kiracanread
Written on Mar 6, 2020
- ISBN13 9798200902910
- Publish Date 20 May 2022 (first published 5 May 2009)
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Recorded Books, Inc.
- Format Audiobook (MP3)
- Duration 6 hours
- Language English
Reviews
kymmiejournals
Written on Apr 2, 2018
layawaydragon
Written on Jun 17, 2016
The Good The Bad & The Other
+ Enjoyed the past and present narratives - Felt bad for Other-School Guy
+ Group dynamic I never thought of before - Don’t understand Belly’s attraction to Conrad
+ Light summer read - Don’t see Jeremiah’s attraction
+ Entertaining - Don’t care for the characters and hardly liked them
+ Their mothers are wonderful parents and their friendship is phenomenal - Don’t like this love triangle
+ One father at least tries though he’s removed and absent in this tale - Bullshit Intro and Epilogue passages
- Felt manipulative with missing information
I’m a huge fan of Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I Loved Before series (there’s a third coming out!!) and her Burn for Burn series with her BFF Siobhan Vivian (they are fucking adorable). So of course I put this series on my TBR. Then it was free to read and it’s summer, I figured it was meant to be and dove right in.
And face planted. Before I lost my work.
After a seemingly innocuous introduction passage, The Summer I Turned Pretty starts with the tail end of the trip up to the beach house with belly’s family. Quickly we meet The Fisher Boys and know Belly’s right that this summer will be differently.
It was very easy to get into and I was curious about the dynamics at play. As an introverted only child, none of this is familiar to me. I liked the past chapters included for relevant context because they seem to have a really complicated history. In reality? It’s very simple but dramatic. It’s the beginning of a soap opera before they move to a small town with a cast with equally convoluted relationships and become entangled themselves.
Belly had me from the get-go and then lost me with her antics. She’s a relatable late-bloomer of a girl. Sadly, she’s shallow and melodramatic. Everything is about her and even after the reality-slap “twist”, it still is. I wish someone wasn’t interested in her, someone talked some sense to her, and she grew up but none of that happens.
Instead, Belly slut-shames her closest girl friend from school, uses a guy to make another jealous, pushes her brother away until it’s too late, and plays the brothers against each other.
It’s disturbing how wrapped up in her beach life she is; she wastes the other nine months of her life not participating because of it. Belly happily admit to this and FraF confirms it. Why does no one else realize how fucked that is?
Neither boy appealed to me and if there was any justice Other-School Boy and the Bonfire Girl would hook up. I’d rather follow their story.
Instead, we get Conrad and Jeremiah. The classic bad boy and nice guy dichotomy. I hated how Conrad acted and treated other people. Jeremiah was obviously more charming but it felt fake. The narrative felt manipulative in general and what illuminates that is the part I solidly enjoyed: the past memories.
It’s clear in the past Conrad stuck up for Belly and noticed her. There’s even a few moments in the present that continues the thread before he ruins it all. Yet Belly insults him with how self-absorbed he is and how he dates other women. She’s clearly still bitter, jealous, and something happened to change him but we never find out what.
Jeremiah, who Belly calls her best friend, has the exact opposite going on. He was a dickbag growing up and now is too good to be true.
Supposedly, Belly is only torn because Jeremiah is attainable while she lusts after the aloof and brooding Conrad. I’m supposed to feel bad for Jeremiah, and root for Bellyrad but something is off. My Spidey-senses are tingling. I wish I still had my notes so I could be less fucking vague.
*SIGH*
Somehow this train wreck of teenage drama and angst kept me reading. It’s light and breezy. I still like the way Han writes, even if I don’t like what I’m reading. That is until the end.
The ending itself is fine and the end of summer is a natural breaking point. I have zero issues with this. It’s the epilogue that’s an extended version of the intro passage that I fucking hate.
I thought since the intro was in the future, the ending would lead there. Nope! Summer ends, everyone goes home, and then we get this titillating passage of Belly sneaking to be with one of the boys. IN WINTER!
There’s zero connection between the end of summer and this moment. Not only does it kill the natural ending, it spoils who Belly ends up with no context or growth. Before this section, it was an alright beach read. After, I wondered why I wasted my fucking time. I wouldn’t have bothered reading The Summer I Turned Pretty knowing all this going In, even as a fan of Han’s previous work.
Sam@WLABB
Written on Feb 13, 2016
I really liked the dynamic between the moms, between the brothers, between Susannah and Belly, between Belly and the Beck boys. There are a lot of complicated relationships, and I look forward to seeing where Han goes with them.
And, although I sort of suspected it, I was not ready, and cried when certain things were revealed. I just wanted them to have their perfect summer.
Bianca
Written on Mar 24, 2015
Moments, when lost, can't be found again. They're just gone.
Suz @ Bookish Revelations
Written on Mar 30, 2014
Chelsea
Written on Jun 20, 2013
The plot was pretty basic. Belly is in love with Conrad and wants to be with him. The usual stuff. This is why it doesn’t get 5 out of 5. It was addicting and hard to put down but when it was over I didn’t care. A really good book makes you want more after it’s done. This one didn’t do that for me.
Angie
Written on Jan 31, 2013
I really liked how the story jumped from the present to past summers. The chapters are clearly labeled so it was never confusing. It was nice to see just how close these two families have been for so many years, and how they got to where they are now. Things are very different between Belly and boys between when she was little and now. Although, some things never change, like her being treated like a little sister.
Belly does come across as a little immature though. We're told she's smart and artistic, but these things never come through in her actions or thoughts. It's almost like she's still that eleven year old who wants to hang out with the big boys. I also didn't really understand her attraction to Conrad. Even in the flashbacks he seemed kind of aloof and just there. He was particularly nice or funny or anything, and in the present summer he's actually kind of an ass. I just didn't get it. Jeremiah though was a great guy in the past and present, and I wished Belly would take notice.
While there is no real, identifiable plot I still enjoyed watching Belly's sixteenth summer unfold. It's light and fluffy on the surface, but there's a looming bad feeling from almost the beginning. At the end when it's revealed, it's not at all a shock, but I don't think it was suppose to be. It just amplified how self-absorbed Belly was being that she didn't even notice when everyone else did.
Unfortunately, I didn't have an emotional connection to the story, which is what keeps me from rating it higher. I also don't agree with Belly's choice at the end. I feel like she's trying too hard to hold onto the past, but I'm hoping she can learn her lesson in the next book.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
lizarodz
Written on Jun 27, 2012
I think one of my biggest hang-ups was Belly herself. Why would someone go by that name? Isabel is a pretty name, but Belly, no so much. Anyway, Belly is self-centered, insecure, and childish. I know she turns sixteen at the end of the summer, but she is still the youngest of the lot and she acts like it. I also didn’t particularly care for the way she behaved towards Cam.
The Fisher boys, Jeremiah and Conrad, are very different, but they have their over protectiveness of Belly in common. They are all childhood friends that are growing up and growing apart, especially when the ‘glue’ that binds them together is fading (sorry for being so cryptic, but I’m trying to avoid spoilers).
I like Jeremiah better because he was easygoing, he was not afraid to show his feelings, and he was always there for Belly. On the other hand, Conrad was the typical brooding bad boy and it seems like he didn’t know how to handle his problems (granted, they were huge), other than throwing himself into drinking, smoking, and other stuff.
Belly’s mom is a rock. She is so steady that everyone things she has no feelings, which I’m sure is not true. Susannah is so sweet, she’s loving, loyal, and stubborn; I really liked her. Steven, Belly’s brother is only in part of the story, and it looks like he is very annoying (like any brother ;)
One of the best things about the audio book was the narration. Jessica Almasy has a great voice and an amazing talent to make the story come alive. The plot is fairly simple, but made complicated by Belly’s angst and constant whining. The Summer I Turned Pretty is a short, easy read and a well written story. The book itself contains a lot of flashbacks to previous summers, to give us background information of the characters and their history. The ending is a big cliffhanger, made to guarantee that the reader jumps right into It’s Not Summer Without You. I’ll still pick up book #2 and see where it takes me (again, my friend raves about this series :)
About the cover: The cover is simple, pretty, with light colors that give the impression of being 'beachy'. I also liked the font and the placement of the title.
Stephanie
Written on Apr 25, 2011
The thing about this book was that I related to Belly so much. I have two older brothers and I was always the youngest one of the group and I was always the one tagging along even though I wasn't invited or I was the one left behind. And that's what Belly went through. The thing that really struck me was that this was Belly's last real summer at the beach house, and she was sad about it. She didn't want anything to change. She wanted it to be like it always was. But a lot of things were changing. She isn't the little girl anymore and everyone around her is off doing their own thing now, when Belly just wants to do the regular things they always did.
I'm so glad Jenny Han captured that stage in the youngest siblings life, when the older siblings are to old too be hanging out with their younger sibling, and the youngest is stuck at home still wanting to do the same things they always did. Older siblings don't have to go through this, and probably don't realize that this is how their younger siblings feel.
But of course, that's not what the story is all about, that was what stuck out to me, for obvious reasons. Belly was so caught up in finally being able to be part of Conrad, Steven, and Jeremiah's 'group' that she didn't see what was really happening around her.
I couldn't figure out what Belly saw in Conrad, he was moody most of the time, and sometimes mean. I loved Jeremiah though, he was always so upbeat and trying to make everyone happy and is Belly's best friend. Completely the opposite of Conrad. I found myself wishing she would go for Jeremiah and give up on her crush on Conrad.
This book is not light and fluffy, though it is an easy read. I felt like I only read a few pages when I really read 100 pages. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to have a nice, easy summer read.