A review by gissellellamas
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

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

4.0

Oddly enough I enjoyed this installment of the Summer series more than the first. Just like in the first book, there are a couple of moments that I found to be somewhat odd and problematic. Ex: Taylor braided Belly's hair and said "I love your hair like this. You look sort of Native American, like a Cherokee princess or something." I just feel that this comment is unnecessary and feels awkward in the context, especially coming from a non-native author and a non-native character. However, I am not native either so it is not really my place to decide whether or not this is problematic, just felt weird to me as a reader. The character development was much stronger in this book and I ended up liking Belly more than I did in the first book, so it didn't make me want to close the book every time she did something. 
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