#BookevinReads Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2nd May 2017)
Series: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #3

Blurb:
Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding.

But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. She watched her sister Margot go through these growing pains. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind.

When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

I’d like to thank Pansing for sending me a copy of Always and Forever, Lara Jean for review.

Rating: 5 stars

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Sparkles and raindrops and sugar cookies and romantic kisses!

The eagle has landed. I repeat, the eagle has landed! When I finished reading P.S. I Still Love You back in 2015, I was perfectly happy with how things ended for Lara Jean and Peter. I thought it wrapped things up nicely in a pretty package with a cute stripy bow.

BUT. Jenny Han surprised us all by revealing a final book in the Lara Jean’s story, making it a trilogy instead of the originally planned duology.

Pass me some cake, girl. Because I just finished Always and Forever, Lara Jean and I am desperately craving for some baked goods. Also, someone please hold me.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean picks up a year after the glorious ending of P.S. I Still Love You. Lara Jean is having the best time as a senior in high school and she’s happily in love with her first love, Peter Kavinsky. Senior year in high school means prom, senior school trips, college applications and deciding on life after high school.

“I guess that’s part of growing up, too–saying goodbye to the things you used to love.”

Lara Jean has it all figured out. She’s applied to several schools but she’s determined to get into UVA with Peter, where it’s nearby home and she could keep an eye on things at home and be there for Kitty. However, life can be a tricky bastard, can’t it?

I really couldn’t contain my feelings the moment I flipped the last page of Always and Forever, Lara Jean. The feeling was like taking a bite of dark chocolate: bittersweet—the sweet taste of the chocolate when it touches your tongue and slowly, as it melts, your mouth is enveloped by a rich bitterness.

Isn’t that the feeling whenever you read the last book of a series because you’re devastated that the series has ended and you are forced to say goodbye to the characters—who you loved and cared for deeply—but you’re also perfectly contented because these characters finally got the ending they deserved and all is well and you just want to bury yourself in bed with plush toys and cuddle them under your blanket and cry your heart out.

“One day all of this will be proof, proof that we were here, proof that we loved each other. It’s the guarantee that no matter what happens to us in the future, this time was ours.”

I really have no idea how to write a review for Always and Forever, Lara Jean because my heart is so full of happiness but at the same time, I am devastated. But I must try, because the series got the much-deserved ending and I have so much love for Lara Jean!

Jenny Han, you are an evil genius because you played with my heart and my emotions are all over the place from reading Always and Forever, Lara Jean.

In Always and Forever, Lara Jean, Lara Jean is set on facing the challenges life has to offer after high school. I felt that I could relate to Lara Jean so much, especially when deciding what to do after high school and where she should go and so on.

“Music makes everything more romantic, doesn’t it? One second you’re walking your dog in the suburbs, and then you put on Adele, and it’s like you’re in a movie and you’ve just had your heart brutally broken.”

There’s the bright, hopeful feeling of leaving home and embracing college but at the same time, the dreadful feeling of leaving everything behind: family, loved ones and friends.

“Kitty’s always saying how origin stories are important.
At college, when people ask us how we met, how will we answer them? The short story is, we grew up together. But that’s more Josh’s and my story. High school sweet-hearts? That’s Peter and Gen’s story. So what’s ours, then?
I suppose I’ll say it all started with a love letter.”

Verdict:

Always and Forever, Lara Jean is the final farewell to Jenny Han’s wonderful series. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this magical, incredibly delightful and heartwarming series anytime soon. With a mixture of adorableness, sweet romance, touching friendships and an unbreakable bond between sisters, Always and Forever, Lara Jean is a delectable slice of heavenly cake that you’ll want to savour every bite.