Always and Forever, Lara Jean: Book Club Questions on Growing Up, Growing Apart, and Growing Together
Age: YA (14+)
Genre: Romance
Reading the series?
Don’t miss the book club guides for To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (book 1) and P.S. I Still Love You (book 2).
Quick Review of Always and Forever, Lara Jean
The conclusion to this YA romance trilogy brims with nostalgia—for teenagers’ hopes, dreams, and fears, for the bittersweetness of leaving high school, and for first love in all its glory. Examining what it looks like to truly grow up and move on, this book is perfect for teen readers looking toward the future as well as adult readers wanting to relive that magical time of life.
Book Club Questions
At first, Lara Jean wants to grow up, but only in a safe, comfortable way. Eventually, she chooses to take a risk. What is the value of this risk? What do you imagine her college experience might have been like at William and Mary/UVA vs. UNC?
In Lara Jean’s place, which college would you have chosen? What factors sway your decision?
In your opinion, what about the spontaneous road trip to UNC convinced Lara Jean to commit to that school? Has something unexpected ever helped you make a big decision?
To distract herself from stressing over the future, Lara Jean throws herself into baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie and planning the perfect wedding. When is distraction a healthy tool vs. an unhealthy one? How do you distract yourself when you’re stressed?
The author parallels Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship with Lara Jean’s father and Mrs. Rothchild’s relationship. How does this parallel enrich the story? What differences and similarities do the two relationships have?
The first book in the series explores Margot’s role as a mother figure to her sisters. In light of that, discuss why it’s so hard for Margot to adjust to her father and Trina’s relationship. What makes Margot and Trina finally get on the same team?
Peter initially believes he and Lara Jean will see each other frequently despite going to different colleges, but he becomes disillusioned as he realizes how busy he’ll be. Have you ever had a relationship, romantic or otherwise, that fell by the wayside due to life’s demands? What differentiates the relationships that endure despite inconvenience vs. the ones that fade?
In your opinion, was Peter’s dad’s reason for missing graduation real or an excuse? Do you think it was valuable for Peter to give his dad a chance even though he ended up disappointed?
Toward the end, Peter claims that Lara Jean’s been saying good-bye to him for months in an effort to close the chapter on her first romance. Do you agree with Peter? Which of Lara Jean’s actions or attitudes support or disprove his claim?
In this book, Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship is unquestioned, and they communicate fairly openly about their feelings. Despite this, what factors still cause friction between them? In other words, why do even solid couples struggle?
When Lara Jean recalls her mother’s counsel not to go to college with a boyfriend, Trina points out, “to be fair, your mom never met Peter Kavinsky.” Do you think she would have changed her advice if she had?
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