The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1) by Jenny Han

 “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.” - Goodreads

(First: I hate blogger because of the white background behind the text above and because even though I set a certain font, it doesn't change to it so this post and the other posts as well have a lot of different fonts...)

The Summer I turned pretty is the first book in Summer trilogy. It was published in 2009 and belongs in YA and romance genre. I haven't read a lot of romance books besides The Fault in Our Stars and Twilight, if you can count that (I think it depends on person). After reading this book I just have to read the other books of the trilogy!

I could really identify with Belly who is a summer loving teenager. She is always waiting for summer and I am also like that: summer is the best time of the year. Every summer Belly goes to the beach house with her mother and brother and her mother's friend and her children, Jeremiah and Conrad. Belly has had a crush on Conrad since she can remember and the summer she is about to spend at the beach house is going to be everything else than she could ever imagine.

"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 story isn't told just in present. Belly also goes back in time in the book, to the age of 9 and 11 for example. That's how you get a lot of background to the story and you can see her journey to this day.

I think a good age to read this book is around the age of 20 or before. It may be easier to identify with Belly if you are young and still learning to be on your own and building your identity. Belly expresses her feelings of frustration, jealousy and affection. I could see myself in her when she got mad and I could feel it when she experienced affection towards someone. 

"Just as suddenly, everything in me was alert. The sleepy feeling was gone; every part of my body was awake now. I was holding my breath, waiting for what he would say. I didn't answer him. I didn't want to break the spell. That's when he dipped his head low and kissed me. I didn't let go of the door handle. All I could think was, I wish this had been my first kiss."

When I was reading that part, I could feel the tension rising in the car and Belly's feeling. I think almost everyone who has had a crush can relate to Belly's feelings in that moment. As I said, I could also feel her sadness and understand her:

"I wondered if it was possible to take someone's pain away with a kiss. Because that was what I wanted to do, take all of his sadness and pour it out of him, comfort him, make the boy I knew come back."

I was reading reviews of this book on Goodreads and there are also a lot of people who don't like this book (average rating 3.97). Someone thought for example that Belly was very immature, self-focused and petulant child. I think that's why this book is better for younger audience: most 16-year-olds aren't very mature and they can be quite self-focused. I was like that at least and maybe that's why I could see myself in Belly. In many reviews people were annoyed by Belly and her self-centeredness but it didn't really bother me. The only thing that bothered me was that she was showing her tongue all the time, haha. 

All in all, this book got me in the summer mood and I gave it 5/5 stars! 

"I floated on my back counting stars and listening to the ocean. When the tide was low like this, it whispered and gurgled and it sounded like a lullaby. I wished I could stay forever, in this moment. Like in one of those plastic snowballs, one little moment frozen in time."

My rating: 5/5 ★★★★★

                                                                        xoxo Janina