We’ll
Always Have Summer
– Jenny Han
Pages: 291
Publisher: Razorbill
UK (Penguin)
Release Date: 3rd
May 2012
Other Titles in the Series: The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’sNot Summer Without You
Just when she thought she had all the answers...
Isabel has only ever loved two boys, Conrad and Jeremiah
Fisher.
One broke her heart; the other made her happier than she ever
thought she’d be. But each brother is keeping a secret, and this summer Isabel
must choose between the Fisher boys, once and for all.
Which brother will it be?
I
devoured We’ll Always Have Summer on
the day it arrived after absolutely adoring the first two books in the trilogy
in January.
We’ll Always Have Summer kicks
off at the end of Belly’s freshman year of university, two years after the end
of It’s Not Summer Without You and
her and Jeremiah are still a happy couple. The time jump surprised me a lot,
but I’m really glad Jenny Han made that decision. Belly’s choice between the
boys, now at nearly nineteen, now had a stronger and more important baring as
she was moving on into the real world. I loved seeing how she had changed and
grown-up, but in a realistic way. She still had those quirks that made her
character and retained some flecks of childhood and teenage angst that made me
love her even more. She’s so, so realistic; she could be me, my best friend,
the girl I wave to in class every day but have never had a conversation with or
the girlfriend of one of my friends. She leaps off the page and straight into
my heart.
One
of the biggest things about this novel was that I finally chose my side; like
Belly, it was time for me to pick between the Fisher brothers. I was actually
very surprised at how quickly I made my decision after my complete
indecisiveness in the previous two novels. I chose Conrad. And, oh my goodness,
that boy broke my heart. I loved the chapters from his point of view. A boy
like that is nearly impossible to read so hearing his thoughts directly was the
only confirmation of what he thought and felt and it only made some of the
decisions made, conversations had and situations played out so much more
agonising. It was a genius play on Jenny Han’s part.
Other
than those things, I’m finding it hard to sum up just why I’ve fallen so in
love with this trilogy. Maybe it’s the setting of Cousins Beach and that sense
of an endless summer and the constant possibilities of it; the tense, sultry
moments between Belly and her boys; the unusual focus on the parents of the
kids and the element of family that brings; the agony of unrequited and first
love or maybe Jenny Han’s smooth, enveloping prose that carries me away to the
beach. Who knows. But whatever it is, I’m glad it’s there.
I
adored every word of this trilogy and I wish I could wipe it from my mind and
re-read them and re-read them fresh each time.
Sophie
I think I need to read this series!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't read any of these. Argh! Thank you for the great review.
ReplyDeleteI had the Us version off Amazon for Christmas and its it a must read, and I definitely agree with your last sentence as since I have had to re-read the whole series at least once a month
ReplyDeleteOh MAN did I love this book. and the series and both Fisher brothers and Jenny Han. Love love love.
ReplyDelete