Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1-3)

Author: Jenny Han

Release date: May 5th 2009
Pages: 279
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
My rating: 4.5/ 5 
Source: Bought 

Synopsis:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

(taken from goodreads)

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Book Review: "Burn For Burn" by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Title: Burn For Burn (Burn For Burn #1)

Author: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 

Pages: 358

Publication date: September 18th 2012

My rating: 4/ 5 stars

Synopsis:

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds.

But bad things can happen, even to good girls . . . and sometimes, the only way to make things right is to do something wrong.

Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her little sister from the same fate.

Kat is over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person--her ex-best friend. Someone needs to teach her a lesson, and, with Lillia and Mary behind her, Kat feels up to the task.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she’s not the same girl anymore. Now that she’s got friends who have her back, he's going to be in big trouble.

Three very different girls who come together to make things right. Will they go too far? 

Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

Review:

This book is told from three alternating points-of-view. You have three main characters, all of which are stereotypical high-school students. You have Mary: typical shy girl, gets bullied; then you have Kat: rebel teenager acting wild all the time, no cares given; last but not least, you have Lillia; super smart, successful, overachiever. Did I mention she's Asian? So yeah, pretty cliche characters, I know. Fortunately that was a pretty easy factor to get past. Because regardless of the stereotypes, they were pretty intricate and interesting characters. Not to mention that the story itself was marvelous. 

The thing about this book (series in general) is that it centers around revenge. It also deals with a rich-kid problems type scenario.  Consequently, there is a lot of drama. I'm not one to typically enjoy very dramatic books, but there was just something about this one that really pulled me in. It was one of those books that you start reading and before you know it, you reach the "Acknowledgements" page. Then you panic and feel like you could kill someone just to get your hand on the second book. Which goes to say that it is a very fast-paced book. I swear you won't find a single boring point in this book. 

I think both authors really succeeded at making this a very enthralling read. I was a really big fan of the writing and writing-style. Having it told from each of the girl's point-of-view was merely fantastic. Mainly because each of them was so distinct from one another and so it was very to have a first-hand insight into what they all thought individually of the situations that were taking place.

Something I wanted to mention that might not appeal to many people, is the love "triangle". Which I believe I can't really classify as a "triangle" because it kind of passes that three people mark lol. Like I said, there is a lot of drama, and a lot of it is romance-induced. Mixed in with jealousy and all that good stuff. However, it didn't get annoying or obnoxious considering- well- all of that. I guess it's mainly due to the fact that there were many things going on and all of them just kind of weaved together in a way that you can't really focus on one thing only. You just take everything as a whole thus you get very engrossed in the story. 

One more thing I wanted to mention, don't judge this book/series by it's cover. Believe me, it is not what you expect. Also, there are PLENTY of plot-twists throughout the whole series, Which, in my opinion, makes it all the better.

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Waiting On Wednesday #2 - "P.S. I Still Love You" by Jenny Han

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Title: "P.s. I Still Love You"

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: May 26th 2015

Synopsis:

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of makes it so amazing. (taken from goodreads)

My thoughts:

I'm a big fan of Jenny Han and I have loved all of her books so far. "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" was such a great read. But it left me wanting MORE. I am -no joke- counting down the days until the release date. 

What books are you anticipating? Comment down below!

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