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The Summer I Turned Pretty Paperback – May 31, 2022

by Jenny Han (Author)

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Book 1 of 3: The Summer I Turned Pretty

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Now an Original Series on Prime Video!

Belly has an unforgettable summer in this stunning start to the Summer I Turned Pretty series from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Jenny Han.

Some summers are just destined to be pretty.

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 wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

From the Publisher

Jenny Han; The Summer I Turned Pretty; To All the Boys I've Loved Before

WARNING: California’s Proposition 65

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Summer I Turned Pretty offers a hard-to-resist combination -- a beach house, summer love, enduring friendship. A deliciously sweet read. -- Deb Caletti, author of Honey, Baby, Sweetheart and Wild Roses

Belly's dawning awareness of her sexuality and that of the boys is a strong theme, as is the sense of summer as a separate and reflective time and place. Readers get glimpses of kisses on the beach, her best friend's flirtations during one summer's visit, a first date. -- Kirkus Reviews

If I could live inside this amazing book, I would. I would inhale the ocean air and soak up the sun, and I would hang out all day with kind-wonderful-funny-awkward Belly and her two known-'em-forever buds, Jeremiah and Conrad. I'd watch the three of them stop being kids and start being more...and I'd hope hope hope that when Belly falls in love -- 'cause you know she will -- she'd give her heart to the exact right boy. -- Lauren Myracle, author of the ttyl series and Bliss

This book has what every girl wants in a summer. -- Sarah Dessen, author of Just Listen and Lock and Key

This well-written coming-of-age story introduces 15-year-old Isabel, aka Belly, for whom summer has always been the most important time of year. Han (Shug) realistically balances Belly's naïveté with her awareness of the changes the years have brought. Han's novel offers plenty of summertime drama. -- Starred review from Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Jenny Han is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series, now Netflix movies. She is also the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Summer I Turned Pretty series, now streaming on Amazon Prime, as well as Shug, and Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream. She is the coauthor of the Burn for Burn trilogy, with Siobhan Vivian. Her books have been published in more than thirty languages. A former librarian, Jenny earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One chapter one
We’d been driving for about seven thousand years. Or at least that’s how it felt. My brother, Steven, drove slower than our Granna. I sat next to him in the passenger seat with my feet up on the dashboard. Meanwhile, my mother was passed out in the backseat. Even when she slept, she looked alert, like at any second she could wake up and direct traffic.

“Go faster,” I urged Steven, poking him in the shoulder. “Let’s pass that kid on the bike.”

Steven shrugged me off. “Never touch the driver,” he said. “And take your dirty feet off my dashboard.”

I wiggled my toes back and forth. They looked pretty clean to me. “It’s not your dashboard. It’s gonna be my car soon, you know.”

“If you ever get your license,” he scoffed. “People like you shouldn’t even be allowed to drive.”

“Hey, look,” I said, pointing out the window. “That guy in a wheelchair just lapped us!”

Steven ignored me, and so I started to fiddle with the radio. One of my favorite things about going to the beach was the radio stations. I was as familiar with them as I was with the ones back home, and listening to Q94 made me just really know inside that I was there, at the beach.

I found my favorite station, the one that played everything from pop to oldies to hip-hop. Tom Petty was singing “Free Fallin’.” I sang right along with him. “She’s a good girl, crazy ’bout Elvis. Loves horses and her boyfriend too.”

Steven reached over to switch stations, and I slapped his hand away. “Belly, your voice makes me want to run this car into the ocean.” He pretended to swerve right.

I sang even louder, which woke up my mother, and she started to sing too. We both had terrible voices, and Steven shook his head in his disgusted Steven way. He hated being outnumbered. It was what bothered him most about our parents being divorced, being the lone guy, without our dad to take his side.

We drove through town slowly, and even though I’d just teased Steven about it, I didn’t really mind. I loved this drive, this moment. Seeing the town again, Jimmy’s Crab Shack, the Putt Putt, all the surf shops. It was like coming home after you’d been gone a long, long time. It held a million promises of summer and of what just might be.

As we got closer and closer to the house, I could feel that familiar flutter in my chest. We were almost there.

I rolled down the window and took it all in. The air tasted just the same, smelled just the same. The wind making my hair feel sticky, the salty sea breeze, all of it felt just right. Like it had been waiting for me to get there.

Steven elbowed me. “Are you thinking about Conrad?” he asked mockingly.

For once the answer was no. “No,” I snapped.

My mother stuck her head in between our two seats. “Belly, do you still like Conrad? From the looks of things last summer, I thought there might be something between you and Jeremiah.”

“WHAT? You and Jeremiah?” Steven looked sickened. “What happened with you and Jeremiah?”

“Nothing,” I told them both. I could feel the flush rising up from my chest. I wished I had a tan already to cover it up. “Mom, just because two people are good friends, it doesn’t mean there’s anything going on. Please never bring that up again.”

My mother leaned back into the backseat. “Done,” she said. Her voice had that note of finality that I knew Steven wouldn’t be able to break through.

Because he was Steven, he tried anyway. “What happened with you and Jeremiah? You can’t say something like that and not explain.”

“Get over it,” I told him. Telling Steven anything would only give him ammunition to make fun of me. And anyway, there was nothing to tell. There had never been anything to tell, not really.

Conrad and Jeremiah were Beck’s boys. Beck was Susannah Fisher, formerly Susannah Beck. My mother was the only one who called her Beck. They’d known each other since they were nine—blood sisters, they called each other. And they had the scars to prove it—identical marks on their wrists that looked like hearts.

Susannah told me that when I was born, she knew I was destined for one of her boys. She said it was fate. My mother, who didn’t normally go in for that kind of thing, said it would be perfect, as long as I’d had at least a few loves before I settled down. Actually, she said “lovers,” but that word made me cringe. Susannah put her hands on my cheeks and said, “Belly, you have my unequivocal blessing. I’d hate to lose my boys to anyone else.”

We’d been going to Susannah’s beach house in Cousins Beach every summer since I was a baby, since before I was born even. For me, Cousins was less about the town and more about the house. The house was my world. We had our own stretch of beach, all to ourselves. The summer house was made up of lots of things. The wraparound porch we used to run around on, jugs of sun tea, the swimming pool at night—but the boys, the boys most of all.

I always wondered what the boys looked like in December. I tried to picture them in cranberry-colored scarves and turtleneck sweaters, rosy-cheeked and standing beside a Christmas tree, but the image always seemed false. I did not know the winter Jeremiah or the winter Conrad, and I was jealous of everyone who did. I got flip-flops and sunburned noses and swim trunks and sand. But what about those New England girls who had snowball fights with them in the woods? The ones who snuggled up to them while they waited for the car to heat up, the ones they gave their coats to when it was chilly outside. Well, Jeremiah, maybe. Not Conrad. Conrad would never; it wasn’t his style. Either way, it didn’t seem fair.

I’d sit next to the radiator in history class and wonder what they were doing, if they were warming their feet along the bottom of a radiator somewhere too. Counting the days until summer again. For me, it was almost like winter didn’t count. Summer was what mattered. My whole life was measured in summers. Like I don’t really begin living until June, until I’m at that beach, in that house.

Conrad was the older one, by a year and a half. He was dark, dark, dark. Completely unattainable, unavailable. He had a smirky kind of mouth, and I always found myself staring at it. Smirky mouths make you want to kiss them, to smooth them out and kiss the smirkiness away. Or maybe not away… but you want to control it somehow. Make it yours. It was exactly what I wanted to do with Conrad. Make him mine.

Jeremiah, though—he was my friend. He was nice to me. He was the kind of boy who still hugged his mother, still wanted to hold her hand even when he was technically too old for it. He wasn’t embarrassed either. Jeremiah Fisher was too busy having fun to ever be embarrassed.

I bet Jeremiah was more popular than Conrad at school. I bet the girls liked him better. I bet that if it weren’t for football, Conrad wouldn’t be some big deal. He would just be quiet, moody Conrad, not a football god. And I liked that. I liked that Conrad preferred to be alone, playing his guitar. Like he was above all the stupid high school stuff. I liked to think that if Conrad went to my school, he wouldn’t play football, he’d be on the lit mag, and he’d notice someone like me.

When we finally pulled up to the house, Jeremiah and Conrad were sitting out on the front porch. I leaned over Steven and honked the horn twice, which in our summer language meant, Come help with the bags, stat.

Conrad was eighteen now. He’d just had a birthday. He was taller than last summer, if you can believe it. His hair was cut short around his ears and was as dark as ever. Unlike Jeremiah’s, whose hair had gotten longer, so he looked a little shaggy but in a good way—like a 1970s tennis player. When he was younger, it was curly yellow, almost platinum in the summer. Jeremiah hated his curls. For a while, Conrad had him convinced that crusts made your hair curly, so Jeremiah had stopped eating sandwich crusts, and Conrad would polish them off. As Jeremiah got older, though, his hair was less and less curly and more wavy. I missed his curls. Susannah called him her little angel, and he used to look like one, with his rosy cheeks and yellow curls. He still had the rosy cheeks.

Jeremiah made a megaphone with his hands and yelled, “Steve-o!”

I sat in the car and watched Steven amble up to them and hug the way guys do. The air smelled salty and wet, like it might rain seawater any second. I pretended to be tying the laces on my sneakers, but really I just wanted a moment to look at them, at the house for a little while, in private. The house was large and gray and white, and it looked like most every other house on the road, but better. It looked just the way I thought a beach house should look. It looked like home.

My mother got out of the car then too. “Hey, boys. Where’s your mother?” she called out.

“Hey, Laurel. She’s taking a nap,” Jeremiah called back. Usually she came flying out of the house the second our car pulled up.

My mother walked over to them in about three strides, and she hugged them both, tightly. My mother’s hug was as firm and solid as her handshake. She disappeared into the house with her sunglasses perched on the top of her head.

I got out of the car and slung my bag over my shoulder. They didn’t even notice me walk up at first. But then they did. They really did. Conrad gave me a quick glance-over the way boys do at the mall. He had never looked at me like that before in my whole life. Not once. I could feel my flush from the car return. Jeremiah, on the other hand, did a double take. He looked at me like he didn’t even recognize me. All of this happened in the span of about three seconds, but it felt much, much longer.

Conrad hugged me first, but a faraway kind of hug, careful not to get too close. He’d just gotten a haircut, and the skin around the nape of his neck looked pink and new, like a baby’s. He smelled like the ocean. He smelled like Conrad. “I liked you better with glasses,” he said, his lips close to my ear.

That stung. I shoved him away and said, “Well, too bad. My contacts are here to stay.”

He smiled at me, and that smile—he just gets in. His smile did it every time. “I think you got a few new ones,” he said, tapping me on the nose. He knew how self-conscious I was about my freckles and he still teased me every time.

Then Jeremiah grabbed me next, and he almost lifted me into the air. “Belly Button’s all growed up,” he crowed.

I laughed. “Put me down,” I told him. “You smell like BO.”

Jeremiah laughed loudly. “Same old Belly,” he said, but he was staring at me like he wasn’t quite sure who I was. He cocked his head and said, “Something looks different about you, Belly.”

I braced myself for the punch line. “What? I got contacts.” I wasn’t completely used to myself without glasses either. My best friend Taylor had been trying to convince me to get contacts since the sixth grade, and I’d finally listened.

He smiled. “It’s not that. You just look different.”

I went back to the car then, and the boys followed me. We unloaded the car quickly, and as soon as we were done, I picked up my suitcase and my book bag and headed straight for my old bedroom. My room was Susannah’s from when she was a child. It had faded calico wallpaper and a white bedroom set. There was a music box I loved. When you opened it, there was a twirling ballerina that danced to the theme song from Romeo and Juliet, the old-timey version. I kept my jewelry in it. Everything about my room was old and faded, but I loved that about it. It felt like there might be secrets in the walls, in the four-poster bed, especially in that music box.

Seeing Conrad again, having him look at me that way, I felt like I needed a second to breathe. I grabbed the stuffed polar bear on my dresser and hugged him close to my chest—his name was Junior Mint, Junior for short. I sat down with Junior on my twin bed. My heart was beating so loudly I could hear it. Everything was the same but not. They had looked at me like I was a real girl, not just somebody’s little sister.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Media Tie-In edition (May 31, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1665922079
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1665922074
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL600L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #8,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews:
52,132 ratings

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Jenny Han

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Jenny Han is the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series; Shug; the Burn for Burn trilogy, cowritten with Siobhan Vivian; and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You. She is also the author of the chapter book Clara Lee and The Apple Pie Dream. A former children’s bookseller, she earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School. Visit her at DearJennyHan.com.

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a fun, coming-of-age story with well-developed characters, particularly Belly, and appreciate how it makes them feel the emotions of the characters. The book features a bittersweet first love narrative that makes readers' hearts melt, and one customer notes it's better written than the Kissing Booth series. While the plot receives mixed reactions, with some finding it boring and uninteresting, customers praise its depth, noting how it enhances understanding of the TV show.

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Readability Storyline Character development Emotional content Romance Enjoyment Depth Plot

598 customers mention "Readability"571 positive27 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as an amazing and fun read, with one customer noting it's better written than the Kissing Booth series.

"...Han writes an excellent intertwining story of young and old, heartbreak and romance by including stories that concern the young characters and their..." Read more

"Cute book and love story. Better than the show" Read more

"...She takes it with her to school. She reads it before bed. She also got her teacher and some of the other students in her class to read the same book...." Read more

"...Overall, it’s a good read that touches the lives of two families which are deeply intertwined by the bonds of friendship for all, whether adults or..." Read more

100 customers mention "Storyline"72 positive28 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of this coming-of-age book, appreciating its portrayal of youth and teenage experiences, with one customer noting how it brings back memories of young crushes.

"...Overall, it’s a good read that touches the lives of two families which are deeply intertwined by the bonds of friendship for all, whether adults or..." Read more

"...Pretty" is a beautifully crafted story that perfectly captures the bittersweet essence of adolescence and the magic of summer...." Read more

"The story wasn't my favorite." Read more

"...There’s so much about growing up and just coming of age that’s portrayed so well :)" Read more

80 customers mention "Character development"61 positive19 negative

Customers love the characters in the book, feeling all their emotions, and particularly appreciate Belly as the protagonist, with one customer noting how they develop throughout the series.

"...I also think that `The Summer I Turned Pretty' is a rather impressive character exploration. Conrad and Jeremiah are not boy-crush-prototypes...." Read more

"...On the other hand, I found the rest of the characters much better...." Read more

"...The characters were endearing, & I actually found myself rooting for #TeamJeremiah in book 1, but was 💯 #TeamConrad in @primevideo season 1...." Read more

"...and I know books adaptions are usually better but I could not connect with the characters...." Read more

64 customers mention "Emotional content"60 positive4 negative

Customers find the book emotionally engaging, describing it as an emotional read that makes their hearts melt and brings intense heartbreak, with one customer noting how it evokes feelings of first love.

"...Her flashbacks are tragic because they're so relatable, never more so than when she's 13 and watching from the sidelines as Conrad starts to take an..." Read more

"...and the inevitable changes that come with growing up, making it a poignant read for anyone who has ever felt caught between childhood and adulthood. "..." Read more

"...Han's prose is as gentle and comforting as a warm summer breeze as Belly narrates this story and shares flashbacks from some of her favorite summer..." Read more

"...It’s coming of age. There’s intense heartbreak that doesn’t necessarily involved the love interests...." Read more

62 customers mention "Romance"62 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance in the book, describing it as a cute summer romance with bittersweet first love, though some note it's a cheesy story about young love and friendship.

"...sure I'd love these books - they sounded like a good, juicy bit of contemporary romance fun and I adored the whimsical front covers...." Read more

"Cute book and love story. Better than the show" Read more

"...It's a story filled with nostalgia & first love, making it perfect for a light & easy summer escape...." Read more

"...This novel delicately explores themes of love, identity, and the inevitable changes that come with growing up, making it a poignant read for anyone..." Read more

55 customers mention "Enjoyment"55 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and exciting, describing it as a fun read suitable for all ages.

"...Jeremiah is funny, sweet, and adorable. He is very easy to like...." Read more

"...The book is infuriating but also in a way exciting and draws you in more and more. This review is coming from a 12 yo btw" Read more

"...This is fun and sweet and sad and worth a read." Read more

"This story is fun, engaging, and draws you in...." Read more

36 customers mention "Depth"31 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate the depth of the book, finding it informative and making the TV show more understandable, with one customer noting it's richer than the TV adaptation.

"...I'm not always a huge fan of the flashback, but Han utilizes it superbly - equal parts informative and whimsical...." Read more

"...That said and as it should be, the book is richer than whatever is on TV, but I kept comparing it to my previous read by the author and it..." Read more

"...to a series that promises even more heartwarming moments and introspection. Highly recommended for fans of young adult fiction!" Read more

"This is a really great summer read. It's quick but has some deeper aspects than what the title and cover hint to...." Read more

29 customers mention "Plot"4 positive25 negative

Customers find the plot of the book uninteresting and boring, describing it as extra whiny and obnoxious.

"...This book didn't really blow me away because nothing really happens...." Read more

"...In some ways, I felt it was incomplete." Read more

"...There’s no driving force in this book that makes me want the characters to be together. There is no emotional connection...." Read more

"...It was a nice simple read but this book wasn't anything too exciting." Read more

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Alpha Reader
Young love, in all its up and down glory!
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2011
Verified Purchase

Isabel `Belly' Conklin measures her life in summers. Each year it's a countdown to the glorious months spent in Cousins, at Susannah's summer house. Belly's mother and Susannah are childhood friends, as close as sisters. Belly and her brother Steven have been visiting the summer house since infancy, and spending long, lazy summer days in the company of Susannah's boys, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher.

As much as Belly loves the summer house and visiting her pretend-mother Susannah, she always feels out of step with her childhood friends. She is the youngest of the summer kids, and the only girl in this close-knit boys club. She was always pleading to tag along or being left out - desperate to be a part of the group, but always out of sync.

Things became even more complicated for Belly when she developed her first real crush on Conrad, the elder of the Fisher boys. Jeremiah was always funny and smiling, he is Belly's best friend in the whole world. But Conrad, he's different. The eldest of the kids, he is quiet and aloof, full of pride and quiet intensity and Belly hero-worshipped him throughout her younger years. As a young teenager her crush turned to love of the first and permanent kind . . . but as much as Belly pined after Conrad, he remained oblivious to her devotion . . . Until this summer.

This summer, Belly is turning sixteen, and Jeremiah and Conrad are both noticing her in a whole new light.

The summer house is where Belly did most of her growing up, and experienced the majority of her first's. First kiss. First crush. First love. First heartbreak.

`The Summer I Turned Pretty' is the first book in the contemporary romance YA `Summer' trilogy from Jenny Han.

I have had all three `Summer' books sitting in my TBR pile since April. I impulsively bought them when the final book in the trilogy was released, and `Summer' fandom seemed to reach a fever-pitch. I was pretty sure I'd love these books - they sounded like a good, juicy bit of contemporary romance fun and I adored the whimsical front covers. Still, I was a little taken aback by just how much I loved these books . . . consuming all three in one weekend and devouring a box of Kleenex in the process!

The same way that other children measure the year according to Christmas's approach, Belly measures by summers. Every year for as long as she can remember she, her mother and brother would leave their father behind and venture to Cousins and the summer house. It was here that Belly took comfort in the nurturing home of Susannah, her mother's dearest friend and Belly's confidante (whom she often felt closer to than her own biological mother). But the summer house was most special for Belly's boys - Jeremiah and Conrad. These are two people she has grown up with - from bullying kids to surly young adults and finally turning into intriguing young men . . .

Belly's story is that of young love. Because as much as her calendar is a countdown to summer, Belly's life has been marked by these two boys and their impact on her. . .

Jeremiah owns her first kiss. Conrad taught her to dance. They have, in turn, been her best friends and worst enemies. Jenny Han marks the up's and down's of Belly's tumultuous friendship with the boys - from young buddies to blossoming crushes - through flashbacks of various other summers. As Belly lives out the summer of her sweet sixteen, she is in turns astounded and curious at the impact her changing self is having on Jeremiah and Conrad . . . as their dynamic alters, she thinks back to the summer's when she was 11, 12, 13 and nothing but an annoying tag-along to their big boys club.

I'm not always a huge fan of the flashback, but Han utilizes it superbly - equal parts informative and whimsical. It's the retrospect of a young girl; so Belly swings between being outraged by the boy's bad behaviour, to heart sick with love for the older and elusive Conrad. Her flashbacks are tragic because they're so relatable, never more so than when she's 13 and watching from the sidelines as Conrad starts to take an interest in the opposite sex (except for her) and when he starts treating her more like a little sister than an equal. I loved Belly's younger voice, particularly because Han's deft pen does give Belly a different echo between her rewinding younger self, and current sixteen-year-old bewildered by her newfound magnetism.

When these books were initially released and creating a furore, I was a little sceptical of the title. `The Summer I Turned Pretty' sounded sickeningly egotistical, and I worried that this would be a book about a girl realizing her body's new effect on the opposite sex. Let's face it, as women we've all known girls like that . . . those who were so sweet in their younger years, but became boy-crazy in puberty and saw fellow female as `the enemy'. Thankfully, Han's title is a little misleading . . . It's clear from Conrad and Jeremiah's reactions to her that Belly has grown from a child into a young woman in the span of one year. To read their responses to her, we can tell that Belly has even turned into quite the beautiful young woman. But Belly herself remains none the wiser. She still prefers oversized T-shirts to dresses. She hates heels and lives in sneakers. And she marks herself as wanting when she compares her looks to the girl's Conrad is interested in. Han also discounts Belly's vanity by comparing her to her best friend, Taylor, who visited the summer house at age 14 and was indeed one of those girls who was pretty, and knew it.

I loved Belly. I loved that she was oblivious to herself, yet acutely aware of those around her. She is a very observant young girl, especially when it comes to Jeremiah and Conrad. She wisely observes the fact that she feels a twinge of jealousy when Jeremiah takes an interest in Taylor (when he has never noticed Belly in such a way). And she can read Conrad like an open book, even when his actions belie his true feelings . . . . Belly is just like so many young girls. Awkward and blossoming, unknowing of herself and unbelieving of people's interest in her.

I loved Belly and her evolving relationship with the summer boys. But I also think that `The Summer I Turned Pretty' is a rather impressive character exploration. Conrad and Jeremiah are not boy-crush-prototypes. They're both complicated and messy young men - Conrad in his surly anger and quiet pride, and Jeremiah's hidden feelings of inferiority against his older brother, beloved by their father. And it's not just that boys who get deep back story - the adults in Han's novel are as important as their children. Susannah is keeping secrets, and it's more than just her crumbling marriage. Belly can't figure out why her parents divorced, but believes it's because her mother is an enigma. . . I love any YA book that puts parents in the spotlight and doesn't just sweep them under the rug. Han writes an excellent intertwining story of young and old, heartbreak and romance by including stories that concern the young characters and their parents.

`The Summer I Turned Pretty' is a great little slice of contemporary romance. It's a very tame romance, since Belly is just starting out in womanhood . . . but the book is full of wanting. Belly's heartache bleeds on the page and every girl reading (and a few women too!) will completely and utterly live Belly's soaring crush and devastating heartbreak. It's young love, in all it's up and down glory.

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Meghan
Cute book
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2025
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Cute book and love story. Better than the show

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Katie
LOVE IT 1 book I read in 4 days started Saturday ended Tuesday!
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2025
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IT WAS AMAZING! Team jelly! As a young girl I love it. I would recommend it to other girls my age and older I will be reading the second one right now.

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louvejita
Enough to keep reading
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2023
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Isabel “Belly” Conklin has spent every summer of her life in Cousins Beach with her mother Laurel, her brother Steve and Laurel’s best friend Susannah Beck Fisher and her sons Conrad and Jeremiah. But this particular summer, Belly is turning 16 and life as they know it is about to change.
This read is kind of a rabbit hole for me as I made the mistake of watching the season of the series and then needed to find out how it really goes first-hand so it’s, in some level, a backward walk if you catch my meaning. That said and as it should be, the book is richer than whatever is on TV, but I kept comparing it to my previous read by the author and it definitely fell short.
As any good 15 year-old, Belly is massively confused about relationships and flips and flops between boys like a fish out of water even though deep down she knows who her heart belongs to. That fact alone was a little discouraging for me as she goes up and down like a yo-yo without realizing the drama going on all around her and how it’s affecting everybody else, especially the Fisher boys and this alone make her a not so likeable character in my book.
On the other hand, I found the rest of the characters much better. The broody Conrad, the jokester Jeremiah, the obnoxious Steve, the pragmatic Laurel and motherly Susannah make good on the promise of heartfelt entertainment and sensitivity.
Overall, it’s a good read that touches the lives of two families which are deeply intertwined by the bonds of friendship for all, whether adults or teenagers. Sisterly, maternal and romantic love is spread in all directions while the Fishers and the Conklins deal with what might be their last summer together.

3 stars

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N.Zapata
My daughter loves this book
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2025
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My daughter loves this book. She takes it with her to school. She reads it before bed. She also got her teacher and some of the other students in her class to read the same book. I can’t wait for her to finish so I can read it.

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Aubs
Great!
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2025
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My favorite book!! Great for teens.

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Mary
Love this series!
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
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🍉𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🍉
THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ⭐️
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: YA romance / coming of age
📖 276 pages
𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 💕💔🍉🌻☀️⛱️🎆

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦.

Boy was I late on TSITP #bookseries as a teen! I would’ve loooved it!! I watched season 1 last summer & became obsessed 😍 (ask me how many times I watched it 🤡) & just knew I needed to read the series before season 2 came enjoyed. TSITP captured the essence of a sweet, summer read. It's a story filled with nostalgia & first love, making it perfect for a light & easy summer escape. The characters were endearing, & I actually found myself rooting for #TeamJeremiah in book 1, but was 💯 #TeamConrad in @primevideo season 1.

The book's maturity level is more suitable for YA’s compared to the 1st season of the show, which is more mature & I definitely appreciated that in the show!

If you're in the mood for a cute & heartwarming summer tale, I highly recommend picking this one 🆙 It's a quick & enjoyable journey that you won't want to put down!
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
💕 first love
☀️ summer nostalgia
💜 coming of age
🤗 family
🔺 love triangles with brothers 🌶️

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Mary

Love this series!

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
🍉𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🍉
THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ⭐️
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: YA romance / coming of age
📖 276 pages
𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 💕💔🍉🌻☀️⛱️🎆

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦.

Boy was I late on TSITP #bookseries as a teen! I would’ve loooved it!! I watched season 1 last summer & became obsessed 😍 (ask me how many times I watched it 🤡) & just knew I needed to read the series before season 2 came enjoyed. TSITP captured the essence of a sweet, summer read. It's a story filled with nostalgia & first love, making it perfect for a light & easy summer escape. The characters were endearing, & I actually found myself rooting for #TeamJeremiah in book 1, but was 💯 #TeamConrad in @primevideo season 1.

The book's maturity level is more suitable for YA’s compared to the 1st season of the show, which is more mature & I definitely appreciated that in the show!

If you're in the mood for a cute & heartwarming summer tale, I highly recommend picking this one 🆙 It's a quick & enjoyable journey that you won't want to put down!
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
💕 first love
☀️ summer nostalgia
💜 coming of age
🤗 family
🔺 love triangles with brothers 🌶️

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Emma Cole
Love this book
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2025
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The book is so cute 5/5 ⭐️

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flavia
coinvolgente e scorrevole
Reviewed in Italy on September 27, 2023
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mi è piaciuto molto, è il primo libro in inglese che leggo e devo dire che il linguaggio non troppo difficile e scorrevole mi è stato utile nel leggere.
Lettura piacevole e coinvolgente soprattutto in estate.

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Jozef
Great
Reviewed in Belgium on August 19, 2024
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Good book for teen. I recommend as my daughter loves the author.

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Anna
Ew
Reviewed in Poland on November 26, 2022
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Did not like this

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Happymom
A GREAT BOOK
Reviewed in the United Arab Emirates on November 15, 2023
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My daughter enjoyed it so much .. it arrived in good condition.. the corner was a little bent though

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Ayeh
Cute for a summer read but too slow
Reviewed in Turkey on June 18, 2023
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It’s a ok book definitely better for younger readers around 12-14
A little boring for me, took a lot for a simple thing to happen I loved the second book in the series more tho (it’s not summer without you)

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The Summer I Turned Pretty Paperback – May 31, 2022

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5.0 out of 5 stars coinvolgente e scorrevole

5.0 out of 5 stars Great

1.0 out of 5 stars Ew

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT BOOK

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute for a summer read but too slow

coinvolgente e scorrevole

Great

Ew

A GREAT BOOK

Cute for a summer read but too slow