Citation: Han, J. (2009). The summer I turned pretty. Simon & Schuster.
Content Warning: cancer, grief.
Belly spends every summer at Cousins with her mother, brother, her mother’s best friend Susannah, and her two sons. Every past summer has been the same: she’s been the little sister, she’s pined after Conrad, and she’s still never been kissed. This summer, though? She’s sixteen and everything has changed.
Recently developed into a television series for Amazon Prime (a link to our review!), this story uniquely encapsulates yearning and heartache, and growing up and finding yourself. Although some may consider a weak point to be Belly’s somewhat unreliable narration, I think it’s a realistic portrayal of how single-minded and at times selfish people can be as they are growing up. This is both a lighthearted and emotional read and fast-paced and perfect for anyone who appreciates complicated love interests and family drama.