Thursday, May 19, 2011

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

May 5, 2009
Simon and Schuster

From Goodreads:
Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

My Review:
I have seen this book quite a few times in bookstores but have always passed it by. When I read a review of the book, however, I was prompted to go out that very day and purchase it because it sounded great! I am so glad I went out and bought The Summer I Turned Pretty because I loved it. It features an unforgettable cast of characters who share their summers together and ride out the good and bad times. Thank goodness I didn't miss out on this wonderful story!

The Summer I Turned Pretty was a light yet heavy read. It tackles tough issues such as divorce and cancer yet also deals with first love and relationships. When I first dove into the book, I was just thinking it was all about Belly's crush on Conrad and her explorations with other boys, but I soon learned that it was much more than that. Belly holds this intense love/lust for Conrad and it is so hard for her to squash it down so she can have a relationship with some other boy. She also has to deal with how weird Susannah, Conrad and Jeramiah's mom, is acting. Susannah is like a second mother to Belly so Belly truly cares for her.

I loved each and every one of the characters that were in the book. Belly is a wonderful narrator. I felt all of her emotions with her and I loved living her summers through her. Conrad is the mysterious bad boy who Belly can't help loving. I came to see why she had such strong feelings for him and felt her pain of holding it in. Jeremiah is the cute and funny boy who lightens up the mood of the story. Steve is Belly's brother who always teams up with the boys, leaving her out every summer. Susannah and Belly's mother are adorable! They have such a strong bond with each other and I loved their interactions with Belly.

The Summer I Turned Pretty was a fast, light summer read that I really enjoyed. Each of the characters has depth and make the story even better. I finished this book within hours of starting it! If you haven't read this one yet, you should definitely give it a try. I am already craving the next installment in the series and will have to get it on my next trip to the bookstore!

My Rating:


3 comments:

  1. I've been waning to read The Summer I Turned Pretty FOREVER (maybe this summer I'll get the chance!). Glad to hear you loved it! :)

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  2. I've also seen this book everywhereand recently got it so I'm glad you like it! I hope I like it too. Conrad sounds delicious. :)

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  3. Bailey- I loved this whole series! You wrote a great review of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Much better than mine. But you are so right about all the characters. And it is light, but heavy too. Kind of hard to explain. I've read the last book now and I loved the end of the series. I hope you do, too. I'll be looking for your review of It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer.

    Heather

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I love comments and make sure to read everyone of them. I'd love to hear what you think!

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