Book Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Pages: 338

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date: May 26, 2015

Source: Personal Copy

Other Books By Author: To All the Boys I've Loved Before, 

The Summer I Turned Pretty, Burn For Burn

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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."

Lara Jean is dating Peter, for real now, but things are confusing, because her ex-friend and his ex-girlfriend, Genevieve, is always popping up in the picture. Peter swears that they are just friends, but it's upsetting to Lara Jean is who is new to dating and navigating the treacherous waters that sometimes high school drama brings.  To make matters worse, there is a video that goes viral of Lara Jean and this rocks her world. Meanwhile, a former "love" enters Lara Jean's life (thanks to the letters Kitty sent out in book one) and she starts to have feeling for him as well.  P.S. I Still Love You is a charming read. It's all about Lara Jean's journey and her experience with first love. A truly memorable read fans of Jenny Han will love.  

Lara Jean is one of my favorite protagonists. She felt very real to me in P.S. I Still Love You. She's quiet, an introvert essentially, but dating Peter has brought her out of her shell. She is most comfortable at home with her sisters and I love this about her.  Han definitely created a character that I am sad to say goodbye to.  In this sequel, there are some upsetting events that happen to Lara Jean, but I think she handles them well. Just like real life, there are many ups and downs to the adolescent experience and Han portrays this perfectly.

Just like in the first book, I adored the Songs sisters and their dad in this one too. In P.S. I Still Love You, we get more of this adorable family and it really warmed my heart. I especially love Kitty, her younger sister. If you were a fan of her in To All the Boys I've Loved Before, you will love her even more in this sequel.  She's fantastic and makes me laugh out loud. (Can she please have a spin-off series?)

Also, I loved Peter in To All the Boys I've Loved Before, but he was definitely getting on my nerves in this book. Don't get me wrong, I am still a fan, but I found some of his antics pretty frustrating.  That's all I am going to say.  And the new boy who enters Lara Jean's world sort of stole my heart as well, so cue all the drama.

I loved all the vintage references in  P.S. I Still Love You. Lara Jean works at a nursing home and she plans a USO/1940s dance and that was one of my favorite aspects of the book. I love that time period and the party seemed like so much fun! Plus, there were a few other swoon worthy moments that I enjoyed, but won't mention due to spoilers.

As usual, Han's writing is fantastic in P.S. I Still Love You. Her writing style is always delightful, quiet, but powerful. There are some lines that really struck me in this book; for example, 

"So much of love is chance. There's something scary and wonderful about that.....It could have happened lots of ways. But this is the way it happened. This is the path we took. This is our story."

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

Fans of this series won't be disappointed by the ending. If you know me, you know that Jenny Han is one of my favorite authors and she can do no wrong. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary young adult fiction. It shouldn't be missed!