I've been reading a couple more books but I haven't been updating my reviews on here. Sorry about that! Sometimes it's easier to just write down my quick thoughts on Goodreads. Following up with my last post, I picked up the second book in the The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han- It's Not Summer Without You. Like I mentioned before, these books are really easy to read and you get caught up in the characters lives quickly. So picking up the second book was like catching up with everyone in Cousins Beach again. I missed Jenny Han's writing and some of the simple, but emotion-packed sentences.

Again, we have the same crew- Belly, Conrad, Jeremiah, and Steven- except things are definitely different from the first book. Everyone is growing up and moving on, yet their little tight-knit family remains as a strong buffer against tough times, always bringing them back together. Steven isn't in this book as much, but I guess you could see that coming from the first novel. So, this is basically centered around Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah. Although, we get both Belly and Jeremiah narrating, we never get Conrad, which I would really appreciate because that guy stresses me out.

And talking about stress, Belly just frustrated me all throughout the book until the very end. Again, I'm not sure if it's the age or transitioning through your teens (probably) but I just wanted her to listen up and pay attention to some of the things others were telling her. They're right, sometimes it's not all about you. Her fangirl "relationship" with Conrad is basically how I would sum that situation up- fangirl, because Belly hasn't changed from the first book in that aspect. Conrad is still her first, "true" love. I'm just sitting there reading and thinking "Team Jeremiah!" I mean, I hate doing the whole "teams" thing but I enjoy his character so much more. Even Belly who is the main narrator, I can't stand too much at times.

Either way I like this contemporary trilogy because it's full of carelessness, and what summer is all about- change, maturing, growing, learning new things about yourself and others. Oh, and maybe some fun? Well, definitely sand, water and sunshine. Once you pick up one of these books it's hard to put down, and believe me you can finish one in a couple hours. Jenny Han has a way of wrapping up nostalgia in these perfect little sentences and bringing you back to your childhood. I gave this a 4/5 on Goodreads and I'm curious to see what the third book brings!

-Alex