Review: We'll Always have Summer

Title: We'll Always have Summer (Summer #3)
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 291
Challenge: YA Series
Source: Library
Retailer: BN / Amazon


My Rating:

It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever. -Summary from goodreads.com

I don’t know what I can say about this book, that hasn’t already been said. Before finally picking it up, I had read so many rave reviews; I was really looking forward to finishing the Summer series, and I’ll be honest and say that I was expecting a near PEREFCT book. What I got was something completely different.

I have never, ever, cried so much during a novel, but enjoyed it all at the same time. Ms. Han, you are cruel.

Ok, let’s start with the beginning, I going to be blunt- I felt the author was being biased…. There, I said it. Why, you may ask? Well, let me explain; as a reader, I like making up my own opinion about characters and the choices they make. I might not always see eye-to-eye with their decisions, but I respect them and learn to appreciate there persona.

The way Ms. Han described Jeremiah and Conrad made me feel manipulated, and I didn’t appreciate that. Jeremiah was shown as a flawed character, there’s no other way to put it. He cheated, smoked, drank and didn’t know how to cook (I don’t know why, but the fact that the author decided to make that a valuable trait, that was mentioned on various occasions, really bugged me). On the other hand we get Conrad, the superior brother whom is a medical student, cooks, makes wise decisions and controls his drinking habits….. Get the picture?

I didn't want to hate Jere, but I felt like I was being forced too! He committed the worst relationship crime ever! I hated that that was the case. Why predestine him to fail since the very beginning? But you know what, I still loved him.....

Jeremiah….
the boy with the kind and gentle soul.
the boy who completely won me over during the last book.
the boy who was so vulnerable and hurt because of his brother... A brother I started to hate because of his mood swings and shitty attitude.

How could you do this to me Ms. Han?! How?! You proved to me in the last 2 books that you could write magic!.... You made me feel things no book had ever made me feel. Why such drastic changes?

I’ll be honest and say that although I didn’t like the journey, I was very happy with the ending. It ended the way I wanted too and I had been hoping for that outcome since the very beginning. I just didn’t appreciate the fact that the author had to belittle Jeremiah in order for us to let Conrad back in. Cause after the ending in book #2, I hated him. But after he confesses his love to Belly out on the beach, I pretty much died. When he says, “I still love you.” I was all his once again.

Gosh, this book was such an emotional roller coaster. But I do recommend to all who have already started the series; it’s a must. Whether you’re Team Jeremiah or Conrad, We’ll Always Have Summer is an unforgettable read that will stay fresh in your mind even after you’ve finished reading it. Let me know how it treats you.

Review: It's Not Summer Without You

Title: It's Not Summer Without You (Summer #2)
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 288
Challenge: YA Series 
Source: Library
Retailer: B&N / Amazon

My Rating:

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach. -Summary from goodreads.com

It's Not Summer Without You picks up a couple months after the last scene in The Summer I turned Pretty. It's summer again, but this year, Belly’s stuck at home… this year there will be no Cousins beach because Susannah has passed away. Belly feels as if her world is slowly beginning to fall apart. Not being at Cousins Beach makes each day seems like a year. Everything changes when she receives an urgent call from none other than Jeremiah Fisher himself.

If you’ve read The Summer I turned Pretty, then you’re accustomed to Han’s flash-back writing style. I enjoyed it very much in this second installment and was even more excited when I learned that we’d get some chapters in Jeremiah’s point of view. Usually changing point of views irritate me. But of course Han made it work flawlessly. Although I was expecting Susannah's character to pass away, I will admit that I did shed a couple tears. Beck was the base to this family, and you can really notice a difference now that she's gone.

I found myself engaged in these characters and, more specifically, their own distinct personality traits. The storyline surprised me; it helped me discover just how odd and tortured some people can be after they lose someone they love. Of course I’m talking about moody Conrad- with his sad lonely nights, heartbreak and his always changing teenage emotions…. He reminded me of my own coming of age story and the lasting pains of growing up.

I could not put this freaking book down! It’s been a while since a book has kept me up late, last night I broke my record with It's Not Summer Without You. I had to know how it ended. It was just, amazing, it was even better than the first. I remember reading the last pages and opening my mouth in shock. Jenny Han can write ten more books with these characters and you can bet your bottoms I will read them all! Now; onward to book 3.

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1)
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 276
Challenge: YA Series
Source: Library
Retailer: BN / Amazon


My Rating:

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. -summary from goodreads.com

I thought this would be a simple book about a summer love…. Couldn’t have been more wrong! To put any sort of label on this book would be an injustice. 16-year-old Isabel, or Belly, has spent every summer of her life at Cousins Beach. Belly has been in love with Conrad ever since she can remember. But he just doesn’t see her in “that” way….. But this summer? Everything is about to change. Events force secrets to be revealed and feelings to be exposed. When revelations start flying, the results are tremendous.

This was a very thoughtful book, which I wasn't expecting. The first half was a little on the slow side as Belly spent more time reminiscing on past summers rather than living the current one. But the way the book flipped back and forth from the previous summers passed to the present day gave it a coming-of-age feel. Han is a brilliant writer. She uses the most languid phrases to describe the simplest things, and it's very refreshing to see that in the YA genre, as opposed to the standardized simplistic writing. Even the language and thoughts throughout the book was so inline with how teenagers act, or at least the way I remember acting. Belly’s relationship with her brother reminded me of my brother and I (around that same age). They are absolutely awful to each other and yet that nastiness is still a sign of love. Was Belly bratty? Maybe, but as a little sister, it was her duty! I remember feeling/being just that way in my family.

Overall The Summer I Turned Pretty is a pleasurable summer read with a solemn lesson learned. It’s a touching story about friendship, love and loss as well as a realistic portrayal of growing up. …. This book was just wonderful! Very much looking forward to starting book 2.