Reviews with content warning for Vomit - It's Not Summer Without You

Belly was a real pain in the ass in this book. I mean she just kept on messing things up and saying wrong things all the time? She was confused and i get it, shes a teenager so ill give her that.
But i must say that the prev book was funnier and more poetic. This one was also good- but the first one was just better. Thats all.

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kylasmv15's review

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emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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s_panfil's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted sad 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

3.0

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kayleejanes's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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elspethmigliore's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.5

okay what was that

belly was so self-centered this whole book. (why would she take the necklace ?!) conrad was a jerk. taylor was fine at some points but also was definitely not fine. and jere was actually great but i was frustrated at how he admitted that he only liked belly when she turned pretty, but i guess that’s the point of the series anyways.

Spoiler

the whole beginning of the story i was extremely confused because i wanted to know what happened with conrad, but hardly any context was given. i don’t understand why belly denied they were a thing when they were and why he suddenly got so cold, it just felt so weird to me. after they got together at the beach house in december, what happened ? like when did it turn cold and why did conrad start pulling away? i can definitely make assumptions that i’m pretty sure are correct, but i wish there was more context given on that because it was confusing and it seemed like one day they were together and then they weren’t. it was hard to keep up with conrad and belly and their awkward feelings. like i feel like belly got mad at the most random things and the thing that would actually help them is communication, but they avoided that completely. conrad was so on and off and it was so confusing, like why was he so rude about prom but still showed he had feelings for her at the house? like i said i understand, but it’s frustrating that wasn’t explained. also, the ending was so rushed and random. like conrad switched up so fast and was better (which i get was because of laurel saving the house), but he got upset at belly for being with someone else when he had already showed he didn’t want her. i understand why jere and belly got together and i’m happy bc i think they both deserve it, but then it skipped to a few years later and it felt so rushed and random ?! idk. i was proud of belly for kinda making herself be done with conrad and understanding his lack of intention, but i’m still team conrad.

i feel like everyone leaves belly in the dark and it makes me sad bc she deserves to know (and so does the reader or else it’s confusing)

this book felt like a filler to just get to the ending of their story. it just explained susannah’s death and gave lots teenage angst. so idk i hope the next one is better and gives more context.

not a reread unless i reread the trilogy ☑️

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finesilkflower's review

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sad medium-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? Yes

1.0

If "The Summer I Turned Pretty" is the perfect summer book, this is a perfect bummer book. (Has anyone else made that witty pun?) Much of the book is devoted to the characters' grief in the immediate aftermath of the death of a beloved family member. While it's realistic that the characters would be devastated by this, it's an awfully heavy topic for a summer beach read, without the redeeming qualities of being profound and life-affirming that you would want or expect in a book about death. Rather, family member death is used mainly as an excuse for teens to be angsty. The light romance elements that defined the first book not only take a backseat, but also feel unsatisfying and unappealing to me.

I think this wants to be a series with two viable main love interests so that readers can align as either #TeamConrad or #TeamJeremiah, but it just doesn't work because the author has stacked the deck for the guy she's interested in and the other guy never has a chance. This should be the book that makes a clear case for #TeamJeremiah, but it does a worse job than the first book did. While the first book showcased Jeremiah's emotional intelligence and sense of fun - qualities that were never going to win against a complicated bad-boy but which were at least enjoyable - this book simply casts him as a toxically conflict-avoidant doormat. Also, the fact that he continues to pine after Belly despite being clearly rebuffed in the first book gives him a "nice guy" sex pest feel that totally destroys what appeal he had built. Meanwhile, the book invests a lot more in Conrad, but only by having people talk about how great he is - all his actions continue to be repellent.

Belly is also not developed in this book, as her main role is to stand around and watch boys do things.

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