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Summer#3
We'll Always Have Summer
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction (2011)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.
291 pages, Hardcover
First published April 26, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44,034 reviews
June 2, 2013
Warning: This review will contain spoilers, and loads of swearing, so please proceed at your own risk. Also, this will be a really lengthy review, so please, bear with me.
Disclaimer: I do not intend to offend anyone with this review, including the author.
Actual rating: 1.5 stars (that 0.5 is for the ending.)
WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ?
If there was a rating system that rated books based on how much a book fucked you up. This one would deserve a million stars. No book has ever fucked me up so badly. I guess 290 pages of built-up frustration can do that to you. Part of me was mourning that this series ended. Part of me was so angry at how this book left me feeling cheated.
I thought I'd never say this, but I've nevereverfelt so frustrated and mad and hated a book so much. I thoughtThe 5th Wavewas already bad enough, but this book, THIS FUCKING BOOK, tops it all. After finishing this book, I was so FUCKING FRUSTRATED that I FUCKINGCRIED.I hereby tell you, this has nevereverhappened to me before. I've never cried because I hated a book so much. So here I am, typing this review out at 1 a.m. because I'm feeling so messed up and filled with rage, I really needed a place to get it all out. I have issues with EVERYTHING in this book. I really want to kill something or stab someone right now, preferably Belly or Jeremiah.
Let's start with the plot, shall we?
In the beginning of the book, she actually felt really different from the Belly we've known from the first two books, and in a good way. And I thought "Hey, Belly finally grew up and became a lot more mature, I think I might actually like her now." I mean, she's already in college and is finishing her freshman year, so she just has to be different from the clueless little girl right?WRONG.Not long after I finished that thought, something awful happened. She finds out that Jeremiah, her boyfriend right now, cheated on her. At first, she was all depressed that she ignored his calls and stuff like a normal person would do, and when she told him that she wanted to talk to him, I was like "Yay, just break up with him already, he's an ass!" Andthen,the unthinkable happened. Jeremiah apologized and heFUCKING PROPOSED.Now, now, I don't know about you, but you do NOT propose to someone just for the sake of making up to her. Especially after she just found out you cheated on her. As if that wasn't bad enough, you know what she fucking did?SHE FUCKING ACCEPTED.I, personally, would nevereveraccept someone's proposal after he FUCKING CHEATED. Although he did apologized and promised not to do it again,so what?A promise and an apology is not fucking enough. Did she lose her fucking mind? Is she fucking nuts? And here I thought she was just naive. Because, apparently, SHE IS MOTHER FUCKING BRAINLESS. Also, what's with the rash decision? If you really do love him after everything he's done to you, fine, marry him. But can't you at least think it through? Or maybe wait a little longer and see if everything worked out,thenmake a decision?Marriage is supposed to be a really big deal, it's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. I've never ever heard someone who accepted a proposalrightafter she found out he cheated. Belly and Jeremiah are both fuckingtwisted,I tell you. This is fucking ridiculous.
If that wasn't worse enough, this is the thing that pissed me off the most. Okay, so, I can forgive you for all that, maybe you're just too wrecked to be rational. But this, I cannot. So, after they made that stupid decision, they announced their engagement to their family and friends. Everyone was startled. And everyone disagreed on it because you just DON'T get married in college. And I thought "Good, maybe they can finally see some sense." But no, that did not fucking happen. Practically EVERYONE tried to talk them out of it, but they just wouldn'tlisten,they even got all pissed at their family because they're not being supportive and all. Reality check:You do NOT get married at the age of 19 and expect that your family will support you,if they do, they're as twisted as you are. Throughout the book, I was constantly hoping Belly would justwake upand snap out of it. She never fucking did. I really thought she was better than this. Jeremiah, too.
Despite all that, the book was focused on the marriage. Nothing fucking happened. I wasted my precious time on reading about Belly planning out the wedding, shopping for a dress, buying vases...etc., all of which I have no interest in. Maybe I am biased, but all I wanted was for Con and Belly to just get together. You know when Conrad finally showed up? About halfway. And you know what the story before he showed up was about? Boring college life and stupid marriage planning. UGH. Okay, but at least Conrad showed up right? NO. After Conrad showed up, the story was still fucking boring, and it was still about the fucking marriage. And then came the chapter when Con finally confessed his love. You know what Belly did? She fucking ran away and told Jeremiah about this. Then, Jeremiah just had to act all pissed off and demand if she was hiding anything, if she still had feelings for Con...etc., Belly admitted and Jeremiah said something like "I've known all along" and just fucking ran away the night before the wedding. Let's stop right there. I have issues with this. So, if Jeremiah knew about that all along, WHY DID HE FUCKING ASK HER TO MARRY HIM? If he doesn't care, then why run away? It doesn't fucking make sense. This getting married thing was HIS OWN FUCKING IDEA. So why continue this twisted relationship if you were so pissed off about that? God, I don't fucking understand the logic behind all this. Okay, so let's continue. On the wedding day, Jeremiah was still gone, so Con went to look for him and stuff. He did come back in the end. And Belly and Jeremiah FINALLY started doubting this entire ridiculous idea. Then, there was a conversation that went a little like this.
"I thought I could do this, but I can't." Jere said.
"What? Marry me? Okay, maybe you're right. It's all too crazy right now. We won't get married today. We'll just move in to that apartment first." Belly said.
"I can't, not until you look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love Con."
"Jere, I love you."
"What I'm asking is, do you love him, too?"
"Yes. But he's not the one I choose. I choose you, Jere."
"That's not enough. I don't just want a part of you. I want all of you... You haven't let him go. The worse part is, I knew you haven't but I still asked you to marry me."
Yeah, so basically, Belly never really realized her mistake. It was Jeremiah who called it off. And then went the vague mention that they didn't get married that day. Then BOOM, Conrad and Belly's wedding day. We didn't even get to see the actual wedding, only after they got married and went to Cousins beach. And then, suddenly, the book is over. Just like that. Now, can you imagine how freaking pissed I was? I was looking forward to the Conrad-Belly scene, and after 290 pages of crap, I finally got it ON THE LAST FUCKING PAGE, then the book just fucking ended. I really can't believe how I kept waiting for the book to redeem itself, and when it finally did, it fucking ended! I felt soMOTHER FUCKING CHEATED.I had to repeatedly go over the last page to calm myself. I have to admit, that last tiny page was romantic, but it doesn't mean it can make up for 290 pages of frustration. Now, can you see how fucking twisted this whole book is? God, I want to fucking punch someone.
Here's another issue. Constantly, I felt like I skipped a HUGE chunk of the book or something. I couldn't connect it to the first two books. Like how come Conrad bought Belly that necklace if that night on her porch hadn't even happened? And, last time I checked, Belly was still crazily in love with Con, so why claim that she's over him? Also, a lot of things were left unexplained. I kept wanting to know why Conrad would just break up with her like that at prom if he supposedly loved her so much, why he and his dad got back on good terms, and why he was with Aubrey at the funeral. But those were never explained.
Now, the characters.
Belly:
Like I said, SHE DOESN'T HAVE A BRAIN! I bet her IQ is like, zero. She's just so immature, I really can't stand her. She must be the most stupid and shallow main character I've ever met. She made me feel all frustrated, I've never ever wanted to strangle someone so badly. I wish she could just die. I'd rather not waste my time on her.
Jeremiah:
He is the only character I hated more than Belly. He is fucking brainless and immature and shallow, just like Belly, but worse. While Belly still *maybe* has some redeemable qualities, all this guy does is stupid shit. He cheated on her just because they had a fight. He mother fucking proposed to her after. When Belly was doing the marriage planning, he was doing nothing. Every time Belly asks him to help her, he always arrives late. He's a fucking jealous shit. He always makes these stupid ideas that bothered Belly. ( I don't get why Belly still *loves* him so much after all that.) He only cares about his fraternity. All he can do is use his fucking smile and innocent face to ask people to do stuff for him. GOD DAMN IT!I HATED HIM!I also don't get the drastic change of characteristic. He was a pretty nice guy in the second book, so what the fuck happened to him?
Conrad:
As you can tell, I loved him in the second book. He's dark, thoughtful, reliable. He's just pure amazing. But in this book? He was just...okay. I have no idea why. I just...didn't like him as much, it's really sad, because he's such an amazing character.
"I go wherever you go."
Taylor:
I'm happy to say, Taylor IMPROVED! Woohoo! She's still shallow but she became supportive of Belly, instead of that shitty friend we met in the first two books. She's the only character I liked more, so YEAH! I'm glad!
There are a lot more characters in this book, but since no one's special, I don't want to bother. (Just FYI, her mom's still amazing, but I liked her more in the second book.)
Next up, my emotions:
1st stage: Anger
To be honest, I've never wanted to smack a book so bad. Unfortunately, I read it on my phone, or I would've jumped on it and smacked it repeatedly on my wall.
2nd stage: Depression
I really wasn't expecting this. The anger only lasted like 10 minutes, then I just started crying. There was this heavy weight in my chest that I just couldn't shake off. This has never happened to me before. I never thought you could cry of frustration. This lasted like 12 hours.
3rd stage: Lost
I had this pouty expression on my face the whole day. And I felt so lost. I just couldn't believe everything ended like that. I started mourning how the series ended so abruptly, I felt so...sad. And I kept on reading the last page over and over while listening to sad music and crying.
So, now you can see how messed up this is? I'm fine right now, though! *winks*
Anyway, I expected so much after finishingIt's Not Summer Without you.I really thought this one would be the best book in the series. I'm still trying really hard not to tear up again while typing this all out. This was such a HUGE disappointment. I feel soCHEATEDand all messed up. It seriously feels like my boyfriend just broke up with me or something. I think it might take me some time to really calm down and get over this book.
Lastly I just want to say:
Thanks for messing up my feelings, book.
Thic is quite ironic, but I miss this series. (This book, not so much, only the last page.)
Disclaimer: I do not intend to offend anyone with this review, including the author.
Actual rating: 1.5 stars (that 0.5 is for the ending.)
WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ?
If there was a rating system that rated books based on how much a book fucked you up. This one would deserve a million stars. No book has ever fucked me up so badly. I guess 290 pages of built-up frustration can do that to you. Part of me was mourning that this series ended. Part of me was so angry at how this book left me feeling cheated.
I thought I'd never say this, but I've nevereverfelt so frustrated and mad and hated a book so much. I thoughtThe 5th Wavewas already bad enough, but this book, THIS FUCKING BOOK, tops it all. After finishing this book, I was so FUCKING FRUSTRATED that I FUCKINGCRIED.I hereby tell you, this has nevereverhappened to me before. I've never cried because I hated a book so much. So here I am, typing this review out at 1 a.m. because I'm feeling so messed up and filled with rage, I really needed a place to get it all out. I have issues with EVERYTHING in this book. I really want to kill something or stab someone right now, preferably Belly or Jeremiah.
Let's start with the plot, shall we?
In the beginning of the book, she actually felt really different from the Belly we've known from the first two books, and in a good way. And I thought "Hey, Belly finally grew up and became a lot more mature, I think I might actually like her now." I mean, she's already in college and is finishing her freshman year, so she just has to be different from the clueless little girl right?WRONG.Not long after I finished that thought, something awful happened. She finds out that Jeremiah, her boyfriend right now, cheated on her. At first, she was all depressed that she ignored his calls and stuff like a normal person would do, and when she told him that she wanted to talk to him, I was like "Yay, just break up with him already, he's an ass!" Andthen,the unthinkable happened. Jeremiah apologized and heFUCKING PROPOSED.Now, now, I don't know about you, but you do NOT propose to someone just for the sake of making up to her. Especially after she just found out you cheated on her. As if that wasn't bad enough, you know what she fucking did?SHE FUCKING ACCEPTED.I, personally, would nevereveraccept someone's proposal after he FUCKING CHEATED. Although he did apologized and promised not to do it again,so what?A promise and an apology is not fucking enough. Did she lose her fucking mind? Is she fucking nuts? And here I thought she was just naive. Because, apparently, SHE IS MOTHER FUCKING BRAINLESS. Also, what's with the rash decision? If you really do love him after everything he's done to you, fine, marry him. But can't you at least think it through? Or maybe wait a little longer and see if everything worked out,thenmake a decision?Marriage is supposed to be a really big deal, it's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. I've never ever heard someone who accepted a proposalrightafter she found out he cheated. Belly and Jeremiah are both fuckingtwisted,I tell you. This is fucking ridiculous.
If that wasn't worse enough, this is the thing that pissed me off the most. Okay, so, I can forgive you for all that, maybe you're just too wrecked to be rational. But this, I cannot. So, after they made that stupid decision, they announced their engagement to their family and friends. Everyone was startled. And everyone disagreed on it because you just DON'T get married in college. And I thought "Good, maybe they can finally see some sense." But no, that did not fucking happen. Practically EVERYONE tried to talk them out of it, but they just wouldn'tlisten,they even got all pissed at their family because they're not being supportive and all. Reality check:You do NOT get married at the age of 19 and expect that your family will support you,if they do, they're as twisted as you are. Throughout the book, I was constantly hoping Belly would justwake upand snap out of it. She never fucking did. I really thought she was better than this. Jeremiah, too.
Despite all that, the book was focused on the marriage. Nothing fucking happened. I wasted my precious time on reading about Belly planning out the wedding, shopping for a dress, buying vases...etc., all of which I have no interest in. Maybe I am biased, but all I wanted was for Con and Belly to just get together. You know when Conrad finally showed up? About halfway. And you know what the story before he showed up was about? Boring college life and stupid marriage planning. UGH. Okay, but at least Conrad showed up right? NO. After Conrad showed up, the story was still fucking boring, and it was still about the fucking marriage. And then came the chapter when Con finally confessed his love. You know what Belly did? She fucking ran away and told Jeremiah about this. Then, Jeremiah just had to act all pissed off and demand if she was hiding anything, if she still had feelings for Con...etc., Belly admitted and Jeremiah said something like "I've known all along" and just fucking ran away the night before the wedding. Let's stop right there. I have issues with this. So, if Jeremiah knew about that all along, WHY DID HE FUCKING ASK HER TO MARRY HIM? If he doesn't care, then why run away? It doesn't fucking make sense. This getting married thing was HIS OWN FUCKING IDEA. So why continue this twisted relationship if you were so pissed off about that? God, I don't fucking understand the logic behind all this. Okay, so let's continue. On the wedding day, Jeremiah was still gone, so Con went to look for him and stuff. He did come back in the end. And Belly and Jeremiah FINALLY started doubting this entire ridiculous idea. Then, there was a conversation that went a little like this.
"I thought I could do this, but I can't." Jere said.
"What? Marry me? Okay, maybe you're right. It's all too crazy right now. We won't get married today. We'll just move in to that apartment first." Belly said.
"I can't, not until you look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love Con."
"Jere, I love you."
"What I'm asking is, do you love him, too?"
"Yes. But he's not the one I choose. I choose you, Jere."
"That's not enough. I don't just want a part of you. I want all of you... You haven't let him go. The worse part is, I knew you haven't but I still asked you to marry me."
Yeah, so basically, Belly never really realized her mistake. It was Jeremiah who called it off. And then went the vague mention that they didn't get married that day. Then BOOM, Conrad and Belly's wedding day. We didn't even get to see the actual wedding, only after they got married and went to Cousins beach. And then, suddenly, the book is over. Just like that. Now, can you imagine how freaking pissed I was? I was looking forward to the Conrad-Belly scene, and after 290 pages of crap, I finally got it ON THE LAST FUCKING PAGE, then the book just fucking ended. I really can't believe how I kept waiting for the book to redeem itself, and when it finally did, it fucking ended! I felt soMOTHER FUCKING CHEATED.I had to repeatedly go over the last page to calm myself. I have to admit, that last tiny page was romantic, but it doesn't mean it can make up for 290 pages of frustration. Now, can you see how fucking twisted this whole book is? God, I want to fucking punch someone.
Here's another issue. Constantly, I felt like I skipped a HUGE chunk of the book or something. I couldn't connect it to the first two books. Like how come Conrad bought Belly that necklace if that night on her porch hadn't even happened? And, last time I checked, Belly was still crazily in love with Con, so why claim that she's over him? Also, a lot of things were left unexplained. I kept wanting to know why Conrad would just break up with her like that at prom if he supposedly loved her so much, why he and his dad got back on good terms, and why he was with Aubrey at the funeral. But those were never explained.
Now, the characters.
Belly:
Like I said, SHE DOESN'T HAVE A BRAIN! I bet her IQ is like, zero. She's just so immature, I really can't stand her. She must be the most stupid and shallow main character I've ever met. She made me feel all frustrated, I've never ever wanted to strangle someone so badly. I wish she could just die. I'd rather not waste my time on her.
Jeremiah:
He is the only character I hated more than Belly. He is fucking brainless and immature and shallow, just like Belly, but worse. While Belly still *maybe* has some redeemable qualities, all this guy does is stupid shit. He cheated on her just because they had a fight. He mother fucking proposed to her after. When Belly was doing the marriage planning, he was doing nothing. Every time Belly asks him to help her, he always arrives late. He's a fucking jealous shit. He always makes these stupid ideas that bothered Belly. ( I don't get why Belly still *loves* him so much after all that.) He only cares about his fraternity. All he can do is use his fucking smile and innocent face to ask people to do stuff for him. GOD DAMN IT!I HATED HIM!I also don't get the drastic change of characteristic. He was a pretty nice guy in the second book, so what the fuck happened to him?
Conrad:
As you can tell, I loved him in the second book. He's dark, thoughtful, reliable. He's just pure amazing. But in this book? He was just...okay. I have no idea why. I just...didn't like him as much, it's really sad, because he's such an amazing character.
"I go wherever you go."
Taylor:
I'm happy to say, Taylor IMPROVED! Woohoo! She's still shallow but she became supportive of Belly, instead of that shitty friend we met in the first two books. She's the only character I liked more, so YEAH! I'm glad!
There are a lot more characters in this book, but since no one's special, I don't want to bother. (Just FYI, her mom's still amazing, but I liked her more in the second book.)
Next up, my emotions:
1st stage: Anger
To be honest, I've never wanted to smack a book so bad. Unfortunately, I read it on my phone, or I would've jumped on it and smacked it repeatedly on my wall.
2nd stage: Depression
I really wasn't expecting this. The anger only lasted like 10 minutes, then I just started crying. There was this heavy weight in my chest that I just couldn't shake off. This has never happened to me before. I never thought you could cry of frustration. This lasted like 12 hours.
3rd stage: Lost
I had this pouty expression on my face the whole day. And I felt so lost. I just couldn't believe everything ended like that. I started mourning how the series ended so abruptly, I felt so...sad. And I kept on reading the last page over and over while listening to sad music and crying.
So, now you can see how messed up this is? I'm fine right now, though! *winks*
Anyway, I expected so much after finishingIt's Not Summer Without you.I really thought this one would be the best book in the series. I'm still trying really hard not to tear up again while typing this all out. This was such a HUGE disappointment. I feel soCHEATEDand all messed up. It seriously feels like my boyfriend just broke up with me or something. I think it might take me some time to really calm down and get over this book.
Lastly I just want to say:
Thanks for messing up my feelings, book.
Thic is quite ironic, but I miss this series. (This book, not so much, only the last page.)
May 26, 2011
I have immensely enjoyed the first two books in Jenny Han's Summer Series. They are a bit fluffy and full of ANGST and DRAMA and produce the occasional 'eye-rolling moment from me ~ but they are also charming and nostalgic and summer-y and somehow authentic to the teen voice. I found them utterly compelling and deliciously addictive curl-up-in-the-sun summer goodness. Good times.
I was absolutely hanging out for the third and final instalment. Especially thrilled with the characters having aged and it being more in the upper YA spectrum that I so loved (with college-aged protags)
Rave reviews of this book did not prepare me for the train wreck experience of reading it.
As a reader I do not appreciate being manipulated by an author into feeling one way or another about certain characters. I prefer characters to be written with authenticity and subtlety and being drawn into a story and being allowed to make up my own mind about how I feel.
I can handle characters behaving badly (I LOVE you Tom Mackee!), however, this story was completely biased. One character was continually showed as flawed, the other either had his flaws romanticised into strengths or, in most cases, shown to be continually superior with no flaws.
It was a recurring theme even in minor circumstances, eg: character A is messy, can't cook and liked drinking. Oh! but character B is so tidy, a healthy cook and displays mature drinking habits. It actually felt patronising to me as a reader.
I did not feel annoyed at the characters. I felt annoyed at the author who wrote with such an obvious bias. Who took a charismatic character and turned him into a bland douche with no stage presence at all so that her readers would all sway to her POV and guarantee a satisfying ending. I felt Han compromised her characters for the sake of a contrived plot.
The plot itself didn't have a lot of heart.
Belly herself did not even seem excited about her choices so I am wondering why she made them and why she stuck to them when they were creating such havoc on her relationship with her mum and adding stresses to her life. It did not make sense.
For a novel that deals with a character becoming engaged and approaching their own wedding, it was decidedly unromantic with no tingles of wedding-bell anticipation. Han has proved in earlier work that she can create nostalgia and magic and you think a wedding themed book would be a sparkling setting for her to show-case her talents. Instead it felt weary and dogmatic and contrived: it seemed the main event of the novel was there as a way to add (forced) conflict rather than as a character-driven choice.
There was a lack of swoon for a book that is billed as a romance. Belly wasn't swooning and neither was I. Which is a shame as Han has previously showed she is a master at creating just the amount of lovely-sighing-tingly-swoon.
As for the final ending of the trilogy: it ended how I wanted it to end (I had been hoping for that outcome since book #1). However, by the time it did end I found I had somehow become so disengaged that it was all rather anti-climatic for me.
I do not know how such a promising series stretched out to become such a mess. I am wondering if the author cares for her characters or just used them as pawns to create a (lacklustre and predictable) drama.
I am also feeling out on a limb here amongst so many rave reviews. It's been exhausting. I need someone to commiserate with. I need a massage and nice strong drink.
(I can't say I really like this one ~ but 2 stars for old-times sake) EDIT: the more I think about this book the more it annoys me. I'm going with my rarely given 1 star rating 'I didn't like it'
I was absolutely hanging out for the third and final instalment. Especially thrilled with the characters having aged and it being more in the upper YA spectrum that I so loved (with college-aged protags)
Rave reviews of this book did not prepare me for the train wreck experience of reading it.
As a reader I do not appreciate being manipulated by an author into feeling one way or another about certain characters. I prefer characters to be written with authenticity and subtlety and being drawn into a story and being allowed to make up my own mind about how I feel.
I can handle characters behaving badly (I LOVE you Tom Mackee!), however, this story was completely biased. One character was continually showed as flawed, the other either had his flaws romanticised into strengths or, in most cases, shown to be continually superior with no flaws.
It was a recurring theme even in minor circumstances, eg: character A is messy, can't cook and liked drinking. Oh! but character B is so tidy, a healthy cook and displays mature drinking habits. It actually felt patronising to me as a reader.
I did not feel annoyed at the characters. I felt annoyed at the author who wrote with such an obvious bias. Who took a charismatic character and turned him into a bland douche with no stage presence at all so that her readers would all sway to her POV and guarantee a satisfying ending. I felt Han compromised her characters for the sake of a contrived plot.
The plot itself didn't have a lot of heart.
Belly herself did not even seem excited about her choices so I am wondering why she made them and why she stuck to them when they were creating such havoc on her relationship with her mum and adding stresses to her life. It did not make sense.
For a novel that deals with a character becoming engaged and approaching their own wedding, it was decidedly unromantic with no tingles of wedding-bell anticipation. Han has proved in earlier work that she can create nostalgia and magic and you think a wedding themed book would be a sparkling setting for her to show-case her talents. Instead it felt weary and dogmatic and contrived: it seemed the main event of the novel was there as a way to add (forced) conflict rather than as a character-driven choice.
There was a lack of swoon for a book that is billed as a romance. Belly wasn't swooning and neither was I. Which is a shame as Han has previously showed she is a master at creating just the amount of lovely-sighing-tingly-swoon.
As for the final ending of the trilogy: it ended how I wanted it to end (I had been hoping for that outcome since book #1). However, by the time it did end I found I had somehow become so disengaged that it was all rather anti-climatic for me.
I do not know how such a promising series stretched out to become such a mess. I am wondering if the author cares for her characters or just used them as pawns to create a (lacklustre and predictable) drama.
I am also feeling out on a limb here amongst so many rave reviews. It's been exhausting. I need someone to commiserate with. I need a massage and nice strong drink.
(I can't say I really like this one ~ but 2 stars for old-times sake) EDIT: the more I think about this book the more it annoys me. I'm going with my rarely given 1 star rating 'I didn't like it'
August 10, 2023
justice for jeremiah's character arc
Read
June 22, 2022the decisions made in this book are truly enough to classify it in the horror genre.
July 30, 2022
FINALLY FREE OF THIS SERIES, GOD BLESS 🙏
November 4, 2018
All I can think to say is that I loved it. I cried more times than I'd like to admit reading this book. Susannah always knew who Belly would marry. If only Susannah had known how she would get there! This book started out STRONG. And I mean chest clenching, life altering strong. I've never smiled and cried so much in my life.
July 10, 2022
no offense but this book seems as if it was written by a 12 year old girl
May 8, 2022
okay. wtf happened in this book? how did we go from a character being sweet and lovable to him being A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON?? also the time jump? why did you do MEEE LIKE THAT DAMN. not me waiting 3 books for something to happen, and then when it happens.. YOU DONT SHOW ME??? help.
I had such a fun time reading this trilogy, and I still liked this book a lot. But it felt like the author was so bias? idk. the whole plot threw me off so decent. like I said, still loved it hence the 4 stars.. there were just some things that I could’ve done without.
I remain team Conrad till the end tho 🤭
“We didn’t know what was ahead of us then. We were just two teenagers looking up at the sky on a cold February night. So no, he didn’t give me flowers or candy. He gave me the moon & the stars, infinity.” <3
I had such a fun time reading this trilogy, and I still liked this book a lot. But it felt like the author was so bias? idk. the whole plot threw me off so decent. like I said, still loved it hence the 4 stars.. there were just some things that I could’ve done without.
I remain team Conrad till the end tho 🤭
“We didn’t know what was ahead of us then. We were just two teenagers looking up at the sky on a cold February night. So no, he didn’t give me flowers or candy. He gave me the moon & the stars, infinity.” <3
July 9, 2012
Once upon a time I watched a movie calledHow To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.I spent most of the movie with my head cocked to the side wondering why the fuck I was supposed to care about these characters. Girl wants to write an article about how to mess up a relationship and do it all to this guy. Guy wants to win a bet and get a promotion or something at work based on his ability to make a girl love him. The movie felt neither romantic nor comedic for me. I thought the main characters were both creeps who only deserved a relationship with each other to spare other people from them -- and as you may have guessed that's exactly how I feel about the characters in Jenny Han's Summer series.
Han is not untalented. There are passages, even chapters, filled with lovely writing full of nostalgia for childhood and summer. Unfortunately, a book cannot ride on a few passages of lovely writing. For me, a book rides on characters and all of the character's in Han's book are essentially assholes. They're all meant to be something better than that, but Han lacks the skill as a writer to do little more than attempt to paint an asshole with a can of paint labeled "cute." I really wish someone would actually own the fact that their characters are jackasses instead of dressing them into something they're not. Maybe if Han had embraced her severely flawed characters instead of covering them up I could have liked the book a great deal more.
Belly: I wish I could say I wanted to slap her, but I just stopped caring about her altogether after the second book. The two boys she's trapped between pick and chose who she's going to be with like she's the last piece of chicken at dinner. She plays right into their hands. One brother is done with her -- never mind she'll kiss the other and it'll be groundbreaking and earth shattering for the next fifteen minutes or so, which is just enough time to justify her switching boys but not enough time to completely kill the love triangle!
Belly is selfish and childish through the whole series although she allegedly grows up -- I don't know where. I missed that shit. Her relationships with other people seem to be based around what they can do for her or her feelings of superiority to them. Boring, shallow, and not the brightest lightning bug in the jar.
Jeremiah: His characters was amazingly flexible based on whatever plot point Han needed to accomplish. He was either Belly's tenderhearted summer buddy or just another boy who constantly ignored her. He was Belly's white knight or some turd who cheated on her during spring break. It was astonishingly inconsistent writing, but that doesn't matter because he wasn't the big love interest and who cares if his character was sacrificed to make that happen.
Conrad: I don't even know where to begin. He's another one who morphed with the plot of the book, although his personality changes weren't so epic as Jeremiah's. He sacrifices his relationship with Belly when he's eighteen because his mother asked him to take care of his brothers, but somehow that no longer matters two years later after barely seeing or speaking to Belly (while dating other people himself) and now he suddenly can't handle the idea of them being together. In a letter his mother claims the only time she ever saw Conrad in love was with Belly. Of course, he treated her like crap the entire time and that's totally the definition of love.
The Summer series is dedicated to a romance that happens on the last page and mostly off screen. We get the misunderstandings and the characters with the wrong people without ever actually having them together or seeing them come together in any real way. All the important notes were aimed for and missed.
The books were inconsistent at best and mostly just ridiculous. I don't know why people feed girls the idea guys like Conrad are somehow more romantic. I will never freaking get it. Interrupting someone's wedding is a movie fantasy and in real life it's the opposite of an expression of love. If ANYONE takes that long to tell you they love you in real life, trust me, they don't love you. The guy who comes chasing after you the moment you really move on is not worth your time.
Han is not untalented. There are passages, even chapters, filled with lovely writing full of nostalgia for childhood and summer. Unfortunately, a book cannot ride on a few passages of lovely writing. For me, a book rides on characters and all of the character's in Han's book are essentially assholes. They're all meant to be something better than that, but Han lacks the skill as a writer to do little more than attempt to paint an asshole with a can of paint labeled "cute." I really wish someone would actually own the fact that their characters are jackasses instead of dressing them into something they're not. Maybe if Han had embraced her severely flawed characters instead of covering them up I could have liked the book a great deal more.
Belly: I wish I could say I wanted to slap her, but I just stopped caring about her altogether after the second book. The two boys she's trapped between pick and chose who she's going to be with like she's the last piece of chicken at dinner. She plays right into their hands. One brother is done with her -- never mind she'll kiss the other and it'll be groundbreaking and earth shattering for the next fifteen minutes or so, which is just enough time to justify her switching boys but not enough time to completely kill the love triangle!
Belly is selfish and childish through the whole series although she allegedly grows up -- I don't know where. I missed that shit. Her relationships with other people seem to be based around what they can do for her or her feelings of superiority to them. Boring, shallow, and not the brightest lightning bug in the jar.
Jeremiah: His characters was amazingly flexible based on whatever plot point Han needed to accomplish. He was either Belly's tenderhearted summer buddy or just another boy who constantly ignored her. He was Belly's white knight or some turd who cheated on her during spring break. It was astonishingly inconsistent writing, but that doesn't matter because he wasn't the big love interest and who cares if his character was sacrificed to make that happen.
Conrad: I don't even know where to begin. He's another one who morphed with the plot of the book, although his personality changes weren't so epic as Jeremiah's. He sacrifices his relationship with Belly when he's eighteen because his mother asked him to take care of his brothers, but somehow that no longer matters two years later after barely seeing or speaking to Belly (while dating other people himself) and now he suddenly can't handle the idea of them being together. In a letter his mother claims the only time she ever saw Conrad in love was with Belly. Of course, he treated her like crap the entire time and that's totally the definition of love.
The Summer series is dedicated to a romance that happens on the last page and mostly off screen. We get the misunderstandings and the characters with the wrong people without ever actually having them together or seeing them come together in any real way. All the important notes were aimed for and missed.
The books were inconsistent at best and mostly just ridiculous. I don't know why people feed girls the idea guys like Conrad are somehow more romantic. I will never freaking get it. Interrupting someone's wedding is a movie fantasy and in real life it's the opposite of an expression of love. If ANYONE takes that long to tell you they love you in real life, trust me, they don't love you. The guy who comes chasing after you the moment you really move on is not worth your time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2017
OH MY GOD ITS OVER
HALLELUJAH
i did not find the redemption i was hoping for but i found the happiness in the ending (i.e., that it was over)
HALLELUJAH
i did not find the redemption i was hoping for but i found the happiness in the ending (i.e., that it was over)
April 15, 2023
— 3 stars ✰
can we talk about how everyone acted SO out of character in this book? also where did the fucking time jump come from? the ending was lazy and shit but this was the "best" book out of the series
can we talk about how everyone acted SO out of character in this book? also where did the fucking time jump come from? the ending was lazy and shit but this was the "best" book out of the series
June 10, 2022
2.5 stars!! Wow I have THOUGHTS on this book. Overall I still really really love this series but I was a bit let down by this last book:( I won't be including any spoilers in this review but if you haven't read this book yet, I would suggest not reading my review until after you read the book because I would hate for my frustration with this book to bias your reading experience!!
Alright here are my spoiler free thoughts... This book just lost that magical nostalgic summer vibes for me that the other two books have. I totally understand that the characters have to grow up and that their summers won't always be the same as when they were kids, but I also didn't feel like the characters had much character growth and maturity considering they're in college in this book. Belly has always been a flawed character. I love flawed characters! But I was hoping that by this third book we could have seen some growth in Belly. I felt like the opposite happened. In this book Belly and the other characters decisions felt rash and extremely NOT well thought out. I found myself disliking the characters in this book for the first time in the trilogy.
I also felt like the ending was SUPER rushed. The last page of the book was exactly what I was looking for to wrap up the book but I wish that last page was at least a few chapters. After investing in 3 books I don't want a one page epilogue.
I will say though that this book was far from boring. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and read the book in less that 24 hours. 1.5 stars for incredible writing and the second star is for the epilogue.
If you've made it this far thank you for reading my rant 😅 I'm still really excited for the tv series and I would still recommend that people read this series. The Summer I Turned Pretty series will always have a special place in my heart despite the fact that I found this third book very frustrating.
Alright here are my spoiler free thoughts... This book just lost that magical nostalgic summer vibes for me that the other two books have. I totally understand that the characters have to grow up and that their summers won't always be the same as when they were kids, but I also didn't feel like the characters had much character growth and maturity considering they're in college in this book. Belly has always been a flawed character. I love flawed characters! But I was hoping that by this third book we could have seen some growth in Belly. I felt like the opposite happened. In this book Belly and the other characters decisions felt rash and extremely NOT well thought out. I found myself disliking the characters in this book for the first time in the trilogy.
I also felt like the ending was SUPER rushed. The last page of the book was exactly what I was looking for to wrap up the book but I wish that last page was at least a few chapters. After investing in 3 books I don't want a one page epilogue.
I will say though that this book was far from boring. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and read the book in less that 24 hours. 1.5 stars for incredible writing and the second star is for the epilogue.
If you've made it this far thank you for reading my rant 😅 I'm still really excited for the tv series and I would still recommend that people read this series. The Summer I Turned Pretty series will always have a special place in my heart despite the fact that I found this third book very frustrating.
October 5, 2022
This was, BY FAR, the Worst.Book.I.Have.Ever.Read.
SO BAD. SO PAINFULLY BAD. AWFUL IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.
THIS.IS.PURE.TORTURE.
I HATE BELLY. I HATE CONRAD. I HATE JEREMIAH. I HATE EVERYONE.
SO BAD. SO PAINFULLY BAD. AWFUL IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.
THIS.IS.PURE.TORTURE.
I HATE BELLY. I HATE CONRAD. I HATE JEREMIAH. I HATE EVERYONE.
September 21, 2023
am i a victim of the 2013 wattpad brooding brunette boys who secretly are in love with the main girl agenda? absolutely.
am i still team conrad after all these years? absolutely.
you can take me out of wattpad but you can't take the wattpad out of me.
am i still team conrad after all these years? absolutely.
you can take me out of wattpad but you can't take the wattpad out of me.
August 3, 2022
THIS IS THE SERIES YOU ARE ALL OBSESSING OVER?
October 26, 2011
Rating: 1.5
I feel so let down by this book.
Let's get one thing straight. It was definitely the weakest out of the three.
Belly has finally matured, and it has been truly wonderful seeing Belly transition from a young girl to the lady she is today. I feel like I grew up with her. And that makes her a little extra special for me. Meanwhile, we finally get to see things from Conrad' POV! Finally!!
But there is a BIG problem. We all know Conrad is the bad boy typical douche. We know he's wronged Belly and been a complete prick, whilst Jeremiah always the gentleman eventually swept her of her feet. So what changes? Well, this is where I get angry. I felt like the majority of the book was spent telling us how bad Jeremiah had fucked up by turning him into a jerk, whilst, on the other hand, Conrad was made into this poor, misunderstood boy who had been this hero all along.
Really?
I knew what what going on from the get - go, and I suppose, I had reason to be worried. I just wish that things didn't have to end this way. I expected more from a series that had been genuine, lovely and swoon - worthy from the very beginning. A series that contained one of the most favoured triangles to date. Not only did I feel manipulated, but there was no swooning! This is horrible because something VERY IMPORTANT happens towards the end, but I didn't feel particularly happy. There is so much drama and confusion, that swooning is the last thing on your mind.
And girls, what is the summer series without the swoon?
I've re - read this since the first time and had time to really think things over. And although the pace is crazy fast and the book engrossing like its predecessors', I just felt so let down.
I have always had a soft spot for both boys - no matter how sweet or mean they tended to be at times. I adored Belly no mater how much she pissed me off. What I'm trying to say is, it would have been ok to have stayed true to yourself. To have allowed Belly to have fallen for whoever - just as long as you hadn't changed the boys so drastically. Don't you see? We loved the three of them regardless. You didn't have to basically play switch with both of the boys, so that Belly could pick the other. I feel like she thought we couldn't handle who she would pick, so she she just decided to completely change them - as if to soften the blow. What bothers me is that I feel not only did she underestimate her readers, but almost mocked us.
You can't face the truth, so let me shift things around.
I guess what I'm trying to say is. You didn't have to do it. I want you to know that I loved them regardless. And even if I didn't, I would have wanted you to follow your heart and allow Belly to pick who she wanted - no mater what their flaws. We would have accepted them anyway. I would have.
I feel so let down by this book.
Let's get one thing straight. It was definitely the weakest out of the three.
Belly has finally matured, and it has been truly wonderful seeing Belly transition from a young girl to the lady she is today. I feel like I grew up with her. And that makes her a little extra special for me. Meanwhile, we finally get to see things from Conrad' POV! Finally!!
But there is a BIG problem. We all know Conrad is the bad boy typical douche. We know he's wronged Belly and been a complete prick, whilst Jeremiah always the gentleman eventually swept her of her feet. So what changes? Well, this is where I get angry. I felt like the majority of the book was spent telling us how bad Jeremiah had fucked up by turning him into a jerk, whilst, on the other hand, Conrad was made into this poor, misunderstood boy who had been this hero all along.
Really?
I knew what what going on from the get - go, and I suppose, I had reason to be worried. I just wish that things didn't have to end this way. I expected more from a series that had been genuine, lovely and swoon - worthy from the very beginning. A series that contained one of the most favoured triangles to date. Not only did I feel manipulated, but there was no swooning! This is horrible because something VERY IMPORTANT happens towards the end, but I didn't feel particularly happy. There is so much drama and confusion, that swooning is the last thing on your mind.
And girls, what is the summer series without the swoon?
I've re - read this since the first time and had time to really think things over. And although the pace is crazy fast and the book engrossing like its predecessors', I just felt so let down.
I have always had a soft spot for both boys - no matter how sweet or mean they tended to be at times. I adored Belly no mater how much she pissed me off. What I'm trying to say is, it would have been ok to have stayed true to yourself. To have allowed Belly to have fallen for whoever - just as long as you hadn't changed the boys so drastically. Don't you see? We loved the three of them regardless. You didn't have to basically play switch with both of the boys, so that Belly could pick the other. I feel like she thought we couldn't handle who she would pick, so she she just decided to completely change them - as if to soften the blow. What bothers me is that I feel not only did she underestimate her readers, but almost mocked us.
You can't face the truth, so let me shift things around.
I guess what I'm trying to say is. You didn't have to do it. I want you to know that I loved them regardless. And even if I didn't, I would have wanted you to follow your heart and allow Belly to pick who she wanted - no mater what their flaws. We would have accepted them anyway. I would have.
May 24, 2011
Words cannot even begin to describe how mad I am after reading this book. I fell in love with the series since the first book came out, but now I can't believe it ended the way it did. First off, Jenny Han COMPLETELY changed the characters I had grown to love. Jeremiah was sweet, caring, and amazing, but in this book he was such a jerk I couldn't stand it! Secondly, nothing really happened in the book except for maybe three major events. This makes it move slow and repetitive. And then it all wraps up in three pages, which really made me upset because I wanted to know how life was after Belly finally made her decision, but no. Now I have to say, Jenny Han is an excellent writer who really knows how to bring out emotions in her book, I just hated the way she toyed with her readers by making them jump from guy to guy because she kept on changing personalities throughout the series. Maybe I'm just bitter because I don't like not being sure about what I'm feeling, especially about people who aren't even real. So all in all, I feel like 2 is too harsh, but 4 is too much, so a I give a three to the book that is written exceptionally well but was unfair to the readers.
July 11, 2022
why the fuck was That the plot
April 14, 2015
Let me start this by saying we'll always have summer probably might be thebest book i have ever read.I am damn serious. Everything, every single thing, about it is perfect and i wouldn't want it any other way. The story is perfectly crafted and the characters, who by now we know better than we know ourselves, are back and making us fall in love with them all over again. But shit goes down nonetheless. Throughout the book you're debating whether belly should choose jeremiah or conrad. Halfway through it, I was pretty sure there wasnt going to be a happy ending which made me so incredibly heartbroken and sad, i couldn't stop crying. There so many emotions mixed into this. One minute your laughing and the next your crying (i admit it, i was a sobbing mess) I was praying she would be with the person i was rooting for but it seemed pretty much impossible. But in the last few pages, it starts coming together. The ending was beautiful, amazing and perfect. I can honestly say my life is now complete after reading this. Another thing i loved about it was that it had Conrad's pov and that made things so much more clear. He is not the guy everyone made him out to be, I mean like he's so much more than the brooding anti-hero. He's compassionate and loyal and he's my little baby and I love him more than I've loved anyone or anything.
Anyway, I loved this book.Like really really loved it.But the one thing that kills me is that its over now. Like no more waiting for the next part. No more checking goodreads everyday to see if the cover or description has been released. We need more belly and conrad and jeremiah:( but the thing about the ending is that it's opening a door for your imagination to decide whats next:)
Anyway, I loved this book.Like really really loved it.But the one thing that kills me is that its over now. Like no more waiting for the next part. No more checking goodreads everyday to see if the cover or description has been released. We need more belly and conrad and jeremiah:( but the thing about the ending is that it's opening a door for your imagination to decide whats next:)
June 30, 2022
♾️/5 🌟
team conrad forever and always 😌
team conrad forever and always 😌
June 19, 2022
It doesn’t matter what team you’re on - I think we can agree that this book was POORLY crafted and a let down. Like what was that ending????
December 31, 2023
2.5/5.0 stars
i have never been so conflicted over what to rate a book. this is quite possibly the quickest rant i have ever went on. i would be lying if i said this book didn’t make me mad. bc it did, several times. however i feel like the endingconradredeemed it. i will say i liked this book more than the others did. however after ranting about my thoughts i realized how strongly i feel ab this series and the characters. almost everything ab this book pissed me off so i will be going OFF on this book. it doesn’t deserve anything over 4 stars. if the fmc is so insufferable she doesn’t deserve a star that’s when yk the book is bad!! also i will be calling belly ‘isabel’ in this review (bc i REFUSE to use her nickname.) so js something to keep in mind!!
something that had me feeling immensely happy was how much taylor and isabel’s friendship changed. they no longer considered each other best friends and it changed their relationship for the better. they now referred to each other as the ‘oldest friend’ and taylor treated isabel much better in this book. she was there for her and supported her decisions. she also didn’t judge isabel for anything that she did and encouraged her to do what she wanted. i commemorate taylor for being one of the only characters who actually had character development. isabel needs to take notes!! she still had her moments when she got jealous of anika but overall i would not consider her a bad character anymore.
my favorite characters in this book have got to be laurel and conrad. they understood each other in a way that i loved. they could talk without having to actually talk and still understand each other. they were there for each other when needed and theyre js the best characters to ever exist. and laurel put her feelings about the wedding aside when she realized how much isabel missed and needed her. now that shows maturity which isabel continues to lack as an adult. i dread to see her when she has children.
isabel cannot stick to her own words for the life of her. here’s a quote from the actual book: “i hoped jeremiah didn’t notice, but when i realized he hadn’t, i kind of wished he had.” like girl wtf are u even saying.. not only can she not make up her mind ab who she loves she can’t even make a simple decision ab how she feels w anything in her life! it was so hard to understand her when she wouldn’t keep to her words. sometimes she caught herself and would understand that if she didn’t understand no one else would but other times she didn’t acknowledge it and it made me so mad.
jere and isabel’s fights were so meaningless sometimes. they both got mad over little things and it pissed me off too bc sometimes isabel would get mad over things that were unreasonable. she got pissed off at things like jere having fun (reasonable sometimes) but sometimes it wasn’t fair and i will never understand how they could be together for so long. like she got mad when jere decided to go to cabo instead of going home. she kept thinking ab herself all the time and ab how he knew how much it meant to her to go to cousins. like stop making things ab u i’m begging! she has this habit of lying about the reasoning behind being mad at things and it got on my last nerve!! like girl pls don’t even try bc we can all see through you. they also got pissed and would not communicate so no wonder it didn’t work out in the end. they never talked it out and it’s a wonder how they lasted so long.
spoilers from this point on
i’m not even gonna lie i love conrad in this book. he was CARRYING IT with his chapters. i loved them sm and when he was begging belly to give him another chance LAWDDDD i think i passed out right then and there. he was also aware that he was hurting belly and i felt for what he went through. he had his moments but he was definitely a redeemable character. i didn’t like isabel and conrad together at first bc i was (and still am) adamant that he’s too good for her. but they lowkey won me over those last few chapters. HIS LETTERS TO HER 💘💖🩷💓💗💞 their wedding was so cute im not even gonna lie to u and i’m so happy it ended off with everyone still talking to each other.
i still cannot get over how insufferable belly is. she still continues to get on my nerves despite this being the last book. talk about lack of character development! she’s 18 in this book but already she crumbles without an adult to watch over her. she acts so much younger than she is and i am genuinely flabbergasted at how much she tried gaslighting me and herself. she kept assuring herself that she loved jere yet she would still continue to fawn over conrad whenever she saw him. then she would go on and say “as soon as i see jere everything will make sense” like?? she should’ve never gotten with jere for 2 FUCKING YEARS if she was never over conrad. he was js practically strung along as she went in circles.
isabel is the queen of miscommunication!! she refuses to tell anyone how she feels and it pisses me off. she always got her way and i will never understand. when her mom refused to support the wedding bc they were too young (which was true) and kept fighting back and pushing her mom away. she even moved away and when she did she was crying about how she missed her mom. well instead of crying ab it why don’t u fucking talk to her like an ADULT would do. conrad had to swoop in and save the day like usual when she doesn’t even deserve it. do you realize how annoying it is to read about the mmc swooping in for the fmc just bc she refused to communicate? yea it pissed me off real bad. isabel deserves to die single and alone and i will die on this hill. conrad give me a chance pls 🙏🙏
i don’t get why jere and isabel took so long to break up. it was so fucking obvious that isabel was gonna end up with conrad. these characters are actually pathetic sometimes it’s crazy. i don’t even think isabel tried to get over conrad bc she talked about how she thought ab being with conrad sometimes whole she was with jere. like girl bye whyre u doing that in a committed relationship 💀 get outta here. they did not know how to compromise at all and they were def not ready for a wedding.
jere was extremely immature at times. he would kiss isabel in front of everyone at random times and in front of the parents like?!? he has no manners. he genuinely gives me the ick and can be so insensitive sometimes. the time that he got the most expensive meal on the menu without even considering how expensive it was.. i would’ve been pissed off too. he claimed to be mature and everyone said he was serious ab isabel but he did nothing but prove that he was immature. he wouldn’t help plan the wedding and put everything on isabel. he goofed around and didn’t take things seriously when needed.
jere is a fucking idiot. he pissed me off this entire book. i first want to address the “cheating” in this book. it happens when they are on a break and he goes to cabo with his friends. the scene first plays out where isabel finds out from lacie that she slept with jeremiah. it then goes on to say that they broke up but she didn’t see it as one. the chapter after recaps the actual events leading up to the breakup. he breaks up with her after a fight and she says “fine” which sets the breakup in stone. she then goes on to say the breakup didn’t feel real but that doesn’t erase the fact that it was real. therefore, i don’t agree to the fact that jere cheated on isabel. what he did was fucked up tho, even if they weren’t together bc they got back together after a week and he kept it from her. it was also brushed over after that scene. WHY DID SHE AGREE TO MARRY HIM AFTER THAT??
yk what confuses me? in the last scene before conrad starts sending letters to isabel in spain, he talks ab how he can’t attend the wedding and he’ll stop ruining her life. he then proceeds to leave and isabel says “he’s let go of me.” yet when he writes letters to her it’s clear he’s still hooked up on her and still likes her and it just pisses me off that he didn’t stay true to his word. also we didn’t find out how conrad found out that jere and isabel’s wedding broke off.
leading into my next point, the ending felt rushed a bit. first, they don’t go into detail and just tell us the overall important things. next, we don’t see a development in isabel and conrad’s relationship and the time jump just goes straight to isabel and conrad’s wedding. you’d think that after everything they’d been through they gave us a bit. but oh my god i was living for those letters he wrote to isabel. he was so sassy in them and i was legitimately cracking up while reading them. idk how she didn’t run into his arms the moment he sent the first letter bc i def would’ve!! but besides that we didn’t get closure with any of the characters besides conrad and isabel.
overall, this was such a fucking messy conclusion to this series but all of these books were trash. the only redeemable thing was the parents, taylor, anika, and conrad. i hope isabel and jeremiah die in a hole disrespectfully
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
the summer i turned pretty - 2.25 stars
it’s not summer without you - 3.5 stars
we’ll always have summer - 2.5 stars
pre-review
I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO FINISH A SERIES
RTC!!
pre-read review
i’m attempting to finish this series before 2024, wish me luck!i’m gonna need it with this book
i have never been so conflicted over what to rate a book. this is quite possibly the quickest rant i have ever went on. i would be lying if i said this book didn’t make me mad. bc it did, several times. however i feel like the ending
something that had me feeling immensely happy was how much taylor and isabel’s friendship changed. they no longer considered each other best friends and it changed their relationship for the better. they now referred to each other as the ‘oldest friend’ and taylor treated isabel much better in this book. she was there for her and supported her decisions. she also didn’t judge isabel for anything that she did and encouraged her to do what she wanted. i commemorate taylor for being one of the only characters who actually had character development. isabel needs to take notes!! she still had her moments when she got jealous of anika but overall i would not consider her a bad character anymore.
my favorite characters in this book have got to be laurel and conrad. they understood each other in a way that i loved. they could talk without having to actually talk and still understand each other. they were there for each other when needed and theyre js the best characters to ever exist. and laurel put her feelings about the wedding aside when she realized how much isabel missed and needed her. now that shows maturity which isabel continues to lack as an adult. i dread to see her when she has children.
isabel cannot stick to her own words for the life of her. here’s a quote from the actual book: “i hoped jeremiah didn’t notice, but when i realized he hadn’t, i kind of wished he had.” like girl wtf are u even saying.. not only can she not make up her mind ab who she loves she can’t even make a simple decision ab how she feels w anything in her life! it was so hard to understand her when she wouldn’t keep to her words. sometimes she caught herself and would understand that if she didn’t understand no one else would but other times she didn’t acknowledge it and it made me so mad.
jere and isabel’s fights were so meaningless sometimes. they both got mad over little things and it pissed me off too bc sometimes isabel would get mad over things that were unreasonable. she got pissed off at things like jere having fun (reasonable sometimes) but sometimes it wasn’t fair and i will never understand how they could be together for so long. like she got mad when jere decided to go to cabo instead of going home. she kept thinking ab herself all the time and ab how he knew how much it meant to her to go to cousins. like stop making things ab u i’m begging! she has this habit of lying about the reasoning behind being mad at things and it got on my last nerve!! like girl pls don’t even try bc we can all see through you. they also got pissed and would not communicate so no wonder it didn’t work out in the end. they never talked it out and it’s a wonder how they lasted so long.
spoilers from this point on
i’m not even gonna lie i love conrad in this book. he was CARRYING IT with his chapters. i loved them sm and when he was begging belly to give him another chance LAWDDDD i think i passed out right then and there. he was also aware that he was hurting belly and i felt for what he went through. he had his moments but he was definitely a redeemable character. i didn’t like isabel and conrad together at first bc i was (and still am) adamant that he’s too good for her. but they lowkey won me over those last few chapters. HIS LETTERS TO HER 💘💖🩷💓💗💞 their wedding was so cute im not even gonna lie to u and i’m so happy it ended off with everyone still talking to each other.
i still cannot get over how insufferable belly is. she still continues to get on my nerves despite this being the last book. talk about lack of character development! she’s 18 in this book but already she crumbles without an adult to watch over her. she acts so much younger than she is and i am genuinely flabbergasted at how much she tried gaslighting me and herself. she kept assuring herself that she loved jere yet she would still continue to fawn over conrad whenever she saw him. then she would go on and say “as soon as i see jere everything will make sense” like?? she should’ve never gotten with jere for 2 FUCKING YEARS if she was never over conrad. he was js practically strung along as she went in circles.
isabel is the queen of miscommunication!! she refuses to tell anyone how she feels and it pisses me off. she always got her way and i will never understand. when her mom refused to support the wedding bc they were too young (which was true) and kept fighting back and pushing her mom away. she even moved away and when she did she was crying about how she missed her mom. well instead of crying ab it why don’t u fucking talk to her like an ADULT would do. conrad had to swoop in and save the day like usual when she doesn’t even deserve it. do you realize how annoying it is to read about the mmc swooping in for the fmc just bc she refused to communicate? yea it pissed me off real bad. isabel deserves to die single and alone and i will die on this hill. conrad give me a chance pls 🙏🙏
i don’t get why jere and isabel took so long to break up. it was so fucking obvious that isabel was gonna end up with conrad. these characters are actually pathetic sometimes it’s crazy. i don’t even think isabel tried to get over conrad bc she talked about how she thought ab being with conrad sometimes whole she was with jere. like girl bye whyre u doing that in a committed relationship 💀 get outta here. they did not know how to compromise at all and they were def not ready for a wedding.
jere was extremely immature at times. he would kiss isabel in front of everyone at random times and in front of the parents like?!? he has no manners. he genuinely gives me the ick and can be so insensitive sometimes. the time that he got the most expensive meal on the menu without even considering how expensive it was.. i would’ve been pissed off too. he claimed to be mature and everyone said he was serious ab isabel but he did nothing but prove that he was immature. he wouldn’t help plan the wedding and put everything on isabel. he goofed around and didn’t take things seriously when needed.
jere is a fucking idiot. he pissed me off this entire book. i first want to address the “cheating” in this book. it happens when they are on a break and he goes to cabo with his friends. the scene first plays out where isabel finds out from lacie that she slept with jeremiah. it then goes on to say that they broke up but she didn’t see it as one. the chapter after recaps the actual events leading up to the breakup. he breaks up with her after a fight and she says “fine” which sets the breakup in stone. she then goes on to say the breakup didn’t feel real but that doesn’t erase the fact that it was real. therefore, i don’t agree to the fact that jere cheated on isabel. what he did was fucked up tho, even if they weren’t together bc they got back together after a week and he kept it from her. it was also brushed over after that scene. WHY DID SHE AGREE TO MARRY HIM AFTER THAT??
yk what confuses me? in the last scene before conrad starts sending letters to isabel in spain, he talks ab how he can’t attend the wedding and he’ll stop ruining her life. he then proceeds to leave and isabel says “he’s let go of me.” yet when he writes letters to her it’s clear he’s still hooked up on her and still likes her and it just pisses me off that he didn’t stay true to his word. also we didn’t find out how conrad found out that jere and isabel’s wedding broke off.
leading into my next point, the ending felt rushed a bit. first, they don’t go into detail and just tell us the overall important things. next, we don’t see a development in isabel and conrad’s relationship and the time jump just goes straight to isabel and conrad’s wedding. you’d think that after everything they’d been through they gave us a bit. but oh my god i was living for those letters he wrote to isabel. he was so sassy in them and i was legitimately cracking up while reading them. idk how she didn’t run into his arms the moment he sent the first letter bc i def would’ve!! but besides that we didn’t get closure with any of the characters besides conrad and isabel.
overall, this was such a fucking messy conclusion to this series but all of these books were trash. the only redeemable thing was the parents, taylor, anika, and conrad. i hope isabel and jeremiah die in a hole disrespectfully
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
the summer i turned pretty - 2.25 stars
it’s not summer without you - 3.5 stars
we’ll always have summer - 2.5 stars
pre-review
I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO FINISH A SERIES
RTC!!
pre-read review
i’m attempting to finish this series before 2024, wish me luck!
June 27, 2023
i think my brain cells are dead after reading this trilogy
rtc (1 star)
rtc (1 star)
January 1, 2024
"Just because you bury something, that doesn't mean it stops existing."
I was rooting for Jeremiah the entire series, and then I read this book. Cheating to marriage... while being 18 years old? Not for me. Teenagers are so dumb.
If you're a teenager, don't be like these ones. If you are no longer a teenager: were we this dumb?
I do have to say that I did love everything about Conrad's character development in this book though. He may be the only person I liked in this book. Except Laurel, Laurel deserves the entire world.
I was rooting for Jeremiah the entire series, and then I read this book. Cheating to marriage... while being 18 years old? Not for me. Teenagers are so dumb.
If you're a teenager, don't be like these ones. If you are no longer a teenager: were we this dumb?
I do have to say that I did love everything about Conrad's character development in this book though. He may be the only person I liked in this book. Except Laurel, Laurel deserves the entire world.
July 23, 2022
perdón feminismo pero en estos momentos lo único que quiero es que Conrad Fisher se refiera a mí como “mi chica”.
August 3, 2021
Great ending to a great series! I am incredibly satisfied at the ending. I fell back in love with Conrad; his character development was amazing. Jeremiah became super annoying. Belly was tolerable, I guess. She just makes pretty poor life choices 80% of the time. The story wasn't super exciting or anything, but I think it did a nice job of wrapping up the series and was heartwarming. Read this for a dose of teen summer nostalgia <3
July 28, 2022
i don’t even know how to explain this.
i liked it but at the same time i wanted someone to shoot me in the head repeatedly with a nail gun.
i liked it but at the same time i wanted someone to shoot me in the head repeatedly with a nail gun.
February 28, 2014
This is a review of the whole trilogy.
Belly loves Conrad. That is a truth that everyone in her life knows. He's the boy she has loved since she was a little girl and she spent her summers with his family at Cousins beach. Through out the trilogy we see how a crush, turns to attraction, turns to hatred and turns to an understanding that only comes when two people who know each other well, mature. Add to that Jeremiah, Conrad's little brother who has always loved Belly and you get drama wrapped in a YA love triangle.
I read THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY and thought it was simplistic, and formulaic, but not bad. I was invested, I liked Belly and both Conrad and Jeremiah had moments of being the kind of guys my teenage self would have loved. It was good.
Then I started reading IT'S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU and slowly it all began to go wrong. The characters began to show themselves as as shallow and one note. They weren't characters, they were props. The author wanted certain storylines to happen and cared very little for continuity.
Jenny Han did not stick to what she wrote in the first book. Still, I got through it. In fact, I thought that Jenny Han did a very good job with actually making a love triangle complex. I very easily understood how Belly could be caught between two brothers and how two brothers could be into the same girl. We follow these characters from childhood into young adulthood. You see them bond, fight, mature and age.
Then I got to the finale...WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER. I have never cried because I hated a book, but at the end of this book I cried. I have never read a more shallow, ridiculous, or 1 dimensional story in my life. I will happily read Twilight and Fifty Shades again and again to avoid this series. Because, at least the characters in those series while horrible were consistent.
Characterization was so weak. Jeremiah and Conrad's character flipped and flopped with whatever plot point Han was pushing. And her plot points, were cliche and formulaic. To the point that I knew within twenty pages what would happen at the end. So obvious in its simplistic manipulation.
The fact that Belly's voice did not mature from five to nineteen is preposterous. The fact that her thoughts are identical from childhood to college age is ridiculous. This writer has no range, she has no understanding of evolution or development.
At no point is Belly's relationship with these guys real. I kept waiting for it. Waiting for the moment when they grew up and I felt their relationships move into true romantic love. They do not have a single scene in this story where I believed they were in love.
What is love? Is realizing your childhood friend is pretty cuz she's in a pretty dress? Is it being the girl that their mother loved? Is it being in constant close proximity? Cuz that is what this author is telling her readers. There is not a single real conversation where we saw how they meshed, how they agreed or disagreed, how their minds appealed to each other. No, it's all stupid stories about the time they were five and Conrad took care of a dog and cried or that time Jeremiah stuck with Belly when she was sick..what the fuck? That was ok for bookS 1 and 2, but book 3 when marriage, and maturity are in play, the same stories and tricks?! I should have known it would be superficial when the book was titled the summer I turned pretty.
MORE! Why do authors of books like this make it seem that romantic love is more important than family bonds. The actions of the brothers in this book are incomprehensible. It blows my mind.
The ending is fluffy and ridiculous. We waste so much time reading about these characters over so many years, but never see them heal or evolve. We don't even get to see the end game couple get together! Literally it's a book of angst and then a two page epilogue of happily ever after that is not explained, or described or given any form of context. It's absurd and upsetting.
I wondered the other day why John Green still dominates the best sellers list and this book told me why. It's because when Hazel falls in love with Augustus we know it and not just because she tells us in narration, but because it's a feeling clearly expressed through the pages. They connect on a deeper level and you just get it.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND.
SPOILER: SPOILER:SPOILER
The deterioration of Jeremiah's character is unforgivable. All of a sudden Jeremy is dirty, selfish, clueless, a drinker, etc, while Conrad ate healthy, was tidy, etc. Never mind that Jeremiah was the only one to stick with his mom while she was dying, never mind all the stories of the good hearted kid he was and never mind that he dropped everything in book 2 to get his brother back on track.
This story lacked any complexity while the first two books had more range. Also, god Jenny Han hates this character. He is second best to his mother, his father, his brother, Steven, laurel and the girl he loves! To the point where he knows she doesn't love him completely and asks her to marry him anyway. And this is treated as ok. It's ok for this guy to be emotionally abused, cuz look he's a cheater, so his brother can betray him. Also, the fact that Susannah was so amazingly seeing she knew Conrad was destined for Belly, but ignored the fact that Jeremiah would be destroyed in the process is telling of the writers priorities.
Belly loves Conrad. That is a truth that everyone in her life knows. He's the boy she has loved since she was a little girl and she spent her summers with his family at Cousins beach. Through out the trilogy we see how a crush, turns to attraction, turns to hatred and turns to an understanding that only comes when two people who know each other well, mature. Add to that Jeremiah, Conrad's little brother who has always loved Belly and you get drama wrapped in a YA love triangle.
I read THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY and thought it was simplistic, and formulaic, but not bad. I was invested, I liked Belly and both Conrad and Jeremiah had moments of being the kind of guys my teenage self would have loved. It was good.
Then I started reading IT'S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU and slowly it all began to go wrong. The characters began to show themselves as as shallow and one note. They weren't characters, they were props. The author wanted certain storylines to happen and cared very little for continuity.
Jenny Han did not stick to what she wrote in the first book. Still, I got through it. In fact, I thought that Jenny Han did a very good job with actually making a love triangle complex. I very easily understood how Belly could be caught between two brothers and how two brothers could be into the same girl. We follow these characters from childhood into young adulthood. You see them bond, fight, mature and age.
Then I got to the finale...WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER. I have never cried because I hated a book, but at the end of this book I cried. I have never read a more shallow, ridiculous, or 1 dimensional story in my life. I will happily read Twilight and Fifty Shades again and again to avoid this series. Because, at least the characters in those series while horrible were consistent.
Characterization was so weak. Jeremiah and Conrad's character flipped and flopped with whatever plot point Han was pushing. And her plot points, were cliche and formulaic. To the point that I knew within twenty pages what would happen at the end. So obvious in its simplistic manipulation.
The fact that Belly's voice did not mature from five to nineteen is preposterous. The fact that her thoughts are identical from childhood to college age is ridiculous. This writer has no range, she has no understanding of evolution or development.
At no point is Belly's relationship with these guys real. I kept waiting for it. Waiting for the moment when they grew up and I felt their relationships move into true romantic love. They do not have a single scene in this story where I believed they were in love.
What is love? Is realizing your childhood friend is pretty cuz she's in a pretty dress? Is it being the girl that their mother loved? Is it being in constant close proximity? Cuz that is what this author is telling her readers. There is not a single real conversation where we saw how they meshed, how they agreed or disagreed, how their minds appealed to each other. No, it's all stupid stories about the time they were five and Conrad took care of a dog and cried or that time Jeremiah stuck with Belly when she was sick..what the fuck? That was ok for bookS 1 and 2, but book 3 when marriage, and maturity are in play, the same stories and tricks?! I should have known it would be superficial when the book was titled the summer I turned pretty.
MORE! Why do authors of books like this make it seem that romantic love is more important than family bonds. The actions of the brothers in this book are incomprehensible. It blows my mind.
The ending is fluffy and ridiculous. We waste so much time reading about these characters over so many years, but never see them heal or evolve. We don't even get to see the end game couple get together! Literally it's a book of angst and then a two page epilogue of happily ever after that is not explained, or described or given any form of context. It's absurd and upsetting.
I wondered the other day why John Green still dominates the best sellers list and this book told me why. It's because when Hazel falls in love with Augustus we know it and not just because she tells us in narration, but because it's a feeling clearly expressed through the pages. They connect on a deeper level and you just get it.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND.
SPOILER: SPOILER:SPOILER
The deterioration of Jeremiah's character is unforgivable. All of a sudden Jeremy is dirty, selfish, clueless, a drinker, etc, while Conrad ate healthy, was tidy, etc. Never mind that Jeremiah was the only one to stick with his mom while she was dying, never mind all the stories of the good hearted kid he was and never mind that he dropped everything in book 2 to get his brother back on track.
This story lacked any complexity while the first two books had more range. Also, god Jenny Han hates this character. He is second best to his mother, his father, his brother, Steven, laurel and the girl he loves! To the point where he knows she doesn't love him completely and asks her to marry him anyway. And this is treated as ok. It's ok for this guy to be emotionally abused, cuz look he's a cheater, so his brother can betray him. Also, the fact that Susannah was so amazingly seeing she knew Conrad was destined for Belly, but ignored the fact that Jeremiah would be destroyed in the process is telling of the writers priorities.
July 11, 2014
I was mad when Cassia chose Ky. I ripped the library book when Tessa went back to Jem. BUT THIS WAS THE MOST INFURIATING LOVE TRIANGLE I HAVE EVER READ ABOUT OH MY GOD. I almost gave this book 2 or 3 stars, and then I hit the last chapter and all hell let loose. Honestly, Emily is probably the dumbest character I have ever read about. Conrad is the biggest asshole in the fictional world. And Jeremiah was nice up until a point, but obviously screwed up. The series started out okay, but by this book, I just couldn't stand to read anymore.
December 12, 2023
If you look up the definition of wrong choices in the vocabulary you'll find: “We’ve Always Have Summer” by Jenny Han; a story in which a 19-year-old can’t see farther than her nose.
Firstly, I see everything has been forgiven to Adam Fisher, the one who tried to destroy the last living memory of Susannah. What exactly is this story? A warning? An example? A nightmare?
Literally all Jeremiah does is make Belly feel guilty about not loving ONLY him - because, unfortunately, our girl does love him. But the thing that makes me go crazy is that he knows she's always loved Conrad, they were together for months, and even if they broke up, what kind of person dates his brother’s ex-girlfriend?!
He's in the wrong for most of the book, and he still acts like HE needs some time, HE has to think about the situation, HE has to be sure about their future.
Here is the harsh truth: Jeremiah is the classic guy that labels himself as “the nice guy” and then wants to be pat on the back for his behaviour. So, when he does something nasty, others have to forgive him because “he's usually not like this, he's such a nice guy”. But you know something, J? Having depression and anxiety doesn't make someone “a bad boy”.
After everything they’ve been through, Conrad is the one who suffered the most because he thought it was better for everyone, who stood silenced because he thought the others were at least happy, and who was willing to let his true love go because he thought he didn’t deserve her. Was he always right with his behaviour? Of course not!
But at least he didn't trick her because of jealousy.
I kid you not, I even cried at the end.
And then, went I turned page, everything was over. Why the ending is so approximate? Since I suffered all book long, at least tell more about what happened to every one of them (even Taylor). I want more of Belly and Conrad!
↠3 stars
p.s.: I haven’t finished: what was written in Conrad’s letter that made Jeremiah cry? Conrad’s povs were great, why not add one at the end? What did Conrad write to Belly when she was abroad? I hope these and other questions will be answered in the show.
Firstly, I see everything has been forgiven to Adam Fisher, the one who tried to destroy the last living memory of Susannah. What exactly is this story? A warning? An example? A nightmare?
Literally all Jeremiah does is make Belly feel guilty about not loving ONLY him - because, unfortunately, our girl does love him. But the thing that makes me go crazy is that he knows she's always loved Conrad, they were together for months, and even if they broke up, what kind of person dates his brother’s ex-girlfriend?!
He's in the wrong for most of the book, and he still acts like HE needs some time, HE has to think about the situation, HE has to be sure about their future.
Here is the harsh truth: Jeremiah is the classic guy that labels himself as “the nice guy” and then wants to be pat on the back for his behaviour. So, when he does something nasty, others have to forgive him because “he's usually not like this, he's such a nice guy”. But you know something, J? Having depression and anxiety doesn't make someone “a bad boy”.
After everything they’ve been through, Conrad is the one who suffered the most because he thought it was better for everyone, who stood silenced because he thought the others were at least happy, and who was willing to let his true love go because he thought he didn’t deserve her. Was he always right with his behaviour? Of course not!
But at least he didn't trick her because of jealousy.
I kid you not, I even cried at the end.
And then, went I turned page, everything was over. Why the ending is so approximate? Since I suffered all book long, at least tell more about what happened to every one of them (even Taylor). I want more of Belly and Conrad!
↠3 stars
p.s.: I haven’t finished: what was written in Conrad’s letter that made Jeremiah cry? Conrad’s povs were great, why not add one at the end? What did Conrad write to Belly when she was abroad? I hope these and other questions will be answered in the show.
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