Title: We'll Always Have SummerAuthor: Jenny Han
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publication: April 26th 2011, Simon & Schuster
Pages: 304 pages, Ebook
Source: Bought (As I needed to know what happened STRAIGHT after finishing It's Not Summer Without You)
It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.I loved it. I loved every single moment of it. Every moment that made my heart thud faster, every moment that made me laugh and every moment that made me cry. Jenny Han has once again created another emotional, magical story, a story that seems to have an ending, but then you are surprised that its not over, in fact its just begun.
We'll Always Have Summer consists of Belly being in college. She has been dating Jeremiah for two years, and they are inseparable, she has applied to his college and they spend time with each other every single day. He makes her laugh,she can confide in him with pretty much everything, and he has been her best friend since, literally, forever. Belly thinks that he makes her life complete.
However, when it is the end of the college year and Jeremiah's fraternity throws a ginormous, celebratory party and Belly is prepared to let her hair loose and taste freedom on her tongue after being cooped inside, restlessly waiting for the rest of the exams to finish. But unfortunately, the whole night isn't a night of celebration. When one of Jeremiah's friends spills beer all over Belly's dress (technically her college friend's dress) and as she navigates her way through the party and to the bathroom, she overhears a shocking secret of Jeremiah's that stuns her, and breaks her trust in him. After a few days, when Belly calls him to work things out, Jeremiah asks her a surprising, life-changing question. The events that happen after that one, unique moment, is what sets We'll Always Have Summer apart from the other two books, and proves just how much our characters have changed and evolved into adults.
With the Summer trilogy, I feel like I have "grown up" with the characters. I have experienced a part of almost every summer with them. I have seen the sweet sides of the characters and the nasty ones. I have recognized their faults and forgiven them for it. Belly has grown up, she's not the whiny sixteen year old girl any more that worships the ground Conrad walks on, in fact she's the complete opposite. Jeremiah is still the same, all smiles, but then we learn that shocking secret and suddenly, we realise he isn't as innocent as he seems. We finally see life from Conrad's point of view, and I was surprised about the feelings he held inside. In book one I couldn't stand Conrad, way too moody and cocky for me, the second book I thought that he wasn't too bad...and in this book? Gah! I LOVE him in this book. He really is the sweetest guy, we just needed a few tools to chip the hard exterior that was protecting his heart from any more hurt and pain.
The plot seemed quite predictable to some people, but to me it was nail-biting and unpredictable. I was crossing my fingers the whole way through hoping that she would end up with one, particular Fisher boy. I loved reading about Belly's college life, seeing how she had grown up, seeing her be more responsible and how she could make her own decisions. When you look back to the first book you can not believe how much has changed within the characters, its surreal.
The ending was gorgeous. Stunning. Beautiful. When I read that last page of the Summer trilogy, I was clapping my hands and smiling through my tears, because I had witnessed yet again, another emotional story. Another story that had me confused out of my mind for Belly, another story that made me see how fragile the seemingly strong characters are.
Jenny Han is a master storyteller, there's no other way to describe it. She had a perfect ending to a perfectly written series. We'll Always Have Summer proves to us how much has changed since Susannah's death. She creates a beautiful, poignant summer story that involves many realistic happenings. Infidelity, marriage, heart-break, this book pretty much has it all. I read the whole trilogy in three to four days, and I wish there were many more books featuring Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah, as they are one of my best groups of literary buddies. If you haven't yet picked up this series. I urge you too, right now.