I first read Jenny Han's "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" series when it was just a little duo-logy in 2016. I was entering my senior year of high school, craving cute teen rom-coms, and completely single. There's something about consuming teen romances when you've been single (up to that point) that makes them that much more special. But I digress...
That being said, I absolutely loved the first two books when I read them. I've yet to read the third installment, as it just recently came out and college has been CRAY, but I've been looking forward to diving in.
Recently (yesterday to be exact), the second movie to the series came out on Netflix. The first installment, "To All The Boys I've Loved Before," came out in 2018 and swept the nation (and the world). Viewers everywhere fell in love with Han's characters and their untraditional love story.
It wasn't really a surprise when Netflix announced they had bought the rights to adapt the rest of the series for the screen. Those who'd taken a liking to Peter and Lara Jean couldn't get enough of the shooting updates as they rolled into social media, especially the fact that the second and third installments were shot within months of each other and all filming is essentially complete.
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Netflix released "P.S. I Love You," the continuation of L&P's relationship as a new love interest enters the scene. Remember how Lara Jean's younger sister, Kitty, sent out all five of LJ's love letters instead of only Peter's? The only letter Lara Jean didn't get back was John Ambrose McClaren's.
Well, we all know John Ambrose shows up again and he's marketed as another love interest for LJ. Even though she already has Peter Kavinsky as her now-official boyfriend.
I will say, I like the drama and intrigue of romantic comedies, but the love triangle trope is definitely played out at this point. Now, I love Peter Kavinsky and I love John Ambrose McClaren, but there is only one logical person who's right for Lara Jean. Most people will agree that a relationship should only involve two people, there's no need to have more than one boyfriend or girlfriend. That adds a lot of extra unnecessary stress and should just be avoided at all costs.
While I enjoyed the second movie (the soundtrack is bomb and also currently available on Spotify ICYMI), I wasn't as taken with it as I was with the first movie. I honestly think that fact was due to the love triangle.
John Ambrose McClaren is said to be another potential love interest in the books as well, so it was Han's original idea and not Netflix's, but I still found myself sick of it. Again, I love JAM (and Jordan Fisher, the actor who portrays him), but I'm tired of guys (or girls) being pitted against each other in order to vie for someone's heart.
There's also a line in the film that sometimes, in order to figure out who's the right person, you have to kiss the wrong person. I'm not trying to shame Lara Jean and maybe I'm just traditional, but I don't think that piece of advice is true. You shouldn't have to kiss the frogs to get the prince. If you're focused on your own life and making something of yourself, it should happen naturally.
Does that mean you're going to find your person right off the bat? Maybe. Maybe not.
But that doesn't mean that you have to explore every option, even when you already know they're not the one. And that also doesn't mean you should seek other significant others when you've just come out of a relationship. Even if you're the one who broke things off, I don't think anyone is ready to jump immediately from one relationship to the next.
As I said, the movie was still cute, but I just wasn't as fond of the second installment. The love triangle, especially so soon after a breakup, just didn't seem relatable to me and it kind of drew me out of the storyline. I know every romantic comedy has to have some turning point/instance of drama, but the love triangle can feel free to chill out for a few decades.
