16 May 2011

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1)
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 276 Pages (May 5th 2009)
From: Purchased from Amazon

Synopsis: 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.

Review: 4 Stars - Jenny Han’s first book in her Summer Trilogy – The Summer I Turned Pretty was a breath of fresh air, a wonderful surprise and to be honest I have no idea why I’ve waited so long to read this book. I thought it was wonderful from cover to cover and can understand why this series is so loved by many.

This title is the perfect blend of all things summer - vacations, family, friends, the beach and oh, yeah… boys. Through Belly (I was hoping we’d learn how she ended up with such a horrible name. It did drive me crazy until I understood how it came about.), our main female character we get to be a fly on the wall as she lives through a new summer and through a flash back of memories of summers past. The flash backs made Belly and the other characters who shared each summer together into more rounded people. It gives the reader more of an idea of who they all are and what those past summer months were like.

Belly is one of those characters who could walk off the pages and be anyone – a friend, relative, neighbor. She’s real, honest and Han does an incredible job showing what it’s really like to be a teenage girl. The three boys, Belly’s brother Steven, and the two Fisher brothers – Jeremiah and Conrad were bits and pieces of boys I remember from school. I always love when a character is as realistic as those found within the pages here and Han has it down pat. With Belly growing up and teen emotions running high things were bound to change for the group.

With things changing for each character and the summer coming to an end, I wondered what would come next and am thankful that I can pick up the next two books and read to find out.

There was something to love in each of Han’s characters. Her story and writing were wonderful and I couldn’t put the book down. It’s books like this that remind me of my love of contemporary YA and fans of the genre shouldn’t pass this series up, so be sure to pick up or order a copy soon.


Check out the widget (which includes the quiz): http://dearjennyhan.com/always-summer/widget/

Take the quiz: Literary or athletic? Shaggy or clean cut? Take the quiz where, like Belly, you to can find out once and for all if it is Conrad or Jeremiah that you should give your heart to forever: http://dearjennyhan.com/always-summer/.

The book website can be found here: http://www.dearjennyhan.com/alwayssummer.html

Link to the books trailer: http://www.simonandschuster.com/multimedia?video=918483406001

Or, Check out the trailer here:


FTC Disclaimer: I DID pay for this book, and have NOT been compensated at all in any way or means for reading this book and or writing this HONEST review.


GIVEAWAY TO ONE LUCKY WINNER!
 Enter to win a finished copy of ALL THREE books
in the Summer Series!



Rules and how to enter:

You MUST be at least 13 years old to enter.
Please be sure to fill out the form below for your entry to count.
This giveaway is open to US Only, sorry!
Giveaway ends: June 1st, 2011


A Huge Thank You goes out to the publisher, Simon & Schuster,
who made this giveaway possible.

Good luck to everyone who enters! The winner will be chosen via Random.org. If you have any questions please check my policy page or feel free to email.

Find the Author

Follow me on Twitter     /     Be friends with me on Goodreads
Subscribe to my RSS Feed

13 comments:

  1. Very nice write up. Not my usual kind of book to read, but it does sound interesting and fun.

    ReplyDelete
  2. These sound like great summer reads! Thanks for the chance to win them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really want to read these, I've heard so many fantastic things about them. Thanks for the giveaway, and the great review! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been looking at these books for a while now. This summer, I think I might just give them a shot.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great review! I've heard such awesome things about these books, thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great giveaway!

    StuckInBooks.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great review and thanks for the great giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for this amazingly generous giveaway opportunity! :D

    ~Hira~
    GFC Follower: ~Enamored Soul~
    Email: Enamoredsoul(at)gmail(dot)com
    Twitter: @inluvwithbookz

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for the great giveaway!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for this giveaway! I haven't read this series but I would like to.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You seriously have the most awesome giveaways. Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for the review, I ordered the book as soon as I read your thoughts about it.

    ReplyDelete

Comment and let me know your thoughts on this post.

Twitter Goodreads Email

Recently Read


Blog Archive

Search the Blog!

Learn more about RAK

Book Soulmates
Xpresso Book Tours

Total Pageviews

Copyright

FTC Disclaimer:

In accordance with FTC Guidelines, I have not received any monetary gain for any information posted within the pages of this website/blog. Any and all information has been provided by the publisher, author and or publicist for free. Content is also based on purchases made by myself or of my guest reviewer(s). Any and all opinions expressed within the pages of this website/blog are solely my own or those of the authors of any and all guest reviewers(s) or guest bloggers.



Related Posts with Thumbnails

About Me

Hi, I’m Lisa and I'm a proud bibliophile.

I enjoy reading and reviewing a variety of different books within the Young Adult, "New Adult" & Adult genres/categories. If you have any questions or if you are an author or publisher and would be interested in promoting a book, please feel free email. You can find my email under the "mail" button or under the contact link at the top of the page.

I look forward to hearing from you!


Authors, Publishers & Publicists

Have a book you'd like me to review or Promote? How about doing an Author Interview? Or maybe a Guest Post? Great! I'd love to! For more information about having your book reviewed here, please follow this link for more information:

Reviews, Interviews, Guest Posts and Contest.

Guest Reviewer Jenny

Guest Reviewer Jenny
Click for info & links to her reviews!

My Ratings

When I review I rate from 1 to 5 stars, 5 being the highest rating. I review based on many different things from the writing, to the story - to the characters and how I can relate to them or how they are developed. I also review based on if an author has worked their magic and was able to draw me into a story so deeply that I don't want to put the book down. If you would like me to review a book, please contact me or view my Contact Information and Review Policy for further details.

5 Stars - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!
4 Stars - I Really liked/Loved it.
3 Stars - I liked it/Was pretty good.
2 Stars - It was, eh okay.
1 Star - It just wasn't for me.

Followers

Follow the Blog

Follow on Bloglovin

Follow By Email

Enter your email address:

Grab Me!

Blogs I Love