To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

I'm a huge Jenny Han fan and I've read nearly all of her books (there's a middle grade still out there I need to grab) so of course I had to pick up her latest release, To All the Boys I've Loved Before. This is a contemporary YA novel about Lara Jean, a girl who never confronts her crushes but instead writes each boy a letter about how she feels, hides it away, and moves on. Then one day all her letters are stolen and mailed off, including one to her sister's ex-boyfriend Josh. Not wanting Josh to know she still has feelings, Lara Jean instead fakes a relationship with another letter recipient, Peter.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a really cute, well-written novel. The romantic storyline is sweet, but what really makes the book stand out is the relationships between Lara Jean and her sisters. Han really captures the dynamic between the three girls, and even though the oldest one moves away at the beginning of the book, there are still plenty of heartwarming moments and memories explored. Also Lara Jean's younger sister Kitty is just so cute!

Han's writing is authentic and eloquent, she always gets just the right amount of details and although this was a fun, light read, the family elements help make the story just a bit deeper. I wasn't super happy with the ending of the book, but it turns out there is a sequel coming out next year, which helps. I did like seeing Lara Jean grow and change throughout the novel. Overall, I was charmed by To All The Boys I've Loved Before and if you're looking for a sweet book with some great romantic and sisterly moments, it's definitely worth checking out.

Release Date: April 15th, 2014 Pages: 288  Format: ARC
Source: Publisher  Publisher: Simon and Schuster   Buy It: Book Depository

Fire With Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

I really enjoyed the first collaborative novel between Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, Burn for Burn, so I was definitely excited to pick up the second book in their trilogy, Fire With Fire and see what my favourite revenge-seekers Lillia, Kat and Mary were up to.

Originally when I was reading about this trilogy it was described as having a paranormal edge to it, but that didn't appear at all until the very end of Burn for Burn. Likewise, while it is definitely more apparent in Fire With Fire it's not until the very end that we really find out where all the clues have been leading, with a cliffhanger that has me already begging for book 3, Ashes to Ashes, which sadly must wait until 2014.

As a general rule, I prefer contemporary to paranormal, so I don't really mind that these books come across more contemporary, especially because they are so well-written and I enjoy the characters so much. That's really what makes the Burn for Burn trilogy, the character voices– all three of which are very distinct– and the writing. The revenge storyline is entertaining but not terribly original (although I do love the twist at the end of Fire With Fire and can't wait to see where it goes) but the writing is so strong it carries these books into "really really enjoy" territory for me.

Fire With Fire begins almost immediately after Burn for Burn as the girls learn whether or not they got away with their homecoming hijinks and if their revenge changed anything at all. I was especially drawn to Kat's voice and story in this book, although a lot of the mystery revolves around what's going on with Mary. The book itself is really long at over 500 pages, which is maybe too long, but with good enough, easy to read writing, I don't mind.

In Fire With Fire it's once again, it's impossible to tell where Han's writing begins and Vivian's writing ends, as the collaboration is smooth and easy flow and realistic details make me want to pick up both of their books. After reading Burn for Burn I did grab Han's Summer Trilogy but I still need to read a solo book by Vivian. I guess that's something to keep me occupied until Ashes to Ashes, the final book in this awesome trilogy, is released.

Release Date: August 13th, 2013  Pages: 528  Format: Egalley
Source: Edelweiss  Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Buy It: Book Depository

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

Note: This review contains no spoilers of We'll Always Have Summer, but may contain spoilers of the first book in the series, The Summer I Turned Pretty, a review of which can be found here and the second book in the series, It's Not Summer Without You, a review of which can be found here.

I really love Jenny Han's writing, but I'm not sure I always love her stories. Such is the case with the third and final book in the Summer Trilogy, We'll Always Have Summer.

This book starts off with Belly agreeing to marry Jeremiah. Never mind the decision feels rushed to everyone, including Belly's family and the reader– I mean, she's still in college and she's only been with him for a couple years. But stubborn as always, Belly doesn't care. I'd blame Jeremiah, but he's so in love with her it's not like you can expect him to act any different. But what it means is that from the very beginning, I'm already not a fan of Belly, something I struggled with throughout this trilogy, as much as I loved the boys unfortunately the girl they were both fighting over could be pretty irritating.

I did start to understand Conrad better in We'll Always Have Summer in this novel, something I struggled with in the previous book, It's Not Summer Without You. Maybe Conrad was also made more appealing by the fact that Jeremiah has basically turned into a frat boy, a transformation I found disappointing though I guess it was realistic.

Of course the moment Belly agreed to marry Jeremiah I wanted Conrad to sweep in and steal her away, but the way things unfolded did seem believable. I guess overall I was happy with the ending, and Han manages to tie up everything pretty nicely for the reader, but it just felt a little like something was missing. Maybe I would have been happier if this series had ended with The Summer I Turned Pretty because for me as a reader, none of the subsequent books lived up it. That said, it was refreshing to see Belly finally grow up a bit by the end.

Ultimately, these books haven't changed how I feel about Han as a writer. Her writing is beautiful and her characters are complicated, and I will definitely be continuing with her recent co-written series, which began with the first book I read by her, Burn For Burn. She's a writer I'll continue to watch out for, even if We'll Always Have Summer isn't a book I'll be returning to again.

Release Date: April 26th 2011  Pages: 291  Source: Borrowed  Publisher: Simon and Schuster 

Also By This Author:  The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1); It's Not Summer Without You (Summer #2);  Burn for Burn (Burn for Burn #1)  Buy It: Book Depository

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Note: This review contains no spoilers of It's Not Summer Without You, but may contain spoilers of the first book in the series, The Summer I Turned Pretty, a review of which can be found here.

I really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, even though the narrator, Belly, tended to get on my nerves Han's beautiful writing made it all worthwhile. So I was definitely planning to pick up the sequel, It's Not Summer Without You to find out how the drama between Belly and brothers Conrad and Jeremiah.
 
However, unlike The Summer I Turned Pretty, there is pretty much nothing appealing about Conrad in this book, which makes it frustrating to see Belly continue to be devoted to him for the reasons the reader can't quite comprehend. He may have been her first love, but he's a complete jerk this time round. My heart just broke for Jeremiah who was basically being strung along by Belly, in a way that made me think of Belly's boyfriend Cameron from the last book. Adding to this are the short chapters told from Jeremiah's viewpoint that just made me sympathize with him more. So it was a complicated emotion– even though I wanted Belly to choose him, I felt like he deserved better than her.

In It's Not Summer Without You, Susannah has died and Belly is actually spending the summer at home, but of course she can't stay away from Cousins for good. The feelings of summer that Han captured so perfectly in book one are back, her vivid descriptive moments and that sensation that is summer nights and kisses. When the book begins, Conrad has gone missing and Belly and Jeremiah head to track him down. And even though Belly annoys me at times, she definitely has started to grow up and it is clear that she is mourning Susannah deeply. By the end of the book I was really conflicted over Belly's decision, and especially the afterwords left my stomach in knots going into book 3, which was definitely not what I expected. But more on that in my next Summer review. 

Release Date: April 27th 2010  Pages: 288  Source: Borrowed  

Also By This Author: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1); Burn For Burn (Burn For Burn #1)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster  Buy It: Book Depository

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Release Date: September 18th 2012
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Buy It: Book Depository

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister. Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay. Four years ago, May left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him. Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

Han and Vivian are two popular contemporary YA authors I've been meaning to read for ages... so when an unexpected copy of the first book in their co-written trilogy showed up in my mailbox, it was two birds with one stone.

I was really impressed by the writing in Burn for Burn, it flows smoothly and I never would have guessed there were two authors behind it instead of one. Each of main three girls is unique and interesting, and I never had to worry about getting them confused despite the multiple POVs– which is usually not my favourite. The book starts off a bit slowly, probably because it is first in a trilogy, but there was plenty of character development and back story that made it engaging to read.

At its core, even according to its title, Burn for Burn is about revenge but when it came to that aspect of the story it felt a little rushed or weak. Even though the authors told me why the girls had reason to be upset and want revenge, their emotions and the events in question were so complicated it was hard for me to really believe they wanted such hard, terrible things. Then, when it came to the execution of the revenge, it felt rushed, or not as bad as I would have expected.

That said, Burn for Burn is a rich, multi-layered story full of realistic characters whose motivations aren't always what they seem. There's a very, very slight paranormal twist to it, that honestly felt unnecessary but will probably get developed further in the next two books. Even though there are some very light romance subplots, this is definitely a story about friendship, and I felt like it captured the complexities of it really well.

The setting of Burn for Burn is also really great; everyone lives on this tiny island that's a mix of the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy, and everyone knows everyone else, which leads to some interesting conflicts. I also found the high school hierarchy authentic to read about, and it reminded me a little of Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers for that reason (especially in combination with the revenge component). 

Overall, I really enjoyed Burn for Burn and though I'm unsure if the paranormal aspect was really necessary, the writing and characters have given me plenty of motivation for picking up book 2; as well as solo novels by Han and Vivian.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

After enjoying Jenny Han's collaboration with Siobhan Vivian, Burn For Burn, I decided it was definitely time to try their individual works. Combined with the fact that I'd already heard fantastic things about Han's Summer Trilogy, plus that it was currently summer time and a great reason to pick up the books, and I found myself reading The Summer I Turned Pretty. Although I started the novel as an audiobook, I wasn't totally in love with the narrator, and wasn't really having the opportunity to listen to it much, so I ended up reading the final two thirds in a print edition instead.

The Summer I Turned Pretty takes place across one summer that changes everything for fifteen year old Belly, a girl who has always felt like the odd man out at the beach cottage where she, her brother and her mom stay each year along with her mom's best friend and her two boys. Always the youngest, always the girl, always ignored. But things are different this summer, not only has Belly grown up but the boy she's been in love with for years, Conrad, has changed too, sulking in his room and ignoring her. His brother, Jeremiah, is the same as always, easy-going and open-hearted, while Belly's brother Steven spends most of the summer touring colleges with their father. Then Belly meets a new boy, but does she really have space in her heart for another one? Interspersed with the story are flashbacks to Belly's previous summers, showing just how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same.

Honestly, it took me awhile to get used to Belly as a narrator, though that might be blamed at least partially on the audiobook reader. She really just seems whiny. And then when the boys point out that she's whiny, she gets whinier about it. I get that she's the youngest and she feels left out of their special little club, but she's also constantly playing the victim and it's rare to see her take action for The Summer I Turned Pretty. Despite Belly's complaining, I really loved the writing. Han's description and perfect moments just feel completely like summer, salty and warm. It was absolutely perfect that I read the majority of this book while on vacation at the beach– and I plan to pick up the next two books before I leave my ocean-side paradise.

Even though this is a summer book, it doesn't stop Han from taking on some serious issues, like divorce and sickness, as well as what it is like to grow up. The Summer I Turned Pretty is really Belly's coming of age story, but each of the characters is complicated and real. I loved the different dimensions everyone had, and it made the story feel that much more authentic. The complicated love story manages to seem genuine, even if I sometimes had a hard time seeing what everyone else saw in Belly. My own heart was definitely pinning for Jeremiah, but there were some softer Conrad moments to counter-balance that.

Overall, The Summer I Turned Pretty is a beautiful and complicated love story, a perfect summer book, and an eloquently written novel. I am incredibly glad I decided to pick up Han's book, and look forward to reading It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer next. 

Release Date: May 5th 2009  Pages: 276  Format: Audiobook/E-book  Source: Borrowed 
Publisher: Simon and Schuster  Buy It: Book Depository