Warning: This article contains spoilers.

After 3 years, the To All the Boys series has ended. As someone who saw the first movie over 20 times (sometimes twice in a row), the end of the series was a nudge to the fact that my own high school career will end soon. On the one hand, I’m happy it’s over and I am glad the producers didn't make the storyline longer than it needed to be. Yet, on the other hand, I want to know more about the cast as they move on to college. 

In case you are not familiar with the series, To All the Boys is a 3-part Netflix movie adaptation from the books written by Jenny Han. Set in Oregon, these movies follow a group of students through their final two years of high school. The main character is Lara Jean Covey, a Korean-American girl who's a fan of romantic novels and passionate love stories. She has 2 sisters: Kitty, who is 4 years younger and Margot, who is 1 year older. Their mom passed away when they were younger, so they live with their father, Dr. Daniel Covey. Like any teen, Lara Jean has had crushes throughout her life. When she has a very strong crush and needs a way to express her feelings, she writes her crush a love letter, although she does not send it. 

The first movie begins when one night, in the first semester of her Junior year, her younger sister sends off Laura Jean’s love letters. Through the first two movies, we see these letters set off a series of events that expose Lara Jean to her first relationship and love triangle. They are all right. They explore how realistic love counters “perfect love stories” we can find in the media by being confusing and never quite like a fairy tale.

In this last movie however, we see how Lara Jean and her boyfriend Peter, now seniors in their last semester, navigate college decisions. Allowing them to understand how their relationship might work now that their differences might put them at opposite coasts of the country. At first Lara Jean is sure that she will go to Stanford to study with her boyfriend so they don’t need to be apart. After some misunderstandings and a trip to New York City, she realizes that following Peter to California might not be what is best for her. I must say, as a fellow senior, I appreciate how the stress and uncertainty of college decisions is accurately portrayed in the film. However, I admit I was a little bummed at the fact that she was able to do all the exciting Senior Year activities: things we might not be able to do due to the current world situation. Anyway, back to the movie. Throughout the movie, Lara Jean and Peter's insecurities and fears surface. Lara Jean fears breaking her relationship so she tries to control it.  

Through the movies, we also see how Lara Jean’s relationship grows with her sister Margot and her new step mom Trina. My favourite relationship, however, was between Peter Kavinky and his dad. In the first two films, we learn that Peter’s dad left when he was young which gives him a mix of sadness and anger. This makes him believe that people close to him, chose to leave him. When Lara Jean choses to be far from Peter, he sees her choice as her doing the same thing his dad did. So in a way, he blames her for her choice which, at large, holds her back from evolving. In this film, we see Peter's father appear for the first time. Surprisingly, he is very interested in Peter’s well-being and continuously wants to be involved in his life. After Peter and Lara Jean fight, he gives his dad a chance. As they talk he tells him that he is mad and his dad replies by saying that he is sorry. After a bit of silence his dad admits he didn’t try harder to show him he loved him, but that he wants to change that from now on. This allows Peter to grow and understand that if you love someone, you try your best to show them that, even if that means letting go and being apart. Similarly, Lara Jean understands that she doesn't need to physically be with Peter to show him that she loves him.

In conclusion, I think the creators did a great job expanding the rom-com set type and showing that the relationships that allow us to evolve are not only romantic ones. We often believe that one person must fall in love with another to create a “perfect happy ending”. However, the truth is, our happiness relies on our willingness to be in different relationships, romantic and not romantic, that support us and allow us to evolve. Often the most important relationship we will have is the one with ourselves, since it dictates how we view the world and the kind of people we attract.