On February 12, 2021, Netflix graced the world with the notorious Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean once more. Always and Forever was the last installation of the Netflix To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy. While the second movie, P.S. I Still Love You, was slightly disappointing due to how different it was from the books, the third movie swooped in and saved the trilogy.

The movie was full of romantic and relatable moments with Lara Jean (LJ), our main character, trying to figure out what she wants to do for college and how she can keep Peter in her life at the same time. It’s the ultimate teenage choice between love and education.

The Netflix movies are based on the books of the same name by Jenny Han. The movies (second movie excluded) followed the books rather well and stuck to the storyline of Peter K. and Lara Jean.

Always and Forever focused on LJ’s senior trip to New York where she instantly fell in love with the campus of New York University (NYU), the same school where her rival, Gen, from the first movie has decided to go. Enemies to friends, anyone? 

Originally, LJ was planning on going to Stanford so she could stay with Peter. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t get into Stanford. When that plan fell through, the couple agreed on Berkley which was only an hour away from Stanford. After this seemingly final decision came the trip to New York. Peter and Lara Jean go through a trial of will they, won’t they as LJ prepares for their inevitable break up and Peter seems to lose all hope of a future with her. 

As a coping mechanism, LJ tries to sleep with Peter after their prom night but he refuses, not wanting their first time to be on such a sad basis. From this point on, the couple stops talking to each other and are pretty much over. Lara Jean finally gets accepted to NYU and prepares for her father’s wedding to their neighbor, Ms. Rothschild, where, at the end of the beautiful night, Peter shows up and wins back his girl. 

Throughout all three movies, the notorious couple is the definition of ‘will they, won’t they.’ However, true to their roots, Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean Covey are endgame. Always and Forever was beautifully written and the graphics that went along with it, such as the cut scenes with little drawings, made the movie magical so to speak. It connected you to the book but also kept the movies in its own little universe and gave viewers a deeper look into the characters’ lives. 

The actors, Noah Centineo (Peter Kavinsky) and Lana Condor (Lara Jean), truly brought these characters to life and played the parts beautifully. In all three movies, they gave their best and did the To All the Boys characters justice. Both made bittersweet goodbye Instagram posts to the trilogy and mentioned just how much the movies meant to them. When the actors form a connection to their characters, it makes the audience want to do the same. 

Overall, the movie was a hit. It made its way to number one (as of February 15) on Netflix’s top ten. These movies are sure to be watched over and over and will continue to please viewers for years to come. Finishing a project doesn’t mean it’ll suddenly disappear from the planet and this trilogy was a project made to stay. Always and Forever gives advice that can be taken into the real world and that is how you do a movie. In the wise words of Lara Jean, “Life is beautiful, and messy, and never goes according to plan. I do know that love, real love, is choosing each other through all of it, every single day. Beginning and middle and end.”