Its Not Summer Without You, by Jenny Han

Belly, 16, is always looking forward to the best part of the year, summer. All year she is dreaming and waiting to spend her summers at Cousins Beach swimming day and night, not having to worry about anything else going on in her life. However, when a family friend dies and the beach house is threatened to be sold, she is faced with the fact that she might be able to see the boys or the beach house again. So the trio Jeremah, Conrad, and Belly all round each other up to fight for the traditions and memories that the beach house has created for them and to remember Jeremiah and Conrads mom through the beach house.

A great continuation to the first book. It did have darker elements implemented since it was dealing with death and mourning, but it also shows the impact that people on each other and how it takes just one person to be able to list many people off their feet for a cause they believe in. The trio’s connection becomes a lot stronger through this mourning and with the determination of saving this house which I appreciated greatly. It also presented a relationship of friendship between the two genders which is rare to find in novels. Its Not Summer Without You, by Jenny Han is a great and fast read and will hope for the last book to be the same.

Reviewed by Ariana G., Grade 11

Montrose Library