It's always interesting to enter the realm of Book 2 in a series. Sometimes, I hesitate and wonder if it will live up to the expectation, anticipation, and love of the first book. However, I have to give the author kudos for keeping true to her main characters but giving them diversity in their second-book storyline. Jenny Han kept the evolution of her characters on the same fun, goofy, relatable rollercoaster ride, and I loved every millisecond of it!
Lara Jean's character matures in a lot of ways throughout this book. Development of her feelings for Peter, her sidetracked emotions for John, and her devotion to her sisters offered wonderful and surprising twists and turns throughout the whole story.
I know there will be some hardcore Peter fans and some John fans as well after reading this second installment. To be honest, I'm a bit torn with how things turned out myself. Lara Jean handled the situation with Peter and Gen much better than I imagined she would, or anybody for that matter. I could completely understand her side of things. She asked for honesty, and although I think she's correct that she allowed her jealousy and comparison of herself to Gen to motivate some of her feelings and actions, I believe that Peter's character held some of the blame as well.
Anyone would be hurt to see how much Gen still relies on Peter and how often he goes running to her aid. While I applaud Peter for his sensitivity and loyalty, I do see Lara Jean's point of wanting honesty and not to feel as if she comes in second in his life. She made some very good points, which I feel a lot of people in similar relationships would also argue.
Even though I see Peter's dedication and kindness, I think he could have stood to get a clue sooner. He could have at least let Lara Jean know when he was going to see Gen. He could have been as upfront as possible about the situation, even if he couldn't share Gen's secret. I do agree with Lara Jean that Gen is manipulative and could have been using her family issues as a way to hold onto Peter. Therefore, being honest with Lara Jean would have gone a long way. I suppose I'm laying out all of this because it helps me make my next case a little easier as well.
John Ambrose McClaren.
First, his name is definitely rememberable, lol. I liked the introduction to his character. The pen-pal relationship he and Lara Jean established was adorable. It was nice that they were becoming friends, and it was sweet to find out he'd had a crush on her too (and still does).
Second, he was a beautiful character. I loved his intentions, consideration, and assistance to Lara Jean with the USO dance. Their snow fight was kinda cliche, but fun to read.
Last, there's a small part of me that wishes she would have given John more of a chance. Their relationship would have been nice to see. I like Peter, don't get me wrong, but I felt it would have added more to the story if she'd been able to move forward with John. It would have felt better, I speculate, if she'd given Peter the chance to really move on from Gen as well as see Lara Jean's point of view a little more clearly.
In a lot of ways, I think John and Lara Jean had a lot more in common. Their hard-work and appreciation of academics was one point of common ground as well as their past friendship. They enjoyed the other's humor and could talk about things fairly easily. They both helped out at the retirement community, and he was making an effort to be considerate and friendly with Kitty, who liked Peter better. Plus, there wasn't an ex-girlfriend dogging their every move, videotaping and releasing a private moment to the whole school/public, and who wasn't trying to come between the two of them every chance she got. So, they really had a better start at the very least.
I know die-hard fans of Peter would disagree, and I'm up for those opinions. I'm not unhappy with the ending of the book or the direction Jenny Han took it. I still loved it for what it was, and I do love Peter. I guess there's just a small part of me that hoped for a little more opportunity for the characters to grow, even if it was away from each other for a little while (or more than what the book gave us).
Still, I loved this book, I'm satisfied with the ending, and I would still reread it until it fell apart. I love all of the characters and enjoyed their personalities and humor. I'm already in Book 3 as I type this, and I'm hoping for even more good things. :)
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Popular Highlights in this book
Boys will be boys, but girls are supposed to be careful: of our bodies, of our futures, of all the ways people judge us.Highlighted by 3,351 Kindle readers- His heart is mine, just mine. I believe it now. Mine to protect and care for, mine to break.Highlighted by 3,074 Kindle readers
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Disappointed.
I had recently bought a used version of this book, but returned it because I was not happy about the condition it came in. Then I bought this one, which is a brand new one, but when I while I was reading it I found these defective pages. I know it’s not the seller’s fault, but this is my second time purchasing this book expecting a perfect copy. Overall great book, but just disappointing how it turned out this way for me.
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