Some summers are simply meant to be beautiful
The first book, The Summer I Turned Pretty is told by Isabel “Belly” Conklin. She measures her world in summers because everything exciting happens between June and August. Since Belly was a baby, she, her mother Laurel and her brother Steve have been spending summers in Cousins Beach. This is the beach house of Susannah Fisher, her mother’s best friend. And her childhood friends Jeremiah and Conrad—Susannah’s sons—also spend their summers there. They are almost like brothers to Belly.
But everything suddenly changes this summer.
Belly is just about to turn 16 and has grown from a chubby girl with thick glasses to an attractive young woman. And the boys seem to notice that too. Jeremiah is openly happy for Belly and playfully flirts with her. Conrad, however, with whom Belly has been secretly in love for years, reacts strangely and cautiously. He, too, has changed: Conny has become secretive and puzzling. What is behind it? Belly realizes that her carefree childhood days are ending, and something new is beginning.
In the second book, No Summer Without You, a shadow falls over the young love Belly shares with one of her longtime Fisher friends. Then, in the last volume of the Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, We’ll Always Have Summer, the cards get a reshuffling: Which of the two Fisher brothers brings the beautiful Belly down the aisle?
These stories formed the basis of the Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty, which debuted in 2022.
Books in The Summer I Turned Pretty series in chronological order
The Summer I Turned Pretty (2009)
It’s Not Summer Without You (2010)
We’ll Always Have Summer (2011)
A story about friendship and great love
Jenny Han’s Summer series is a coming-of-age classic that focuses on familiar elements—a love triangle, the first disappointments of romance and the challenges of growing up. But Han’s novels are complex. The author addresses the special relationship between mothers and their children and the strong friendships between women. In doing so, the author inspires young people and adults.
The summer trilogy in the right order
The Summer series consists of three novels. It starts with The Summer I Turned Pretty, published in 2009. It’s Not Summer Without You, released in 2010, follows, and then everything concludes with 2011’s We’ll Always Have Summer.
Amazon Prime Video announced a second and third season of The Summer I Turned Pretty. If you don’t want to wait for those seasons to arrive, you can listen to It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer on Audible. Even better, the original cast members of the Amazon series serve as narrators and portray their respective series roles: Lola Tung as Belly, Christopher Briney as Conrad and Gavin Casalegno as Jeremiah.
More popular books by Jenny Han
Jenny Han is one of the United States’ most successful young adult writers. She regularly tops the bestseller lists with her sweet and romantic coming-of-age novels. The books that inspired the hit Netflix series To All the Boys I Loved Before are also available on Audible. Ali Ahn reads the enchanting series with temperament and sensitivity. In addition, Han and Siobhan Vivian co-wrote the Burn for Burn series, a paranormal romance tale about three high school girls who plot revenge on citizens in their island town. And for middle school-aged listeners, there’s Shug, about the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of “Shug” Wilcox.
About Jenny Han:
Jenny Han is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult romance and coming-of-age novels. A Korean-American raised in Richmond, Virginia, she created the Summer I Turned Pretty series and the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, both of which became the basis for TV series adaptations.
