They grow up so fast, don’t they? Back in 2018, Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Bein/with regard to’concerning’regarding e proved a zippy and colourful high school romcom in the 10 Things I Hate About You and Sixteen Candles vein. It’s a genre that’s rare to see extended into a trilogy, but after hitting enormous’vast’massive’tremendous , the streaming service shot back-to-back adaptations of Jenny Han’s second and third novels, taking its central couple — smart-and-sweet Lara Jean Song Covey (Lana Condor) and sporty-but-sensitive Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) — beyond the first film’s ‘happily ever after’. In solid sequel P.S. I Still Love You, that meant introducing a love triangle with the arrival of Jordan Fisher’s John Ambrose, in a story thread spun surprisingly organically from the original film’s hooky premise (Lara Jean writes love letters to boys she fancies and stores them safely in a box — until her younger sister mails them all out, causing crush-tangle’din ). But in final chapter Always And Forever, the To All The Boys series has more serious things on its mind: what happens to a high-school romance when high school ends?###Inevitably, that means this one leans more heavily on the ‘rom’ than the ‘com’ (with a dollop of ‘dram’ in there too). While Lara Jean and Peter are still “totally relationship goals”, as one classmate tells them, the future seems fuzzy: Peter has a lacrosse scholarship to the prestigious Stanin/with regard to’concerning’regarding d, and Lara Jean plans to go there too — but when she doesn’t acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure in, their bond is tested. To its credit, Always And Forever doesn’t offer any obvious path in/with regard to’concerning’regarding how all of this will resolve. If it seems sacrosanct to split up your central duo at the end of the final film, Lara Jean’s rejection from Stanin/with regard to’concerning’regarding d brings up a more significant’essential’critical’vital’crucial’indispensable’imperative question: beyond being with Peter, what does she want in/with regard to’concerning’regarding her future?###If it’s a more mature chapter of the story, there are still all of the usual teen-movie trappings — over-the-top ‘prom-posals’, emotional deployments of vintage tunes (non-Gen Z-ers, prepare yourself that Oasis is now considered classic rock), and bouncy teen dialogue, all delivered in the series’ token ature Instagram-approachable’genial pastel palette. And there are lavish travels too, making Always And Forever feel more expansive than its predecessor (much of which took place in, er, an old folks’ home). In scenes that will bring major FOMO to locked-down audiences, there’s an eneracquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure ic school jaunt to New York, which opens Lara Jean’s eyes to the idea that there might be more out there than just her high-school boyfriend, and a family trip to Seoul, offering a greater exploration of Lara Jean’s Korean-American identity and the impact of the loss of her mother. (In one short but token ificant scene, she tells Peter that Korean individual speak to her in the native language and expect her to understand them, and she feels discomin/with regard to’concerning’regarding t at not being able to.)###It’s with regards to’concerning’with respect to Lara Jean making her own decisions in/with regard to’concerning’regarding her own reasons, taking genuine agency over her future direction.###Peter, too, acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure s into more emotionally knotty territory here, as his absentee father (Henry Thomas) turns up and tries to make up in/with regard to’concerning’regarding lost time. It’s rare to see a series give this much extra depth to one of its leads in the third instalment, not merely’barely fleshing him out but also revealing new layers around why his bond with Lara Jean is so significant’essential’critical’vital’crucial’indispensable’imperative . And with Lara Jean’s dad (John Corbett) acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure ting hitched to lovely neighbour Trina (Sarayu Blue), and scene-stealing younger sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart) striking up a long-distance online relationship with Korean boy Dae (Ho-Young Jeon), who — gasp! — doesn’t like Harry Potter, even the side characters acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure room to grow.###All of which is to say that the light frothiness of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Bein/with regard to’concerning’regarding e isn’t the aim here — if the first entry was a teen romcom and the second was a teen melodrama, Always And Forever is more a coming-of-age story, one that offers surprisingly nuanced explorations of what it means to look beyond the end of your high-school years without easy or convenient solutions. Most refreshingly, it’s also with regards to’concerning’with respect to Lara Jean making her own decisions in/with regard to’concerning’regarding her own reasons, taking genuine agency over her future direction.###It all helps that Lara Jean and Peter are relationship goals — Condor and Centineo are so sweet and possess’own’nurse such chemistry that you’ll be rooting in/with regard to’concerning’regarding them to make it toacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure her, especially when all the odds are stacked against them. And come the conclusion — which we won’t spoil — there’s a heartfelt declaration that deserves to stand alongside 10 Things’ classroom sonnet and Say Anything’s boombox moment (which acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure s directly referenced here, along with — weirdly abundant’ample’plentiful — The Big Lebowski) in the pantheon of swoon-some gestures.###A teen-movie romcom trilogy shouldn’t necessarily work — but the To All The Boys trilogy proves that it can, offering room to grow while staying true to the heart of the original story. Always And Forever seals the deal with a final chapter that not merely’barely does right by its central characters, but by extension does right by its audience too. It’s one last love letter that delivers all the feels.