Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty Series by Jenny Han
If you couldn’t tell from yesterday’s post about having a Virtual Premiere Party for To All the Boys: Always and Forever, I love Jenny Han. After reading two non-fiction audiobooks in a row, I knew I wanted something quick. I went to my Scribd library and remembered I never finished the The Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han. I read the first book in physical form last year, around this time, and it was cute. I didn’t love it, so I never prioritized finishing it.
Cut to this week and I finished the next two in 2 days. Wow, I loved these books. They’re a little grittier than TALB and I found out that this week they’re being made into an Amazon Prime series this summer! I am PUMPED and need to know who is playing Conrad and Jeremiah stat.
The audiobooks were so.good. I don’t know if I would have fallen in love with the series as much on paper because the narrator was able to perfectly capture the earnest of this teenage love triangle and family dynamics.
Synopsis: “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.” —from the publisher, synopsis of book one as the other two would contain spoilers!
What I Liked:
The Setting—Summer was always a hugely important of my life. I love stories that center around a home that brings out the best in people and a summer home is just that. Everything felt so real and raw and important.
How the series moves through time—Especially on audio, the flashbacks and how Han moves us through Belly’s life felt so natural. It all made sense and made the suspense of the novel feel so realistic.
Chosen Family Trope—I am a sucker for the chosen family trope. I loved Belly’s relationship with Susannah as well as the importance of the two mothers autonomy from motherhood. They were still themselves and that was beautiful to see.
What Didn’t Work:
I can definitely see how some of the plot points could see over the top, I certainly felt that way reading the first one on paper. But I’m telling you, the audiobook SOLD me. I believed everything so wholeheartedly!
It felt super believable to me but there is a very distinct love triangle in this book so if that’s not your thing, maybe skip it.
TW/CW: Cancer, loss of a parent to cancer, infidelity
Character Authenticity: 5/5 Steam Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 4.5/5