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The Summer I Turned Pretty book series by Jenny Han is a series that has lots of summer vibes, and I enjoyed reading about life at a beach house. The main character is enjoyable, but she does have her moments that put me off. As well, the third and final instalment ruined the trilogy for me, and I was very dissatisfied with the ending. If you are looking to read this series, I would still recommend the first and the second book.
Title: The Summer I Turned PrettySeries: Summer Series
Author: Jenny Han
Also by this author: To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: 2009-20011
Rating:
Series Rating:
Belly has always lived for the summertime, because summer means all her favorite things: swimming, the beach, and the Fischer boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. For as long as she can remember, she's shared her summers with the brothers at Cousins Beach. And for as long as she can remember, she's been in love with Conrad. Then one summer it seems like he might have feelings for her too -- but so does Jeremiah. As the summer seasons pass, Belly has to choose between two brothers who love her ... and she'll have to break one of their hearts.
Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
This series follows a girl named Belly throughout three summers spent at a beach house with two brothers. Conrad has been on her mind for years, however, she finds herself starting to fall in love with Jeremiah too. I enjoyed the summer vibes in the series and how laid-back each book is. These are the perfect books to binge at the beach.
❀ Belly Needs to Make Up Her Mind
I found Belly to be likeable enough, but there were moments when I really disliked her. For starters, her behaviour as a ten year old in the flashbacks is super immature, and I was not a fan of how much of a tattletale she was. This is only a few chapters, though, so I didn’t mind it too much. It is as the series progresses that I lost my love of Belly. I just wished she would make up her mind and choose which of the brothers she liked best instead of hurting them both all the time, and hurting herself in turn.
❀ First Book is Most Enjoyable
My favourite of the books was definitely the first, which is the case with most series for me. The second book is enjoyable, although kind of redundant in places, but the third lost me. I don’t want to spoil what happens, but I found the ending to be super unnecessary. There are too many bad decisions (I’m talking major, life-changing decisions), and how Belly is still going back and forth between the boys. The series is really enjoyable, however, I just feel like I could have stopped after the first book and been more satisfied.
❀ A Summery Series
The Summer I Turned Pretty book series by Jenny Han is a summery series about summers spent at a beach house. The main character is really hit or miss throughout the books, and I found myself starting to dislike her as I got to the final instalment. The first two books in the series are cute and fun, but I’m not sure I can say the same about the third. I ended up disappointed with the rest of the series, however, I would still recommend the first book.
About Jenny Han
Jenny Han is the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series; Shug; the Burn for Burn trilogy, cowritten with Siobhan Vivian; and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You. She is also the author of the chapter book Clara Lee and The Apple Pie Dream. A former children’s bookseller, she earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.
I read the first book in this series and REALLY enjoyed it… and then I was spoiled with which guy she picked, and gave up b/c I was totally rooting for the other guy. D: I’m glad you still enjoyed this series despite the back-and-forth picking, though!
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Man! I hate it when books are spoiled like that!
I feel the same way! I really liked the first book but the other two were a letdown and definitely impacted how I viewed the series as a whole. I still love Jenny Han though and will give whatever she writes a try😊
I know, right?! I am always here for Jenny! 🙂
I read this series a few years ago while on vacation. These books definitely need to be read in the summer, preferably next to the beach! Great review!
They definitely do!! 🙂
Completely agree with you! The first book was great and then it went progressively downhill from there
Yeah. I was so disappointed with that aspect.
Lovely review! I read this series a while ago and really enjoyed it, but I think going back to it now would make me feel the same way as you did, a bit annoying with Belly’s behaviour as a whole. Still, it’s a really fun summer read 🙂
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It is a perfect read for the summer, for sure! 🙂
Great review!! In most cases I like the first book in a series the most too. I wonder why this actually is…
I have often wondered this myself! 😉
I had read the first book a while back, but recently finished the series. I was 4-stars across the board, but I struggled a lot with the first book, which was why I put of finishing the series for so long. It was quite a bumpy journey, and Han kept me guessing the whole time, but in the end, I think she took the story to the right place.
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I am glad that you found it enjoyable.
Oh no! I can’t stand when a trilogy ends badly. It’s like they have you roped into the book series and then end it like that. Ughh that is frustrating as heck.
Mary
It is, isn’t it? Fortunately, I have enjoyed her other books, so I will be alright in the end! 😉
I like the author, and have heard good things about the series. I need to check this out.
I would love to know your thoughts if you do give it a try.
I am glad that someone else was disappointed with the ending of this series. Like you, I really enjoyed the first book; it’s the perfect light-hearted beach read. There is nostalgia, family, romance, and a beautiful setting on the beach. However, the last two books became all about the romance and the ENDLESS flip flop between the two brothers. I can tolerate one book of indecisiveness, but two full sequels just to end up on the wrong side of the ship did not sit well with me.
When I recommend summer reads to people, I mostly just recommend reading the first one in the series. There are some loose ends that prevent it from being a complete stand-alone, but I don’t think that it is worth reading the last ones.
YES!! I totally agree with you! I definitely recommend the first one. It is actually good on its own, for sure! 🙂