Review: Summer Trilogy
RATING: 4/5
*WARNING: SPOILERS*
I have such mixed feelings over this series. I loved it but I also hated it. The storyline was definately relatable, at least for me, but it was also really frustrating because I've been there and just wanted to jump into the book and scream at these characters.
Basically, it's a triangle love story between this girl Belly, and these two brothers Conrad and Jeremiah, whom she's grown up with and known all her life. I'll discuss the book in order of the series.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
First off, I was really annoyed with Belly's personality. She was too shy, inexperienced, self-conscious, doubting, immature, whiny and a tattletale. Her thinking was that of a child, and considering she was only 15 in the beginning of this series, I guess that's understandable. In Jenny Han's To All The Boys I've Loved Before, the main girl was also kind of like Belly. I'm just sick of seeing girls in books portrayed as weak and unexperienced and self-conscious because not all girls are like that.
It's also really weird reading books about teens now that I'm 20 because they usually revolve around petty high school problems and I'm so over that. I've lived them, I can understand them, but when I look back on my teen life and the similarities I see in books, I'm just like ugh not this again. Tends to bring up lots of memories, which makes the books really relatable and gets me emotionally invested.
Another thing that annoyed me about Belly was that she just assumes that Conrad knows she loves him and that he's just stringing her along because he likes the idea of her being in love with him. Then she gets in all these ridiculous fights with him when we don't even know what he's feeling or thinking.
I do like the relatability of the storyline though. Being in love with someone whom you've never been with. I also liked the concept of family. Jenny Han tends to focus a lot on family and loved ones in her books. It's nice that Belly and her family and the boys' family have these traditions and are so close to one another. But that also sets up the story for disaster since she's torn between these two boys.
It's Not Summer Without You
This was probably the better book of the three. Better plot, lots of drama. Belly is still obnoxious but a little more matured. She reminds me of me in some ways and that annoyed me more because it made me remember stupid stuff I dealt with in my life. Stuff I learned from nonetheless, and I just wanted to sit down with Belly and give her advice on all this.
Conrad is still an ass and even though I get that Belly will always love him, I'm on team Jeremiah. I think he's so much better for her because he doesn't treat her like crap like Conrad does. He's always been so on and off with her. It's hard to know how he really feels about her because sometimes he'll seem like he loves her but sometime he acts like he doesn't care.
I love the occasional remembrance of the good old days, what all those summers were like, how the kids have these moments of bonding and it's like nothing's changed. Them trying to save the summer house is really sweet. I like how that place brings them together again even after all the drama.
This books focuses a lot on the impact of death and what it does to a family and how it affected everyone differently. It was interesting to see how everything played out in this book.
We'll Always Have Summer
This book skipped forward a few years and Belly has been with Jeremiah for two years and they're both in college. I was so so so glad she finally chose Jeremiah over Conrad. Her and Conrad's relationship was so rocky, so difficult; it just wasn't healthy. Jeremiah loves her so much, he knows how special she is and I respect him for that. I was shocked to find out that Jeremiah cheated. That tainted his rep for me, but I still think he was a much better choice than Conrad.
Them wanting to get married at 18/19 was just ridiculous. I get that they are in love but seriously, they're in college. There's plenty of time after they graduate to get married. I didn't understand why they had to so soon. They were just trying to prove their love for each other but that wasn't the right way. I still supported it, but I had a feeling it was going to be ruined somehow. And I was right.
Freaking Conrad had to profess his love for her and she ended up not with Jeremiah. I. Was. So. Upset. I can understand always having a place in your heart for your first love, but sometimes, your first love isn't suppose to be the one. It's just not meant to be. But of course, as most books end, they had to have a happy ending with her and her "one true love". I couldn't believe it ended with her marrying Conrad.
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Overall, I liked the series a lot. It kept me on my feet and had me really emotionally invested. It frustrating me and I wanted to scream at Belly and tell her that Conrad wasn't worth it. That Jeremiah was the right choice.
I like how in the second book, Jenny added Jeremiah's perspective. And in the last book, we saw Conrad's perspective. I've always loved books that have more then one narrator.
Jenny Han chooses some really good teenage issues to write about. Her writing style is great and I love her as an author. This was a very intriguing series and I would recommend it. Just be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that it'll bring.
