The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Published: May 5, 2009 by Simon & Schuster
Received: bought from Barnes & Noble online

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along. {taken from goodreads.com}

Wow. Simply freaking wow.  I devoured this book in a day!  I put aside the laundry, the dirty dishes, my job (sort of lol), & read this book like my life depended on it!  It was that good.  Even though I turned the last page not long ago, my mind is still reeling from it.  I am totally & utterly engulfed by this beautifully written portrayal of a young girl's summer that changed her life forever.  It was the summer that she evolved from a girl in to a young woman.  The summer of firsts & definitely not lasts.  This same summer, that she turned pretty, she also opened herself up to what ever the ocean's tides brought in.

Belly is on the verge of turning 16 & she is spending another summer at the beach house with her family.  She's made the same summer trek out to the beach with her mom & brother, Steven, since she was born.  They stay at her mom's best friend's house, Susannah, along with her two boys: Conrad & Jeremiah.  The six of them have a routine that they replicate each summer; from what they eat as their first night's dinner, to the type of sun tan lotion & beverage they drink as they lay under the hot smoldering sun.  Summers at the beach house is what Belly has lived for.  Though her best memories growing up are from this sandy sanctuary, she also has vivid memories of what it means to be the only girl among three older boys & always leaving her left behind.  But this summer - things have changed.  Belly is no longer the little girl with pig tails & braces.  She has shifted in to a beautiful young girl.  A pretty young girl.  And it's Conrad & Jeremiah who have noticed this change.

The story shifts back & forth from Belly's memories of summers spent at the beach.  I enjoyed seeing these experiences through Belly's eyes.  Her first kiss happened at this beach, along with her first love, & her first heart ache.  My stomach dropped when the boys constantly left her behind.  I could totally relate to that feeling, being the youngest sibling in my own family.  The "tattletell" syndrome was all too familiar!  Belly's relationship with Conrad & Jeremiah was always different.  Conrad was the dark, mysterious protector that she has always been crushing on since she could remember.  Jeremiah was the playful, funny, charismatic best friend that she could always count on.  Though her relationship with each boy was different, there was still a common connection: they both cared for Belly, deeply.  It wasn't until this summer that those feelings began to rise & present themselves.

Another element in the book that Belly was struggling with involved family matters.  Her parents had recently gotten divorced & she found herself on the outskirts with her mother.  Not fully understanding the end to her parent's marriage, she forced herself to accept it.  Susannah, her mother's best friend, was the perfect antidote for Belly's worries.  She stepped in & had a way of making the whole world a better place.  Her presence alone could lift Belly's spirits & carry her away to a time & place where everything made sense again.  However, Susannah was dealing with a demon of her own: cancer.  Her boys had a watchful eye on their mother & it was obvious they too were concerned about her happiness & her health, yet they didn't quite know the truth about it all.  In dealing with these issues, Conrad pulled away from the family.  Especially Belly.  Just when she felt herself completely & hopelessly falling for him,  he did what every other confused teenage boy does: he broke her heart.

The setting for this book is what grabbed my attention from the beginning.  The thought of being a teenage girl & spending the summer at a beach house thrilled me.  The idea of waking up to the tide rolling in, the seagulls squawking, & the smells of warm salt in the air tickled at me as I turned the pages.  But it wasn't the hot summer sun that kept me flipping the pages; it was the heat that transpired between Belly & these two boys for whom she's known her whole life, yet somehow have become much more to her than just summer house mates.  If you've ever read a book before that has played out like a movie, then you know exactly what I am talking about.  The words on the page took a life of their own & I was no longer reading, I was there - witnessing these moments as Belly grew up & turned pretty, right before my own eyes.

I should warn you now, you will need the second book (It's Not Summer Without You) immediately after you finish the first!  I made the mistake of not having it in my possession & now I am on a hunt to find it!  I have to know what is in store for the next summer at the beach.  What will become of Belly? and Conrad? and Jeremiah?  Was this their last summer as kids?  Will they now be burdened with the dilemmas of being a young adult?  If you're waiting to read this book as a summer read, I suggest you stop waiting - and grab it now!  Once again I owe Carla from The Crooked Shelf a huge THANK YOU for recommending this book to me.  She knows her stuff!!

*Edit: since writing this review, I have located the 2nd book (read it!) & moved on to the 3rd & final book (thank you S&S galley grab!) - so be on the look out for those reviews to come.