63 pages • 2 hours read
Jenny HanA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Lara Jean tells Peter she won’t need him to drive her to and from school anymore because Margot’s car is fixed. Peter offers to drive anyway since she doesn’t like to, but she tells him that she needs to practice. For Lara Jean, practicing driving is in emulation of Margot.
The Covey family sit down to a Sunday virtual dinner with Margot. Kitty tells Margot that Peter taught her about juicing greens. Lara Jean still hasn’t told Margot about Peter, but Kitty reveals it. Margot expresses surprise that Lara Jean would be into Peter, saying that Josh once caught him cheating in school and that all the lacrosse boys are douchey. Margot continues to disparage Peter, and Lara Jean gets angry, though she doesn’t reveal it. Lara Jean is mad that Margot would be so judgmental of Peter when she isn’t even around to get to know him. Kitty says she likes him, and Margot is even more surprised that he’s been in the house hanging out with Kitty.
Josh asks Lara Jean to go their favorite diner like old times. While they eat their food, she asks Josh if he’s spoken with Margot. He says they’ve chatted a little online, and he suspects Margot’s homesick. Josh asks how things are going with Peter, but Lara Jean doesn’t want to tell more lies. She ends up again having to defend Peter, but Josh is unconvinced and says he hopes Kitty doesn’t get too attached. Josh realizes he’s overstepped his boundaries and tries to apologize by inviting Lara Jean to a Lord of the Rings marathon, but Lara Jean needs to check with Peter to see if he has plans for them first. Josh says he can still take Kitty, and Lara Jean wonders if Josh sees any of the Song sisters as individuals, or as inter-changeable. Genevieve walks into the diner and spots Josh and Lara Jean. She smiles and waves, but Lara Jean can tell nothing good can come from that wave.
Later, Lara Jean receives a text from Peter sarcastically asking her if she could not hang out with Josh in public. Lara Jean is unsure if Peter is actually jealous or if he is worried about the optics. Kitty and Lara Jean’s father talk about how much they like Peter, and how smitten he seems by her. Even though Lara Jean knows it’s a fake relationship, she can’t help but be pleased at the thought that Peter could actually like her.
Peter and Lara Jean study at Starbucks when Peter asks her if she is signing up for the school skiing field trip. Typically, only the popular crowd goes on this trip. Lara Jean has no interest in skiing or snowboarding, but she is surprised Peter wants her to go because the trip isn’t until winter break, a little longer than they originally planned to be together.
Lara Jean forgets her bag in Peter’s car and has no spare key to get in the house. She throws pebbles at Josh’s window to get his spare key, and he asks her first if Peter has left. When she says yes, Josh comes down with the key and tries to warn Lara Jean about Peter. Josh calls Peter a player and is worried that Lara Jean will get hurt. Josh tells her she’s like his little sister, and Lara Jean reminds him that she’s really not. The conversation ends when Peter returns with Lara Jean’s bag. Josh leaves to avoid having to talk to Peter, but Peter notices him. Peter gives Lara Jean a real open-mouthed kiss on the lips. Lara Jean watches him drive away, realizing how much she likes kissing him. The next day at school, Peter assures her he won’t kiss her again. It’s against their fake relationship rules, but Peter tells her he did it for Josh’s sake. Lara Jean feels that she has lost touch with her own reality, and she can’t discern real from fake anymore.
Lara Jean’s life and emotions are rapidly changing. Lara Jean genuinely enjoys being with Peter, and she sometimes forgets that their relationship is fake. When her family tells her that they can tell Peter likes her, Lara Jean is pleased, even though she’s supposed to know the truth. Nonetheless, Lara Jean defends Peter against Josh and Margot, who don’t know Peter but judge him based on his popularity. Lara Jean has gotten to know Peter in nuanced ways, but her new friendship with him has created more divisions between her and Josh, and now possibly her and Margot.
Chapter 47 brings up a pivotal issue between Margot and Lara Jean, one they haven’t yet talked through. Peter is Lara Jean’s first boyfriend, but Margot jumps directly to criticism of him instead of getting excited for her little sister. Lara Jean notes the irony of this: When Margot got her first boyfriend, Lara Jean was supportive even though she was so deeply hurt on the inside. Margot should at the very least be happy that Lara Jean is making new friends and having new adventures. Lara Jean wonders why Margot gets to seek out independence, but criticizes Lara Jean for her independent actions. The assumption that Lara Jean will get played by Peter is actually a judgment of Lara Jean for being with Peter and finding him interesting or attractive.
Lara Jean is only at the beginning of figuring out her real feelings for Peter. When Peter kisses her in front of Josh, Lara Jean realizes she truly likes to be kissed by Peter, and she likes to hang out with Peter, because she truly likes Peter. Han has created a likeable dynamic between Peter and Lara Jean, which encourages the reader to root for them. Even though Peter has shown jealousy about Josh, he continues to tease Lara Jean about not falling in love with him again and assures her that he won’t kiss her again. Lara Jean’s realization that she likes Peter as more than just a friend is hardly surprising, but it is a foreshadowing of more problems to come.
By Jenny Han