It's Not Summer Without YouBy Jenny Han
Belly's summers have always meant going to the cabin that's shared between her family and her mom's best friend's family. Last summer changed forever when a sudden change came to the families (no spoilers because it's book two of the series).
Conrad is now in college, but when he disappears, Belly and his brother, Jeremiah, go in search for him. His disappearance is more than him simply rebelling.
From the first book, this story takes a turn into a somber exploration of the relationships between people. Not necessarily romantic love. The best thing that Han does, is create complex characters with complex feelings. It's never black and never white, always a vast array of gray.
Belly, much like anyone ever, assumes how others feel, sees only how it affects her, and misunderstands cues from other people. It is not a great quality, however, it is a perfectly human quality. Sometimes we get in our own heads and we forget to see the situation from another's perspective. Han does this wonderfully.
Minus one star for the awkward love triangle. I loathe love triangles. However...
The complexness of characters and emotions that this book held encourages me to read the final book of this trilogy.
4/5 STARS
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