The Summer I Turned Pretty

Welcome, friend! I have thought about The Summer I Turned Pretty  series on and off over the last few years and I am glad that I finally picked it up. I read it in 2012 during a glorious summer when I read a book each day of the month and blogged about it. It was a completely different life and blog. I was in college, aka undergrad, back in India. I had just finished my first year and had nothing to do but whatever I wanted. I would have been 17 years old.

Now, almost fifteen years later, I read it with my six-month-old daughter beside me, prompted in part by all the buzz around the TV adaptation. With the final season now out, I wanted to revisit the story that charmed my younger self and see how it lands in this new season of life. This book was pure escapism and had some fun things to remind and reveal to me. Let’s dive in.

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The Summer I Turned Pretty – Review

The Summer She Turned 16

The Summer I Turned Pretty is the story of Belly, the summer she turned 16. It was a summer like no other because she felt pretty. She was finally becoming her own person. She was learning to drive and taking steps from dependency to independence. This summer, she stands taller — literally and figuratively — and begins to see herself differently.

Every summer for as long as she can remember, she went with her mom, Laur, and brother to her mom’s best friend’s cabin at Cousins Beach by the lake. Susannah has two boys of her own and treats Belly like the daughter she never had. 

This summer, Belly is determined to enjoy herself. The boys still continue to tease her like they always do but she stands up for herself. She is acutely aware that this is the last summer they are going to have this way. Her brother is already missing half of it as he is going on college tours with their dad and next year Conrad would not be there.

Setting, Rereading and the Lake Life

I found myself falling into this story from the first page. It was familiar because of a reread but also so much had changed. The 18 year old in India is similar to the 16 year old in the west and I remember loving the story back then. Now, when I’ve moved to Canada and have a better sense of the lake lifestyle (my in-laws have a homey and comfortable lake cabin that we spend many summer weekends at), I felt closer to home with the setting. My new experiences made me immerse myself into the book and not want to leave. 

Reading as a Parent

What surprised me most was how often I thought of my daughter while reading. It’s been a long time since I was 16, and instead of imagining myself in Belly’s shoes, I wondered what kind of 16-year-old she will be.

Belly’s interactions with her mom were quiet moments of contemplation for me. At one point in the story, Belly is hanging out with her boyfriend all day and Laur comments on how she would like Belly to spend time with her too. It can be hard as a parent to voice our wishes while respecting our child’s growing independence. As a young girl discovering her agency, Belly tries but gets caught up doing something else. Laur doesn’t take this personally and I liked seeing that. Susannah is very important to Belly and she is like an aunt to her. She offers insights to Belly about her mom — the kind of things teens often miss about their parents.

Illness, Emotion and Growing Pains

This book isn’t just about summer romance — it carries the ache of change. Throughout the summer, Belly feels like something is off. Susannah doesn’t have as much energy as she normally does. As summer comes to a close, the future to come becomes a bit clearer and while something new is budding for Belly, some things are truly at the cusp of ending. The intimate moments between Laur and Susannah about cancer – two best friends preparing for the unthinkable – and those of the boys living with that reality were hard hitting. I liked the different ways in which they approached this. The boys are both tense. Conrad in particular is not behaving like himself. Jeremiah is actively working to deny his mother’s illness.

Belly as a Narrator

I liked Belly’s voice. She uses big words sometimes — words that feel like they’re trying to impress, but in a way that made me smile. I remember doing the same thing: reaching for vocabulary, trying to sound older or cooler.

The story is told in present tense with flashbacks to previous summers. Through the past events, it established Belly’s feelings towards Conrad, Susannah’s elder son, her deep friendship with the younger son, Jeremiah and the dynamics of being a girl summering with three boys. 

As much as she hides her feelings for Conrad, they are well known. He is a love who is hard to forget. He has done little things in their years together that have won her heart and this summer, she feels bold to confront those feelings. There are arguments, heartbreak, a summer romance that wasn’t going to last, all packed between ocean swims and summer tans. It had the right balance of carefree growth.

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Rereading with a Reflective Mind

Rereading an old series is walking back in time. I could see how much I’ve grown. Two physical evidences of change that stood out:

(1) I didn’t annotate or highlight the first time I read The Summer I Turned Pretty; I just remembered how it made me feel.

(2) I used to note the date of when I got a book. My copy arrived in February 2013. I no longer do that. What’s funny is that I still read ahead and buy later.

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I’m excited to continue the journey in the next book, It’s Not Summer Without You.

Looking for a light standalone YA? Check out This Time It’s Real.