We'll Always Have Summer (Summer, #3)

by Jenny Han

The summer after her first year of college, Isobel "Belly" Conklin is faced with a choice between Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher, brothers she has always loved, when Jeremiah proposes marriage and Conrad confesses that he still loves her.

• ISBN10: 1416995587
• ISBN13: 9781416995586
• Publish Date: 26 April 2011
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Han took me through the ringer with this one. I was listening to it at work, and when I took off my ear buds, my co-worker asked me if I was crying. I then proceeded to catch her up on what happened in this book (I had been doing this after each book), and then I had her crying. Yeah, this one was emotional, and it wasn't just the Susannah stuff. I have been switching between team Conrad and team Jer the entire series. I still think the whole situation is a little awkward, but Han made some choices for Belly, which made it easier for me to reconcile the situation.

It was a very emotional, sweet, and touching ending to this series, which I grew quite fond of.

[kymmiejournals]

I really got sad for Jeremiah, his character has been built up on this book that it’s so frustrating because in the end,he’s not the one. I also don’t want to continue reading this, because the ever martyr Belly still accepted Jeremiah after what he did. Ugh! Conrad’s character here and thoughts are now making sense why he’s off, distant and cold from the first book. Rushing to marriage isn’t always the answer because being in love isn’t enough, there should be stability. So sad that there’s only 1 part in this book about how Belly and Conrad are both happy with each other, as in no more secrets or push-pull effect.

[Bianca]

“On a scale of one to ten, how in love were you?”

“You can’t put being in love on a scale. Either you are or you aren’t.”

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Full review coming soon.

[Chelsea]

I really enjoyed the first two books of this series but I'm sad to say that this one did not live up to its expectations. I'm kind of annoyed at the author because she obviously favours one of the boys so when she's writing about him he's all perfect while his brother is written as immature and flawed. Not impressed about that at all. I felt like the author made you feel what she wanted you to feel instead of letting you figure stuff out for yourself.
I started to like Belly in the second boom but as I was reading this I started to hate her again more and more. It's not fair to the boys that she keeps going back and forth. She's really immature and especially shouldn't be getting married. But of course she's what 18 or 19 so she's old enough to do what she wants. I hate people like that so this book was hard for me to enjoy. At the end I just wanted her to pick neither boy and go back to school or something. The book had some good points though but I wasn't impressed with how this book turned out.

[Angie]

Well, that certainly did not go how I was expecting, even though looking back it does seem inevitable. At first I thought that I was going to be annoyed with Belly and Jeremiah and the whole "We were broken up!" "No, we were on a break" fight, but then things take a totally unexpected turn. I knew I was going to enjoy this one far more than the previous two the moment I wanted to throw the book across the room, which was fairly early. But this time it wasn't Belly that drove me nuts, it was Jeremiah.

Maybe I had him on some kind of pedestal since I was annoyed with Belly and Conrad in the other two books, but he majorly disappointed me. I can't say anything about his decisions without spoiling anything, but he's not who I thought it was. He's not who Belly thought he was either. It's funny how Summer Jeremiah isn't exactly the same as rest of the year Jeremiah. Conrad on the other hand, gets a bit more depth in a good way. I now understand why he behaved the way he did towards Belly, but I still want to punch him in the face.

This book definitely packed an emotional punch. There's issues with Belly and her mom, Belly and Jeremiah, Jeremiah and Conrad, and Conrad and Belly. There's all kinds of things going on that cause strains on these relationships, and I couldn't flip through the pages fast enough to see how it all turned out. I knew it could go only one of two ways, neither of which I liked. I was hoping for a third option, but of course that would never happen.

We'll Always Have Summer is an almost perfect end to this so-so series. Even though I don't agree with any of Belly's choices, I enjoyed watching her grow up, make mistakes, and fall in love twice. I can't complain about not feeling a connection, since this book had me so invested that I was beyond frustrated. I'm sure this review is incredibly vague in places, but I really don't want to spoil anything. It's definitely worth the read.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

I've been a big fan of Jenny Han's Summer Series, so I was really excited to read We'll Always Have Summer, though a little sad as I knew the series would end, and I have loved reading about these characters. I was really looking forward to see whether Belly would choose Jeremiah or Conrad at last! However, I finished the book feeling a little disappointed.

We'll Always Have Summer is set two years after It's Not Summer Without You. Belly has been in a relationship with Jeremiah ever since the end of the last book, is now 18 and just finishing her freshman year at university - the same university Jeremiah goes to. As you will rightly guess from the cover and the synopsis above, Jeremiah proposes to Belly, and she says yes. This is not a spoiler, their getting married is the main part of the story. So many people are against it; her parents, his father - and Conrad. Conrad, who has never stopped loving Belly, and it's killing him watching her happily plan the wedding that will keep her from him forever. Accept seeing Conrad has brought back feelings Belly thought were long gone, and she has a very hard decision to make; Jeremiah or Conrad?

I struggled a little with this book because a lot of the characters have grown up since the last book, and so feel slightly different. Belly is still very much Belly, but there is less of the teenage angst and she is a little more responsible. But, as lovely as he is, I barely recognised Jeremiah. It is possible that I may have forgotten his personality since the last book, but I remembered Conrad enough to recognise the boy in the young man. He just felt a bit like a completely different character, and it was a little jarring.

But what I found the most disappointing was how for most of the book, nothing much seemed to happen. After the wedding is announced to everyone, apart from a few conflicts with family, it's pretty much all wedding planning. Nothing major seems to happen until about the last quarter of the book. It was only the fact that there was the odd chapter from Conrad's point of view, showing us what was going through his head, the thoughts behind his choices, that there was any indication that a major romantic conflict was possible. By which I don't mean a fight between Jeremiah and Conrad over Belly, but just something that makes us wonder what's possibly going to happen like those in the previous books, the issues with the boys. Most of the way through, it looked like Belly would just marry Jeremiah without anything huge causing problems - in which case, what choice? Just so you know, this is not me saying or giving any indication of who she chooses, I was never sure one way or the other until very close to the end who she would eventually choose, it just didn't seem like the story fit how problematic all the way through the synopsis makes it sound. It wasn't so bad as I love these characters, and so would have wanted to read it anyway, I was just expecting the story to be a little more exciting!

I loved the ending! Well, mostly, I wish there could have been a little bit more. But it was really sweet and lovely! And so very Belly! So the last quarter of the book felt more in line with the rest of the series, and felt like a great ending. I just wish there was a little more going on in the romantic conflict sense in the middle. Still, a pretty good book, and one fans of the series should definitely read. Really looking forward to more from Han in the future!

[rakesandrogues]

Originally published at: http://muggle-born.net/well-always-have-summer-by-jenny-han-book-review/

Surprisingly, WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER by Jenny Han ended to my liking. Unfortunately, the journey to the end was a painful experience for me. While WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER ties up with a satisfying conclusion, too many elements in the book prevented me from enjoying the reading experience.

At the beginning of the novel, I thought that Belly had finally grown up during the last two years. I felt myself starting to like this college-aged Belly. I felt like she finally matured a little and I could see myself relating to her college experiences.

But just when I was finally starting to like her, Belly makes a really dumb decision. Because the whole book revolves around this decision, it made WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER by Jenny Han so frustrating to read. It was frustrating to me that Belly couldn’t see why her decision was problematic. It was annoying that instead of siding with the protagonist, I was agreeing along with her parents.

It’s tough to read a book where the protagonist annoys you the entire time. I questioned myself several times as I read: why am I doing this to myself? But I’m always determined to finish a book once I’ve started, so I pushed forward until the end. By the end of the book, I really can’t say if Belly went through any character growth. My love for her as a character is still non-existent.

Furthermore, the love triangle continued to be problematic for me in WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER by Jenny Han. I think that Belly continues to be selfish in choosing to string along both Conrad and Jeremiah. It pains me to think that Belly has torn apart the relationship between the two brothers. Honestly, I just don’t think Belly is worth all the hassle (the boys would, of course, argue otherwise).

WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER by Jenny Han at least ends on a sweet note, but overall, the memory of the series as a whole leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Unfortunately, I don’t think there is another protagonist that I dislike as much as Belly. On the bright side, I still adore Jenny Han’s writing. Despite her inability to get me to like Belly, I love her writing style and I will continue to pick up her books in the hopes that she will write a protagonist that is more to my tastes.

[lizarodz]

The original review can be found Here

Just like the first book in the series, I was a little hesitant to start We’ll Always Have Summer. Why? Because, while I’ve heard a lot of good things about the series, I didn’t fell instantly in love with it. I can’t help but being a little disappointed with the final installment.

The story starts at the end of Belly’s freshman year in college. We learn a little about what happened after Belly, Jere and Conrad left the motel towards the end of It’s Not Summer Without You, and just like that two years have gone by in which Belly has been dating Jere. I have a strong disagreement with this: just because Jere loved Belly and it seemed like Conrad didn’t want to do anything with her, that turned Jere and Belly in a couple. It’s like there are no other alternatives, no other boys in the universe except for the Fisher boys.

Belly and Jere were best friends and I just can’t see them in a romantic relationship. Jeremiah is so sweet, and what he did was so out of character for him. I just don’t understand how you go from being cheated on to accepting a marriage proposal! It’s just plain crazy and I agree with the parents on this one.

Conrad has always been a mystery, and in past books he came across as a jerk. I mean, he liked Belly one minute and he didn’t the next – he kept pushing her away and I was never sure that he even liked/love her. However, in We’ll Always Have Summer, we get a glimpse into Conrad’s mind in the way of short chapters from his point of view. My interpretation is that Conrad always loved Belly, but he was in a bad place for a while after Susannah’s death and he had some things to work on to be in a position to be in a serious relationship. I also think that moving away was a good thing for him and for his family.

I don’t want to tell you what happens at the end, but only that I wasn’t disappointed in Belly’s choice, just only in the way she got there. What I mean by that is that I would have loved to read more about the couple and how they got to the ‘ending’. The last chapter seemed kind of rushed. I hope we get a short story of something else later one… (*hint*). My copy of the book also has Conrad’s letter, but still I needed more.

The plot was very simple and the story moved around the wedding and Jere, Belly, Laurel (Belly’s mom), and Conrad’s reactions. The wedding took center stage and it took a life of its own. The writing was easy to read, if somewhat repetitive. Overall, I’m glad I read the series.

About the cover: The cover for We’ll Always Have Summer, as well as the other books, is beautiful in its simplicity. They evoke a feeling of open spaces, summer and the beach.