Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Jenny Han once again does such a fabulous job expressing the complex emotions of youth. Even when you take out the sadness and tragedy of someone dying of cancer, which always takes emotions to a new level, the confusion of young love can be overwhelming.

I’m the youngest of all of my siblings, and the youngest of all of my cousins, so I know what it’s like to be excluded just for being the baby of the family. It never bothered me as much as it bothered Belly, but I get why she would be upset. Even though Belly’s not that much younger than Jeremiah, Stephen, and Conrad, because she is also a girl, she has always been a little excluded, a little separate from their fun and camaraderie. Yes, she has her own relationships that she’s built with each one, but it’s not the same as being one of the gang.

The title "The Summer I Turned Pretty" makes you think that everything really happens during this summer: the boys suddenly realize she is a girl and boom – they like her. I’d like to think, though, that, like Cam, they had noticed and liked her all along. Part of me feels bad for Cameron – he was a genuinely nice guy who was kind to Belly and made her feel more special than anyone else. It could be that they might have been able to have a great, lasting relationship, since they had so much in common and got along so naturally. Unfortunately (for Cam), he was not the boy that Belly had loved all her life. Had Conrad made it clear that he had no romantic interest in Belly and never would, I really think that Belly would have been able to move on, either with Cam or Jeremiah or someone else down the line. Yes, a part of her would always love him, but there’s nothing wrong with that providing you can truly move on.

I definitely feel bad for Jeremiah – he was in a similar situation with his mother being sick and his father maybe sort-of abandoning her while she’s dying, but he was still able to keep it mostly together. I guess the main difference between his reaction and Conrad’s is that Jeremiah never thought of his father as a God, a perfect being who could do no wrong, and Conrad did. It doesn’t help that Jeremiah has long felt second best to Conrad, first in his father’s eyes, and then to Belly, too.

Clearly Belly and Conrad’s story isn’t done. We all know this is just the first book in a trilogy, and when book one ends with Belly and Conrad apparently running off together or something, there’s bound to be a twisty tale to read about in book 2. I’m still not convinced I love them together. It’s not like Conrad needs to prove himself worthy of Belly, it’s just that, at this point, it feels like he holds more power in their relationship. She’s loved him for years, and he knows it. He is older than her, and more experienced (I’m assuming). Of course, we live in Belly’s head, and see everything from her perspective, so we’re biased to be on her side. I’m hoping in book 2 that we get more honesty and openness from Conrad, because without that, it’s hard not to doubt the strength of his feelings for Belly. And I want to believe.

Most of all, I’m hoping that the four of them can stay friends as time passes. Belly might not have any girl friends that she loves and trusts the way her mom and Susannah love and trust one another, but she has her boys: Conrad, Jeremiah, and even her obnoxious brother Stephen. I’m hoping they can follow their mothers’ examples and really treasure their friendships with each other. I have a feeling that Jeremiah and Belly’s friendship will be particularly important, especially if her relationship with Conrad continues to develop romantically.

And I hope they can return to the beach house every summer.

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