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| Title: We’ll Always Have Summer Author: Jenny Han Publication: Published April 24th 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Format: Paperback, 320 pages Source: Personal Purchase |
Plot in a Nutshell:
It’s been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college– only, their relationship hasn’t exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It’s time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.
Thoughts in General:
I have to say it right now, this is not my favorite contemporary trilogy. I had a lot of issues with the first book The Summer I Turned Pretty. Although, the sequel It’s Not Summer Without You was a step up from the first one, I was still not 100% sold. Then I read We’ll Always Have Summer and sadly I was still not impressed with it. I had a few problems regarding the characters, the depth of the plot, and how everything unraveled, which I will discuss in great lengths below. This trilogy wasn’t as colorful compared with the contemporaries I’ve read and I found it bland.
Thoughts in Details (CONTAINS SPOILERS):
I beg to disagree. The main reason I didn’t like this book and the trilogy as a whole, was because of the main character Belly. I discussed in my previous reviews that she came off as a bratty, selfish, and childish little girl. In this book. Although, she became a little mature in this novel, I still couldn’t connect with her.
This book had a lot of hit and misses for me and some of the scenes didn’t really entertained me. The scene when Belly found out that Jeremiah had sex with one of their peers, I was utterly angry at him and I found that aspect quite endearing. I never thought that Jeremiah was capable of doing that action and I saw a whole new depth in his character. The way Belly handled her heartbreak with Jeremiah was understandable. However, when they decided to patch things up and their relationship was close to breaking up, Jeremiah suddenly pops the question. This bothered me to the core. I felt that accepting a marriage proposal after you found out your significant other sexually cheated on you was incredibly wrong and stupid (this is only my opinion and I am sorry if I offend anybody out there with this statement). I just didn’t buy any of their lovey-dovey act afterwards, but most of the characters in the books did (including the ones who knew about Jeremiah’s indiscretion). I just felt that Belly and Jeremiah were doing this for the wrong reasons.
I was really glad I wasn’t the only one who saw how wrong the situation was. Laurel, Belly’s mom, acted like a true parent and I wasn’t annoyed with her not supporting the decision of her daughter. She exemplified the appropriate behavior of a parent, which was refreshing. this also sparked a new side in the relationship of the mother-daughter.
Then we also have Conrad who wasn’t keen on the wedding itself for other reasons. Conrad had his point of view sprinkled throughout this novel and I understood certain aspect about his character through this. However, I wasn’t completely convinced that he truly loved Belly with all his heart. Yes, it’s been said but I want proof and sadly I didn’t get that aside from the whole “keeping his distance from the one he loves” thing.
Taylor stood out in this novel and I really liked the dynamic between her and Belly. I just wish that she was included more in the novel and that the book shouldn’t have focused too much on Belly and the boys. I would have loved to see more from their friendship, but c’est la vie.
I was so happy with the ending of the book. Belly and Jeremiah decided not to pursue the wedding and they finally saw the things that bothered me in the first place. I just felt that everything was rushed and it wasn’t as beautifully done as I expected it to. The ending was, let’s face it, sappy and really worth of a rom-com adaptation, but I was still happy with it. Thankfully the edition that I got have these letters from Conrad during the time that Belly was in Spain, and these letters actually showed Conrad’s personality more than the books did.
Rating:
I give We’ll Always Have Summer a…
Tomebound 