Review of The Summer I Turned Pretty

My review of The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is based on a paperback copy of the book that I purchased for myself. The following review is my honest opinion of the work.

Goodreads Summary: "Some summers are just destined to be pretty. 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 wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along."

To some Belly might come across as immature, and maybe she is. But I'm the same way when I'm around my guy friends so I could completely relate. There is something about them, about the way that they have those unofficial guy's only club that make you want to stomp your feet or pout. It's as if no matter how close you get to them you can never be completely with them because you're just not one of them.

As for the boys, Conrad and Jeremiah, they were exactly the kind of boys that you dream of spending summer with. Especially Jeremiah. -insert dreamy sigh here- I love how protective both boys were over Belly. As a girl with mostly all male friends I know how that gets; it's a love/hate relationship, when you need it you love it and it's so gallant of them...when you don't and you just want to do your own thing you want to slap them into oblivion. Been there, done that. But it's because of that protectiveness, and the near constant ribbing you can tell just how much they both care about Belly.

I also loved the mothers in this book. It reminds me of the friendship between my own mother and her best friend, the woman I call my Aunt but is more like a second mother to me than anything. Though our families never had a beach house where we spent our summers we always took day trips together and despite the fact that it was just me and my "cousin" it was a lot like this. That tight knit bond of people who might as well have been family. I especially loved Susannah who reminds me so much of my "Aunt".

I'm giving The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han a five out of five stars review. It was like being able to bring a little bit of the summertime into this bitter winter. I could feel the sun, smell the ocean and just felt like I was there with them on the beach. It also is a reminder that summer isn't all fun and games, this book will break your heart than slowly start to build it back again. It's an amazing read for any time of the year.