I didn’t mean to read all three books in The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy in three days… it just happened. The first book has lived on my bookshelves for months (it was a thrift store find) and I figured I’d start something light for my February Complicated Love & Friendship series.
Suddenly, I was rushing to my library to pick up the other two books in the series, needing to know exactly how it would all end.
The series was everything you would want a YA series to be: fun, fast, emotional, sometimes messy, but completely addictive (obviously).
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There’s truly a certain magic that comes from reading a whole series back-to-back. You don’t have to leave the characters or sit with any cliffhanger, you just keep going, fully immersed, until you know everything.
That was my experience here. Once I was in, I couldn’t put them down. I flew through all three books, totally wrapped up in Belly and the Fisher boys’ world and the love triangle that ensued. The books had just the right kind of romantic tension for a good YA series.
High-School-me absolutely would have eaten this up. And I already know which Fisher boy she would have been rooting for…
Team Conrad
At the center of it all, there’s Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad. And while both Fisher boys brought very different energy to the table, I never wavered. I was Team Conrad from the start. Well, mainly, from the start of the end of chapter 2. It reads:
There was this weird stillness between us all of a sudden. He still held onto my foot, and I was trying to stay afloat.
He pulled on my foot, drawing me closer. Being this close to him was making me feel dizzy and nervous. I said it again, one last time, even though I didn’t mean it.
“Conrad, let go of me.”
He did. And then he dunked me. It didn’t matter. I was already holding my breath.
Jenny Han, The Summer I turned Pretty
Yeah, that right there, I just knew this was going to own my thoughts until it the story was fully over and done.
The Fisher Boys
Jeremiah is the golden boy. He’s sweet and open and says what he feels. But Conrad? Conrad feels so much and says so little. He’s moody, loyal, a little distant, and completely unforgettable
Even in his lowest moments (and he definitely had some), I just kept thinking: he’s the one for Belly. Conrad brought something different to the story. There was a depth to him, a sort of longing that really got to me. I don’t know if it’s because he reminded me of other fictional characters I’ve been “Team___” before, or if Jenny Han just wrote him in a way that spoke to me.
Conrad Fisher, Edward Cullen, Jess Mariano, Damon Salvatore… who else am I missing?
There’s certainly a throughline here, and it’s strong.
Why This Works
There’s something about these characters that just gets me. I’m not here for the sunshine boys. I’m here for the slow burn, the tension, the “you don’t understand how much I care about you” moment.
I think part of the draw is that we’re not spoon-fed their emotions. We get tiny, unforgettable glimpses. We have to read between the lines. These characters make you feel things because they themselves are so tied up in their own longing. They usually mess up before they get it right, but when they do get it right, it’s everything.
It’s like we’re chasing that moment when they finally let their wall down and say the one thing you’ve been waiting and waiting for the entire time. And when it comes? Worth it.
Bottled Nostalgia
“Teams” aside, there’s something timeless about this kind of love story: childhood friends growing up and feelings changing.
Jenny Han really captured that fleeting, bittersweet feeling of growing up and not being sure if the person you’ve always loved will be yours in the end. The whole series felt like bottled nostalgia.
I haven’t watched the series adaptation yet, but I plan to!
**edited April 26, 2025 The new teaser for season 3 (book 3) just dropped, and it’s diabolical. I may have a binge-watch sooner than I planned.
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