{Review} We'll always have summer by Jenny Han

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.

Title: We'll always have summer {Summer, book 3}

Author: Jenny Han

Publication: 26th April 2011

Publisher:   Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

288 pages

This review may be spoilery for the second book. This book is the third novel of a trilogy.

My review

We'll always have summer is the last installment to the Summer trilogy by Jenny Han. The last line of It's not summer without you was awful for my nerves, I couldn't wait, I had to know. That's why I've started this one immediately after finishing the second book.

The action takes place two years after It's not summer without you. Belly and Jeremiah have grown up, they are now together, in love and happy.  But sometimes life can be full of surprises.

Belly has growing up since the first book but she is still a bit immature and annoying at times. I really didn't agree at all with some of her decisions. I even found some of them quite silly, selfish and stupid. But as she's still quite young it was easy for me to relate to her and above all understand her and forgive her. I was really touched by the way she needs her mother.

In this third installment, we have Conrad's point of view - after Jeremiah's in book two. It was really interesting to have Conrad's opinion. These chapters enable us to understand him better and to finally know what he feels. I really loved those moments and they were perhaps my favorite ones. I found those passages really moving, and sometimes heartbreaking.

The writing is still smooth, pleasant and compelling. The plot is fast-paced and I read this book really quickly because I so wanted to know the ending. The feelings are very well described, We'll always have summer is a poignant and beautiful read. I think it was a perfect conclusion to an awesome serie.

To sum up, I loved this book and I loved the Summer trilogy. It was an awesome read, full of emotions, sweetness but also melancholia. Sometimes bittersweet, these books perfectly describe teenage years, first loves and the transition between childhood and adulthood. Overall, it was a brilliant trilogy and an amazing read. I will read Jenny Han's next books without a doubt and I really can't wait for them.

{Review} It's not summer without you by Jenny Han

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

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.

Title: It's not summer without you {Summer, book 2}

Author: Jenny Han

Publication: 24th April 2010

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

288 pages

This review may be spoilery for the first book. This book is the second novel of a trilogy.

My review

If you loved the first book of this trilogy you will love this one. For me it was even better. After reading The Summer I Turned Pretty, and as I had the three books at home, I was not able to wait. I had to start this one immediately. Not only did I want to read it, but I also needed it, I really couldn't wait - at all. I didn't even try to write my review of The Summer I Turned Pretty because I just wanted to read.

The first pages are really moving and if you're sensitive and emotional perhaps you should start thinking to have a box of tissues next to you. I was really touched and, even if I didn't cry, I found it heartbreaking.

At the beginning, Belly is still a bit childish and she's sometimes even nasty, but she has a lot to cope with and she is grieving and heartbroken. It's hard to judge as we don't know how we would react in the same situation. In It's not summer without you she is also growing up and evolving. Life isn't easy with her but she tries to be as strong as possible and to do her best.

In this second installment, we sometimes have Jeremiah's point of view. Indeed, some chapters are told by the young boy. I found it really interesting as they enable us to understand him better. It was a really nice addition to the story.

The writing is totally smooth and compelling. There is not a lot of action but Jenny Han kept me hooked all along. The emotions and feelings are very well-written and some moments are really heartbreaking for the reader, and obviously for the characters. It's not an action-packed novel but I nonetheless turned the pages frenetically in order to know what would happen next.

To sum up, I was utterly not disappointed in this sequel, it's brilliant and even better than the first one. I have to warn you, after reading the last line you are so going to want the sequel, We'll always have summer. Personally, I really couldn't wait, that's why I started it as soon as I had finished this one.

{Review} The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

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.

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty {Summer, book 1}

Author: Jenny Han

Publication: 5th May 2009

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

276 pages

This book is the first novel of a trilogy.

My review

Unlike a lot of people, I wasn't hooked from the first pages of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Until the last third of the book, I thought my review would mostly be negative. But then, approaching the end, I finally dived in the story and I was totally unable to put it down. Eventually, I was so in the story during the last third of this first installment that I read the three books in a row, in only two days. I didn't stop to write reviews, to catch my breath, I just read them because I so wanted to know what would happen next.

Belly is a great character, it was very easy for me to relate to her, as I was a bit like her. She's realistic and she's got real problems as every teenager. She has typical reactions for a 16-year-old girl who has grown up surrounded by three older boys, her brother and the two sons of her mother's best friend. She may seem annoying, immature and selfish but in fact she is just insecure and she just want to fit in. She's touching and we want to protect her, for me, she somehow epitomizes the little sister everyone may have. As for the boys, they couldn't be more different. I usually prefer dark and mysterious guys and Conrad was no exception.

The plot is a bit slow-paced especially at the beginning but it's totally necessary to the story and it never gets boring. Even if the action is quite slow it's never dull and The Summer I Turned Pretty is a touching read. It's a bitter-sweet book which deals with teenage years, every day life, first crush and first love. It may seem a bit shallow but this novel has also some inner depths.

The writing is smooth and pleasant. The descriptions are really well-written and it feels vivid and alive. It was really easy for me to visualize the scenery. I could easily imagine myself walking on the beach, along the ocean, under the sun. Between present and past, Belly tells us about her life, her summers and her memories. The flashbacks are relatively numerous and they enable us to have a better understanding of her history, her past and her relationship with the three boys.

To sum up, it was not love at first sight for me but the last third of the book kept me spellbound and compelled. As I've read the three books in a row I can already say that the first one is not my favorite, but it was nonetheless a great read. The ending will really make you want to read the next book It's not summer without you.