Book Review | It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Wondering whether you should pick up the second book in the Summer I Turned Pretty series? Find out in this review.

If you have not yet read my book review for The Summer I Turned Pretty, you can find it here!

About It's Not Summer Without You

For the first time in her life, Belly isn't going back to Cousins Beach this summer. When Jeremiah calls Belly one day to tell her that Conrad has disappeared, she drops everything to look for him. All clues point back to Cousins.

Maybe they will be spending another summer there after all.

It's Not Summer Without You Review

It's Not Summer Without You vs. The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Unlike the first book, which I downright disliked, this one was mediocre.

Some parts were boring and repetitive, but some parts were so good, I couldn't put the book down. Since there was a general mission amongst the characters, I felt that this book was more progressive and it flowed smoothly.

Not only has the plot been laid out clearly for readers, but the writing has also improved by a mile. There are less irritating repetitive phrases and I could get through the book without wanting to throw it onto the floor.

The gang's back together (most of them at least).

Belly has changed into a whole new person in It's Not Summer Without You. She's so much more helpful and understanding, and she apologises for her mistakes instead of sulking about them. It seems as though this girl has grown another brain since the last time we saw her, which is not uncommon considering what she had to go through.

The only thing I didn't understand about this girl is her relationship with Taylor. I cannot fathom how they've been friends for so long because every time they have an interaction, it's like they want to cut each other's throats out.

Since we had dual-perspective chapters in It's Not Summer Without You—one in Belly's POV and the other in Jeremiah's POV—I found that there was more depth to the other characters.

Reading Jeremiah's POV allowed me to understand him better. Instead of seeing him from Belly's fantasy-coated lens, Jeremiah is a genuine and good-hearted person. Besides feeling jealous of his brother, there seems to be no ill will in his bones.

I also understood Conrad a little more than I did in the first book.

Again, there wasn't a lot of Steven in this one, which was kind of sad because he seemed to also be more mature now.

There seemed to be more thoughtful conversations between characters which allowed them to open up about their feelings. This was refreshing to see after the lack of substance we had in The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Nostalgia, a shared history, counted for a lot. More than I’d realised.

Overall, this was a much more pleasant read to The Summer I Turned Pretty and I actually found myself excited to continue reading, something that did not happen in my first read.

The book ended on a cliffhanger so I’m eager to dive in into the third and last instalment of the Summer I Turned Pretty series. At this rate, I'm hopeful book three would be as good as or even better than book two.

Me with We'll Always Have Summer.

★★★☆☆ (3/5)

About Jenny Han

Jenny Han is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the To All The Boys I've Loved Before series, now a Netflix movie. She is also the author of the Summer I Turned Pretty series, Shug, and Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream. Her books have been published more than thirty languages. A former librarian, Han earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.