To All the Boys Review

“To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” is sweeping the screens of girls and youth nationwide after its release in February. The movie is the sequel to “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” which was released in 2018. After two years of waiting and binge-watching fans are excited to receive the coveted sequel.

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” introduced viewers to the main characters: Peter, who is played by teenage heartthrob Noah Centineo, and Lara Jean, played by Lana Condor. Lara Jean’s little sister Kitty sends out five love letters written by Lara Jean as a child, one being to Lara’s childhood friend Peter. After some explanation, Lara tells Peter and many of the other boys how she does not have these feelings anymore. When Peter and his current girlfriend Gen have an explosive argument, Lara Jean and Peter begin to fake date to make Gen jealous. After months of role-playing, the couple ends up falling in love and begins exploring the real relationship.

 “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” was a hit amongst young teens to college students. “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” has high expectations to live up to considering “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” was deemed Netflix’s top chick flick of 2018.

 The second movie explores the connection that Peter and Lara Jean share and how they are navigating a real relationship. Just when it seems that Peter and Lara Jean’s relationship could not be any more perfect, she receives a letter from one of the five boys she used to be in love with. John Ambrose, played by Jordan Fisher, writes to Lara Jean expressing his gratitude for the letter and her feelings. Out of all the letters, John Ambrose’s letter was the deepest and most love-drunken letter of them all.

            After a few coincidences, Lara Jean and John Ambrose are choosing the same volunteer program without knowing they would be the only two volunteers. With tons of alone time with both John Ambrose and Peter, Lara Jean is more confused now than ever about what true love feels like.

“To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” receives a 7/10 compared to the 9/10 for “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”. “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” remains a warm feel-good romcom but lacks the joyfulness of the first film. The major contribution to this is the amount of drama the sequel has in it. Although the movie still has stellar performances and chemistry between the actors, the love triangle can become a little much at times for viewers.

Overall, the movie did not let down its predecessor, but it failed to convey the same overall themes and evoke the natural joy of the first film.