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jcell577 's review for:
The Summer I Turned Pretty
by Jenny Han
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a romance novel, this falls flat. As a coming of age novel, it's a lovely and moving story.
To set the scene, two women named Laurel and Susanna having been bringing their children to the same house at the fictional "Cousin's Beach" every summer since they were teenagers themselves. The only girl of the gaggle, Isabella "Belly" has been in love with Conrad and Jeremiah for as long as she can remember. Current events are interwoven with memories from the many years they've spent at the summer house together.
I started these 20 days ago due to the hype around the television series. I never heard of them in 2009-2012. I realize that I am likely not the target audience, but I was expecting way more out of "a summer I turned pretty" than having one summer relationship with an extremely polite boy. Besides a few longing glances and Belly's own ego, there really isn't any romance with the two main guys. I spent most of the book just waiting for something to happen besides a date with Cam that ended with a kiss on the cheek.
I have read multiple love triangles. All but two of them have failed to portray a believable and equal-weighted romance, so I am not going to dig into that. What I will say is from 10 minutes into the audiobook, I knew that I didn't want Belly to end up with either boy. Her internal monologue is misogynistic and self-centered, and she needs to finish maturing. Maybe she could start by getting more than one friend, who she very clearly doesn't like based on the way she talks about and to her.
The middle of the book bored me and left me just waiting for something interesting to happen, but the ending made reading the entire novel worthwhile.What we find out about Susanna forces both the reader and the characters to evaluate where your focus truly should be. Belly was so focused on her new relationship and her own confused feelings about the boys that she missed out on the opportunity to spend her last summer with this woman who loved her like a second mother. It is a reminder that time, like the season of summer, flies by if you forget to be present and cherish it.
I wish that we had a prequel that was all about Susanna and Laurel's friendship. If the tv show continues to do well, I am hopeful that the author will give us a book or the tv show will give us another season about their adventures as young women at Cousin's Beach.
To set the scene, two women named Laurel and Susanna having been bringing their children to the same house at the fictional "Cousin's Beach" every summer since they were teenagers themselves. The only girl of the gaggle, Isabella "Belly" has been in love with Conrad
I started these 20 days ago due to the hype around the television series. I never heard of them in 2009-2012. I realize that I am likely not the target audience, but
I have read multiple love triangles. All but two of them have failed to portray a believable and equal-weighted romance, so I am not going to dig into that. What I will say is from 10 minutes into the audiobook, I knew that I didn't want Belly to end up with either boy. Her internal monologue is misogynistic and self-centered, and she needs to finish maturing. Maybe she could start by getting more than one friend, who she very clearly doesn't like based on the way she talks about and to her.
The middle of the book bored me and left me just waiting for something interesting to happen, but the ending made reading the entire novel worthwhile.
I wish that we had a prequel that was all about Susanna and Laurel's friendship. If the tv show continues to do well, I am hopeful that the author will give us a book or the tv show will give us another season about their adventures as young women at Cousin's Beach.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Infidelity