For this month’s rad reading, I read The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.
What I loved most about this book was the descriptive writing that really made you feel like you were there, spending the summer with the characters at Cousins Beach. I also liked this book because it is relatable. Since this is a realistic fiction book, many of the events in this book are similar to what might happen in real life, especially if you have siblings! This is a very sweet, heartfelt novel and I liked it very much.
As the story opens, Belly leaves her school life behind as she drives away with her family to Cousins Beach, where she has spent every summer of her life. Though she is greeted with her three favorite people – Susannah, Jeremiah, and her all – time crush, Conrad, she is soon to realize that something feels different. Conrad has been acting up and she hardly ever sees him anymore. Mr. Fisher, Susannah’s husband, hasn’t visited all summer. Worst of all, Susannah hasn’t been the same and has been going on a lot of mysterious outings with Belly’s mother. This captivating story filled with love, laughter, and loss will reel you right into the lives of the characters.
Jeremiah was my favorite character in this book because he was caring to everyone, no matter what. A quote that proves this is true is when everyone realized what was happening to Susannah. According to the text, the author states, “We were all pretty quiet until Jeremiah broke the silence. ‘This potato salad tastes like bad breath.’” After that, everyone started laughing and things seemed back to normal. This evidence proves that he worked hard to keep his family and Belly’s family together when others couldn’t. Furthermore, one can infer that Jeremiah took the risk of potentially being made fun of by his brother and friends. Because he took the initiative to keep his family happy when others didn’t, he is the strongest, best character to me.
My favorite line from the story was on page 215, “The imperfections are what make things beautiful.” This is my favorite line from the story because not only is it very true about the real world, but I feel that this is when Belly finally realizes that she is pretty by just being herself. Throughout the story, Belly is comparing herself to her friend, Taylor and other people in her life and saying how beautiful they are in comparison to her. After she realizes that she is special and unique – looking herself, her confidence is boosted and this enables her to be happier.
