Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher:Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Young Adult

288 pages (Hardcover)

Summary:

Belly was never regarded as an equal, running around the summer house chasing after her brother Steven and Beck’s boys, Jeremiah and Conrad.  For as long as the span of Belly’s memory she always looked up to Conrad, admired him for his calm nature and athletic skills.  Her admiration quickly fueled a secret love.  Never did Conrad give her a second glance until that summer; the summer she turned pretty.  The summer that would change her life and also her opinion of the suntanned, water-soaked boys she knew in the summer time.   

Battling against her need to be around Conrad, Belly concentrates on trying to get over him.  And when a young man with eyes only for her (even before her transformation) catches her eye as well, she believes she finally has her getaway car from desperately loving Conrad.  Cam is everything Belly wanted; he’s sweet, considerate, and careful with her as if she’s a delicate flower to be preserved.  Hints of jealousy spark in the eyes of Beck’s boys as they watch Belly cuddle up with a new boy.  It has never really occurred to them how much they care for her.  They try not to care in that way, but sometimes holding feelings in too long can end up breaking your heart.  Will seeing her with someone else tear Jeremiah and Conrad a part?  Will it pit two brothers against each other?

She’s always been their Belly: copper tan skin, whiny brat at times, a competitive swimmer, an unhealthy eater, and emotionally fragile.  A need to protect her consumes Conrad, which makes him only draw away from the summer house more.  No longer “present”, he spends much of his time up in his room and surely not paying attention to Belly.  Jeremiah watches closely but never steps in the way of Belly and Cam because he loves her, always has, she’s his best friend.  They hide nothing from each other. 

Conrad notices everything and Jeremiah memorizes everything. 

Both know Belly well, but will either of them confess that they love Belly before she chooses Cam instead?

Before she knows it, the whole summer will have slipped away and Belly realizes that her attention was needed elsewhere.  She wasted the whole summer that could be her last at the summer house, her last with Susannah, worrying about boys.  Everything will change that summer…All because she turned pretty.

My Rating: 5 stars

I give this novel 5 stars because I’ve never read a book that had me swooning over the characters like this one.  Jenny Han gives detailed descriptions of every little quirk Jeremiah and Conrad possess.  Everything that intrigues Belly about both boys individually.  The 5 stars is actually dedicated to the series as a whole (which I just finished last night). 

I love when books contain an excerpt from the preceding novel in the series.  A sneak peak of what happens next in this love triangle-to-be.  One can only imagine what comes next for Belly and Beck’s boys. 

The story-line can only get better, right? Correct.  This novel will have you giggling, smiling, gasping, frowning, and crying.  Everything you expect from a riveting summer romance.

Jealousy is contagious.  I, much like Jeremiah and Conrad, found myself sparking in envy; however, my envy was of Belly and the beautiful summer house she stayed at with two adorable boys every single summer since she was born.  How could you not be?  Jeremiah is charming, lovable and goofy and Conrad has the whole protective, moody “I’m beautiful and too good for you” act going on.

Yes, I immaturely laughed uncontrollably when I read that her name was Belly.  I also felt very bad for her, though her family’s nickname for her “Belly Button” is ultra-adorable.  Once you begin reading, you’ll realize that her name isn’t really Belly, or maybe unlike me you’ll be smart enough to realize that before you begin the novel.  I can be a bit slow sometimes. 

Isabel will have you sailing along beside her as she ventures into dangerous seas, one can only hope that in the middle of thrashing waves, paradise lies.  It will take Belly a longer time than she wished before the tide falls back and she’s at peace.  This novel is only the start, the wave is forming and so are the complications that lie ahead.

Will the sun ever break through the storm clouds so that Belly can find her way?  Will her heart ever get what it desires?  I dare you to find out.