Reviews with content warning for Bullying - The Summer I Turned Pretty

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

24 reviews

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Took off a quarter point because consent in any sort of romantic activity is important, and I'm real bummed when books for young people don't model that. Like

when Belly kisses Conrad when he is clearly not in a good frame of mind because his MOTHER HAS CANCER, that is so inappropriate! She didn't ask! He was clearly not okay! They hadn't talked about it beforehand!

Also! What the fuck is up with Belly telling Cam that it's sO uNcOol to ask before you kiss someone! It is not! It makes sure that you're on the same page! It can be very romantic and adorable! It expresses vulnerability instead of dominance! Which is nice when you're like 13! I thought it was fine otherwise. As a person who tends to fall in love with everyone all the time, especially when I was younger, I think I would have been really into this book. Also, I think Ms. Tung is not the strongest narrator. I'm sure she did the part justice, but not every actor can be a narrator - they're different skills.

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lucyatoz's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is a young adult story featuring Isabel, or as she goes by her nickname in the book Belly, which I think most teenagers would have bulked at!

This novel has issues. Belly is an annoying teenager, with an internal monologue which did get some what irritating. Jeremiah and Conrad, the son's of her Mum's best friend, are the people who she has spent the Summer with, along with her brother Steven, for a long time. They are your typical American boys, who enjoy swimming, football, playing computer games, and teasing Belly.

It is not my kind of read personally, but wanted to read something that I would not normally read. They are some topics that affect teenagers, such as drinking alcohol and using drugs, which are mentioned but not really elaborated on. Both mother's are divorced, or about to be, with one also having a relapse of cancer, which again is touched on but not really part of the story as such. It is mainly centred around Belly and, for me, this lead to very self-centred story, when it could have been so much more.

I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on cloudLibrary. I read this for prompt 10, told in a non-chronological order, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.

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hjb_128's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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becca_w_'s review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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antidietleah's review against another edition

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hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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mels_reading_log's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I love some of Jenny Han’s other books and really enjoy the show The Summer I Turned Pretty, but I didn’t really like this book all that much. Amazon changed a few key points in the adaptation to a tv show, so I was expecting certain things to happen that didn’t, so I thought the book was a little boring and Belly just seemed like a brat, I had a hard time rooting for her.

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