The Summer I Turned Pretty Book Review - No Spoilers
Plot Summary
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is the first book in the *Summer* trilogy. The story follows Isabel “Belly” Conklin, who counts her life by summers spent at Cousins Beach with her mother, her best friend Taylor, and the Fisher boys—Conrad and Jeremiah. For years, Belly has seen the boys as older brother figures, but each summer something shifts. When Belly turns sixteen, the dynamics among them begin to change in unexpected ways. Over the course of that summer, she confronts her feelings, family shifts, and choices she didn’t know she’d have to make. The novel sets up the emotional stakes and tensions that will carry through the rest of the series. (Note: it’s part of a trilogy: *It’s Not Summer Without You* and *We’ll Always Have Summer* complete the arc.)
Why I Love This Book
I love the way this book made me feel like I was right there on the beach, hearing the waves and carrying the weight of first love. The tension between Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah crackles in a way that kept me reading late into the night. The characters feel real—flawed, messy, vulnerable—and I found myself rooting for Belly even when I didn’t agree with her choices. The shifts in her relationships with her mother and her friends add depth beyond just the love triangle. And I respect how Jenny Han balances the light, nostalgic summer moments with undercurrents of sadness and change. The emotional moments hit hard without being overwritten, and I found myself thinking about this book long after closing it.
Who Will Like This Book
If you enjoy coming-of-age romance, love triangles, and stories about summers that change everything, this is for you. It’s ideal for readers who like internal conflict, subtle tension, and emotional growth more than overt drama. Fans of YA romance or soft contemporary romance will likely find this satisfying. If you shy away from romantic tension or love triangles, you may find some choices frustrating.
⚠️ Trigger warning: This book deals with grief, unrequited love, emotional turmoil, and some painful relationships. It doesn’t go into graphic scenes, but emotional heartbreak is strong.
Tagged As
young adult, contemporary romance, coming-of-age, love triangle, friends to lovers, summer romance, emotional romance, family drama, dual pov, series, HEA
Steam Level
The steam rating for this book is 1 out of 5 on romance.io, meaning it mostly has glances, looks, and perhaps kissing—but no explicit intimate scenes. (It’s gentle in terms of physical romance.)
