BookDragon Blog

First things first: do NOT read further if you haven’t read Part 1 of Jenny Han‘s sigh-inducing Belly-trilogy, The Summer I Turned Pretty. Why spoil this delicious experience? Trust me … you’ll want the full satisfaction, so no arguments: just read the books in order!

Okay, so Part II of Belly and her Boys moves into full heart-twisting swing. For the first summer ever, Belly, her older brother Steven, and their mother Laurel are not at the Cousins beach house with Laurel’s dearest-friend-in-the-universe Susannah (better known as Beck) and her two sons, Jeremiah and Conrad. Every summer without fail has been the two adults, the four kids, the water, the sand, the constant laughter, the easy joy.

Until now: Susannah, in spite of her valiant battle, has died of cancer, leaving lost souls too shattered to help each other heal. This summer, the beach house stands empty … and the summer family scattered.

Laurel escapes her grief by allowing herself to be consumed with the legal logistics of being Beck’s executor, so much so that she can’t see Belly’s broken heart-on-the-rebound. Belly’s own loss of Beck keeps her distanced at first from Beck’s boys, even as she knows that she will never really get over Conrad who she’s known all her life, who she’s loved all her life.

And then there’s Jeremiah, who’s been waiting his entire existence for Belly to finally notice how he’s longed for her, but always at a distance since Belly and Conrad were the destined pair … but what happens when the future changes so irrevocably?

Jenny Han knows how to make the heart melt, that’s for sure. Whether you’re 16 or 61, you’re going to enjoy these breathy reads … not to mention you’ll probably be holding your breath until the trilogy’s final installment debuts next month. Stay tuned.

Readers: Middle Grade, Young Adult

Published: 2010