nut free nerd

Author: Jenny Han

Number of Pages: 288

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Release Date: January 1, 2010

“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.”

– Goodreads.com

After being less than impressed with The Summer I Turned Pretty (click here to read my review) I was quite hesitant to dive into the next book in this trilogy. Fortunately, I enjoyed this second installment much more than the first book.

Maybe it’s because Belly is closer to my age in this novel, but I felt as though I could relate to her a lot more. She seems less moody and temperamental, like she finally grew into her own skin. I’m not sure what sparked this sudden change in her personality from the first book to the second but I’m not questioning it! Belly is the major narrator of this story, so the fact that she was tolerable this time made a world of a difference.

The plot is much more intense and fast-paced in this novel than in the previous one. There is an actual problem that needs to come to a conclusion, which drives everything forward with more momentum. It’s not just bits and pieces of random summers like in the first book- everything has more substance and relevance. For the first time I felt as though there was a point to this whole story, and that was very refreshing.

The most frustrating part of this trilogy so far is the romance. I honestly don’t understand why Belly is so obsessed with Conrad, seeing as he doesn’t show any interest in her when it really matters. She knows she loves Conrad, yet she keeps stringing Jeremiah along- poor Jeremiah, who is actually kind and really likes her! I just don’t get it. I also don’t understand why the three of them don’t simply USE THEIR WORDS. Perhaps if they told each other how they actually feel, they wouldn’t be in this convoluted predicament!

Overall, this novel was a significant improvement from The Summer I Turned Pretty. Even though there were still some flaws in it, they were much more tolerable this time around. Hopefully the final book in this trilogy will be even better!

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes, knowing that this trilogy does get better with the second book.

Have you ever read this trilogy before? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY