Review of The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Synopsis 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: A beautifully written book in my opinion. I love how Jenny Han draws you into the story and lets you in on the characters little inside jokes and memories. I didn't exactly connect with Belly, and some readers my not but we all know someone like her! Actually I don't know if I really connected with any of the characters or if they all just got me thinking about my own memories. Honestly I think that what makes The Summer I Turned Pretty so good, is you coast through reading about Belly, Conrad, & Jeremiah, Susannah and Laurel, investing a little time in them and then wondering off into your own memories. It is great to have that something done or said trigger a little thing in the back of your mind that you haven't thought of in years.

Last night I was thinking about what I would write in review of this book and I just kept thinking how opposite I was from Belly. I wasn't a complainer or whiner like she is, and I definitely did not get my way. But the one thing we had in common was our want to be included, we just went about it in different ways, Belly tried to tag along when she was young and tattle when she didn't get her way so the boys would be forced to take her. I on the other hand set out to impress. The thing with being a girl and trying to hang with the guys is you have to be braver, tougher and faster than not only a girl but the guys too. Some how I accomplished that when I was a kid and became one of the guys. The problem with that was again opposite than Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah suddenly noticed her, along with other guys she encountered because she was seen as beautiful, and pretty. On the complete other hand was me, one of the guys, even when I did finally turn pretty I could never be viewed that way. I had worked so hard to be included one way only to be excluded in a different way down the road. Not that I would change that, I ended up meeting an amazing man when I left that tiny town behind. The Summer I Turned Pretty just made me think about all of this while reading it.  The beautiful writing style Jenny Han uses lets you have your moments to ponder.

My Rating: All in all I loved this book and have to give it Four Paws! I wasn't a fan of Belly's but I grew to like her (kind of like that annoying cousin or sibling) and the other characters. I am an absolute fan of Jenny Han's now, I really enjoyed how she didn't let the cancer take the main focus of the book, she let her characters find their own way as would be typical of a young teen girl and teen boys.



I will have reviews of both Its Not Summer Without You and We'll Always have Summer, the final two books of the trilogy in a post for you tomorrow. <3