The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author: Jenny Han

[TW/CW: some language; c*ncer and use of “gay” as an insult (the character may have been called out on that but I can’t remember)]

So, I technically read this first book of the series last summer but I didn’t finish the series until January.  The Summer I Turned Pretty is about a teenage girl, Belly (yes weird name I know), who has vacationed at Cousins Beach every summer since she was little with her mom and brother Steven, her mom’s best friend Susannah, and Susannah’s two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah.  But all of the teens are growing up and they start to realize that summer may not ever be the same again.  Despite the very complicated reviews this book got, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit!  I really love Han’s book To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before so I was really looking forward to this one!  I really liked the book’s setting and felt that the book could be comforting in a strange sort of way; it’s definitely the perfect summer read (especially if you happen to be taking a beach trip)!  My favorite character was probably Jeremiah; I thought he was sweet and funny and much better than Conrad, who’s way too moody and complicated for me personally.  The book does touch on c*ncer, which might be triggering for some people, and some people do think the characters are annoying (But come on people, they’re teenagers! Weren’t we all an annoying teen at some point?!).  Regarding the rest of the series, I enjoyed the 2^nd book but had mixed feelings on the 3^rd, leaning more toward negative but can’t really say much more without spoiling.  So, I’ll just say that I think the 2^nd book is worth reading but the 3^rd is a mess so read at your own risk.  Also, the TV show is definitely worth watching and let me just say, Belly, you really missed out on Cam; how can you dislike a super sweet guy who’s vegetarian, wants to study marine biology and is named Cam Cameron!?