Goodreads Synopsis: 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 terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
My Confession: This was a really sweet read. From the carefree prose to the breezy descriptions of the delectable shore line, this story felt light. As someone who has treasured summers down the shore, I felt like this book really captured the atmosphere of the otherworldly sensation of sand between your toes and young love in your heart. I don't know about you, but I'm always more optimistic when I'm at the beach. It's always been my safe place, my home-away-from-home. When it's time to leave, you usually have to drag me away (kicking and screaming is not just for toddlers, you know). Having tried to write about my love for and connection with the shore, I know how hard it is to create that special emotion and convey it to a reader. Han, however, does a pretty good job with it.
I enjoyed how the book was formatted. By starting in the present and then jumping back and forth in time (you're given fair warning, so the transitions are smooth instead of jerky), you get a real feeling for why Belly is so in love with the shore--and Conrad. Belly, who's only 16--even though there are moments when she seems much older--has been in love with the older Conrad her entire life. Even though he's brooding, moody, and never seems to acknowledge her as anything more than a pest, she turns to mush inside whenever he's around. Knowing this right up front, I was a little leery that this book would turn into Belly-pining-for-Conrad-and-Conrad-never-noticing-Belly.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Early on, it becomes clear that Conrad does notice Belly as something more than a younger sister, but something keeps him from acting on it. And Belly, not one to turn down a good opportunity, meets a boy that summer and pursues a relationship. While Conrad remains in the back of her mind, it was refreshing to see that she didn't spend her entire summer doing her hair all pretty so Conrad might notice. Even though I never doubted (and I think this is the point) just how deep her feelings for Conrad run. She really does love him, but something holds her back, too.
A Fresh Breeze: This YA novel has many layers. On the surface, it seems like a superficial love-triangle story of a pretty girl torn between two boys (brothers, no less). But that's not exactly how this plays out. Friendships are explored--between the kids as well as the adults--and serious issues, such as cancer, are dealt with out in the open. Belly proves herself to be a rather un-shallow character, and her summers revolve around more than boys. She has a close relationship with her family and feels extremely linked to Susannah, Jeremiah and Conrad's mom. And while her love life took up a significant amount of the book, there was enough substance that keep this story from getting annoyingly pubescent.
My Recommendation: It's pretty much the perfect summer read. It's light, airy, and fun. It delves slightly deeper than you might expect, and every time you think you've just about had enough, something new happens that takes the plot down a different road. The Summer I Turned Pretty is the first book of a trilogy, so the ending has almost no resolve. Personally, I'd be interested to see where Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah go from this point in their story. Han does a great job of creating multi-faceted characters that are easy to invest in and root for. Yes, it's classified as YA lit, but I think anyone who knows what it feels like to spend a summer down the shore will enjoy this.
Rating: 4.5/5
276 pages, published by Simon & Schuster (May 5, 2009)
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