P.S. I Still Love You

I have been trying to make a concerted effort to really focus on some series of books that I've chosen to read this past month, choosing to almost binge read them rather than leaving them for a while between books and suffer that dreaded reader problem of forgetting what happened in the last book. I was really proud to finish the entire Infernal Devices series and I also started this wonderful series by Jenny Han, the To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and you can find my review on the site by clicking the link below.

http://www.mummylovesbooks.com/a-great-summer-contemporary-read-about-first-love-and-family/

The first book in the series ended with a bit of a cliffhanger as Lara Jean found her relationship with Peter looked to be hitting troubled waters and we learned that despite their romance having been an act, Lara Jean had fallen hard for the handsome boy she'd spent so much time with over the previous few months. This second book picks up immediately after the end of book one and begins with one of Lara Jean's famous letters to the boys she loves, in this case, Peter. She has fallen hard for him and loves the way he has time for her younger sister and how he has helped her get over her crush on her sister's ex-boyfriend.

This book is not set to be smooth sailing however as we follow Lara Jean's attempts to save her romance we have several hurdles along the way. There's an online video scandal to survive, the constant presence of Peter's ex-girlfriend Genevive who seems set on ensuring Lara Jean will never be the one to win Peter's heart and, also, we have the reappearance of an old crush to whom Lara Jean sent one of her famous letters, John Ambrose McLaren who it seems has some long held feelings for our favourite heroine. But as they say, the path of true love never did run smooth.

I liked this book, it was great to spend more time with all the characters we were introduced to in book one and it was enhanced through the introduction of some great new ones like John and Stormy, the feisty and fun pensioner whom Lara Jean meets at the care home she works in. There are lots of twists and turns along the road and some great romantic moments to give you that nice warm fuzzy feeling. I am loving the ongoing relationship between Lara Jean and her younger sister Kitty which is one of the really strong standout points in the book as Lara Jean always takes the time to listen and be there for her and Kitty is such a lively and fun character.

The only drawbacks I found in this book is that I wanted Lara Jean to be stronger this time around, I felt she should have dealt more forcefully with the whole Genevive and Peter situation. She seemed to stand back and let it happen around her for a while whereas I think she could have been more direct in asking questions of them both which would have saved lots of confusion. Maybe because I'm reading this from an adult perspective is why I felt this way but it did frustrate me at times and I was finding myself thinking “I am so over this possessive ex-thing”. I also really, really liked John Ambrose McLaren. I found him really really sweet to Lara Jean. He was so attentive to her and everything she needed from him he did. They shared such great moments in the book that I wanted more of him. I wanted Lara Jean to stop worrying about Peter and focus on the boy who was there clearly in love with her and pulling out all the stops to make her happy.

I am interested to see where book 3, the final book in the trilogy, will take this story as it moves towards its conclusion. I'm sad as I saw it in the bookshop last week and it doesn't look as substantial as the first two books so I'm hoping it won't short change me but I will definitely be reading it really soon as this series is great fun, a really nice contemporary read and great for summer.