The Summer I Turned Pretty

Nachdem ich mich schon in die Serie verliebt hatte, wollte ich unbedingt auch die Bücher lesen und was soll ich sagen? Ich finde sie noch viel besser, als die Serie und lege sie jedem ans Herz, der auf Teenie-Lovestorys steht und was locker flockiges für Zwischendurch sucht.

A beautifully and simply written story about first loves, heartbreaks, family/friendship and growing up. We relive some of the moments Belly experienced at Susannah's beach house in Cousins, meet the very different brothers Jeremiah and Conrad and accompany her during the summer she turned pretty.

"The Summer I Turned Pretty" is a cute YA-Romance with beautiful summer and cozy vibes. We follow Belly on her journey to becoming an adult. We read about her problems growing up, which most young girls go through. She also tells us about her love life, which is pretty complicated. Because she is in love with her older brother's best friend, Conrad. I think Jenny Han is very good at telling us a story where most girls can relate very much. The setting was very cozy. I think I was a bit old for reading that drama now, but it would be perfect for young adults who can relate more with Belly's age. All in all, it was a very fun read, which I would totally recommend for ages 14-18.

Belly als Protagonistin hat mich ehrlich gesagt ziemlich hin- und hergerissen. Ich verstehe, dass sie jung ist und viel durcheinandergeht, aber ihre Art hat mich trotzdem oft eher genervt als berührt. Das Strandhaus-Setting und diese typische Sommeratmosphäre haben mich dagegen sofort gepackt, weil es einfach dieses leichte, nostalgische Gefühl hat. Leider passiert in der Story insgesamt recht wenig, und genau das hat es für mich manchmal etwas langgezogen wirken lassen. Auch das Liebesdreieck zwischen den Jungs und Belly hätte für mich viel stärker ausgearbeitet sein können, weil da emotional eigentlich mehr drin gewesen wäre. Jeremiah und Conrad bleiben irgendwie beide ein bisschen blass, obwohl genau sie das Herzstück der Geschichte sein sollten. Trotzdem hatte das Buch so einen entspannten Leseflow, dass ich dran geblieben bin. Besonders die letzten Kapitel haben dann tatsächlich nochmal etwas mehr Emotion reingebracht. Im Vergleich zur Serie wirkt das Buch für mich weniger intensiv und weniger zugespitzt. Aber dieses sommerliche Gefühl hat es trotzdem geschafft, mich irgendwie drin zu halten. Fazit: Am Ende bleibt für mich ein ruhiger, etwas unspektakulärer Sommerroman mit schöner Atmosphäre, aber einer Story, die emotional nicht ganz das gehalten hat, was sie hätte sein können.

I really liked the basic premise of the book. I totally felt the summery vibe with the house, the two families, and the sea, since I was on vacation myself when I read it! Unfortunately, it didn't quite win me over completely, mainly because of the protagonist, Belly. Jenny Han's descriptions were incredibly vivid, and I flew through the pages. The English was very good and easy to understand, perfect for starters, and I love the cover of the English edition! I thought the brothers Jeremiah and Conrad were incredibly authentic, and they couldn't be more different. Despite this, I loved them both in their own way, even though Conrad was very irritable at the beginning for no (initially) apparent reason. This changed as the book progressed.The supporting characters, like Belly's mother, her best friend Susannah, and Belly's boyfriend Cam, also contributed positively to the story and are part of its charm. However, I found Belly quite irritating at times while reading. She was constantly trying to make one of the brothers jealous. At times, she didn't even know what, or rather who, she wanted, and in my opinion, she was often naive, very self-absorbed, and unfair to others. She constantly wallowed in self-pity, completely oblivious to the people around her. However, it's worth noting that she's only 15 in the book, which was a bit too young for me.