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gissellellamas's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I think this is the only time I've ever liked a film adaptation more than the book it's based on. Maybe it's just the cast, but the characters are so much more likable in the show. Belly and Conrad were both mostly just annoying in this book. That being said, it's a very quick and mostly enjoyable read, so I would still recommend it. I'm not sure I would rave about it, though. Unfortunately, there were a couple of problematic moments within the writing. One thing I noticed a couple times was the use of the word "gay" as an insult. The first time, Taylor wants to play truth or dare and when Conrad rejects the idea she says, "Don't be so gay." Jeremiah does go on to criticize her for using the word in that sense, but it is played off in a flirty, cute way without any actual repercussions to Taylor. Later in the book, Belly wants to go skinny dipping with Cam and when he, too, rejects the idea, Belly says "Are you serious?" and in the narration, follows that with, "What I really wanted to say was, Are you gay?" What's worse is that the author doesn't really address how this is problematic and acts like it's a normal thing for a teen to say as an insult, which it shouldn't be. In the show, Jeremiah is bisexual, but I haven't seen any indications of that in the book, so I cannot defend the author for including this not once, but twice. Also, Belly gets mad and leaves Cameron for not wanting to go skinny dipping, and this is how they ultimately split up. This feels too much like an insinuation of breaking up with someone because they don't consent to sexual activities. And there is nothing to indicate that the author recognizes that this, too, is a problem. If you overlook these things, the book is decent. However, I think these small additions are reflective of Jenny Han as a person, which is unfortunate because I loved her work in the TSITP show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Cancer
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
danicampbell0506's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Homophobia and Ableism
izypup's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
blueeyedshook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
4.0
I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to read this book. I’ve had it in my shelf forever. At the beginning of summer by friend/book dealer told me I HAD to read it this summer. Then when I found out the show was coming out, I made a mad dash to read it so I could follow up with the show.
It’s such a simple, straight forward story that is so addicting. The whole book literally feels like summer as a teenager. Like I felt like I was a teenager again reading the pages, living the moments. Starting the second book immediately.
It’s such a simple, straight forward story that is so addicting. The whole book literally feels like summer as a teenager. Like I felt like I was a teenager again reading the pages, living the moments. Starting the second book immediately.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Death, and Toxic relationship
missrosymaplemoth's review
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Cancer
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Cursing
Minor: Toxic relationship
vereadsbooks's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Rating ★☆☆☆☆
OMG! this book is insufferable!!!
“It was a summer I would never, ever forget. It was the summer everything began. It was the summer I turned pretty. Because for the first time, I felt it. Pretty, I mean. Every summer up to this one, I believed it’d be different. Life would be different. And that summer, it finally was.”
When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favorite people are there: Susannah, her mother's best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad's brother, Jeremiah, Belly's heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? Will this be the summer that changes everything?
“For me, it was almost like winter didn't count. Summer was what mattered. My whole life was measured in summers. Like I don't really begin living until June, until I'm at that beach, in that house”
The read was super light as there is no plot. Absolutely nothing happens in the book. The book is supposed to have a love triangle between Belly and the Fisher brothers. Yet, nothing substantial happens between any of the protagonists.
“I love Conrad and I probably always would. I would spend my whole life loving him one way or another. Maybe I would get married, maybe I would have a family, but it wouldn’t matter, because a piece of my heart, the piece where summer lived, would always be Conrad’s”
The book isn't even romantic or cute. It's just Belly complaining about everyone. She is childish and annoying. She throws tantrums whenever something doesn't go her way.
Belly is so focused on her that she can't see the suffering around her. She has a total disconnect with reality and a lack of empathy towards others. Everything revolves around her and her feelings.
“I grabbed his shirt sleeve. “Admit it. You were mad when I started hanging out with Cam. You wanted me to still be your little admirer”. “What?” He shook me off. “Get your head out of your ass, Belly. The world doesn’t revolve around you.” My cheeks flamed bright red; I could feel the heat beneath my skin. It was like sunburn times a million.
Not only does she use Cam to make Conrad jealous, but she also throws him away when he no longer serves her. She does the same thing she does with Jeremiah.
“He stepped closer to me. “One minute you like me. Then Cam…” Conrad paused. “And then Jeremiah. Isn’t that right? You want to have your cake and eat it too, but you also want your cookies and your ice cream…”
“Shut up!” I yelled. “You’re the one who’s been playing games, Belly.”
She believes that Conrad's self-destructive behavior is because of her when it is actually because of her mother's illness. Even when that secret comes out, Belly manages to make the whole situation revolve around her.
“But they did know” I whimpered. “Everybody knew but me. I’m the only one who didn’t know and I love Susannah more than anybody.”
In general, the characters are not well developed. There isn't depth to their personalities, and there isn't much improvement as the plot progresses. I do feel that Jenny Han evolved a lot in her writing over time. To all the boy I've loved before is superior in several aspects.
Books I have read from this author
To All the Boys I've Loved Before ★★★★☆
P.S. I Still Love You ★★★ ½
Always and Forever, Lara Jean ★★★☆☆
OMG! this book is insufferable!!!
“It was a summer I would never, ever forget. It was the summer everything began. It was the summer I turned pretty. Because for the first time, I felt it. Pretty, I mean. Every summer up to this one, I believed it’d be different. Life would be different. And that summer, it finally was.”
When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favorite people are there: Susannah, her mother's best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad's brother, Jeremiah, Belly's heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? Will this be the summer that changes everything?
“For me, it was almost like winter didn't count. Summer was what mattered. My whole life was measured in summers. Like I don't really begin living until June, until I'm at that beach, in that house”
The read was super light as there is no plot. Absolutely nothing happens in the book. The book is supposed to have a love triangle between Belly and the Fisher brothers. Yet, nothing substantial happens between any of the protagonists.
“I love Conrad and I probably always would. I would spend my whole life loving him one way or another. Maybe I would get married, maybe I would have a family, but it wouldn’t matter, because a piece of my heart, the piece where summer lived, would always be Conrad’s”
The book isn't even romantic or cute. It's just Belly complaining about everyone. She is childish and annoying. She throws tantrums whenever something doesn't go her way.
Belly is so focused on her that she can't see the suffering around her. She has a total disconnect with reality and a lack of empathy towards others. Everything revolves around her and her feelings.
“I grabbed his shirt sleeve. “Admit it. You were mad when I started hanging out with Cam. You wanted me to still be your little admirer”. “What?” He shook me off. “Get your head out of your ass, Belly. The world doesn’t revolve around you.” My cheeks flamed bright red; I could feel the heat beneath my skin. It was like sunburn times a million.
Not only does she use Cam to make Conrad jealous, but she also throws him away when he no longer serves her. She does the same thing she does with Jeremiah.
“He stepped closer to me. “One minute you like me. Then Cam…” Conrad paused. “And then Jeremiah. Isn’t that right? You want to have your cake and eat it too, but you also want your cookies and your ice cream…”
“Shut up!” I yelled. “You’re the one who’s been playing games, Belly.”
She believes that Conrad's self-destructive behavior is because of her when it is actually because of her mother's illness. Even when that secret comes out, Belly manages to make the whole situation revolve around her.
“But they did know” I whimpered. “Everybody knew but me. I’m the only one who didn’t know and I love Susannah more than anybody.”
In general, the characters are not well developed. There isn't depth to their personalities, and there isn't much improvement as the plot progresses. I do feel that Jenny Han evolved a lot in her writing over time. To all the boy I've loved before is superior in several aspects.
Books I have read from this author
To All the Boys I've Loved Before ★★★★☆
P.S. I Still Love You ★★★ ½
Always and Forever, Lara Jean ★★★☆☆
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Cancer, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Grief, and Infidelity
kylasmv15's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing
culzean's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship
c45p1n's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
This... was a piece of words... a collection of words... yes lots of words.
Honestly, this book felt like a prologue to whatever is next, but instead of hooking me in and leaving dying for more, I was repulsed and embarrassed. Very embarrassed, and also very uncomfortable.
Honestly, this book felt like a prologue to whatever is next, but instead of hooking me in and leaving dying for more, I was repulsed and embarrassed. Very embarrassed, and also very uncomfortable.
- This book was very gloomy. Seriously, for a book with such a vibrant vibe and uplifting reviews, this was a gloomy and sad book. And not just in the beginning, no, the entire time was gloomy and depressing and pitiful.
- I don't like these characters and the writing style is confusing from all the flashbacks/time skips. I don't like Belly, I don't like Conrad, Jeremiah is cool but he seems like Splenda. (Sugar, but fake, empty calories.) Steven is an ass but he also makes sense. I don't like Laurel, Belly and Steven's mom. Susannah is cool, easy to read about. There's no substance to this whole book, honestly.
- I don't like Belly, she's annoying, naive, immature, but she's also barely 16 so i guess that makes sense? Anyway, I don't like Belly, but she is a realistic character. And Cam is cool? I guess?
- Cam is actually nothing of importance, I have no care for his character
- I'm also disappointed because the whole reason I started reading this book was because the TV Previews look interesting, and the reviews I have are pretty stellar. I guess that's just good marketing.
- I'm not really attached to any of these characters so I don't really have enough opinion on them to write about, disappointingly so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cancer
theespressoedition's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Okie dokie - here goes nothing.
I didn't love this book. I wanted to very much. If I had read it when I was fifteen, I probably would have loved it with my whole heart. But seeing as I'm nearly twice that age, it just didn't hit the mark for me.
I read The Summer I Turned Pretty with the intention of watching the show when it premieres. I accidentally watched To All the Boys I've Loved Before prior to reading the books... because I didn't even know they were books. Somehow, my high school self completely missed the Jenny Han train. However, after watching the movie, absolutely loving it, reading the books, loving those, and then finishing the movies and considering them favorites - I figured I'd "do things right" this time.
Now, I'm thinking I should've just waited and watched the show first. Maybe I would enjoy it more. Who knows. I might finish the series - I might not. I'm still undecided.
Belly is one of the most annoying protagonists I've ever read about. She's selfish, whiny, and beyond boy-crazy. Like, almost obsessive to the point of being creepy when it comes to Conrad. She can't make up her mind on who she's interested in and I truly never understood what her "end goal" was. It just seemed like she wanted to be with whoever gave her a speck of attention. She treated people terribly and just irked me to no end.
The saving grace of the story was Jeremiah, who I assume, will be the "unchosen" in some bizarre love triangle situation. Go figure. He's the sweet one so he'll be left by the wayside, as per usual. But he's precious and interesting and I wish the book had been about him instead.
Needless to say, this was a bunch of teen drama, so it's categorized properly and I'm definitely not shaming a YA for being, well, YA. It's just not for me.
I didn't love this book. I wanted to very much. If I had read it when I was fifteen, I probably would have loved it with my whole heart. But seeing as I'm nearly twice that age, it just didn't hit the mark for me.
I read The Summer I Turned Pretty with the intention of watching the show when it premieres. I accidentally watched To All the Boys I've Loved Before prior to reading the books... because I didn't even know they were books. Somehow, my high school self completely missed the Jenny Han train. However, after watching the movie, absolutely loving it, reading the books, loving those, and then finishing the movies and considering them favorites - I figured I'd "do things right" this time.
Now, I'm thinking I should've just waited and watched the show first. Maybe I would enjoy it more. Who knows. I might finish the series - I might not. I'm still undecided.
Belly is one of the most annoying protagonists I've ever read about. She's selfish, whiny, and beyond boy-crazy. Like, almost obsessive to the point of being creepy when it comes to Conrad. She can't make up her mind on who she's interested in and I truly never understood what her "end goal" was. It just seemed like she wanted to be with whoever gave her a speck of attention. She treated people terribly and just irked me to no end.
The saving grace of the story was Jeremiah, who I assume, will be the "unchosen" in some bizarre love triangle situation. Go figure. He's the sweet one so he'll be left by the wayside, as per usual. But he's precious and interesting and I wish the book had been about him instead.
Needless to say, this was a bunch of teen drama, so it's categorized properly and I'm definitely not shaming a YA for being, well, YA. It's just not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship