Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - The Summer I Turned Pretty

It wasn't perfect by any means. A very simple story. I disliked the protagonist STRONGLY. There were many comments that I didn't enjoy in the book. Poor writing choices. I mainly just read it to have something simple to read.

Content Warnings

elspethmigliore's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

this was so cute. i really loved the beach aesthetic and the overall feeling of family. both boys are so cute and i loved how we saw glimpses of their relationships with belly from the past.

i got really frustrated with cam and conrad at the end of the book, i wish we got to see more of cam and belly’s goodbye and how conrad and belly ended up getting together. it felt so on and off with conrad that it would’ve been nice to have a bit more clarification on his feelings towards the last 2 chapters.

also i love the relationship between the moms. it’s so sweet and genuine.

definitely reread material ✅

Content Warnings

spideyreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I've read this book twice. After reading it a second time, I've realized it's not really worth all the hype. It's just a book that's kind of... there. The protagonists were extremely self-centered and annoying, and even the book acknowledges that they act as if the world revolves around them. Another thing that annoyed me about this book is the age difference and the "practically siblings best friends to lovers" dynamic and how young the protagonist, Belly, is. I'm sorry, I have trouble imagining an eighteen year old wanting to date a fifteen/sixteen year old he's known since birth. I don't know, the age difference just sort of rubs me the wrong way since there's an obvious difference in the characters's maturity levels. I think young adult books should be encouraging teenagers to act their age and be themselves instead of always wanting to be grown, but, not going to lie, that's probably what this book captures the best; the feeling of wanting to be as grown up as your cool older friends. Maybe I'm being too picky, and I'm sure lots of my favorite books also have this problem, but this book just had it showcased front and center.

I'm a big romance reader, so it's pretty shocking I didn't like this book. I recommend To All the Boys I've Loved Before if you want to read something by Jenny Han. Better characters, better writing, and better romance. To All the Boys is definitely worth the hype.

read this book if you like:

love triangles
watching characters grow up
beachy, summery reads
teen TV shows
BookTok
romance tropes

don't read this book if you hate:

"Pick me girls"
will-they-won't-they
BookTok
toxic love interests
bland/boring characters & love interests
romance tropes

Content Warnings

moonbin's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

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