To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You was released to Netflix on February 12, 2020. There was a lot of hype concerning its release, with millions of fans excited to continue the love story of  Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean. 

The first movie ended with Peter and Lara in a happy, honest, relationship…and the credit scene brought the arrival of John Ambrose (one of Lara Jane’s past loves who also received a letter). Knowing how the first movie ended is not necessary to understanding the sequel, and honestly, probably would make  you more confused. The directors decided to completely ignore how they ended the first movie when beginning the second. They not only recast John Ambrose, but pretended he had not been introduced at all. There was no warning and it felt as though the directors did not care for continuity in the slightest. 

Looking past that grievous mistake, there are still tons of problems. The directors once again completely ignored the fact that there are in fact books that did well and they should follow them at least a little. The entire movie seemed to be missing important details and felt rushed. The relationships between characters seemed fake because everything felt so hurried. I would not be surprised if they had a very short deadline to make the movie. The “relationship” between Lara and John also suffered due to the fast pace of the movie. It does not even feel like a relationship. At the end of the movie, they still seem like strangers to one another and their one shared kiss felt out of the blue and unnatural. In the book, their relationship was developed as a friendship first and the two had a genuine connection. All of their cute moments were lost in the movie.

The only part of the movie I did appreciate was (for the most part) the portrayal of Peter and Lara’s relationship. It wasn’t shown as something perfect, but as something flawed and corrupted by lies. The two still struggled over Peter’s sort of friendship with his ex and his lies regarding his ex. It looked a lot more like a real relationship and not a “movie” relationship.
Their trials and tribulations were realistic and tugged at the hearts of viewers. That being said, I and many other viewers do not support the rocky relationship between Lara and Peter, but rather the growing one between Lara and John. The movie just leaves you feeling robbed of the chance to see, well, a chance between Lara and John.

In the end, the book was a million times better. This movie has not only cost me a couple of hours of my life I’ll never get back, but also left me without any excitement for the third movie.

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