I was in the mood for a quick, and short contemporary read so when I saw this book lying in my library pile I instantly picked it up. And it was exactly what I needed. This won't be a long review because I feel as thought everything I want to say isn't really necessary. The book is really short and fast-paced, so you could read it in a couple hours easily.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is about 16 year-old Belly, or Isabel, who has spent every summer since she was little at Cousins Beach with her mother, older brother and her "second family"- Susannah, Conrad and Jeremiah. Growing up with boys pulling pranks and teasing you isn't easy, but Belly has survived all these years. And this year, with her sixteenth birthday, everyone starts noticing the change that comes with the passing of time. Belly is growing into herself and the boys are all starting to go in different directions. But Cousins Beach has always been the thing bringing them all together, but with things rapidly unwinding it might prove harder to keep everything together.

I really enjoyed this book, I picked it up in the afternoon and finished it within a couple hours. So, you won't have a hard time reading this. Trust me. I gave the book a 4/5 on Goodreads because I  was frustrated with Belly more often than once. But I think that has to do a lot more with the age and everything that being in your late teens comes with; like being immature, easily confused or frustrated, lashing out, and being really egotistical. I'm not bashing her character because we all go through these things when we're young, so I connected with her in that sense, as I went through that and my 15 year-old sister is too currently.

Also, as you read some of what you discover later on in the book is predictable but I didn't mind that at all because I think Jenny Han meant to do that. Not everything is supposed to be inconspicuous and as I said when you're that age a lot of the things that occur around you, are believed to be tied to you somehow when not everything is about you. I want to continue reading the rest of the series and see how everything ends up. I really grew attached to all the characters and it reminded me of how summers are supposed to be spent- carefree, salt water on your skin and smooth dark skin perpetuated by being at the beach all day. Summer always feels so short-lived and that's why they bring the best memories sometimes.

-Alex