It’s Not Summer Without You
Summer I Turned Pretty, book #2
by Jenny Han
Realistic Fiction
Romance
Review #1
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
Belly and her family always went to Cousins for the summer, however, this year it was different. Susannah had gotten sick again and Conrad might be out of the picture. Summer used to be something to look forward to, but now Belly was wishing summer would never come. While trying to get through the summer, Belly gets a call from Jeremiah saying Conrad has gone missing. That gives her the opportunity to be with the boys she loves most and bring back summer to the way it used to be. One thing that made this book a good read was I loved the going back and forth in the love triangle that Belly has with the boys. It keeps me reading and always makes me want to know what happens next. For middle and high school teens.
Review #2
* * * * Stars (Great!)
This beautifully written, coming-of-age novel by Jenny Han focuses on 16-year-old Isabelle Conklin, also known as Belly. Every summer, Bellyl always looks forward to spending the summer at Cousins Beach, Massachusetts, with her mom’s best friend, Susannah, and her sons, Jeremiah and Conrad. Afterher summer fling and newly grown relationship with Conrad, Belly can’t wait to go back to the beach house! The only thing is that this year is different. She won’t be at Cousins Beach with the people she loves most because Susannah lost a battle to cancer and passed away, and Conrad is completely ignoring her and has grown distant at college. Instead, she sulks in her hometown, but her best friend Taylor tries to cheer her up. When she drags Belly to yet anothe rparty, Belly is saved by the ring of her phone. The caller ID is the last person she suspects, though, Jeremiah Fisher. She comes to learn that Conrad completely ditched college and has gone missing. Belly can barely deal with Susannah’s death, let alone the love of her life going missing. Now Belly is on a new journey to find Conrad with the help of Jeremiah, and hopefully win his heart back, too. When they find Conrad at the beach house, Belly’s feelings have changed. There’s no time to worry about that, though, because Mr. Fisher is going to sell the beach house. Will Conrad, Jeremiah, and Belly save the house? Does Belly find love? The only way to find out is to read it!
This book was a good read because it was very wholesome and made me feel warm inside. Seeing how Jeremiah, Conrad, and Belly would do anything for each other and how they stick together is really sweet and relatable to my life. The only thing I didn’t like was how indecisive Belly was between Conrad and Jeremiah, but then again, the author wrote it like that on purpose to add a sense of suspense, so I understand the idea behind it. For middle and high school teens.
