Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - The Summer I Turned Pretty

Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

43 reviews

worldofwisdom's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-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? No

2.5

The story was somewhat interesting, but to me personally, the plot somehow felt meaningless because there were just things happening while at the same time, nothing happened at all. It almost felt like the plot mainly took place in the flashbacks and in the situations that didn’t involve Conrad or Jeremiah. But when it comes to the actual two “love interests” that the book is promoting, there is no development except for the last 40 pages. In general, I don’t think there was much build up or chemistry between any of the characters.

The writing is definitely meant for a younger audience, but I still believe it’s possible to have a more developed and interesting writing style even when writing for teenagers.

Overall, the book was okay story-wise. But the relatively poor quality of writing, the lack of likability of the characters, and their foolish behavior rather disappointed me, and I have no interest in continuing this trilogy.

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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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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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zoe_archambault's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

2.5

it was cute but that was it. i guess im over young adult/teen romances cus it just feels so juvenile and basic and naive. also the audiobook narrator had a really annoying voice and kept laughing while delivering lines which made it hard to understand what was actually said. i think a different audio person would have made this easily a 3 or 3.5 stars.

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1721egp's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.5

Look, it's not bad. This is the kind of book you read while you're laying on the beach and need an easy vacation read or in the backseat during a roadtrip. There's no real plot, but it does end on a cliffhanger that makes you interested in seeing what happens next.

I would've liked to see more character development, for Belly to take some accountability for her actions, but again, I didn't dislike it. The concept is there for a great YA novel with some substance but it just doesn't perform.

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saramoser's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

Okay-surprisingly, I got so invested in this. A short, enjoyable coming of age story with lovable characters. I just put the second book in the series on hold. - also looking forward to watching the show!

Listened on audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator.

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