Thoughts on having a follow-up book 7 years after the finale ⌛️

So I have no idea if that’s a common thing with series, as to be honest with y’all, I haven’t read many of them…

But if you remember, one of my favorite teenager years’ serie that I’ve grown up and LOVED published the 9th book of the serie in October 2018 — As of which I asked for and received that Christmas, and couldn’t stop talking about it since. First time I had brought it up was in this post for #BEWinter2018, “Dear Santa”. The first version of the 8th tome was released in 2011..

The books are told in a diary form, through the lens of our MC tackling her high school years being a clumsy person and not feeling like she belongs anywhere; her dad being dead, she once imagine that he’s an alien gone back onto his planet. Book 1 starts in her 14s, while the 8th tome has her in her 17s ithink. When I discovered the novels, I was around the same age as her, so I could really relate as I was going through the same general “life events”.

Through the 8 tomes we see her making new friends, getting older and wiser, getting 3+ boyfriends, switching houses, etc.. the serie originally ended as she finished high school and attend her prom, discovered her long-time bestfriend was actually the one she loved, and her mother giving birth to her baby sister.

Getting the news from the Author on twitter that we were going to get a follow-up of my beloved YEARS LATER had me so hyped !! It was going to be set 4years later, she would’ve gotten her university degree and hopping onto the start of her adult life at 22 years old. I absolutely NEEDED THAT BOOK! Though I was kinda bummed out that the cover was in the art style of the last generation of the books and therefore not matching mine that were from the first generation of the covers.. but what can you do 🤷🏽‍♀️

Then, myself being a mood reader, I let it sit on my shelves… I originally wanted to reread the whole 8books prior to tackling this one because it had been so long – but I sort of jammed at book 5 and derived onto other books instead 😂 Up until this year in 2020 that I just said “ah F it!” and just started it without re-visiting all the other ones.. and I gotta say, I was kinda scared to read it.

As it’s a book i’ve quite literally grown up with, loved and rereaded just so much in my teenage years… I was just scared to spoil it. Like, what if I didn’t related to her anymore? What if this new ending wouldn’t be as great as my expectations? A lot can happen in 7years.. I’ve also read other things from this author, which I found kinda meh — so like, could she write her like she did back then? so many questions!!

As i’m writting this, i’m halfway through said follow-up book now.. and i’m happy to report that nothing changed ❤️

Have this happened to you before? With which serie? What did you thought of it?
If it didn’t — which serie you loved that you’d like to have a follow-up book?