The Summer I Turned Pretty
"For me, it's almost like the winter didn't count. Summer was what mattered. My whole life was measured in summers."
In the first moments of the book, I was caught in the turmoil of the story, without coming out of it until the last words. And it is thanks to Jenny Han's easy-to-read style, simple and fresh, that I had the opportunity to let myself be transported into a small dream world. I fell in love with the warm and welcoming atmosphere that this book possesses. the decor is just relaxing and heavenly.
Most of the book is turned on the characters (which is a bit normal !) and again I was not disappointed. They are so endearing and special. I don't think I've ever seen such likable characters ! There is Steven, who takes his role as a brother to annoy his sister all day long. The mother, I would almost say "mother-hen", who does not fail to protect her children. Susannah is the one who feels a lot of compassion for her two boys and also for Belly. A woman full of life and love. Jeremiah has a very generous and humorous side. And finally, Conrad, the dark and mysterious Conrad, always indifferent to everything. Everyone puts their two cents in the story, which makes the book unique.
We are also entitled to flashbacks from previous vacations, especially when Belly was between 11 and 13 years old, which allows us, simple readers, to deepen the subject of the characters to whom we are so attached. There are other topics such as divorce employed in the story, but without too much excessive detail. And also the secret, the terrible secret of Susannah, that I'll let you discover while reading this first volume.
Long story short, a book that I highly recommend, which is nothing other than overwhelming and full of feelings to discover during our reading. It is a book that I put down with a lot of regrets and very excited for the next one.
By the way, this book is the ultimate summer holiday novel. If you're thinking of reading it, you should definitely wait for summer to get the full experience !