What I Read: July 2023

July was all about The Summer I Turned Pretty. As I am sure you know, the second season of the show is now streaming on Amazon Prime. I watched the first three episodes before deciding I wouldn't watch any further until I finished the books. As of 4 am this morning, I have officially read all three books. Insomnia, amiright? I spent the last two weeks wholly tied up in Belly's love life and far too concerned about this high school love triangle. But I was invested. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Having watched season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, I had an idea of what would happen. I was not prepared for how different the book was compared to the show. Spoilers ahead: In the book, there is no debutant ball and Belly's mom is not an author. Those details were such a large part of the show, I was surprised when I never read about them. With that said, the books are always better and that stands true for The Summer I Turned Pretty. 

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

The pain and sadness within the pages of this book was heavy. That loss was so sad and difficult to process. It took me 6 days to get through this book where as I finished book one in just two days. The past was revisited many times in this book. Every other chapter seemed to jump back in time to a core memory that shaped Belly, Conrad, or Jeremiah in some way. I am interested to see how many differences there are between book two and season two. 

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

This book took a very unexpected turn early on in the story. I struggled to find a character to root for. Belly was making decisions I could not get behind, Jeremiah became the bad guy, and Conrad was even more distressed than normal. With that said, I finished this book just as quickly as the first. I just had to know what was going to happen and could not turn the pages fast enough. I am still digesting this story and at this time I just don't know how I feel about the ending. 

Have you read this series? Are you #TeamConroad or #TeamJeremiah?