To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You Movie Review

Sequels are never better than the original movie, and the newest Netflix movie P.S. I Still Love You, the sequel of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, is proof of exactly that. Keep reading for my honest To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You review.

Spoilers ahead

To All the Boys Plot Summary

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before follows the story of high school student Lara Jean as her secret love letters get sent out by her younger sister. The coming of age movie bridges the gap between the reality of high school drama and the fantasy of all your crushes falling in love with you at once. To no surprise, the movie has a happy ending with Peter Kavinsky, letter recipient and the main love interest. 

P.S. I Still Love You, directed by Michael Fimognari, picks up where the last movie left off – with a lovestruck Lara Jean.

The sequel focuses on Lara Jean and her still-new relationship with Peter as they work through their relationship. Feelings start to unfold when Lara Jean runs into John Ambrose MacLaren, another recipient of the infamous love letters. Will Lara Jean fall in love with John Ambrose or stick it out with Peter?

P.S. I Still Love You Movie Review

The main plot revolves around the love triangle between Lara Jean, Peter Kavinsky, and newcomer John Ambrose. Lana Condor as Lara Jean brought not only depth to the character, but also maturity. The difference between the two movies shows how Condor kept the innocence Lara Jean had in the first movie while growing into her character. As an audience, we see Lara Jean’s transition very clearly through her growing relationship with Peter Kavinsky. 

That said, while Condor showed growth in her character, Noah Centineo’s Peter Kavinsky, was static. The heartthrob is a fan favourite, but his character had no noticeable growth between the first movie and the sequel. In the first movie, we saw Kavinsky go back and forth being Lara Jean and his ex-girlfriend Gen, and the sequel is no different.

In comparison, newcomer Jordan Fisher as John Ambrose dethroned Centineo as teen rom-com king. Fisher’s portrayal of Lara Jean’s first crush had emotion, depth, and likability. It is worth noting, however, that the books set the characters up to be that way.  

The love triangle is the main plot of the movie, but one sub-plot, in particular, seems to be more important. The reconciliation between Lara Jean and Gen, Peter’s ex-girlfriend, was the most heartfelt part of the movie.

The tension between the two ex-friends has been prominent since the first movie, but it really surfaces in the sequel. Their heartfelt talk was more emotional than any of the scenes between Lara Jean and Peter, in my opinion.

Gen, played by Emilija Baranac, has been mapped out to be the villain of the movies. Yet, the audience gets to see her emotions through this scene and it makes her someone we can sympathize with.

The feelings between the two former best friends are clearly evident. There is a real connection between the two as they come to an understanding of their former friendship. 

So, is it worth watching?

One thing to keep in mind about the movie is that the book and the book series, written by Jenny Han, follows different plotlines. The plot and the feeling of the characters are explored more in-depth in the book as compared to the movie. Because of this, the movie and the book should be held at different standards.

I have read all the books and watched the movies, and I still love them both. Do I love the books and movies equally? No, but they are both still great.

I prefer the books because they go into greater detail and are more fulfilling than the movies, but this isn’t to say the movies aren’t great. The movie is incredibly well-done and well-filmed. It is a great teen romantic comedy that is fun for any age. If you haven’t read the books, then you will probably see no issues with the story or the characters. But, if you’ve read the books then you will see what’s missing.

If cheesy romantic comedies are your type of movie, this will be right up your alley. If you prefer books then check out my review of the To All the Boys trilogy. I highly recommend reading the books AND watching the movies, though, if you are the type of person who can’t get enough of romantic comedies.

---

Question: Have you read the books or seen the movie(s)? What are your thoughts?