It’s Not Summer Without You

It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Picking up a year after The Summer I Turned Pretty, at first we know almost nothing about what has gone on during the past school year.  But Han slowly fills in the gaps, about what happened with Susannah, about where the year took Conrad and Belly, how Belly’s prom turned out, but most importantly about how people are trying to manage their lives in the midst of grief.

Belly knows that everything will be different now and is trying hard to adjust to the idea of a summer at home, rather than at the beach house where she’s spent every summer since she’s been born.  But when one of Susannah’s boys turns up looking for his missing brother, Belly feels the old summer ties pulling her in to help.

It’s Not Summer Without You is about the inevitable love triangle that develops between Belly and the brothers as they deal with their grief and pain.  And Belly learns that for her, it’s not enough to know someone cares, she needs proof.

Much less light-hearted than its predecessor, it’s still a really good follow-up which I think readers of the series will enjoy.

I rated this teen despite an f-bomb, because I’m pretty sure there’s just the one, and there is very limited sexual material.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – There is kissing.  Some characters admit that they’ve had sex (Belly is a virgin however).  At Conrad’s college there are STD pamphlets and condoms available in the dorm.  Conrad’s roommate sends him freaky porn videos.  A character has cheated on his wife.
Profanity– “crap,” “hell,” “asshole,” “bullshit,” “shit,” “shitty,” “shittier,” “dick,” “piss off,” “screw,” “goddamn,””retarded” is used again in a negative sense but this time the character using the word is immediately chastised for saying it.  “fuck”
Death, Violence and Gore – The character we expect to pass away does in fact, pass away.  Belly’s mother slaps her.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Plenty of underage drinking of beer, wine, and tequila.  Drinking games are played.  A few characters smoke.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.