To All The Boys: P.S I Still Love You: Why the ending broke my heart

I watched To All The Boys: P.S I Still Love You last night and I’m gutted to say I didn’t love it. There is nothing I love more than a good coming-of-age movie, which is why I was so surprised when this one left me feeling disappointed.

Pretty In Pink, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Edge of Seventeen all taught me the most valuable lessons and introduced me to some of the greatest music of all time. The Breakfast Club is the one movie I watch again and again and again. Five Feet Apart completely shattered my heart and patched it back up again.

To All The Boys I Loved Before instantly won my heart with its strong female-lead, diverse cast and complicated relationships, but the sequel let me down.

If you’ve yet to watch the new release then stop reading here to avoid spoilers.

So, what was wrong with the sequel? 

Let me just say that there was a lot I adored about To All The Boys: P.S I Still Love You. Lana Condor is as charming as Lara Jean. Her friendships in both school and in the nursing home are so strong and don't get losr amongst the love triangle. The excitement of your first love is one of the best things about the movie because it leaves you feeling so nostalgic, but the boy Lara Jean chooses just didn’t sit right with me.

Throughout the entire movie she is puzzled about her feelings for current beau Peter Kavinsky and the boy she loved as a child, John Ambrose McClaren. Old feelings start to resurface when Lara starts working with John Ambrose at Bayview nursing home.

The moments the friends share are tender and exciting and just pure lovely- the piano scene completely melted my heart. They seem like the perfect match as opposed to Lara and Peter, but is this just a case of opposites attract?

The high school student is left feeling as confused as ever over which boys she actually loves. She starts to notice Peter’s flaws and realises she doesn’t feel secure in their relationship, especiallyy when you consider how they first faked their relationship. Peter is portrayed in a less than flattering light in this movie. He just doesn’t seem like the right fit for Lara, especially compared to the adorably introverted John Ambrose who has held a special place in LJ’s heart since they were children.

I was ecstatic when Lara Jean and John Ambrose shared a kiss in the snow. It was the sweetest moment and pure coming-of-age movie magic, until LJ ran away to find Peter.

In the end, she realised her heart belonged with Peter, but I feel like John Ambrose was the right choice for her and she just failed to see it. And I’m not the only one. Shortly after the movie’s release, fans expressed their dismay over the ending on Twitter. John Ambrose deserved better and Lara Jean certainly deserves better than Peter.

The ending reminded me of ‘80s classic Pretty In Pink. The John Hughes movie is one of my all time favourites but fans were devastated when Andie chose popular, rich-kid Blane over the goofy and loyal Duckie, who had yearned after her since they were children. 

Both protagonists picked the cool, popular guy who has always been a hit with the ladies, instead of the beloved friend who has been by their side since day one. They hopelessly loved and adored their crushes and were their shoulder to cry on when they got their hearts broken, but those feelings were never reciprocated.

Is it a case of Lara Jean and Andie wanting to hold onto those rare and special childhood friendships or simply being too scared to tarnish the bond they already have with the boys who have always been in the back of their minds?

Maybe the Duckies and John Ambroses of the movie world will finally get a look in one day.

Do you think Lara Jean made the right decision by choosing Peter? Or was John Ambrose the right guy for her?