Review of The Summer I Turned Pretty

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Pages: 288

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date: May 5, 2009

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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."

Belly lives for summer....literally. She can't wait to spend her entire summer at her mom's best friend's beach house.  Belly and her brother, Steven, have been spending their summers down there as kids and pretty much living out kid's dream summer.  This is mostly because of Susannah's fun loving sons, Conrad and Jeremiah.  Belly has spent her summers trying to be a part of the "boys club" and their various adventures.  As they get older and become teenagers, Belly realizes that she has a crush on the one brother.  Belly knows that this is going to be the summer that changes everything and she's right.  Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty is the ultimate beach read, but it is more than just fluff. It's one of the best coming of age novels that I've read in a long time.


First of all, my feelings towards this book may be bias, because like Belly, I am a summer girl. I, too, define my life by my summers and I instantly connected with her.  I have spent many summers down the shore and often times, while reading this novel, I felt like parts of it were taken straight out of my life!  Even if you aren't a fan of "summer" novels, one cannot deny Jenny Han's brilliant writing style.  There were parts of this novel that I wanted to write down, because it truly spoke to me and was "quotable."  Here are a few:

"For me there was --is-- nothing better than walking on the beach late at night.  It feels like you could walk forever, like the whole night is yours and so is the ocean.  When you walk on the beach at night, you can say things you can't say in real life."

"After she left, after that summer, things were the same and they weren't.  She and I were still friends, but not the best friends, not like we used to be.  But we were still friends.  She'd known me my whole life.  It's hard to throw away history.  It was like you were throwing away part of yourself."

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

Brilliant, right? Not only was I mesmerized by Han and her writing style, but also her character development.  This novel is definitely character driven and Han really reels the reader in. You become invested in the characters and their situations.  Needless to say, I was impressed.  I was also impressed by her narration techniques.  She used flashbacks expertly.  I adored the glimpses into the Belly's past.  Each flashback was a memory from her summers at the beach and I was positively immersed in each one.  Yes, for the simple fact that I could personally connect to many of the memories, but also because it helped me to understand the characters even more and where they are coming from.


Belly knows her summer is going to be monumental and I know we have all had that perfect summer; the summer where everything changes. Belly wants to be known as a young adult and not just the little girl who used to tattletale and sulk in the corner because the boys weren't including her.  But with getting older comes more responsibility and the inevitable concept that change will come.  Belly realizes that things may never be as perfect as they were when she was a kid carelessly jumping over waves in the ocean or watching Susannah collect seashells.  This is the summer where Belly learns valuable life lessons and how change is a part of growing up that no one can avoid.


It's obvious that I adored this novel.  If I had it my way, there would be more hype and buzz surrounding Han and this novel!  I already bought the sequel, It's Not Summer Without You and I am dying to read it. I might save it for next weekend when I'm at the beach.  With that said, I highly recommend this novel.  It wasn't just a "beach read."  It truly made me think and reflect.  I realized that getting older is hard and brings many changes, but I look back to that one summer that changed my life and I know that those memories will stay with me forever.....just like Belly's.

*Buy The Summer I Turned Pretty here

*Buy It's Not Summer Without You here 

*Watch the Book Trailer: