We'll Always Have Summer (The Summer I Turned Pretty)

Ahh. It's spring finally and though this is the perfect beach read, love is in the air. If you've read the other two books in the Summer series by Jenny Han, you'll appreciate that we finally get closure in the final book in the series. Belly, now in college and known as Isabel, has been dating Jeremiah for two years and though the course has not always been smooth, it's been pretty good and they are in love. So when they decide to get married they can't understand why everyone is so against it. Didn't everyone expect her to marry one of the Fisher boys and everyone knows you can't count on Conrad. The obvious choice is Jeremiah. Isn't it? Okay, you know that much from the book jacket so no spoilers there. This book explores Belly's and Jeremiah's relationship and a few bumps they face in it leading up to the big question. Then all the problems that question causes. Jenny Han writes that part of the book-the headlong rush into marriage just like that. There is a flurry of planning and questions and troubles and the book rushes too so that you can feel the underlying panic, maybe, that both Belly and Jeremiah feel to get it over and done with. Belly wants to prove that she loves Jeremiah. And maybe Jeremiah wants her to say "I do" before his brother can enter their lives again. For some reason there is a sense of urgency and as a reader, I felt it too, rushing through the book as I read. Yes, Belly loved Con, when she was younger. He was her first love, but hey we all remember our first loves. Some of us fondly, some not so fondly. But, they have a part of our hearts because they were the first to break them. This was true with Con. He hurt Belly and she ran off to Jeremiah. The question is did she choose him, one of the two she loved or was he the one she loved? And then in this book, we finally get a peek into Conrad's head. Thank God! He'd always seemed like a heartless bastard before and I could never figure out what he wanted. He just seemed to be toying with Belly. And he seemed to delight in hurting her except for those six months they dated. Now we find out just how he felt and his motivations and it all makes sense. It's kind of like getting a chance to see inside Edward's head in Midnight Sun. (Twilight fans will know what I'm writing about.) The distant, enigmatic Conrad becomes a real person in this novel and I say it's about time. In fact, it would have been nice to have had his perspective all along. It would have made for a more tragic love story. But maybe Ms. Han just wanted us to have a nice light series to keep us entertained. And I have been. I read this in about four hours, stopping only to help tape up the air conditioner in our room. It's light, easy reading and satisfying to the very end. I loved the ending. It didn't feel contrived, but very natural and Cousins like. Now, if we could all have grown up that way.... In previous books, Belly and the women were the most developed characters, but in this one, Jeremiah, Conrad, Laurel, Belly's mother and Taylor, Belly's best friend were well developed as well. Cousins, the beach where most of the action of the series takes place has always seemed like a character, the house, the beach, the pool, Belly's room, the kitchen table, each played a part in the series. Belly, Jeremiah, Conrad and Steven (Belly's brother) grew up in the house during the summers and monumental things happened there. If an inanimate object can be a character, then Cousins is definitely a character. It had it's effect on everyone. This would definitely qualify as a One Sit Read for me. I wasn't going to bed until I read the last page and I didn't cheat. It would have cheapened the series for me. I highly recommend this series for a light summer read, now that all three books are out and there are no cliffhangers. Teenage girls should love this one, but I'm way past that and eagerly anticipated this last book in the series so any YA lover looking for a nice easy read should read this series. I can't wait to see what Jenny Han writes next!

Minor Spoilers.... OMG...This series is incredible! Let me start off by saying you need to read the books in order to really understand each character of the book. Each book as been about the same people essentially through the course of about ten years with flash backs going even farther back. You can read this book by itself but I don't think you can really understand the emotions each character has as well without reading the other books. Although I love this book there were a couple of things I didn't like. First, I felt Jeremiah's character was a little different than in the other books. I know that he is getting older but at times he came off as a jerk. Too me that just wasn't his personality. Conrad was always the one with a little attitude. Secondly, I really thought Belly's reaction to the cheating was very short lived. I might be vastly different from a lot of other woman but it would definitely take me more than a couple days and an out of the blue proposal to get me to forget. After Jeremiah proposes, it's almost as if she hardly thinks about his cheating again. That would haunt me if it happened to me. Lastly, I really didn't find the way her mother behaved very believable. I understand that she didn't approve and thought they were too young but realistically did she think not being a part of the wedding would change anything? This is probably me being picky though on the mom. I just really thought she was overreacting. As soon as she saw they were serious and still going forward with the wedding she should have given in a little instead of Conrad having to go and talk her into going to the shower. On to the things I loved! This ending was exactly as it should be. Exactly the way I wanted it to end from book one. I don't think that anything more could have been added to make me sigh in contentment at the ending more than I did. I really enjoyed the glimpses into Conrad's side of the story. I would have loved to have read even more but I am content with the little there was. lol...I found myself grinning through parts of this book because I was so excited to be reading the ending. We finally get to see where Belly's life ends up and who with. If you are looking for a series that is not too heavy (although the first book DID make me cry) this is the series for you. As far as content goes, they are relatively clean. There are a few cuss words but not anything compared to a lot of YA books now. A guess would be maybe five in this book. It does mention sex but does not have any sex scenes. I would say age wise 16yrs and up but I tend to be a little more conservative.

Belly has loved two boys in her life: Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. Conrad was her first love and the first boy to break her heart. Jeremiah was the one who was there to pick up the pieces. In the two years since, Jeremiah has been the perfect boyfriend. He's fun, he's dependable, and he has always loved Belly. But is that enough to build an entire future on? Conrad knows he made a mistake when he pushed Belly away. He knew it even as he pushed harder. When Belly and Jeremiah announce their engagement, Conrad realizes that time is running out if he wants to try to win Belly back. The Fisher boys have been part of Belly's life forever. She never imagined that in choosing one of them she might have to break the other's heart in We'll Always Have Summer (2011) by Jenny Han. We'll Always Have Summer is the final book in Han's Summer trilogy which begins with The Summer I Turned Pretty and continues in It's Not Summer Without You. This book is narrated by Belly with a few chapters from Conrad. My only complaint is I wish we had more from him because it was so fascinating to finally see things from his point of view. After Jeremiah won me over in book two, I wasn't sure what to expect for the end of the trilogy. That I couldn't decide how I wanted this love triangle to shake out speaks volumes to Jenny Han's strengths as an author and how well-developed all of these characters become by the end of the series. I always know I'm enjoying a series when it becomes impossible to choose a favorite book. I loved meeting these characters in book one, and I loved the way book two flipped everything I thought I knew upside down. But it might be this final book that has become my favorite as I think about the way things finally come together for Belly. We'll Always Have Summer is the perfect conclusion to what's become a surprise favorite series. Come for the swoony romance and suspenseful love triangle, stay for the sweet ode to summer and growing up. A highly recommended series. Possible Pairings: Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian, Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum, Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo, Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo, Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland, The Museum of Heartbreak by Meg Leder, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart, Save the Date by Morgan Matson, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon,Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

At first i didn't know if i should buy this series or not and after i read it i cursed myself for not buying it earlier. First of all, Jenny Han is an amazing writer. The way she wrote these 3 books was so amazing and it felt so real that there were moments i felt like i was living the whole thing not Belly. Belly is the main character, she is so well written that you can imagine her being a real person and you love her even with her little flaws. The boys hhmmmmm. I have my one and only favorite and that is Conrad. I won't say much about him because he's such a complex character that i couldn't describe him with just words. Jeremiah is the total opposite of his brother, he is always the one lightening everyone's mood, making jokes, always tying to make people feel better, he's just your typical good guy. I'm not gonna describe the whole book since that's something you can read in the book description above. I love how Jenny is taking us to the past, showing us how things happened before and how things turned out to be in the present, it's how you get to know each of the characters better and learn to understand them. each book she ends with something that will leave you speechless. I finished the first book at 4 in the morning because i came from work at 1 and I know that at the end of the first book i thought OH MY GOD!!! what just happened? I almost didn't go to sleep because i was curious about how things would play out. i slept like 4 hours that night and when i woke up i started reading the second book. I finished the book in 4 hours and by that time my roommates said i was crazy for reading so much. The ending of the second book was so unexpected and so thrilling that i actually didn't go to work so i could read the third one. the last chapters of the last book were so intense that i thought i would pull all my hair out of my head. Two days ago i thought i knew what a really good fiction book was but now i know that i was delusional... this book is by far the best i read and i read more than 100 books in the past 2 years( even though those were mostly paranormal). Anyways, buy the book and you will NOT regret it :)

i did enjoy this book it really made me think on perspective. I originally read it in preparation for the upcoming final season i really enjoy the show and have owned the books for years but haven’t gotten to them i decided this was the time for the last one. I do like that this book caters to both views of the older and younger and it shows both perspectives. I did feel the plot was almost a bit rushed and it was such a jump and it wasn't at the same time. I had a very different experience reading this at 23 than i would've at 13 i would have been more on Jeremiah and Belly’s side at 13 because in my mind 18 19 was an adult and as an adult you have it figured out. Though at 23 i most definitely still don't have it figured out and i most definitely didn't at 18 19 because moving in together in my mind would've been the next step at 18 19 not getting married when there is no reason to, but at 13 i would've been like yes you go get married you live your Corey and Topanga dream but at 23 im like wtf is wrong with you. Overall it was like reading stuff you've done in the past that you now are like wtf was i thinking but i enjoyed it finished it in 2 days.

Good

*Review posted on Mundie Moms on 8/18/2016* This is the third book in the Summer I Turned Pretty series, and it finds Belly aging two years to the summer after her freshman year in college. While I spent the first book wondering if Belly would end up with either Jeremiah or Conrad, and book two wondering if Conrad could be a bigger butthead, this book left me wondering if either Fisher boy was right for Belly. Right away you get the idea that lighthearted, happy-go-lucky Jeremiah may not be the ideal match for our yes, still very, very, very naive (to the nth power) Belly. There are obvious hints that he's a party boy, maybe too involved in his frat and not so involved in his academic pursuits. But, Belly brushes all that off until THE ONE THING THAT HAPPENS (I know I promised I was going to try to keep it as spoiler free as possible, but it's so hard because this is the third book in the series). While, Belly tried to reconcile this ONE THING, her best friend, Taylor (yes, the very one who was on the outs in the previous book) became her voice of reason and best supporter. I grew to adore Taylor's dedication to party planning, friendship and choosing all the right accessories. It almost made me forget that ONE THING. But sadly, the ONE THING led Belly and Jeremiah down a plot that left me, frankly, eye-rolly. It became a very predictable and plodding cliche. I found myself desperate for the slightest mention of Conrad, who appeared at moments when I thought I may just give up on this series. But, I plowed on, and I'm glad I did. In this last installment, it is very obvious that Conrad matured the most out of all the characters. He finally seemed to have direction, and the angst (understandable with the way his father treated his mother, their inevitable divorce and the return of her cancer) he felt in books one and two had dissipated. What was left was a guy who cared for his brother, and even above that, he cared for Belly. He reminded me of my very favorite, literary hero -- Mr. Darcy. He was proud, stubborn, but in the end, he acquiesced and did the right thing. His character arc bumped the book from 2.5-3 stars back up to a solid 4. How was the ending? It was logical and everything that I wanted it to be, at least in that moment. Belly is still far too innocent to be entirely believable. Conrad is very heroic. Jeremiah is flawed, but a goofball. Long term, would either relationship work out for Belly? I'm in the camp that it wouldn't because eventually, Belly would come to a firm understanding of who she is, and that would change the dynamic between her and either boy. Jenny Han does pick a side, and like I mentioned above, it was a good, logical, horribly romantic pick. Summer is still in full swing according to the temps in my neck of the woods. So, a story about a girl and two boys she sees only over summers accompanies this August heatwave nicely. Pick up the series and come back here to let me know your thoughts.

I am late to the show of reading this series but it is so worth the read! Clean romance story that kept you guessing what was next and how it would end.

Love this i bought it for my kindle I also have the paper copy i love the front covers the story is ok i think certain bits are better in the TV show

The book was read weithin 2 days. It's easy to read and keeps one in suspense. The book is the 3rd in the trilogy, and all of them are recomendable. This books material is really nice, quite thick paper but still light weighed. There is a prime series based on the book, though they are sightly different.

Perfetto

This book was amazing! It had me in tears by the end. It was a constant debate. I am usually not a massive romance fan but this was so good! Although the outcome was slightly predictable, the journey to get their was full of suspence and surprises. This book is amazing whether you like romance or not. I defintly reccomend

It’s the best book I’ve ever read! I loved so it much I want a continuation! Thank you Jenny Han for writing this wonderful book!📕 ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️