The Summer I Turned Pretty

This has the type of romance in it that makes me heart yearn, that certain type that feels absolutely real. Though a relatively light read, this had some depth to it also.

This is a coming of age novel about Belly (Isabel). I don't know if it's the summer she turned pretty, but it's the summer she became confident and became noticed.

It's also a summer of change, as it'll probably be the last summer. It feels like her summers at the beach house have been one of those perfect times like Christmas that always felt very right but then one realises as they grow older that there were cracks all along. While there are obvious changes coming, there are also cracks within the families that grow bigger as the book progresses.

I loved that this show more book in a way caught itself being shallow. Belly finds out some important things near the end of the book that really put her life into perspective. This was clever because she felt the way that I feel after a lot of those summer romance novels--that she had been too absorbed in the shallow things and as such had missed the bigger picture.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Belly, her brother Stephen, and brothers Jeremiah and Conrad. Each had their own distinctive personality and I found it easy to distinguish them.

The book interspersed the present with scenes from previous summers that showed how Belly had been shaped by the past and by events that she references in the present in an effective manner.

I'm not sure if this is the kind of book that might be spoiled by a sequel; however, I need to know what happens next so I'll definitely be reading the next books. show less

I wish I had loved this more. I had wanted to love it. I can see why others do!

I loved the writing and thought the author did a great job of capturing the heart of everyone at that house through Isabel's eyes. And the love of both mothers and even the kids is almost palpable. And their happiness is felt through every page of summer stories.

But, I did find the flashing back and forth to summers a little disjointing. I would have loved to see it go chronological. See her as little Belly (at 11?) to the present. I kept having to double check how old she was, because it wasn't always clear just by the discussion and situation.

I also have a HUGE confession to make - I didn't like Conrad. And Isabel (because Belly is too awful) is sweet and show more naive in her world. And the only thing really in her world is....Conrad.

Don't get me wrong, Conrad seems like a troubled brooding mysterious boy. Who I couldn't help but NOT like. Let's break this down.

***** Here there be Spoilers !!! ************

Why does she seem to like Conrad??
Because she can't have him. He's unobtainable. He's dark and mysterious and yet she does know parts of him because she has spent every summer with him. So, to have him is to...what, tame the badboy? Will she ever really have him?? No, because he is a wandering old soul.

If she caught him, what would she have?? He smokes (possibly, just quit?), started drinking at..what age 13?? And has drank, pretty steadily, every year after that.... He possibly does drugs (that was never explored nor answered)?? He's quit everything he's mentioned to have started in the book - football, lifeguard (I forget if he did start or didn't, but he was supposed to), being nice.

but Jeremiah. That boy was wonderful. Sweet and honest, yet funny and fun to be with. He could play cards for hours or go to the carnival. He didn't mind chasing a girl (Conrad wouldn't run after one if she as on fire!) - and he was ready to put himself on the line for Isabel and tell her how he felt. He would have cared for her, loved her..... but she will never be able to love him fairly. She'll always have this "thing for conrad"

Good luck with that Isabel. I hope Jeremiah and Cam Cameron (poor guy) find some good girls to settle down with and be happy and who will really love them! I hope they take their kids every summer to that beach house.

Something tells me that Isabel may come back, but Conrad will be too busy with his job to ever take a day off to be at that beach house again....like father, like son. show less

I see the reviews are mixed on this one, and my own opinion is a little mixed as well - there were somethings I really enjoyed about the book, and then other things that made me super angry.

Let's get the angry over with first So a supporting character in this book is sick. It's obvious to everybody except Belly, the main character, as far as I can tell, that she is sick, but she is pretending everything is fine, in the hopes of having a 'fun, normal' summer. I call BS. She and Belly's mother sneak off to doctor's appointments and treatments for the cancer that has quite obviously returned, and her children act out and mope and pretend-along, for the most part. And Belly (who's self-absorbed in a way I have personally known some teenage show more girls to be) doesn't even notice. So - major negative points for 1) Hiding Cancer from loved ones and family "to protect them"; 2)Doing a shitty job of hiding cancer, and then being surprised when loved ones act out, and 3) Belly being so goddamned blind about the whole thing, because she's caught up in her own love rectangle and unperfect summer of her dreams. End rant. For now. (But seriously, this is the 2nd book I've read in less than a month where a main character attempts to hide their cancer: WTF??)

Other than that, though, what did I think? I think I knew girls like Belly, and I understood her. I think wanting a perfect summer, like all the summers of your nostalgic memory (which were never perfect when they happened, but now have that gloss of forgotten fights and mis-remembered moods) is something I still deal with, every year, every Christmas, every holiday, every... Saturday. When I remember something with that had that haze of happiness, and want it to keep on happening, try to force it to happen, and only manage to screw things up even more? That's basically the story of my life. (Well, partially, anyways.) I think that's universal, and Han has done a great job of portraying that need, that yearning for easier times, for togetherness and bonding and ... just better than now times.

That's why the three stars, even with the spoiler. Because I understand that yearning a whole lot, and Han managed to keep me rooting for Belly, even though she didn't seem to be rooting for anybody but herself. Complicated, like I said. show less

I actually bought this book at one of my daughter’s middle school book fairs years ago—and finally got around to reading it! It ended up being a quick, cute read that pulled me in with its warm, beachy vibes and relatable teen emotions.

Jenny Han does a great job capturing that feeling of growing up and realizing how much can change in just one summer. Belly’s journey through first love, shifting friendships, and complicated family dynamics felt very real, even when her choices were a bit frustrating at times.

The love triangle added just the right amount of drama, and the beach house setting made it feel like the perfect summer escape. I can see why this one’s a YA favorite—and I’ll definitely be picking up the rest of the show more series to see where Belly’s story goes next! show less

Both times I’ve read this book I’ve questioned that anyone would tolerate the nickname Belly let alone introduce herself by it, I mean Belly isn’t shy about voicing her displeasure throughout the book yet she doesn’t protest her ridiculous nickname, that’s kind of tough to believe.

I have no issue with a focus on romance, however, I do think there was room to let us in on Belly’s aspirations beyond Conrad whether that’s swimming or academics, it would have been good to know she had goals that don’t include a boy.

Also while I get that it reflects the title to have every boy drawn to Belly’s newfound prettiness, I really would have liked some examples of other things about Belly that appeal to these boys aside from her show more looks, especially since Belly’s most prominent personality trait on display here is her tendency towards hissy fits which I think most of us can agree isn’t exactly attractive.

Those complaints aside though, this was just as addictive the second time around.

Belly is self-absorbed and whiny, Conrad is a moody jerk, they’re both immature, as is Jeremiah, and yeah, they’re super irritating at times but I’m good with that, I’d rather read about characters who are flawed and sometimes aren’t all that easy to like since actual humans are flawed and sometimes aren’t all that easy to like.

As far as the romance, yeah, in real world terms Belly’s obsession with hot and cold Conrad wouldn’t be healthy, she should probably run in the other direction and never look back but this is fiction and in fiction I’m willing to let the toxicity concerns go and watch the sparks fly. For me the relationship with Jeremiah has more of a friendship vibe and the relationship with Cam doesn’t really factor, but I’m sure other readers will feel differently, that’s totally a personal preference thing.

The romantic melodrama, the emotion in a situation with one of the moms, a strong sense of place with the beach house and the nostalgia of flashbacks to their growing childhood bonds, all of those things combined into the definition of a page turner. show less

I usually don't read this type of novel, but I saw Jenny Han at the National Book Festival and I was curious. She described her characters and writing process in a way I found unexpected. Her fans described how close they felt to the characters and how they saw themselves in her book. So, I wondered. After reading The Summer I Turned Pretty, I get it.

Belly is telling the story about the summer when she starting crossing over to young adulthood. She reflects on how her body matured a little faster than she was ready for. And at the same time how some people still see her as a child when she feels she is growing up. Sometimes she is self-conscious and worried about how others are looking at her. Sometime she is unaware of how others see show more her. The book is filled with these contradictions as she navigates what might be "the last summer" with her summer family (oldest child, Conrad, is heading to college). And realizes that this is also the first summer where she hasn't been the little sister just trailing the older boys around.

While nothing really happens in the book, Jenny Han really does fill the story with a real sense of what is like to be a girl becoming a woman. The angst that Belly feels when she is left behind when the boys go out and have fun. Being overprotected by parents and siblings enhancing the sense of alone-ness, separateness. The excitement of that first boyfriend. Feeling embarrassed when others don't see things the way you wish they did. Being annoyingly self-absorbed and boy obsessed. It all rings true to me.

I never spent any summers lazing about a beach house. But I could relate to the feelings described in this fun summer read. show less

The Summer I Turned Pretty was the centerpiece of a friend group that was formed (or merged) in the summer of 2023. The limited run television series was a communal talking point, and each Thursday I remember that feeling of getting home after an evening of fortnite, idle chitchat, or youtube compilation videos, and sitting on the beanbag in my basement, ready to watch another installment.

The friend group exists, the merger is still present, but after the breakup of the parties who were largely responsible for the group’s formation, the socialization has felt different. To say it “fell off” is an oversimplification of the dynamics which I find to be much more complex. Now, am I going to break down the dynamics of a friend group show more in the summer I turned pretty review on Goodreads dot com? No. But Whenever I think about this book, and the show, and the surprisingly peaceful ambient soundtrack I think not only about the thematic resonance of love and youth in the summertime, but this group of friends, that while not the same as it was two years ago, I still care about.

Anyways, The Summer I Turned Pretty is the first book in a series about a young “belly” Isabel Conklin returning to her family friend’s summer house after puberty. It seems almost crass to describe it that way, but that is the crux of this novel: She is in love with one of these boys, and has these passing attractions to another, and she tries to make sense of her past, her feelings, her growth, and her expectations. Belly is in a constant state of analysis and expectations in the first third of this book. She is thinking about all of the things she wants to do, and all the ways she needs this vacation to be just as she imagined. These ramblings, while almost annoying at first, echo ideas that are presented in pieces through flashback memories. The flashback memories absolutely make this story. They add this undercurrent of desire and rumination that makes her actions feel almost fatalist, the idea that everything in the past happened to her in such a specific way, and the way she feels could never change unless her past changed. They also highlight her growth, the titular aspect of the book, and provide an interesting perspective on adolescence and the performance of maturity. It makes me think about how important it feels to turn sixteen, eighteen, twenty one. Not wanting to be a kid anymore. It's earnest and it's emotional, and Jenny Han writes it in a really captivating way.

I am reading Dandelion Wine with my girlfriend right now, and I feel like these two books are unintentionally in conversation with one another. The former is about that limitless childlike wonder and freedom associated with the summer months, and the latter is more about internal romantic endeavors, but they both have a sense of expectation and longing for the summer months. This book has passages upon passages about how she feels like she spends every other time of year yearning for this two month period. Douglas Spalding talks about how he wants to spend half the summer retracing his steps and then discover the depths of the season. I recommend reading both at the same time, or one after the other, because I think they bring out the things that are so important to us about Summer, and together they create a really satisfying picture of my favorite season.

Her dynamics with her brother have this undertone of warmth despite constant teasing, well, at least she shows outward affection. Right before he leaves for college visits, she exerts this sweetness towards him that feels completely absent from any other interaction they have, conversations of name calling and blame. Her dynamics with Cam Cameron are frustrating in the television show, because he shows her so much affection but she seems to always be distracted by Conrad in a way that does not make any sense. The first person perspective of the novel made it feel more forgivable, because there is so much subconscious action (the way she shows off in front of Conrad, inviting cam over, talking about him in very particular ways) that feel much more natural and honest than in the show. In the show, her best friend seems like this rock of friendship that cannot be broken, but in the book it feels like she doesn’t even like her that much. Whether that is a projection of her own inadequacy next to her (usually related to male attention) or the very real dilemma that they seem to be very different people, I think the complex dynamic between her and her best friend, the way she seems to take everything that she wants, is really well portrayed.

The ending where everything reaches a head is alright. A little bit rushed for me. I love a speak over die moment, of course, but the fact that he has any hint of reciprocation comes out of nowhere. I know what's going to happen in the second book (because of the show) and if it follows logically then I can get on board with it more, but she just fights so hard with this knowledge that he cares about her in the same way and his actions never really indicate anything in the book. She breaks Jeremiah's heart, and it's fine. There's a flash early on in the book where they share a sweet moment, but I never really understand why she does not keep her options open more. Well, I guess I do, but I was not sixteen in the same way she was sixteen. She ditches Cam and it feels like the right move here, and when I watched the show I was so mad about it. Also I did not know she was unaware Suzannah had cancer until the very end, I thought that she knew because of things she had overheard. So her shock felt strange to me.

It's eighty degrees outside and when the sun beats down on me and I'm listening to this book, I feel connected to the earth and everything around me. To enjoy this book, you have to be able to think about what it was like to be 16 and feel that sort of immature infatuation. You have to find yourself in the ramblings of a sixteen year old in love. Listen to halftribe and think about the next 3 months, what do you want?

Freudian Postscript: Throughout the book, she constantly says that the boys at the house are “like brothers to her” yet she's undyingly in love with one, and the other she has a brief flicker where it feels like she wants to be with him so badly. Even if a flicker, I find this cognitive dissonance humorous. show less