Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny
Han
Published: May
5th, 2009 by Simon & Shuster
Source:
Library (I also own the book)
Format: Audio
book
Challenge(s):
Grade rate: C+
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.
My Review
I’m not quite
sure what to make of this book. I’ve
heard so many good things about it, including a brilliant recommendation from
one of my friends, but I was a little disappointed with it.
I think one of my biggest hang-ups was Belly
herself. Why would someone go by that
name? Isabel is a pretty name, but
Belly, no so much. Anyway, Belly is self-centered,
insecure, and childish. I know she turns
sixteen at the end of the summer, but she is still the youngest of the lot and
she acts like it. I also didn’t particularly
care for the way she behaved towards Cam.
The Fisher boys, Jeremiah and Conrad, are very different,
but they have their over protectiveness of Belly in common. They are all childhood friends that are
growing up and growing apart, especially when the ‘glue’ that binds them
together is fading (sorry for being so cryptic, but I’m trying to avoid
spoilers).
I like Jeremiah better because he was easygoing, he was
not afraid to show his feelings, and he was always there for Belly. On the other hand, Conrad was the typical
brooding bad boy and it seems like he didn’t know how to handle his problems
(granted, they were huge), other than throwing himself into drinking, smoking,
and other stuff.
Belly’s mom is a rock.
She is so steady that everyone things she has no feelings, which I’m
sure is not true. Susannah is so sweet,
she’s loving, loyal, and stubborn; I really liked her. Steven, Belly’s brother is only in part of
the story, and it looks like he is very annoying (like any brother ;)
One of the best things about the audio book was the
narration. Jessica Almasy has a great
voice and an amazing talent to make the story come alive. The plot is fairly simple, but made
complicated by Belly’s angst and constant whining. The Summer
I Turned Pretty is a short, easy read and a well written story. The book itself contains a lot of flashbacks
to previous summers, to give us background information of the characters and
their history. The ending is a big
cliffhanger, made to guarantee that the reader jumps right into It’s Not Summer Without You. I’ll still pick up book #2 and see where it
takes me (again, my friend raves about this series :)
About the cover: The cover is simple, pretty, with light colors that give the impression of being 'beachy'. I also liked the font and the placement of the title.
Have you read the Summer series? Did you like it? Should I read book #2?
Glad you finally read this! I feel the same way about 'Belly', especially as Isobel is one of my favourite girls' names. I know Belly's immaturity can put off adult readers, but I do think she's an extremely realistic teenager.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this series. Too bad it fell short for you. If you do decide to read the next one I hope you can enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! You realize that Belly is one of the strangest names ever... And I wasn't a big fan of the first book, but I definitely think the second book is better. (:
ReplyDelete