It always surprises me how fast I can read a good series! Just finished “We’ll Always Have Summer” (the third and last book in Jenny Han’s summer series) and I loved it! I am going to try my best not to spoil anything major for those who haven’t read it yet. I highly recommend that you read the first two books in the trilogy (“The Summer I Turned Pretty” and “It’s Not Summer Without You”) before you check out this book review; I have done book reviews on these books as well – feel free to check them out down below :) At the beginning of “We’ll Always Have Summer”, Belly is finishing her first year of College and has been dating Jeremiah for a couple of years. It is not 100% clear why, but Belly and Jeremiah decide to make things official despite their families’ objections. After an argument with her Mother, Belly decides to live at the beach house…with Conrad; and even though Belly and Jeremiah are about to make their relationship official, it becomes clear that Conrad and Belly still love each other. Once Conrad realizes that Jeremiah and Belly are serious, Conrad decides that he needs to act fast if he wants to have another chance with Belly. In the end, Belly needs to make one final choice between Jeremiah and Conrad. I really enjoyed this book (as well as the other two books); I really like Jenny Han’s writing style and I really enjoyed reading about the ongoing summer love stories between Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad. In the end, I was happy with the choice that Belly made - you’ll have to read it to find out who Belly chose :) I think my favourite parts of the book where written from Conrad’s perspective, for example, when Conrad went to go talk to Belly’s Mom, because these moments proved to me that Conrad still loves Belly. I also loved the ending of the book (but I don’t want to spoil it by describing it). My least favourite part was when Jeremiah told Belly about the mistake that he made while on vacation – in the second book, I thought that Jeremiah and Belly would make a good couple but when Jeremiah hurt Belly, I started to switch back to team Conrad :D If I could change one thing, it would definitely be the engagement at the beginning of the book!!! I hated how there wasn’t a good reason (other than the fact that they loved each other) for them to get married so young – it seemed like they were just doing it because Jeremiah wanted to make up for a regretful choice he made while he was on vacation and because Belly wanted to prove that she is over Conrad. It also seemed like they were just planning and going through with it to prove their families wrong; initially, their families did not support the engagement because they were both young in age and still in College. I would highly recommend Jenny Han’s summer series to others – I thought that they were perfect summer reads! These books would be best suited for a female audience who enjoys teen/ young adult romance novels (especially those who have previously enjoyed Jenny Han’s other novels). Since I thoroughly enjoyed this whole series, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 butterflies rating. Have you read Jenny Han’s summer series? Let me know in the comments down below :) Also let me know if you wanted Belly to end up with Jeremiah or Conrad. Photo Credits: "Goodreads" and "Chip's Chapter BlogSpot" Book Rating: 4/ 5
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It is highly recommended that you read the first book in Jenny Han’s summer series (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”) before reading this review. Warning, this book review will contain spoilers about books 1 and 2 of Jenny Han’s summer series. “It’s Not Summer Without You” is the second book in Jenny Han’s summer series. It continues the story of Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah and takes place during the summer after "The Summer I Turned Pretty". Flashbacks reveal that Conrad and Belly briefly “dated” following the events of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” but have broken up. It is also revealed that Susannah has passed away and no one will be going to the Cousins beach house this summer. Other than the funeral, Belly hasn’t seen Conrad (or Jeremiah) since the break-up…that is, until Conrad runs away from College and Jeremiah asks Belly to help him look for Conrad. While they are searching, it becomes clear that Jeremiah and Belly still have feelings for each other. In Conrad’s dorm room, Belly finds a necklace that was meant for her and thinks that the necklace means that Conrad still loves her. They find Conrad at the beach house and discover that Mr. Fisher is trying to sell the beach house. On their last night in Cousins, Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah throw a party where Belly gets drunk and calls her Mom to tell her what has been happening. Laurel comes and convinces Mr. Fisher not to sell the house (so long as Conrad returns to school and passes his exams). At Conrad’s school, Jeremiah ends up revealing his feelings to Belly and they kiss…that is, until Conrad catches them in the act. In the end, Belly discovers that actions and words speak louder than thoughts and intentions. I really liked this book; I think that it was almost better than the first book to be honest (which is rare). I think that I liked this book a bit more than the first because I already knew the characters and there was more action in this book than there was in the first book. I think my favourite part was when Jeremiah asked Belly to help him look for Conrad because this is when the book started to get more action-packed and exciting. My least favourite part of the book was the ending because it ended on a cliff-hanger. Also, I was hoping that Conrad and Belly would get back together…it seems that when I want Belly to be with Conrad she is with Jeremiah and vice versa lol! If I could change something, I would make it so that Susannah got healthy and the families got to go to the beach house this summer like they always do. I would definitely recommend this book to others (so long as they have read “The Summer I Turned Pretty”). I thought that this book was a great summer read and I loved the characters (especially the love stories between Belly and Jeremiah and Conrad). I think that anyone who has previously enjoyed Jenny Han’s other books (like “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) would also really enjoy this book. I think that this book is best suited to a female teenager/ young adult audience. I would highly recommend that you read this book during the summer months because most of the events take place in the summer. I am giving this book a 4 out of 5 butterflies rating because I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to others. Have you read this book? Let me know in the comments down below :) I have already started to read the last book in the summer series…I can’t wait to see how Belly’s story ends! Stay tuned for the “We’ll Always Have Summer” book review. Book Rating: 4/ 5
The first book in Jenny Han’s “Summer” trilogy (entitled “The Summer I Turned Pretty”), is about a teenage girl named Isabel; but most of the characters in the book call her “Belly”. Every year, Belly, along with her Mom and brother Steven, go to a beach house on Cousins Beach with their Mom’s best friend Susannah and her sons Conrad and Jeremiah. The book is told from Belly’s perspective and most of the plot takes place in the present (although, the book does flash back in order to give context on what is happening in the present). Belly has had a crush on both Jeremiah and Conrad for a very long time (although, she likes the older and more mysterious Conrad more than she likes the younger and goofy Jeremiah). Since Belly looks older and cooler this year, Conrad, Jeremiah, and Steven (who usually exclude Belly) finally let her tag along with them to parties and other events. At a fourth of July party, Belly gets reintroduced to Cam, who is very smart and seems to be very compatible with Belly. Since Jeremiah and Conrad are acting different this summer, Belly and Cam eventually start to date; and continue to do so for most of the book (even though Belly isn’t completely over her crushes). Towards the end of the book, Belly finds out about 2 big changes that are occurring in Susannah’s family; which explains why her sons are acting differently. Also, Belly’s feelings for Conrad and Jeremiah are revealed and she finally gets to find out whether or not the boys share her feelings. I definitely enjoyed this book; it is a perfect read for the summer months since it takes place in the summer and is set at the beach! I am excited to start reading the other 2 books in Jenny Han’s “Summer” trilogy. My favourite parts in the book took place in Belly’s present because I am not a big fan of flashbacks (although, they definitely helped me to better understand what was happening in the present). My least favourite part of the book was when Susannah’s 2 big secrets were revealed to Belly and the reader towards the end of the book (most of the other characters in the book already knew or had guessed the secrets before this point). This is because the secrets will definitely cause some sadness and changes for the characters in the future. It also makes me worry that the families will never have the same close relationship that they had before and that all of the characters might not return back to the Cousins beach house next summer. Thus, if I could change anything in the book, I would get rid of Susannah’s secrets since, as I said before, they seem to pose a lot of challenges for all of the main characters in the future and threaten the characters’ "perfect" summers together at the beach house. In conclusion, this book was a fairly easy read and leaves the reader wanting to read the second book to find out the aftermath of Susannah’s secrets. I would definitely recommend this book to others; especially those who have previously enjoyed Jenny Han’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy because both books have similar plots. I think that this book is best suited for a teenage or young adult audience and is geared more towards females. Lastly, I am giving this book a 3.5 out of 5 butterflies rating because I enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the sequels but the book wasn’t really action-packed. Have you read "The Summer I Turned Pretty"? If so, let me know whether you are on team Cam, team Conrad, or team Jeremiah in the comments down below... Book Rating: 3.5/ 5
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February 2024
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