To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Fiction | Novel | YA

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Chapters 64-68

Chapter 64 Summary

The next morning, Lara Jean sits with Peter and his friends on the bus. She hasn’t had a chance to tell Chris about the hot tub, but Chris is also busy with a boy. At the rest stop, Lara Jean goes into the bathroom and runs into Genevieve. Genevieve chillingly tells her that the reason she stopped being friends with Lara Jean in middle school is because Lara Jean kissed Peter even though she knew Genevieve liked him. Gen says she has always known that Lara Jean was putting on a nice-girl act, and that the difference between her and Chris is that Chris owns up to her behavior. Genevieve tells her that everyone is talking about how Lara Jean and Peter had sex in the hot tub the night before. Lara Jean can sense tears coming while she denies it, but Gen tells her it’s Peter who has been telling everyone. Gen goes on to tell Lara Jean that the only reason Peter dated her was to make Gen jealous. Now that Gen has broken up with her other boyfriend, she leaves the possibility open for her and Peter to get back together. Humiliated, Lara Jean runs back to the bus in tears.

Chapter 65 Summary

On the bus, Chris tells Lara Jean that she heard the rumor about sex with Kavinsky in the hot tub. Lara Jean is crying as the others start to file back on the bus. When Peter comes back, Lara Jean tells him about the rumor, but he already knows about it. He tells her it’s stupid and to not let it bother her, but Lara Jean is embarrassed and doesn’t understand why Peter won’t stop it. Chris tries to comfort her, but when Genevieve comes back on the bus, they see her go from person to person, whispering in their ear about Lara Jean.

Chapter 66 Summary

Lara Jean tries to sound upbeat for her family, but she really wants to hibernate and avoid any mention of the ski trip and school. Peter texts her asking to talk, but she ignores him. Margot still wants to do the recital, so they plan the invites and the food. Margot tells Lara Jean to invite Peter so she can get to know him better, but Lara Jean pretends he’s away for Christmas. Lara Jean hopes for more contact from Peter but gets nothing. Josh texts her; he’s heard about the rumor, but he doesn’t believe it and wants to know how she’s doing. By three in the morning, Lara Jean gives up on Peter.

Chapter 67 Summary

On Christmas day, the Covey family exchange gifts by the tree. Lara Jean is peaceful and thankful for her family. Kitty gets a special Christmas surprise at the door: her new puppy. Lara Jean is filled with joy to see Kitty so happy and patient. She only checks her phone once, but there’s still no word from Peter.

Chapter 68 Summary

On the day of the Covey’s holiday party, Kitty asks Lara Jean if Josh and Peter are coming. Lara Jean tells her that Peter can’t and is shocked when he walks through the door. He tells her Kitty invited him, and he tries to give Lara Jean fruitcake cookies his mother baked. He asks Lara Jean if they can go and talk, but she wants him to leave. Finally, they find themselves in the kitchen, and Lara Jean accuses him of not stopping the sex rumor.

Suddenly, Josh comes in and tells Lara Jean that this situation is exactly what he was trying to protect her from. Josh and Peter start going back and forth with jabs, and Peter tells Josh that Lara Jean doesn’t like him anymore, and if he tries to kiss her again, he’ll kick his ass. Margot overhears the conversation and tells Lara Jean that as sisters, they’re supposed to trust each other the most, then flees to her room. Dejected, Lara Jean tries to get Margot to come out so she can explain, but Margot doesn’t respond.

Chapters 64-68 Analysis

Just when Lara Jean is at her happiest, her joy comes crashing down. Han has been foreshadowing a cruel move from Genevieve for many chapters now, so when she finally comes for Lara Jean, the reader is not surprised. Han invites the reader to doubt Genevieve’s intentions, and it is unclear if Gen is telling the truth when she says that Lara Jean’s first kiss with Peter in middle school is what convinced Gen to end their friendship. Lara Jean is humiliated, but sometimes the best way to stand up to the bully is to pretend that what they’re saying doesn’t bother you. Lara Jean can’t help it; she truly is an innocent young girl, and now her beautiful moment with Peter is being warped into something dirty, public, and shameful. Lara Jean doesn’t give Peter the opportunity to explain himself because she’s too embarrassed, but when Chris tells her that guys usually pretend that sex did happen, she believes her.

Lara Jean is in unchartered territory; she’s never had something this embarrassing and degrading happen to her, and she doesn’t know how to deal with it. She doesn’t tell anyone in her family about it, but the plot comes full circle when Josh texts her that he heard about the rumor. It should be Peter relentlessly checking up on Lara Jean, but it’s not. Lara Jean expects Peter to try more than once to get in contact with her, but this is yet another example of Lara Jean not confronting her problems when she has the chance to. After getting off the bus, Peter did text her, and she didn’t respond. Lara Jean is in one of the most vulnerable moments of her life, but she doesn’t let anybody in to help her figure out what to do.

The ultimate moment of denouement occurs when Margot overhears Peter and Josh fighting over Lara Jean. The worst has happened: Margot knows that Lara Jean liked Josh and that Josh kissed her. She also knows that Lara Jean kept it from her. When Lara Jean tries to explain things to Margot, Margot ignores her. Margot and Lara Jean have known each other intimately for a long time, and Han aptly highlights that sisters know how to hurt each other the best. Lara Jean’s entire life has crumbled in the span of only a few days. Lara Jean is finally at her point of no return. She must finally confront all of her problems head on if she wants to repair her relationships with the people she loves the most.