The To All the Boys [1] franchise has been a huge romantic comedy phenomenon over the past few years, but one thing fans have really gravitated towards is Peter and Lara Jean's romance. I, however, am not one of those fans. While I appreciate their love story as much as the next rom-com fan, I have to admit, Peter never really did it for me [2]. Sure, he was cute and charming, but was he really deserving of Lara Jean's heart? He eventually proves worthy of her love by the end of the first film, but in the second film, I completely hopped off the Team Peter train and onto the Team John Ambrose train [3].
When compared to the kind, thoughtful, and sophisticated John Ambrose, Peter didn't really stand a chance in my opinion. It also didn't help that throughout the second film Peter was still not fully opening up to Lara Jean and going behind her back to confide in his ex-girlfriend Genevieve about his family problems. As the film moved along, it became more and more obvious to me that while Peter was Lara Jean's first high school love, John Ambrose was a more suitable match for her. So, you can imagine my confusion when she actually got back together with Peter at the end of the movie.
When Always and Forever [5] dropped on Feb. 12, I expected my feelings for Peter, or lack thereof, to continue as I watched the final story unfold [6]. But you know what? Peter actually won me over. His character felt different this time around; he acted much more maturely in his interactions with others, he supported Lara Jean in all of her decisions, and was just supersweet.
When Lara Jean finally told Peter that she didn't get into Stanford, I was expecting him to lash out, but instead, the first question he asked was how Lara Jean was doing. When Lara Jean wanted to take their relationship to the next level, he respected her boundaries. Even in his interaction with his estranged dad, he stepped up by meeting with him and hearing him out.
Over the course of the franchise, it's clear that Peter has grown through his relationship with Lara Jean. He's far from the naive jock we met in the first film. He's experienced a real relationship and he has matured as a person and partner because of it. If the ending of the film [7] is any indication, I have no doubt that rather than drifting apart in college, the two will continue to grow and evolve together.