The third and final instalment of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before landed on Netflix this Valentine’s weekend and, being a sucker for cheesy rom-coms, I welcomed it with open arms. Based on Jenny Han’s trilogy, we get to see the satisfying ending which we have all craved.
The series was brought to our screens way back in 2018 when Lara Jean (Lana Condor) wrote a series of letters to her different crushes but never sent them – until they were sent out by her little sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart) who, by the way, I think is one of the best comedic siblings on screens today.
As you may know, she ends up with Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) and like all teen rom-coms, they’ve had their fair share of ups and downs and To All the Boys: Always and Forever is no exception.
SPOILERS
We rejoin Lara Jean whilst she is on holiday with her family in Korea. This, along with the graduation ceremony towards the end, is a small factor of what really pleased me with this film. It is set in 2021 and there is no mention of Covid-19. Nothing. Personally, I think that this makes the film all the more enjoyable – though it did make me miss being able to see my friends.
Yet again, I am envious of Lara Jean’s wardrobe. Well, her entire bedroom too, which is rather aesthetically satisfying – like it has been from the start. She literally wears any colour effortlessly and yellow seems to be the go to for the series’ close. In particular, I loved the yellow summer dress which she wears on the first day back to school – very cute!
”Just like that, their plans come crashing down.”
The main storyline follows the main characters and their preparations for university. Oh, how grown up they all are! Like many of you will remember (well, I certainly do), our biggest worry was getting into the university that just felt right. For Lara Jean, she just wanted to be with lacrosse-loving Peter. Surprise surprise, only one of them gets accepted to the one place which they both applied to. So, just like that, their plans come crashing down.
”When you and your partner fail to communicate, that’s when things get tricky.”
In a way, I think this film gives off Normal People vibes – they just don’t communicate their emotions to each other. And when you and your partner fail to communicate, that’s when things get tricky. So, of course, this is what happens between Lara Jean and Peter.
”I was rooting for her.”
This final chapter is enough of a coming of age film as it is. Lara Jean is able to find herself and realises that she doesn’t need to be with Peter every second of every day. And when she realised NYU is where she wanted to be, I was rooting for her. I understood from personal experience, if a university feels right, then that is where you should go.
The entire film is very lighthearted. I was particularly invested in the storyline surrounding Lara Jean’s dad (John Corbett), who finally ties the knot with across the street neighbour, Trina (Sarayu Rao). I must say, for a wedding in their back garden it is very magical. And of course we get to see where Chrissy (Madeleine Arthur) and Trevor (Ross Butler) end up – which is another side storyline that I was invested in.
Could there possibly be a fourth film in the future? Maybe catching up with them after they graduate university? We will just have to wait and see!
Jen Charlton
Featured image courtesy of Debby Hudson on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
Jen Charlton
Hey! I am a 20 year old student in my final year studying media production: journalism at York St. John University. I am currently working towards being a BJTC accredited entertainment writer.