Wonderful Literature: Series Review | To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy, Jenny Han

Hello, guys! And welcome to this series review. This time it's turn for the known contemporary, YA trilogy by Jenny Han, To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy. It was originally going to be a standalone, then a duology, and finally it's come to be a trilogy. It says in the acknowledgments of the third book that there will be no more books in this series, so that's as far as Lara Jean's story gets. I've reviewed both To All the Books I've Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You in the past, so I thought it would be nice to review the last book in the series (Always and Forever Lara Jean) in relation to the previous two - what is commonly called a Book Series Review, right? I guess?

The series follows a teenage girl named Lara Jean who comes from a multi-racial family - her mum has a Corean origin and her dad is a white American. Lara Jean has a habit of writing letters to the boys she loved once she stops loving them, but she never sends them. One day, the letters get mysteriously sent out to the boys, who one by one come to her to ask for an explanation she doesn't want to give.

I will start by saying that To All the Boys I've Loved Before is one of my favourite contemporary YA novels of all times. It is hilarious - I literally laughed out loud while reading it. It's fast-paced and it has a super cute romance; plus it's a diverse read as it contains a multiracial main character. I loved the characters Jenny Han drew, and I think the family environment depicted in this book (and in the next two books as well) is worth mentioning - I loved the way Lara Jean talks about her family, how important they are to her, and the relationship she has with her sisters and with her dad. The plot is very unique, and although I would have liked the letters to have a little more weight, I love how spontaneous it all seems and I had a great time reading it. I listened to this book on audiobook, and I really enjoyed it!

The second book in the series, P.S. I Still Love You, was the perfect continuation of such a hilarious story - Jenny Han keeps on showing us her funny and her cute sides, which I adored. It continues the story that was left unfinished in the first book, giving a new importance to characters that hadn't been so as much in the first book. Again, I had a lot of fun reading this book, and I really think the ending was perfect - it was satisfying, and it was just the right closure to Lara Jean's love story, which is why it struck me as odd that she was planning on writing a third part to it.

About the third book in the series, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, I have to say that, although Jenny Han's funny and cute style were present in it, the main issue I had with this book was the plot - it felt rather unnecessary; it didn't have any special element to it that made me think "see, I had to read this book" - it felt maybe like overstretching the story, although I still loved reading more about the characters that I so much love, and I had a really good time. Still, I was expecting a plot twist that never came. I gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

Summing up, the To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy is maybe one of my favourite contemporary YAs out there, but I really think people should read it as a duology and just forget about the last book. You'll get the ending you're waiting for and you'll save yourself some suffering!

Happy reading!