On Feb. 12, Netflix released the third and final film in the To All the Boys trilogy,  To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: Always And Forever.  This series of romantic comedies are Netflix originals, and are based on the book series by Jenny Han.  The film stars popular actors Lana Condor and Noah Centineo.  The story follows a group of high schoolers in Portland, Oregon, but is centered around Lara Jean Covey.  The movies are a coming of age story that reflects on her development as a teenager and on her love life.

The first movie of the series, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, was released in Aug. 2018.  It sparked a tremendous fanbase of teenagers immediately. Lara Jean is the middle of two sisters, with whom she is close.  Their mom passed away at a young age, and their dad is the caretaker.  Lara Jean is very independent and intellectual, and does not have many friends.  

In her closet lies a hidden box filled with “love letters,” addressed to every boy to whom she has felt attracted.  Lara Jean’s younger sister, Kitty, finds the box and decides to send the letters out without Lara Jean’s knowledge.  This creates an unimaginable reality for Lara Jean, as her private thoughts became public knowledge.  As a result, she is reunited with Peter Kavinsky, a boy she liked at a young age.  

The rest of the movie follows their “pretend” relationship, with the goal of making Peter’s ex-girlfriend jealous, which this winds up creating a love story between Lara Jean and Peter.  The second movie, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, continues the roller coaster of Peter and Lara Jean’s relationship, and even brings back one of the other boys Lara Jean’s letter to whom was released. 

Always and Forever takes place during Lara Jean and Peter’s senior year.  They are happier than ever, and are excited to spend the year and future together.  Peter is a star lacrosse player and has earned a full scholarship to Stanford.  Both Lara Jean and Peter want nothing more than to spend the next four years together.  

However, Lara Jean is not accepted into Stanford, causing a large strain on their relationship.  After the school’s senior trip to New York, Lara Jean and Peter discover that they both want different things in college.  She falls in love with NYU, while he is already committed to Stanford.  They both love each other immensely, but are worried the distance will break them up. 

“I found Always and Forever to be pleasant and understandable for me to watch,” said junior Sadie Mandel.

The movie features a very realistic depiction of what college admissions looks like in the 21st century.  When Lara Jean is rejected from Stanford, she sees a swarm of posts on social media of what seems like all of her friends getting into the school.  This feeds her sadness, and she struggles how she will break the news to Peter.  However, she ends up finding a school that is a better fit for her and her priorities, even if it’s not where she expected.

 “I found Always and Forever to be disappointing, and less enjoyable than the first two movies,” said junior Rachel Nissan. 

After watching the film, many viewers felt that they did not receive a proper ending to Peter and Lara Jean’s love story.  Many expressed hopes of a fourth film to receive a more clear ending on their fate.  However, lead actress Lana Condor quickly shut down these rumors.

“I think we’ve watched Lara Jean and myself grow up through these movies and I’m proud of the way that we end with her,” said Lana Condor in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.