P.S. I Still Love You (To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han

P.S. I Still Love You

To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2

Jenny Han

Young Adult Contemporary

337 pages, paperback

26th May 2015 by Simon and Schuster

Goodreads Ratings : 4.32/5

My Rating : 4.75/5

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

From Goodreads

FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYY !!!

Ever since I finished reading To All The Boys Ive Loved Before months ago, I was dying to read the sequel because WHO ENDS A STORY WITH A “DEAR PETER…” ?!!!! That’s evil.

“Sometimes I like you so much I can’t stand it. It fills up inside me, all the way to the brim, and I feel like I could overflow. I like you so much I don’t know what to do with it. My heart beats so fast when I know I’m going to see you again. And then, when you look at me the way you do, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.” 

Oh, my. /swoon/

The book opens up with a confession/apology  letter from Lara Jean to Peter and the story picks up right where it was left off—5 days after their break up. With Lara Jean as the narrator, she slowly brings us to the intense ride of emotions. And when I say emotions, I mean emotions by all meaning and sense of the word. I laughed, giggled, squealed, I teared up a little, I got angry, I was annoyed, everything ! How is this supposedly simple book has everything all in one ?! At some points, I have to stop reading and just take a deep breath to calm myself because the intensity  of the emotions is just too much. And I’m not even kidding.

The main focus of this novel is the romance and oh my God, the romance is KILLING ME. Peter K and Lara Jean is like the walking epitome of ‘us against the world’. Their relationship is cute, funny, sweet and sizzling hot all at once. I don’t think I went a scene of them without at least a chuckle.

'He lifts his head, his eyes are sad and enormous. “Can we hug now ?”

Shakily I nod, and we both get up and I wrap my arms around his middle. He holds me tight against him. His voice is muffled against my shoulder as he says, “Can we never fight again ?”'

I WANT A PETER KAVINSKY IN MY LIFE TOO :(((

We were informed straight from the blurb that there is going to be a love triangle. Which worries me because WHO DARES TO SPLIT PETER K AND LARA JEAN. URGH ! But im so glad that this book isn’t entirely focused on the love triangle part. John is cool, nice even. But my heart will always go to Peter Kavinsky. All through the way ! Team Peter ! /sways pom pom/

I know a lot of people who is annoyed with Lara Jean for being immature in TATBILB but in this book, she grows up a lot. She’s getting mature (although sometimes she stills doesn’t act like her age) and surprisingly, there are a lot of times where I find her thoughts totally understandable and relatable. Like if I were faced with the exact situations as she is, I would think the way she thinks too. And I like this feeling a lot :)

There is also this minor theme that was going on in the book about how boys and girls are treated differently, double standards and all. I wont say much or else it would be a spoiler but I love how the author brings this issue out in this book. Thanks, Jenny Han.

Another thing that I loved about this book is how strong the Song-Covey family relationship is. I love how Lara Jean’s family becomes her fundamental support system. Kitty, although she is still annoying as hell, is cute and funny. Margot is a wonderful sister and their father is sooo awkward lol. And LJ baking abilities is still phenomenal !

The only huge issue I have with this book is the ending. It is a happy ending, but it was unsettled. I get that maybe Jenny Han wants things to be left to the imagination but I don’t ! I’m yearning for answers to the questions in my head. I wish the ending was longer.

Over all, P.S. I Still Love You is NOT a disappointment. Congrats, Jenny Han.

"Let’s do it fucking for real, Lara Jean. Let’s go all in. No more contract. No more safety net. You can break my heart. Do whatever you want with it" - Peter Kavinsky, P.S. I Still Love You

Book Review : Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu

Champion
Legend #3
Marie Lu
Young Adult, Dystopia
Paperback, 353 pages
5th November 2013 by Penguin

Goodreads Ratings : 4.4/5
My Rating : 5/5

He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion? 

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position. 

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything. 

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

From Goodreads

Wow what an amazing ride this is.
Wow.

Champion is the best last book  in the history of trilogies. EVER. Even Mockingjay and Allegiant aren’t as good as this one. How this trilogy ends simply astonished me.  I thought the ending would break my heart to tiny little pieces. I was preparing myself for the worst with a box of tissues and a tub of ice cream beside me. I was preparing for the massive heartache. I was so ready to cry.

But then the epilogue came AND IT IS ONE OF THE MOST SATISFYING ENDINGS I HAVE EVER READ. I COULDNT AND WOULDNT ASK FOR MORE ! (okay actually im going to ask for more : I NEED A NOVELLA ON METIAS AND THOMAS FAST !!!)

But honest to God, I am very satisfied with how the ending goes. It's the best solution for Day and June. They went through a lot. So they deserve all the happiness in the world. 

During Prodigy, I didn't think that Day and June match each other well. I ship June and Anden way more than June and Day. And I was led to believe (by myself lol) up until Champion that June is better off with Anden. But when I finished reading this trilogy with full satisfaction, i just realized that maybe I do ship Day and June, after all.

Personally, I cant picture Day and June as a 16/17 years old kids. Theyre all so mature to be a 17, it doesn’t make sense. Oh and I love Anden. There wasn’t a time where I was annoyed with Anden. None. Nil. Nada. For such a young Elector, he did a very good job at becoming one. If there is a character I hate in this trilogy, it would be Tess. Her mood swings annoyed me. Urgh. 

This whole trilogy has a perfect amount of romance and suspense. There were times when I went all AWWWWW and OMG YES !!! and there were also times where i found myself gripping the book so hard and not being able to look anywhere else because the suspense is really full of suspense. (Am I making sense ?)

Over all, the Legend trilogy is simply one of the best dystopian books i have ever read. Hands down. Congratulations to you, Marie Lu. 

“Then Day reaches out and touches my hand with his. He encloses it in a handshake. And just like that, I am linked with him again, I feel the pulse of our bond and his- tory and love through our hands, like a wave of magic, the return of a long-lost friend. Of something meant to be. The feeling brings tears to my eyes. Perhaps we can take a step forward together.

“Hi,” he says. “I’m Daniel.” 
“Hi,” I reply. “I’m June.” 
― Marie Lu, Champion

Book Review : Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu

Legend
Legend #1
Marie Lu
Young Adult, Dystopia
Paperback, 295 pages
2nd February 2012 by Penguin

Goodreads Rating : 4.19/5
My Rating : 4/5

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. 

Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. 

Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. 

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. 
Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

From Goodreads 

Ok I have to let this out. LEGEND IS AWESOME. Wait I’m not sure if the word awesome even covers it all but man, this book. /satisfied sigh/

This is a dystopian read which is set in 2130 in the United States of America (which has been divided into two parts; the Republic and the Colonies because of a massive flood and both these parts are at war.  And then we have Day and June Iparis to complete the story.

I was in a reading slump when I decided to read Legend and it successfully got me out of the slump (yay). It was a bit confusing at first but once you get into it, you'll enjoy it better. Legend is a fast-paced read and everything is a page turner so I didn’t get bored at all. There are a few things that's still unclear but since this is a trilogy and its the first book so that doesn't bother me much. 

Thanks to The Maze Runner, Divergent  and The Hunger Games, now the whole world is familiar with the whole dystopian thing. And that’s when all the comparison begins. Some people said that this Legend trilogy is better than Divergent. I cant say much about it for now since I have yet to finish this trilogy but so far I think it's equally good. (That's probably because I’m biased to Four). I’m not exactly sure how I feel about Day yet for now but June Iparis is seriously a one kick-ass heroine !

I recently heard that Legend has a newly-released graphic novel, but most people said its short and kinda rushed. But what the hell, I’m gonna hunt for it soon !

"Why 'Day'?"

"Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each Day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time. You try to walk in the light." - Marie Lu, Legend