Josh Sanderson was a major part of Lara Jean’s life in To All the Boys I’ve Loved I’ve Before, and yet he’s missing from the recent movie sequel, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. Played by Israel Broussard, Josh was one of five recipients of love letters written by Lara Jean, as well as being her most recent crush. However, their relationship was complicated by the fact that Josh had only recently been dumped by Lara Jean’s sister, Margot.

The To All the Boys movies are based on a series of teen romance novels by Jenny Han, and Josh’s absence from To All the Boys 2 is tied to his limited role in the novel. In the book version of To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, Josh is mentioned a lot and does make a few appearances. However, he and Lara Jean drift apart after Josh turns down Margot’s offer to get back together, and he ultimately ends up dating another girl.

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Josh’s absence from To All the Boys 2 may be disappointing for fans who were invested in his friendship with Lara Jean, or even hoped for something more between them. However, it’s understandable that the movie sequel dropped Josh from the picture, given its focus on a new love triangle between Lara Jean, Peter, and another recipient of the love letters – John Ambrose McClaren. In the novel version of To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, Lara Jean makes an observation about how easily Josh drifted out of her life after being such an important part of it:

People come in and out of your life. For a time they are your world; they are everything. And then one day they’re not. There’s no telling how long you will have them near. A year ago I could not have imagined that Josh would no longer be a constant for me. I couldn’t have conceived of how hard it would be to not see Margot every day, how lost I would feel without her – or how easily Josh could slip away, without me even realizing.

As for what happened to Josh, it’s revealed in the book version of To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You that he was accepted early to his college of choice, UVA, and will soon be graduating and moving away. He doesn’t appear at all in the third book, To All the Boys: Always and Forever, Lara Jean, which unfortunately means that we probably won’t see Josh again in the movie version of To All the Boys 3.

That being said, it is possible that the upcoming sequel will bring Broussard back as Josh, even if only for one scene. His absence from To All the Boys 2 means that those who have only seen the movies didn’t get the same kind of closure on his friendship with Lara Jean that book readers got. Instead, it seems like he just disappeared into thin air – which is especially odd given that he and Lara Jean are neighbors. Without giving too much away, Lara Jean’s relationship with Peter in To All the Boys 3 is going to be tested in ways that Josh has personal experience with, so he could be the perfect person for her to turn to for advice.

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Hannah has been with Screen Rant since 2013, covering news, features, movie premieres, Comic-Con and more! You can follow her on Twitter @HSW3K

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