It's Not Summer Without You: Review

Title: It's Not Summer Without You

Author: Jenny Han

Release Date: April 2010

Published By: Simon & Schuester

Pages: 288

Goodreads Rating: 4.27 stars

Review: Belly knows all too well just how quickly things can change, especially when, in the blink of an eye, the summer she's always so looked forward to is the one she now dreads. Her dreams, which had come true last year, now crashed down, and it only gets worse when Jeremiah calls with startling news: Conrad's missing. She has to make a choice whether to chase after the boy she loves or finally let him go.

Confession time: I know almost everyone and their cousin loves this series, but when I read the first book, I wasn't all too impressed. It wasn't bad and I liked it, but I didn't understand why it felt like every blogger in the universe was swooning over it, and so I decided not to read more of the series. However, I was reading a review of the third book, and the reviewer mentioned that she too hadn't thought much of the first book but adored the second and fell in love with the third. And just like that, I decided to pick up IT'S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU.

And you know what? I'm so glad I did. This book was a crazy, tumultuous ride of emotions, swinging up and down, and completely, utterly engrossing me. The last thing I expected was to be captured from beginning to end in Belly's story, with my own heart throbbing in sympathy for her. Part of the reason I felt like this was such an improvement over the first book was that this one seemed to have so much more depth to it, which really made all the difference.

It still wasn't perfect. One thing that I didn't like so much in the first book was that Belly could be immature, and even though she was a little better here, she could still be on the whiny and selfish side at times. This could tick me off a bit and sometimes I really just wanted to grab her by the shoulders and tell her what to do. However, I'm confident that she will continue to grow as a character and hopefully mature into the protagonist this series needs by the next book.

I can't emphasize enough how glad I am that I read the review encouraging those who didn't like the first book to pick up the second, because I've begun to fall in love with this series. Even though Belly was irritating at points, the intensity of the emotions expressed in this book and how far it strays from simple fluff balanced it out, and I'll definitely be picking up the third one. For all you readers out there who, like me, didn't necessarily love the first book: read IT'S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU. I hope it'll change your mind like it changed mine.

The Summer I Turned Pretty: Review

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

Details: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, 276 pages, 4.07 stars on Goodreads

My Thoughts: I read this around mid-September, as the summer was definitely fading, but this book transported me right back to balmy, carefree days. While the main focus was romance, the book did brush upon more serious topics, making it a little more than just a shallow story. The characters were all multi-dimensional and well-developed, and although the romantic plot was rather predictable, it was sweet, endearing, and moved at a good pace.


The one character I didn't like as much was Belly (short for Isabel, and I really hated that nickname). I could relate to her for the most part, but there were definitely times when she was petty and irritating. I was frustrated with her at times because she seemed so immature, but ultimately, I was able to root for her to the end. 


I was disappointed with the ending. It wasn't bad and it did work, but it felt like a cop-out. As I said, this plot was pretty predictable, but I was still hoping for a surprise twist. All in all, I liked the book. It didn't grab me as much as I hoped it would, and I'm not raring to get the next books in the series any time soon, but it's still worth a read if you want something light but not too light, or even if it's just a little too cold outside.


Plot - 2/5
Characters - 3.5/5
Writing - 4/5
Impact - 2/5
Inability to put it down - 2.5/5


Overall - 54% = C+