Holding On Through Keepsakes

Objects and written memories help Lara Jean preserve meaningful relationships, but they also reveal how nostalgia can turn the future into a presumed ending.

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The College Scrapbook Idea

The College Scrapbook Idea A tangible reassurance After Lara Jean Covey worries about attending college apart from Peter Kavinsky, she imagines making him a scrapbook of their shared memories. It will give him something to keep close when she is away. The plan suits Lara Jean’s habit of saving notes, photographs, and tokens. She treats objects as a way to keep affection present when daily life changes. Comfort with a cost The scrapbook is meant as reassurance, but its language of remembrance can sound like a farewell. That ambiguity will later become part of the couple’s conflict.

The Empty Yearbook Page

The Empty Yearbook Page A message expected Lara Jean Covey saves the back cover of her yearbook for Peter Kavinsky and asks him to write something romantic. Peter keeps delaying because he cannot find words that feel adequate. Lara Jean is disappointed when she discovers that the page is still blank. She has spent months making a scrapbook for him, so his hesitation feels like a mismatch in effort. Different ways of loving Peter’s silence is not indifference; he struggles to express himself in writing. Their small disagreement shows that meaningful gestures can matter differently to each partner.

Giving Him the Letter

Giving Him the Letter The old beginning Lara Jean Covey gives Peter Kavinsky a scrapbook containing photographs, keepsakes, and the letter that first brought them together. She chooses to give him an object she once wanted to keep for herself. The letter represents the origin of their relationship and the emotional leap that changed their lives. Lara Jean believes it will preserve what they have shared whatever happens next. Memory as a gift Peter thanks her, but does not study the entire book in front of her. His subdued reaction leaves Lara Jean unsure whether he understands the intimacy behind her gift.

The Farewell Misread

The Farewell Misread A phrase remembered Peter Kavinsky tells Lara Jean Covey that the scrapbook felt like a way to remember him after she moved on. He connects it to her wish for their first sexual experience to be with him before college. Lara Jean insists she wanted intimacy because she loved him, not because she was closing a chapter. Under pressure, she briefly admits that perhaps Peter is right, deepening his sense that she has already left. Nostalgia turned backward A keepsake intended to affirm their relationship becomes evidence of its ending. The scene shows how preserving the past can sometimes prevent trust in the future.

A Contract in the Yearbook

A Contract in the Yearbook A written promise Lara Jean Covey finds Peter Kavinsky’s message in her yearbook after the wedding. Instead of a sentimental note, he has written a playful contract for their long-distance relationship. The terms include weekly handwritten letters, daily calls, a chosen photograph, an open scrapbook, honesty, and love. Peter has answered her request for a message by turning affection into practical commitments. Memory faces forward The yearbook is no longer only a record of high school. Its blank page becomes a promise that their story will continue beyond the memories Lara Jean has saved.

after William and Mary admits Lara Jean

the final days of school

after graduation, before Beach Week

during the bachelorette party argument

after the wedding reception