. It's unfortunate that relationships can be difficult over things like that as a teen, but it's certainly realistic. And when John comes back into LJ's life (one of the boys she'd sent a letter to), things get a little more complicated. John is sweet and has a lot in common with LJ and he wants to make her happy. The more time they spend together, the more LJ isn't sure if her relationship with Peter is what she wants. Not many of us had to choose between two boys in high school, let alone other parts of life, and normally I hate a love triangle, but Jenny Han does them right. In her Summer series, I was always torn between the brothers, but in this one I gravitated right to John. He's my kind of guy and I was really rooting for him and LJ.

My favourite part had to be the party that LJ threw at the old folks home. I love a party, especially a themed party, and the 1940s USO party sounded like such a fun theme! The whole scene was adorable and wonderful and just made me want my own John to dance with me. He just seemed like a much better choice for Lara Jean, and I wish we had more of him in the book. What I loved most what how much Lara Jean grew as a character in this one. She was less naive and handled what came her way with dignity. She wasn't as annoying as I found her to be in the first book and she has taken over the older sister role now that Margo is in Ireland. Kittie is still a scene stealer, the cutest little sister ever. I'd love for a book about her as a teen, once she's grown into her craziness and will start breaking hearts.

This was a really cute two parter. I love how much the characters evolved and how the relationships were tested and fixed. I may not be a hundred per cent happy with how everything ended, but the tree house was the perfect place for it all to come together. This was a nice, light read that should be on everyone's YA shelf.

"People come in and out of your life. For a time they are in your world; they are everything. And then one day they're not. There's no telling how long you will have them near."

Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Published: April 15, 2014
Hardcover, 368 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them... all at once?

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

The vague description left this book to really shine on its own. We know Lara Jean writes letters, we know they are never meant to be seen by the boys they are addressed to, but when they are suddenly mailed out and the boys are coming to Lara Jean asking her about them, she's not sure how to face the  consequences. Going from invisible in the eyes of these guys to suddenly the spotlight of their minds is too much for her to handle. Especially since one of those guys is her sister's boyfriend.

Jenny Han has a great writing style. She mixes in plot, feelings, and a whole lot of style into every sentence. She captures the essence of a teen girl wonderfully. They care about boys and fashion and everything that happens in life is a huge deal. When Lara Jean's sister, Margot, moves to Scotland for school, Lara Jean doesn't know how she'll survive without her. Especially since Margot left behind Josh, the boy Lara Jean has had a crush on all her life. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, since I love how mysterious it all is and that the description tells you nothing about what happens after the letters are mailed out, but everything entwined together wonderfully and there was no telling how everything would turn out for Lara Jean. Each event leads to something else and we watch as Lara Jean struggles to keep herself together as she tries to pick up the pieces she's scattered around with the letters. I related to Lara Jean a little too much. I fell for boys very quickly in high school and they didn't even know my name. And when I did finally have a real boyfriend, everything was very different than how I thought it would be. Things are always better in your imagination than they are in real life, aren't they?

Love triangles suck, I'm sure we all agree, but the one in this was so unlike anything I've read that I'm not sure if it's even a love triangle. Josh is a sweet guy who Lara Jean has known forever and is finally up for grabs, but after he gets her letter, she can't even be near him, even though her heart desperately wants to. And Peter is the kind of guy you stay away from, but somehow Lara Jean ends up spending a lot of time with him and he becomes someone we never thought he would. The ending of this book left so many questions unanswered and I'm in dyre need of the next one, but every character leapt off the page and into my heart and I love how they were all written. Kitty, Lara Jean's little sister, is hilarious and vicious and I love her. Lara Jean's best friend, Chris, is a bit of a head case and is going through something in her life that she may regret but is living to the fullest. 

Lara Jean has her faults. She's naive, a little sheltered, and confused about boys and her feelings for both Josh and Peter, but wasn't every teen girl like this? I know I liked boys I shouldn't have and I certainly wasn't the smartest girl when it came to boys, so I think Lara Jean was the perfect teen for this book. Everything was so complicated and it played out like real life. I can't wait for more and I also can't wait to meet Jenny Han tonight!! 

“Margot would say she belongs to herself. Kitty would say she belongs to no one. And I guess I would say I belong to my sisters and my dad, but that won’t always be true. To belong to someone—I didn’t know it, but now that I think about, it seems like that’s all I’ve ever wanted. To really be somebody’s, and to have them be mine.”

Teaser Tuesday: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly feature hosted by Should Be Reading where we tease our readers with quotes from the books we're reading.

All you have to do to participate is grab your current read, open to a random page and share 2 teasers from that page (make sure there's no spoilers!)

My book this week is:

To All the Boys I've Loved Before
By Jenny Han
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Hardcover, 355 pages


'Margot would say she belongs to herself. Kitty would say she belongs to no one. And I guess I would say I belong to my sisters and my dad, but that won't always be true. To belong to someone - I didn't know it, but now that I think about, it seems like that's all I've ever wanted. To really be somebody's, to have them be mine.' (page 190)

'"No, I've never had a boyfriend. But plenty of people I know have had boyfriends but they've never once been in love. I've been in love." That's why I'm doing this.' (page 191)



Since today is the release date of this book, I'm giving it full treatment! I got it early, but I'm hoping everyone else goes out to buy it today! Happy Book Birthday, Jenny Han!

Waiting on Wednesday: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't wait to read" selection is:

To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected Publication Date: April 15, 2014

(summary from Goodreads)

Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control in this heartfelt novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them--all at once?

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved--five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Han impressed me so much with the Summer series. I fell in love with her characters and her writing. Fire with Fire also blew me away, so I'm very excited to see what else she has in store. The description of this book looks like it will be an emotional roller coaster, not unlike the Summer series. It sounds like there will be some laughter, tears, and hopefully a happy ending. 

What book are you impatiently waiting for?