Literature & Fiction
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It's Not Summer Without You
Soon to be a streaming series in Summer 2022!
Belly finds out what comes after falling in love in this follow-up to The Summer I Turned Pretty from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before (now a major motion picture!), Jenny Han.
It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started-at Cousins Beach.
Belly finds out what comes after falling in love in this follow-up to The Summer I Turned Pretty from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before (now a major motion picture!), Jenny Han.
It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started-at Cousins Beach.
Readers Top Reviews
P. Dhinsa
Read by my teenage daughter and me. It's a good series of books for teenage girls. This is the second book in the series. This is my fourteen-year-old daughter's comment about the book: I loved that there were flashbacks, but it detracted from the present too much, losing the excitement and tension. I would recommend people to read this second book, but be warned, it's not as good as the first!
Lawrence WillisSo
bit depressing to be honest. all she does is moan im a big fan of jennys othef books though !
IonaLawrence Will
I loved this one! I was wondering how it would turn out having one after this one still to read. I was hoping to see Belly not struggle with trying to impress the boys in this one and thankfully the boys are starting to see her differently. In this one you kind of decide which boy you like better for her and its really hard to decide has they are both handsome and have great personalities (I see why Belly loves them both!) I recommend to everyone because I haven't come across someone who doesn't love it! Great summer read! Encourage everyone READ IT!
AmberIonaLawrence
I really enjoyed The Summer I Turned Pretty, the first book in this trilogy, and so when this book arrived in the post I was so annoyed that I had to save it for my holiday. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of months, staring at me and teasing me. But I was finally able to read it while I was sitting by the pool in Crete this July, and I'm so glad I waited. There are a few differences between this book and the first. The main one is that this book is told from two points of view this time - Belly's and Jeremiah's. It's pretty obvious what is going to happen from early on in the book, but I won't spoil you. You must read this for yourself! Belly, on the other hand, hasn't changed much at all. Her main concern was Conrad, as usual, and it annoyed me. SO much. She had much bigger problems than chasing after him, but I guess that's just Belly for you. Conrad was also being annoying in this book. No, actually, not annoying, just frustrating. I hate it when people can't share their feelings and instead they shut off. That said, they were all going through a lot, so I can't really blame them. I can't blame Conrad, anyway. I absolutely LOVED Jeremiah in this book. He was adorable in the first, and in this one he's stepped up and matured and... Wow. I love him. And I really enjoyed reading things from his perspective, for example when he talks about how his dad has always favoured Conrad and left him out. I felt so sorry for him, I just wanted to hug him. This book also marks the beginning of a love triangle. Gah. We'll have to see where it goes, although I'm pretty sure I know. But it's okay, because I like what happened at the end. I like it a lot. It's Not Summer Without You wasn't as good a read as the first book in the trilogy, but I think that's because it doesn't have such a summery feel to it. The first one was perfect for the beach, whereas this one could have been enjoyed just as much in the hotel room. Plus, look at the title. It's not supposed to be as summery. I really did enjoy it, though, and if you haven't picked up this trilogy yet then I highly recommend doing so. Especially if you're going on holiday this summer!
Sophie RiggsbyAmb
*Review posted on Mundie Moms on 8/5/2016* Soooooooo, let me just say that keeping this review spoiler free is going to be so hard to do, because on page two (PAGE TWO, you guys!) something happens that sets the tension of this book to OMGNOWAY. Yes, you read it right PAGE TWO. The thing that happens (bear with me, I am trying here) is not entirely unexpected, but it sets the tone for the rest of the book. Okay, let me pause a second to say, that the love triangle will just never go away. In fact, it makes perfect sense. So as you turn pages you will find yourself loving Conrad, HATING CONRAD SO SO SO MUCH, and hoping (sometimes rather desperately) that Belly ends up with one or the other of the Fisher boys for reasons I can't even mention. GAH. I hate writing non-spoilery review when I have too much to discuss. I guarantee that your emotions will be tugged in all directions with this story. There will be tears or at least a fairly deep sadness (I suggest a sugar rush only Belly would approve of as a remedy) and a sense of relief that maybe, just maybe we will get the ending that we all want. What ending is that, you ask? I don't even know. At the start, I was hoping that she would date Conrad, but by the end, I was hoping that the sweetness of Jeremiah would win her over. Beyond the love triangle, Jenny writes a story of friendship between girls, Belly and Taylor and she documents the highs and lows all long standing friendships seem to experience. Their story makes you hope they will end up like Susannah and Laurel eventually. The friendships between the girls, the two moms and the boys and Belly are gorgeously written. They feel extremely real, and in Jenny's hands you will feel all the emotions the characters are going through. One refreshing moment is that this book contains Jeremiah's point-of-view, so we get to see a little bit of what he's thinking as well. We get to see Belly, in her junior year, go through loss and heartbreak. Will she ever get over her crush on Conrad? Will they even find him? Apply another layer of sunscreen, settle down on that beach towel, grab a Coke and cherry ICEE and enjoy a story about friendships, family and the crushes we can never quite leave behind. I'm definitely moving on to book 3, It's Not Summer Without You.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter One chapter one JULY 2
It was a hot summer day in Cousins. I was lying by the pool with a magazine on my face. My mother was playing solitaire on the front porch, Susannah was inside puttering around the kitchen. She'd probably come out soon with a glass of sun tea and a book I should read. Something romantic.
Conrad and Jeremiah and Steven had been surfing all morning. There'd been a storm the night before. Conrad and Jeremiah came back to the house first. I heard them before I saw them. They walked up the steps, cracking up over how Steven had lost his shorts after a particularly ferocious wave. Conrad strode over to me, lifted the sweaty magazine from my face, and grinned. He said, "You have words on your cheeks."
I squinted up at him. "What do they say?"
He squatted next to me and said, "I can't tell. Let me see." And then he peered at my face in his serious Conrad way. He leaned in, and he kissed me, and his lips were cold and salty from the ocean.
Then Jeremiah said, "You guys need to get a room," but I knew he was joking. He winked at me as he came from behind, lifted Conrad up, and launched him into the pool.
Jeremiah jumped in too, and he yelled, "Come on, Belly!"
So of course I jumped too. The water felt fine. Better than fine. Just like always, Cousins was the only place I wanted to be.
"Hello? Did you hear anything I just said?"
I opened my eyes. Taylor was snapping her fingers in my face. "Sorry," I said. "What were you saying?"
I wasn't in Cousins. Conrad and I weren't together, and Susannah was dead. Nothing would ever be the same again. It had been-How many days had it been? How many days exactly?-two months since Susannah had died and I still couldn't believe it. I couldn't let myself believe it. When a person you love dies, it doesn't feel real. It's like it's happening to someone else. It's someone else's life. I've never been good with the abstract. What does it mean when someone is really and truly gone?
Sometimes I closed my eyes and in my head, I said over and over again, It isn't true, it isn't true, this isn't real. This wasn't my life. But it was my life; it was my life now. After.
I was in Marcy Yoo's backyard. The boys were messing around in the pool and us girls were lying on beach towels, all lined up in a row. I was friends with Marcy, but the rest, Katie and Evelyn and those girls, they were more Taylor's friends.
It was eighty-seven degrees already, and it was just after noon. It was going to be a hot one. I was on my stomach, and I could feel sweat pooling in the small of my back. I was starting to feel sun-sick. It was only the second day of July, and already, I was counting the days until summer was over.
"I said, what are you going to wear to Justin's party?" Taylor repeated. She'd lined our towels up close, so it was like we were on one big towel.
"I don't know," I said, turning my head so we were face-to-face.
She had tiny sweat beads on her nose. Taylor always sweated first on her nose. She said, "I'm going to wear that new sundress I bought with my mom at the outlet mall."
I closed my eyes again. I was wearing sunglasses, so she couldn't tell if my eyes were open or not anyway. "Which one?"
"You know, the one with the little polka dots that ties around the neck. I showed it to you, like, two days ago." Taylor let out an impatient little sigh.
"Oh, yeah," I said, but I still didn't remember and I knew Taylor could tell.
I started to say something else, something nice about the dress, but suddenly I felt ice-cold aluminum sticking to the back of my neck. I shrieked and there was Cory Wheeler, crouched down next to me with a dripping Coke can in his hand, laughing his head off.
I sat up and glared at him, wiping off my neck. I was so sick of today. I just wanted to go home. "What the crap, Cory!"
He was still laughing, which made me madder.
I said, "God, you're so immature."
"But you looked really hot," he protested. "I was trying to cool you off."
I didn't answer him, I just kept my hand on the back of my neck. My jaw felt really tight, and I could feel all the other girls staring at me. And then Cory's smile sort of slipped away and he said, "Sorry. You want this Coke?"
I shook my head, and he shrugged and retreated back over to the pool. I looked over and saw Katie and Evelyn making ...
It was a hot summer day in Cousins. I was lying by the pool with a magazine on my face. My mother was playing solitaire on the front porch, Susannah was inside puttering around the kitchen. She'd probably come out soon with a glass of sun tea and a book I should read. Something romantic.
Conrad and Jeremiah and Steven had been surfing all morning. There'd been a storm the night before. Conrad and Jeremiah came back to the house first. I heard them before I saw them. They walked up the steps, cracking up over how Steven had lost his shorts after a particularly ferocious wave. Conrad strode over to me, lifted the sweaty magazine from my face, and grinned. He said, "You have words on your cheeks."
I squinted up at him. "What do they say?"
He squatted next to me and said, "I can't tell. Let me see." And then he peered at my face in his serious Conrad way. He leaned in, and he kissed me, and his lips were cold and salty from the ocean.
Then Jeremiah said, "You guys need to get a room," but I knew he was joking. He winked at me as he came from behind, lifted Conrad up, and launched him into the pool.
Jeremiah jumped in too, and he yelled, "Come on, Belly!"
So of course I jumped too. The water felt fine. Better than fine. Just like always, Cousins was the only place I wanted to be.
"Hello? Did you hear anything I just said?"
I opened my eyes. Taylor was snapping her fingers in my face. "Sorry," I said. "What were you saying?"
I wasn't in Cousins. Conrad and I weren't together, and Susannah was dead. Nothing would ever be the same again. It had been-How many days had it been? How many days exactly?-two months since Susannah had died and I still couldn't believe it. I couldn't let myself believe it. When a person you love dies, it doesn't feel real. It's like it's happening to someone else. It's someone else's life. I've never been good with the abstract. What does it mean when someone is really and truly gone?
Sometimes I closed my eyes and in my head, I said over and over again, It isn't true, it isn't true, this isn't real. This wasn't my life. But it was my life; it was my life now. After.
I was in Marcy Yoo's backyard. The boys were messing around in the pool and us girls were lying on beach towels, all lined up in a row. I was friends with Marcy, but the rest, Katie and Evelyn and those girls, they were more Taylor's friends.
It was eighty-seven degrees already, and it was just after noon. It was going to be a hot one. I was on my stomach, and I could feel sweat pooling in the small of my back. I was starting to feel sun-sick. It was only the second day of July, and already, I was counting the days until summer was over.
"I said, what are you going to wear to Justin's party?" Taylor repeated. She'd lined our towels up close, so it was like we were on one big towel.
"I don't know," I said, turning my head so we were face-to-face.
She had tiny sweat beads on her nose. Taylor always sweated first on her nose. She said, "I'm going to wear that new sundress I bought with my mom at the outlet mall."
I closed my eyes again. I was wearing sunglasses, so she couldn't tell if my eyes were open or not anyway. "Which one?"
"You know, the one with the little polka dots that ties around the neck. I showed it to you, like, two days ago." Taylor let out an impatient little sigh.
"Oh, yeah," I said, but I still didn't remember and I knew Taylor could tell.
I started to say something else, something nice about the dress, but suddenly I felt ice-cold aluminum sticking to the back of my neck. I shrieked and there was Cory Wheeler, crouched down next to me with a dripping Coke can in his hand, laughing his head off.
I sat up and glared at him, wiping off my neck. I was so sick of today. I just wanted to go home. "What the crap, Cory!"
He was still laughing, which made me madder.
I said, "God, you're so immature."
"But you looked really hot," he protested. "I was trying to cool you off."
I didn't answer him, I just kept my hand on the back of my neck. My jaw felt really tight, and I could feel all the other girls staring at me. And then Cory's smile sort of slipped away and he said, "Sorry. You want this Coke?"
I shook my head, and he shrugged and retreated back over to the pool. I looked over and saw Katie and Evelyn making ...
