amy_s's reviews
17 reviews

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

lighthearted medium-paced

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

1.0

Jenny Han's final installment in smash-hit YA series The Summer I Turned Pretty did what was once considered impossible: turning cheesy, self-indulgent romance into existential horror. How can one achieve such a feat? Well, by masterfully crafting a mind-numbing plot and impressively unlikeable characters, Han forced me to confront my own mortality at the geriatric age of nineteen. While at one point in my life I might have squealed at my favourite “team” being chosen on the novel’s final pages, instead, I felt the uncontainable urge to smack Belly Conklin upside the head. When one finds themselves relating best to the protagonist’s mother, they must come to terms with the fact that their teenagedom has fleeted. I am an old woman, and this I must accept. 

Now, for my main complaints. The novel’s entire premise is that in order to make up for a drunken spring break stint, Jeremiah promises to marry Belly in a ceremony the following summer. The purpose of this? Not even the novel can explain it in a way that is convincing enough. Effectively, both Belly and Jeremiah believe that their newfound entry into the age of majority makes them capable of sustaining a marriage, and that they are so in love (despite being broken up a few months prior), that they have to make these vows immediately. None of the adults in their lives approve, but there are no real attempts to stop them. I guess Laurel tried her best, but Han did not give her much development beyond being the grieving, aloof mother, so her disapproval did very little. See, given that Belly and Jeremiah still converse as if they are thirteen, (and that is the average age of The Summer I Turned Pretty’s readers), I don’t understand why Han chose wedding planning to be the novel’s main focus. What makes the series' first two novels work is the engaging sub-plots about the main gang’s adventures. Readers of all ages love stories of silly summer fun mixed with the push-and-pull of a teenage love triangle. Listening to two stupid, broke college kids plan a wedding for two hundred pages while the bride-to-be secretly pines for the groom’s brother? I’ll pass. 

Look, it was obvious that the Chosen One would be Conrad from the start. Yet, Han could have created more doubt in the reader’s mind throughout all of the waffling. Belly and Jeremiah were so obviously miserable I spent the second half of the novel begging Han to put this dying dog out of its misery. Do we need to hear about every detail of the wedding’s logistics? I don’t care that Mr. Fisher is paying for the lobster rolls- does Belly know she’s supposed to love the man she’s marrying? 

To me, We’ll Always Have Summer is a sloppy ending to the Fisher-Conklin tale, which does not do the series justice. I would have loved another epic summer tale which bids these characters adieu in an age-appropriate manner. If I have anything to show for the one star I gave this novel, it is that the infinity motif tying Belly and Conrad together was the closest this book got me to squealing.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I'll admit, as tired as the "spoiled rich girl who's actually miserable" trope is- I'll eat it up every time. Not because I believe women in this blessed position deserve more sympathy, but because I think it highlights that the human experience is brutal, but a lucky few can afford to sleep the pain away. When characters such as this nameless protagonist are written in such a way that we can mock how utterly unrealistic their journeys of healing and self-discovery are, it demonstrates that we should strive to create a world where anyone can afford to escape for a short while.

Fine, we can argue the pointlessness of the plot, the suddenness of the protagonist's redemption arc, and the awkward 9/11 messaging, but this is a beautifully written novel, which I absolutely needed during my own "year of rest."

Okay, yes, the main character is insufferable. That's the point- she is expected to be appealing based on her physical descriptors alone. Pretty, blonde, rich, and privileged in just about every sense. But she's not. She's this nihilistic, apathetic, destructive personality who refuses to change in spite of these factors. I don't think it's lost on Moshfegh that this character's socio-economic status is the reason she can lock herself up in a drug-induced haze. I don't think it's lost on the character, either. She embarks on "sleeping the year away" to come out a completely new person, but at the end of the novel, she chooses to keep her name, inheritance and apartment, because she knows that giving all of that up would make life much worse than before. 

Overall, Moshfegh's descriptions are disgustingly visceral. With a novel that has little to show for plot, it's still easy to get lost in the world of Y2K New York City's Upper West Side. It felt hyper-realistic to the point of being uncanny- almost like a bad dream. 

Again, if I were not experiencing a sense of emotional turmoil while reading this novel, I probably would have put it down after the first few chapters. However, as much as I shouldn't have, I saw myself in this protagonist. Yes, I can't sleep away a year of my life, but if I'm going through it without much care, am I really living? I believe most of us can resonate with some aspect of the main character's journey, because Moshfegh ventures so deep into this character's head.

In fairness, pretty much every character is fatally flawed. Or, in some cases, straight-up evil. Trevor is a misogynist rapist, Reva is a troubled woman who mistakes codependency and jealous obsession with love, and her parents clearly passed on tremendous trauma. I mean, I guess I would vibe with Ping Xi if he wasn't an animal abuser, or Dr. Tuttle if she wasn't a quasi drug dealer. You can find a way to empathize with most of them anyway. They all feel refreshingly human. 

The main theme of living life "fully awake" is expressed through an epiphany the main character experiences following her return from hibernation, which basically just boils down to "life-really-isn't-so-bad-after-all." Oh, and witnessing of her only friend jumping from the top floor of the World Trade Centre on 9/11 makes her grateful for her aliveness, too. It's a tad shallow and predictable, but it gets across the message of the beauty of existence pretty well. I'd say Moshfegh is just as effective at evoking feelings of peace and serenity as she is at making you feel grimy and 

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.5

Emma by Jane Austen

funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

adventurous lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was really sweet. Obviously not the sort of thing to read if you’re looking to be inspired or moved by phenomenal writing- but it still made me feel satisfied nonetheless. I really like how the main character, Laura Jean Song, is written specifically. I find that in YA novels with strong female protagonists they tend to be the kind who disassociate from femininity, and liking boys. Laura Jean’s still strong-willed, passionate and multi-faceted as I believe women should be written, but she was still a sweet, feminine teenage girl. She also acted her age, which is not often the case nowadays. It was nice to see, and I think a lot of girls will see themselves in her. A wonderful summer read.