Belly has always lived for the summertime because it means all her favorite things: swimming, the beach and the Fischer boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. She has spent every summer with them at Cousins Beach for as long as she can remember. She has always been in love with Conrad and finally, one summer, it seems like he might have feelings for her too. But it turns out, so does Jeremiah. As the summers go on, Belly has to choose between two brothers who love her as she comes to the realization that she will have to break one of their hearts. 
This is a series that came highly recommended to me by my librarian and several of my girlie readers. When I had a long drive up to Ohio for Spring Break, I decided to give the first novel, The Summer I Turned Pretty, an audiobook try. Before long, I had ripped through the entire series, without stopping. I can't rave about this series enough!
Part of what makes this book series so great are the fantastic main characters. Though a few characters come in and out, the primary focus is on Belly Conklin and her two "summer boys," Jeremiah and Conrad Fischer. Belly is the narrator through most of the books, with guest chapters narrated by the two boys. Belly is a very realistically drawn teenage girl. She is silly, insecure, and deeply loyal to the people she holds dear. While she had many moments that made me want to smack her (what teenage girl doesn't make those around her feel that way?), she had an endearing sweetness and humor that kept me ultimately on her side. As for the two boys, both have redeeming qualities, and qualities that made me want to scream out loud in frustration. However, by the end, I was 100% on board with the choice Belly makes, and glad to see a satisfying conclusion for all characters involved. My favorite characters by far, though, were the two mothers, Laurel (Belly's mom) and Susannah (the boys' mother). Both moms were unique, exciting, and positive female role models; they were a welcome change from the stereotypical "my mother is awful" mold into which so many teen novels fall.The plots of these books, while not terribly action packed, were still exciting in that I could NOT wait to see who would end up with Belly! Of all three novels, the second book (It's Not Summer Without You) dragged the most, but only because I felt it needed to set up the final novel. One of my favorite elements of the novels was the way Han mixes in Belly's memories of summers past with the current action of the story. This gave the characters a real sense of personal history, which is absolutely integral to believing their stories. In order for the reader to become invested in Belly's final choice, the entire progression of her relationship with the Fischers needed some depth - Han accomplished this brilliantly. I don't want to give too much away. The twists in these novels are sweet, romantic, but still believable, and the setting is so vividly drawn I couldn't help but getting caught up.
My favorite part of these novels is they deal with timely adolescent issues - love, friendship, poor choices, even death - in a light, yet sensitive way. Some of the characters do things I wouldn't want my students doing (drinking, casual sex, etc.), but Han doesn't glorify these choices. I felt instead these poor decisions led to growth from the characters, which is probably more believable than teenagers who refuse to act out altogether. While some of the more mature language or situations could offend conservative readers, overall, I wouldn't mind passing this book on to students.
I am genuinely glad I read these books. Light teenage romances aren't always my thing, but these books were surprisingly fantastic - the kind of books I am almost sad to see end because I hate to leave the characters (I KNOW we've all had books like that!). For my romantic readers who love a good contemporary novel, these books are a solid hit.
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