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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Janeny Han Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (May 5th, 2009) Hardcover: 276 pages Reading Level: Young Adult
Series: Summer, book #1 Rating: 4 of 5 stars Some summers are just destined to be pretty
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 wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
Review: This is a really great summer read. It's quick but has some deeper aspects than what the title and cover hint to. Belly is the happiest during the summers she spends with her moms friend Suzanne and her family at the beach house. They spend their days swimming and soaking up the sun without a care in the world. But this summer is different for a few reasons. Belly has grown up and isn't the same little girl, and the boys (Jeremiah and Conrad) both notice. Plus there is a deeper secret that can't stay hidden beneath the glow of summer for long.

I really enjoyed this book. It made me long for the beach and a carefree summer. Belly takes us through her past summer experiences that brought her to get to know Jeremiah and Conrad. Her friendship with Jeremiah, her growing love for Conrad, and the way they each treated her like a little kid. Now she is more adventurous and they take notice.

As Belly enjoys the summer and tries to figure out why Conrad seems to be more distant and angry, she connects more with Jeremiah than she expected. But her mother and Suzanne are also keeping a secret, one that the boys are already aware of, and one that turns Belly's world upside down.

Character: Belly (I admit, the nickname drove me nuts!) is sweet and ready to take chances after crushing on Conrad after all these summers. Jeremiah is funny, sweet, and adorable. He is very easy to like. Conrad is the older brother so he is more"grown up" in this activities and he seems to be more reserved and hard to read. Belly's mother and Suzanne were quite the pair. I think that most people would love to have a mom as cool as they are.

Cover: This cover does fit in well with the story but it comes off a little more fluffy than what the moral of the story seems to be. Either way, the cover was what first made me really take notice of the book.

This is a book that makes you imagine being young and in the heat of summer. How relationships form and change over 3 months, and how the hard parts of life don't go away over summer break.

It's Not Summer Without You (Summer, book #2)
Released April 5th, 2010

We'll Always Have Summer (Summer, book #3)
To be released May 3rd, 2011

Find Janeny Han Janeny Han / Blog / Twitter
Purchase The Summer I Turned Pretty Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

Book Trailer

*If you purchase from Amazon or The Book Depository through the links provided a small percentage of the sales will go to me. Any money from this is used for shipping costs during giveaways.

We'll Always Have Summer by Janeny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (April 26th, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 288 pages
Source: Publisher
Series: Summer #3
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.
Review:
May Contain Spoilers!

Woah! This book really takes readers for a ride! We'll Always Have Summer is the final book in the summer trilogy by Janeny Han, and I felt it was written to perfection! I can't even tell you how many times I had tears in my eyes during this book.

This book takes place 2 years after book 2, It's Not Summer Without You. Belly and Jeremiah are together, and at college, living the typical"college life" and being happy together. Belly, of course, still thinks about Conrad all the time. Then, Belly's world turns upside down when she learns a devastating secret about Jeremiah. But, she still tries to believe in them and their relationship and things take a very surprising turn!

During We'll Always Have Summer, we see Belly question who she truly loves. She can't forget about Conrad and she soon finds out that maybe he feels the same. They find themselves all at Cousins Beach again but it's just not the same. Conrad tries to be more distant and deal with the situation as best he can but it's hard to forget about what he has been through with Belly.

Heartbreaking!! I was so shocked during this book and I still wasn't sure who I wanted Belly to be with. It was easy to see how much she had grown up and how, many times, she was on her own with her thoughts. She knew no one would really understand what was going on in her mind.

I won't go into too much detail on this one because it is a very surprising ending for this series, but I will say that if you haven't read this series, do it! I already miss these characters and Cousins Beach. I want to see what happens next! I was so satisfied with how everything was wrapped up. I liked the little"glimpse" into the future we get at the end.

We'll Always Have Summer was a picture-perfect ending to this captivating series! Janeny Han writes in a way that allows readers to really connect with characters on a deeper level. Even though parts are skipped, we still look back at the missing experiences of the characters and that helps connect the dots in the story. Absolutely flawless!

Find Janeny Han Janeny Han | Blog | Twitter
Purchase We'll Always Have Summer Amazon | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

It's Not Summer Without You by Janeny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (April 27th, 2010)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 288 pages
Source: Publisher
Series: Summer #2
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.
But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

Review:
May contain spoilers!

This really turned into a fantastic series! I reviewed book 1, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and it was a great book but I wasn't sure when I would get to read the rest of the series. Recently, I was in a"summer book" mood and read It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer in 1 day! I was completely mesmerized by the beautiful setting, characters, and plot.

It's Not Summer Without You takes place a year after book 1. It's summer again and Belly is dealing with the aftermath of a horrible loss. Summer isn't going to be the same, but even with her friends back home trying to make her have a fun summer, she can't stop thinking about Cousins Beach.

Jeremiah calls Belly and says that no one knows where Conrad is. She immediately leaves with him so they can hopefully track him down and convince him to come home. It seems obvious where he is but it surprises her to find out exactly why he ran away.

While at Cousins, lots of memories come back from the year before. We get a chance to discover how Belly and Conrad's relationship had developed and changed over a short amount of time. I loved that the story brought up these details. Readers can follow their current situation while seeing what exactly brought them to that place.

This is one of those series where, even though we have a love triangle, I never exactly could pick a side. Jeremiah and Conrad were amazing, and frustrating, in their own ways. Jeremiah was the more sweet, loving personality, while Conrad was more mature (sometimes!) and heartwarming character. He always seemed to be having an internal battle with himself but when he let his true feelings show, wow, watch out! It will make you fall in l-o-v-e!

It's easy to see how these characters grew and matured over the course of a difficult year. Janeny Han has created characters that you feel you actually know once you finish the book. They are so realistic, imperfect, and passionate that it's impossible to not feel something as you go through their story.

It's Not Summer Without You is a heartwarming tale of loss, love, and friendship like no other I have read. It's the perfect summer read!

Find Janeny Han Janeny Han | Blog | Twitter
Purchase It's Not Summer Without You Amazon | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble