Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

I have major love for Lara Jean Covey and all the Song girls. I like that she is a shy, quiet, bookish girl who finds her confidence not by losing her shyness or a boy liking her – but through her own journey. I like her relationship with her sisters and the way Margot and Kitty have changed over the last three books. I like the cultural details of being half Korean American that are weaved in and out of the narrative. I’ve said this several times now, but reading To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before  was formative to my interest in writing contemporary YA. Hearing Jenny Han speak at The National Book Festival in 2012 was formative to my decision to move to New York City and get my MFA in writing for children and teenagers.  So yeah, I’ve been looking forward to reading the third and final Lara Jean book since I found out it was happening. And, as expected, it did not disappoint. 

I don’t want to spoil *anything* about the conclusion of Lara Jean’s story, I was completely here for it. I was here for all the baking and the quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was here for Lara Jean’s new friends and the wrap up with some of her old ones. I was here for all the college angst – which feels so real and so often overlooked in YA books. I was here for descriptions of clothes. I was here for changes to her family. I was VERY here for some swoony scenes with Peter K. and even here for some of the more difficult struggles between them.

So yeah, as will almost all sequels, I assume my opinion won’t influence whether or not you read this story. But I’m incredibly grateful to have another Lara Jean book. It was  delightful to huddle up cosy in bed yesterday morning and speed my way through it. I’m sure a slower re-read is just around the corner!