The Summer I Turned Pretty: The bestselling YA romance, now a major TV series: 1 (Summer TV Tie-Ins, 1)

I really enjoyed reading The Summer I Turned Pretty. It’s an easy, emotional read with lovely summer vibes and a beach setting that pulls you straight into the story. The characters feel realistic, especially Belly, as she navigates friendships, family, and first love. The romance and love-triangle drama kept me interested, and it’s the kind of book you don’t want to put down. A perfect read for summer and great for anyone who enjoys young adult romance.

I did like the way this book was written, the narrative was super easy to follow and the book definitely flowed. I would say it’s aimed for a younger audience as the storyline could have developed more, but as a say a quick easy enjoyable read with the classic romance feel

For me, everything magical happens between June and August...☀️📖 This summer, Belly’s not just growing up—she’s learning what love, loss, and longing really mean. 📘 Plot Summary Every summer, Isabel “Belly” Conklin, her mother Laurel, and her brother Steven spend time at Cousins Beach with her mom’s lifelong best friend Susannah and Susannah’s two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. But this summer is different Belly has grown up, and everyone is starting to notice. What was once a season of beach games and sibling squabbles turns into a summer of romantic tension, personal awakening, and deep emotional revelations. As Belly finds herself caught in a complicated love triangle between the brooding Conrad and the fun-loving Jeremiah, she must navigate feelings she doesn't fully understand and make choices that could alter relationships forever. 👥 Character Breakdown Isabel “Belly” Conklin – The 15-year-old protagonist. She’s at the edge of adolescence and womanhood, dealing with love, identity, and self-worth. Conrad Fisher – The older Fisher brother. Quiet, moody, and introspective. He’s always been Belly’s first love. Jeremiah Fisher – The younger, more outgoing and cheerful Fisher brother. He shares a special bond with Belly and brings warmth and lightness to the story. Laurel Conklin – Belly and Steven’s mother. Intelligent, composed, and a loyal friend to Susannah. She's strong but emotionally reserved. Susannah Fisher – Conrad and Jeremiah’s mother. Beloved by everyone, she represents the beauty and fragility of life. She holds secrets that shape the entire story. Steven Conklin – Belly’s older brother. Sarcastic and sometimes insensitive, but protective of his sister. 🎯 Themes of the Book Coming of Age – Belly’s journey reflects the universal transition from childhood to adolescence, filled with first loves, heartaches, and realizations. First Love & Heartbreak – The book dives into the bittersweet nature of first crushes and the complications of loving someone who doesn’t love you back (or doesn’t show it). Family & Friendship – The strength of female friendship (Laurel & Susannah) and the familial bond between all the children create the emotional backbone of the story. Change & Growth – Every character, especially Belly, is undergoing internal and external changes, capturing the fleeting nature of summer and youth. Nostalgia & Memory – The novel is steeped in longing for the past and the preciousness of shared memories at Cousins Beach. 📖 Quotes from the Book It’s not summer without you. For me, everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Would you rather live one perfect day over and over or live your life with no perfect days but just decent ones? He looked at me like I was the only girl in the world, and I liked it. I wondered if this was how it felt to really grow up. To want something so badly, and to have no idea if it would ever come true. Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I bought this as a gift for my 12 year old grand-daughter. She's reported back it's 'the best book I've ever read'. I haven't read it myself, being well over the hill, but it certainly went down well with the age group for which it was written. Hopefully it didn't have any content I'm going to regret finding out about ...

(Source: Purchased on kindle from Amazon.co.uk.) 15-year-old Isabelle (Belly) is heading off with her mother and brother for a summer at the beach, with her mom's best friend Suzanna, and her boys Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has had a crush on Conrad for as long as she can remember, but he treats her like a little sister. Belly is hoping that this year things will be different and that Conrad will notice her as a girl for once. What is special about this summer though? What is going on with Conrad? And who will be Belly's summer romance this year? This was an okay YA coming-of-age story, but I would have liked more romance. I felt a bit sorry for Belly in this book, and not only because they call her Belly! In the flashbacks it was obvious that the three boys all treated Belly like an outsider cause she was younger and the only girl, which wasn't very nice for her, and they hadn't changed much now that she was older. Although there was a bit of romance in this story it was more a coming-of-age story, and most of the actual romance happened between Belly and Cam - a boy she met on the beach, which was a bit disappointing. The storyline was okay, although I was surprised that Belly didn't catch on faster to what was going on with Suzanna, it was pretty obvious to me. It was a bit odd trying to work out which boy Belly was actually interested in at any one time, as she seemed to like Conrad, Jeremiah, and Cam at one point or another. I thought the ending was okay, although I expected a bit more romance. I would like to read the next book to find out what happens next but at £5.49 for the kindle edition I think I'll wait! I will say that this book has me longing for the summer and the beach though! I'm so jealous! I'd love to spend a whole summer at a beach house enjoying the sun, sand, and sea! Overall; an okay YA coming-of-age/contemporary romance story. 7 out of 10.

Super!!🤩

Did not like this

Isabel `Belly' Conklin measures her life in summers. Each year it's a countdown to the glorious months spent in Cousins, at Susannah's summer house. Belly's mother and Susannah are childhood friends, as close as sisters. Belly and her brother Steven have been visiting the summer house since infancy, and spending long, lazy summer days in the company of Susannah's boys, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. As much as Belly loves the summer house and visiting her pretend-mother Susannah, she always feels out of step with her childhood friends. She is the youngest of the summer kids, and the only girl in this close-knit boys club. She was always pleading to tag along or being left out - desperate to be a part of the group, but always out of sync. Things became even more complicated for Belly when she developed her first real crush on Conrad, the elder of the Fisher boys. Jeremiah was always funny and smiling, he is Belly's best friend in the whole world. But Conrad, he's different. The eldest of the kids, he is quiet and aloof, full of pride and quiet intensity and Belly hero-worshipped him throughout her younger years. As a young teenager her crush turned to love of the first and permanent kind . . . but as much as Belly pined after Conrad, he remained oblivious to her devotion . . . Until this summer. This summer, Belly is turning sixteen, and Jeremiah and Conrad are both noticing her in a whole new light. The summer house is where Belly did most of her growing up, and experienced the majority of her first's. First kiss. First crush. First love. First heartbreak. `The Summer I Turned Pretty' is the first book in the contemporary romance YA `Summer' trilogy from Jenny Han. I have had all three `Summer' books sitting in my TBR pile since April. I impulsively bought them when the final book in the trilogy was released, and `Summer' fandom seemed to reach a fever-pitch. I was pretty sure I'd love these books - they sounded like a good, juicy bit of contemporary romance fun and I adored the whimsical front covers. Still, I was a little taken aback by just how much I loved these books . . . consuming all three in one weekend and devouring a box of Kleenex in the process! The same way that other children measure the year according to Christmas's approach, Belly measures by summers. Every year for as long as she can remember she, her mother and brother would leave their father behind and venture to Cousins and the summer house. It was here that Belly took comfort in the nurturing home of Susannah, her mother's dearest friend and Belly's confidante (whom she often felt closer to than her own biological mother). But the summer house was most special for Belly's boys - Jeremiah and Conrad. These are two people she has grown up with - from bullying kids to surly young adults and finally turning into intriguing young men . . . Belly's story is that of young love. Because as much as her calendar is a countdown to summer, Belly's life has been marked by these two boys and their impact on her. . . Jeremiah owns her first kiss. Conrad taught her to dance. They have, in turn, been her best friends and worst enemies. Jenny Han marks the up's and down's of Belly's tumultuous friendship with the boys - from young buddies to blossoming crushes - through flashbacks of various other summers. As Belly lives out the summer of her sweet sixteen, she is in turns astounded and curious at the impact her changing self is having on Jeremiah and Conrad . . . as their dynamic alters, she thinks back to the summer's when she was 11, 12, 13 and nothing but an annoying tag-along to their big boys club. I'm not always a huge fan of the flashback, but Han utilizes it superbly - equal parts informative and whimsical. It's the retrospect of a young girl; so Belly swings between being outraged by the boy's bad behaviour, to heart sick with love for the older and elusive Conrad. Her flashbacks are tragic because they're so relatable, never more so than when she's 13 and watching from the sidelines as Conrad starts to take an interest in the opposite sex (except for her) and when he starts treating her more like a little sister than an equal. I loved Belly's younger voice, particularly because Han's deft pen does give Belly a different echo between her rewinding younger self, and current sixteen-year-old bewildered by her newfound magnetism. When these books were initially released and creating a furore, I was a little sceptical of the title. `The Summer I Turned Pretty' sounded sickeningly egotistical, and I worried that this would be a book about a girl realizing her body's new effect on the opposite sex. Let's face it, as women we've all known girls like that . . . those who were so sweet in their younger years, but became boy-crazy in puberty and saw fellow female as `the enemy'. Thankfully, Han's title is a little misleading . . . It's clear from Conrad and Jeremiah's reactions to her that Belly has grown from a child into a young woman in the span of one year. To read their responses to her, we can tell that Belly has even turned into quite the beautiful young woman. But Belly herself remains none the wiser. She still prefers oversized T-shirts to dresses. She hates heels and lives in sneakers. And she marks herself as wanting when she compares her looks to the girl's Conrad is interested in. Han also discounts Belly's vanity by comparing her to her best friend, Taylor, who visited the summer house at age 14 and was indeed one of those girls who was pretty, and knew it. I loved Belly. I loved that she was oblivious to herself, yet acutely aware of those around her. She is a very observant young girl, especially when it comes to Jeremiah and Conrad. She wisely observes the fact that she feels a twinge of jealousy when Jeremiah takes an interest in Taylor (when he has never noticed Belly in such a way). And she can read Conrad like an open book, even when his actions belie his true feelings . . . . Belly is just like so many young girls. Awkward and blossoming, unknowing of herself and unbelieving of people's interest in her. I loved Belly and her evolving relationship with the summer boys. But I also think that `The Summer I Turned Pretty' is a rather impressive character exploration. Conrad and Jeremiah are not boy-crush-prototypes. They're both complicated and messy young men - Conrad in his surly anger and quiet pride, and Jeremiah's hidden feelings of inferiority against his older brother, beloved by their father. And it's not just that boys who get deep back story - the adults in Han's novel are as important as their children. Susannah is keeping secrets, and it's more than just her crumbling marriage. Belly can't figure out why her parents divorced, but believes it's because her mother is an enigma. . . I love any YA book that puts parents in the spotlight and doesn't just sweep them under the rug. Han writes an excellent intertwining story of young and old, heartbreak and romance by including stories that concern the young characters and their parents. `The Summer I Turned Pretty' is a great little slice of contemporary romance. It's a very tame romance, since Belly is just starting out in womanhood . . . but the book is full of wanting. Belly's heartache bleeds on the page and every girl reading (and a few women too!) will completely and utterly live Belly's soaring crush and devastating heartbreak. It's young love, in all it's up and down glory.

My daughter enjoyed it so much .. it arrived in good condition.. the corner was a little bent though

It’s a ok book definitely better for younger readers around 12-14 A little boring for me, took a lot for a simple thing to happen I loved the second book in the series more tho (it’s not summer without you)