The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han: Review

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty
Author: Jenny Han 
Pages:276
Release Date: June 3rd 2010 (UK)
Source: For Review


Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.


I loved this book so much. The title, though relevant, seems the impression the book is about vanity, boys and being pretty. It is about so much more than that though. It is a perfect beachy romance read but underneath there are issues dealing with divorce and friendship and relationships and it can be very hard hitting at times. 


What I loved most about this book was the characters. They were by no means perfect. There were plenty of times where I wanted to bash their head into a wall. But these make great characters. Flawed characters are realistic and make it much easier to relate to them. Belly was a sweet, caring girl who just wanted the attention of her two friends Conrad and Jeremiah. She can be irrational, overly emotional and very immature sometimes. Conrad can have such sincere moments and be a complete jerk the next. I can't fault Jeremiah too much for he is just too sweet. I need to just mention how much I love Susannah right now. She is so incredible. 


The plot was great. It was engaging and fun but at the right moments had a interjection of seriousness to break it up a little. Things got more serious towards the end as the plot built up.  I was a blubbering mess at the end for sure. It was paced wonderfully and kept me engaged the whole time. 


I liked the ending. It was a nice way to leave off. enough ambiguity for the next book but enough of a resolution to leave me happy. It also feeds nicely into the second book.


This book was a whirlwind of romance, heartache, grief and so many other emotions. I was an emotional wreck by the end of it and I did not mind at all! The characters were incredible, the romances were fun and just the overall relationship between the people were touching. If you haven't read the series, start now in time for summer!