(Review) We'll Always Have Summer (Summer, #3) - Jenny Han

Title: We'll Always Have Summer

Author: Jenny Han

Format: epub

ISBN: 9781416995586

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Date Published: April 26th 2011

Summary (from Goodreads)

It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

Review:

You have no idea how happy I am that i'm finally done reading this series. I'm not saying it in a bad way, but more like it was getting a little frustrating read Belly (or should I say "Isabel") going back and forth with her feelings between Jeremiah and Conrad. It felt like she was pushing the decision to the both of them and she can't decide what she must feel for herself. 

Maybe it's her somewhat sheltered and closed-off upbringing that made her somewhat unable to understand how people normally behave in college, but her entire reaction to Jeremiah cheating on her or why Conrad decided to leave was very frustrating. Even after finding out that Jeremiah slept with someone else during their so-called break, she still accepted his careless proposal of marriage. That did it for me. It's like she didn't grow up at all. The only part that I really enjoyed was her standing up to her mother. I get that Lauren was only looking for her daughter's well-being, and if she only knew what Jeremiah did she would have flipped at her daughter's decision to accept their proposal but I really enjoyed watching Belly stand her ground. She needed it, i think. 

I expected more from Jenny Han, but perhaps it's just inherently "Belly" that i'm disappointed in. The book ended a bit abrupt and I'm kinda glad it did. It was a fairly enjoyable read and i'm still looking forward to reading another Jenny Han book soon. 

Rating:♚♚♚

(Review) It's Not Summer Without You (Summer, #2) - Jenny Han

Title: It's Not Summer Without You
Author: Jenny Han
Format: epub
ISBN:  9781416995555
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Date Published:  April 27th 2010

Summary (from Goodreads)
It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

Review:

I liked the first book in this series but I wasn't sure where it would be headed. My observation upon reading the first couple of chapters was that it was going to be a little heavier and in-depth than the topics encountered in the first book. Susannah has died and everyone left that were close to her goes through various emotions in dealing with her death. This triggers many rifts and changes in the relationships between the Fisher boys and Belly. It was a little painful to read her being confused about her emotions and Conrad having to deal with it by himself because that's just how he does things.

This book was more about the Fisher boys than Belly, but told in various perspectives that included hers. It was actually a breathe of fresh air. The more I read about Belly, the more i start to dislike how she deals with her issues. She's a stereotypical brat who more or less always gets what she wants and it was a little frustrating for me to read through. I guess the part that saved this book for me was when Conrad revealed why he left school and the reasons why he wanted to save their Cousins beach house.

It was really nice to read between Conrad and Jeremiah's points of view. Belly's attitude was starting to make me itchy, to be completely honest. I can't wait to read and review the last book in the series.

Rating:♚♚♚

(Review) The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1) - Jenny Han

 

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author: Jenny Han

Format: epub

ISBN:  9781416968238

Publisher: Simon and Schuster 

Date Published: May 05, 2009

Summary (from Goodreads)

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Review:

Many of my fellow rosy bloggers on Tumblr have listed this book as their favorite, and as much as I admit to reading YA, I have not heard of Jenny Han nor this book before. I've been warned about Belly’s less-than-charming attitude towards certain situations in the book but that wasn't nearly enough to dissuade me from reading.

First off, Jenny Han’s writing is simplistic with enough descriptions for the imagery. I think it complements Belly’s personality really well and it also gave the whole story a realistic feel. I’d like to find a teen that talks like they’re always in deep contemplation during summer at a beach-front house! It was in-depth enough to give dimension to the characters, although some points i felt like the issues that connected the elders with the teens were dropped on to the reader a bit slowly and then all at once. 

Second, Belly’s attitude is a bit off-putting. I think that confrontation with her and Conrad really hit the nail on the head. Or maybe I just need to cut her some slack for acting like a fifteen-year-old who was mostly confused with how to deal with her emotions. And it wasn't like Conrad was any better. They had shitty attitudes, but that just lends the story more realism and I think that’s part of the appeal of the book. I've seen many people profess their hate for Belly, but personally I think if she was written out to be any less imperfect than she is, it would have been boring. A completely-pleasant girl in a love triangle with hot boys with the sun and sea in the backdrop would have put me off!

Lastly, not only does it deal with real-life issues like parental divorce and illness, I think it’s one of the best coming-of-age stories in the way that it doesn’t sugarcoat the inevitable changes in one’s life. I am excited to pick the next book in the series when I can, the end left me both satisfied and curious!

Rating:♚♚♚