A little less than two years ago, I expected to brush off Netflix’s XO, Kitty with barely a second thought, operating under the assumption that the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before spinoff was unnecessary. And yet, after season 1 exceeded my expectations, I spent the last 19 months eagerly waiting for the next chapter in Kitty Song Covey’s story. Now, having binged all eight episodes of XO, Kitty season 2, I’m thrilled to say the YA show is just as entertaining and heartfelt as ever.

XO, Kitty is a comedy-drama series from the creator of To All The Boys I Loved Before, Jenny Han. Teen matchmaker Kitty Song Covey thinks she knows everything there is to know about love. But when she moves halfway across the world to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, she’ll soon realize that relationships are much more complicated when it’s your heart on the line.

When we last left the young matchmaker (played by Anna Cathcart), Kitty was reeling from the whirlwind experience of breaking up with her first boyfriend, Dae (Minyeong Choi), learning she’d been readmitted to KISS (the Korean Independent School of Seoul) after getting expelled, and nearly professing her feelings to newfound crush Yuri (Gia Kim). On top of all that, her frenemy Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee) chose to reveal his own feelings right as he and Kitty settled in for a flight to Los Angeles. XO, Kitty set up a packed season 2 and it certainly hit the ground running.

XO, Kitty Season 2 Is Jam-Packed With Romantic Drama

It’s All Very Messy & Very Fun

If her sister Lara Jean’s (Lana Condor) love story felt relatively straightforward in the three To All the Boys movies, saying Kitty’s own romantic life is the exact opposite is perhaps an understatement. XO, Kitty season 1 saw her juggling three potential suitors (even if she wasn’t aware of Min Ho until the very end), and season 2 almost immediately throws her right back into the deep end when it comes to matters of the heart.

Still shocked by Min Ho’s surprise declaration, Kitty returns to KISS vowing to not let romance get in the way of learning more about her mom. However, things are swiftly complicated because she’s stuck rooming with Yuri and her girlfriend Juliana (Regan Aliyah), now back at KISS full-time. Needless to say, Kitty is not over Yuri at all, so the proximity makes things complicated. XO, Kitty introduces a new potential love interest for its titular character, Praveena (Sasha Bhasin), but it doesn’t do away with all the developments from season 1, making for another stretch of complicated romantic entanglements.

Beyond Kitty, Dae is looking to move on from his ex, and Q (Anthony Keyvan) has a new love interest after turning in his former boyfriend for academic cheating. The former storyline gets lost at times, which doesn’t help Dae’s somewhat bland characterization. However, there are new layers to his story that make it more compelling as the season goes on. As for Q, he runs the risk of being a sounding board for Kitty, so it’s refreshing to see him have his own story. His romance develops almost too quickly, but it’s still a nice addition to the season.

One of season 1’s strengths was its ability to stay light on its feet and deliver breathless twists that kept you invested in the story at hand. Season 2 keeps that up, dropping a huge twist right at the end of episode 1 and not letting up from there. The show supplies plenty of swoon-worthy moments and keeps Kitty’s love story fresh and exciting. By the end of the season, it seems she may have finally settled on her one true person, but the finale strongly suggests there is more story to be told.

XO, Kitty Brings New Heart To The To All The Boys Universe

It’s Got A Great Cast To Back It Up

The tricky thing about XO, Kitty season 2 is there are so many surprises I need to keep secret. What I can say is that the show does a great job balancing Kitty’s love life with her ongoing search for answers about her mom. Though Kitty was partially motivated to go to KISS because of Dae, she also wanted to learn more about her late mother, who was a student at KISS years before.

Season 2 furthers the mystery of Eve Song, and though it could’ve easily gotten lost in all the teen angst, it remains a key part of the story. It all culminates in a beautifully heartfelt moment that brought tears to my eyes; it brings out new layers to Kitty’s story and the To All the Boys series as a whole, highlighting what makes these projects so special. The XO, Kitty season 2 trailer revealed Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) — his single episode appearance is a welcome callback to the original movies — but the connections don’t stop there.

XO, Kitty is still, at times, cheesy and over-the-top, as all the best teen shows are. Yet it also wears its heart on its sleeve and has an infectious energy that sucks you in.

Cathcart continues to grow into her leading role with palpable enthusiasm. She’s surrounded by a strong cast, with Lee emerging as the standout as Min Ho. Season 2 digs further into Min Ho’s family struggles, which makes him a more compelling character. His chemistry with Kitty is strong, but the same goes for Kim’s Yuri. One of the best parts of the show is the relationship between Yuri and Kitty, regardless of whether it becomes romantic. Their friendship, rooted in their own moms’ history, has evolved into something special. That’s why it’s disappointing that it fades from later episodes.

XO, Kitty is still, at times, cheesy and over-the-top, as all the best teen shows are. Yet it also wears its heart on its sleeve and has an infectious energy that sucks you in. Kitty is messy and frustrating, but that only makes her more interesting. By the time the credits rolled on the last episode, I just wished I had a bit more time with the whole KISS crew. XO, Kitty is easy escapism and I hope Netflix continues to invest in it.

All eight episodes of XO, Kitty season 2 are now available to stream on Netflix.