Scan barcode
A review by madanxiety
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
Belly is so aggravating, from the first book to the second. She's always calling other people selfish when she's the one that is. And when Taylor calls her out on it, she just continues to see herself as the victim. She acts like Conrad broke up with her at prom, but he didn't even - he was just depressed. And like yeah, anyone deserves to have their lover show up for them and proclaim their love, but she just put words in his mouth and self-sabotaged, then did it again and again. Ugh! And idk, I don't like the whole thing with Jeremiah either, because how can he ever feel like more than second best? I just feel like that dynamic is bound to fail. She was right when she said taking his hand was the most good thing she's done in a while (paraphrasing, idr), but like is that enough of a reason to be with him? I don't trust her for Jeremiah, and I don't trust Conrad with her. I did in the last book, but Belly's right that actions speak louder than words. What's crazy is that he ought to be MORE selfish. Like just take what you want, man! Or try to, anyway. All these petty jealousy games between the three of them is so exhausting.
I have mixed feelings now re: my previous review's claim that the show adaptation is better. At least partly, I stand by that claim. In the show, we get to see more perspectives - Laurel, Steven, Conrad - which makes these characters fuller. Whereas, the books (so far) are limited to Belly's POV, with some sprinklings of Jeremiah. I also like that the show makes the characters more diverse - I have a hunch that the author would've made it so in the books were it not for publishers, who tend to perceive diversity as less profitable.
On the other hand, bringing that fullness to the characters simple means there's a LOT going on. I remember my initial reaction to the show was that it was sooo messy. Which, ofc, people live for drama, but I appreciate the slower and more focused pace of the novels.
I have mixed feelings now re: my previous review's claim that the show adaptation is better. At least partly, I stand by that claim. In the show, we get to see more perspectives - Laurel, Steven, Conrad - which makes these characters fuller. Whereas, the books (so far) are limited to Belly's POV, with some sprinklings of Jeremiah. I also like that the show makes the characters more diverse - I have a hunch that the author would've made it so in the books were it not for publishers, who tend to perceive diversity as less profitable.
On the other hand, bringing that fullness to the characters simple means there's a LOT going on. I remember my initial reaction to the show was that it was sooo messy. Which, ofc, people live for drama, but I appreciate the slower and more focused pace of the novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Alcohol, and Child abuse