How to Read The Summer I Turned Pretty Books in Order

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Get wrapped up in a sweet summertime series

It’s a great time to be a Jenny Han fan. After all, we’ve been blessed with great adaptations, from the first season of The Summer I Turned Pretty TV series to the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before film trilogy and its upcoming spinoff, XO, Kitty. And if you haven’t yet read any of the books, you’re in for an absolute treat. With summer rapidly approaching, there’s no better time to pick up Han’s trilogy and read The Summer I Turned Pretty books in order. Talk about the ultimate beach reads!

As the title implies, The Summer I Turned Pretty book series is a trio of classic summer reads, and the sweet coming-of-age story is the perfect segue into sunnier days. So whether you’re looking to get into the books before Season 2 drops on Amazon Prime later this year, hunting for the best books to get you in the summer mood or feeling wistful about teen romances after bingeing adult reads like Emily Henry’s latest, you’ll fall in love with one of our favorite YA book series by one of our favorite authors. (And no, these novels aren’t just for teens!)

Once you’re done with these, you’ll no doubt be searching for novels that give you the same warm-and-fuzzy feeling. Don’t sweat it: There are plenty of fantastic books like The Summer I Turned Pretty to feed your craving, or try your hand at reading all Elin Hilderbrand’s books in order.

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1. The Summer I Turned Pretty

Publication date: 2009

Before Belly became viewers’ favorite character on the Amazon Prime TV show, she won readers’ hearts in The Summer I Turned Pretty, the book that started it all. Here’s the setup: Belly and her mom head to Cousins Beach every summer, and it’s her favorite time of year. After all, that’s when she gets to spend time with her mom’s friend Susannah and, more important, Susannah’s sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. They’ve known one another forever, and if you’d asked her last year, she would’ve said they were like brothers to her. But this summer is different. This summer, everything between them has changed.

Han serves up not one but two romances (if you’re in the mood for a romance book series, this is for you), and yes, there’s a love triangle. But it also gains depth in the family drama, and a subplot surrounding Susannah is particularly poignant (and may have you reaching for the tissues).

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2. It’s Not Summer Without You

Publication date: 2010

To turn a great teen book into a great teen series, one needs a truly stellar sequel, and It’s Not Summer Without You delivers. But be warned: Everything after this point is a spoiler if you haven’t read the first book. Read ahead at your own risk!

It’s the first year Belly hasn’t looked forward to summer—it feels like everything is falling apart, including her short relationship with Conrad. After Susannah’s illness made a fatal reappearance, he hasn’t been the same. When Belly gets a call from Jeremiah and learns that Conrad has disappeared, she will do whatever it takes to get things back on track. And to do that, she’ll need to get all three of them back to the beach.

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3. We’ll Always Have Summer

Publication date: 2011

To finish off reading The Summer I Turned Pretty books in order, pick up the final book, We’ll Always Have Summer. As all romance novel fans know, though the best love triangles are filled with suspense and tension, nothing matters more than a satisfying resolution. And if you don’t want to learn how Belly’s love story turns out before you’ve had a chance to read the full trilogy, this is your spoiler warning!

Two years have passed since the end of It’s Not Summer Without You, and Belly and Jeremiah have been together the whole time. But despite the fact they’re attending the same college and seem to have it all, things aren’t all rosy—especially when Jeremiah makes a terrible mistake. To know what, and who, she truly wants, Belly will need to look within to discover if Jeremiah is worth the second chance and if she ever got over Conrad in the first place.

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FAQs about The Summer I Turned Pretty series

Now that you’re all set to read The Summer I Turned Pretty books in order, here are some frequently asked questions about the series:

Is there a fourth book in the Summer I Turned Pretty series?

The Summer I Turned Pretty series is a trilogy, so there are just three books. Need something else to read? Grab a travel book and get transported around the globe.

What’s going on with the TV adaptation of the books?

The first season of the TV series is complete, and once you’ve finished reading The Summer I Turned Pretty books in order, you’ll want to binge the seven episodes on Amazon Prime. A follow-up season is set to release later in 2023, and it will include some new faces. Both Kyra Sedgwick and Elsie Fisher have been cast as recurring characters.

How is the TV series different from the books?

While all adaptations vary in some way from their source material, the fact that Jenny Han herself created the show means it stays pretty loyal to the text. That’s not to say there aren’t differences. For starters, the Jeremiah of the TV show is bisexual, while the Jeremiah of the books is straight. Then there’s the debutante ball, which is a completely new addition to the television series. Belly’s mother’s job was also updated: She’s an author on the show and a teacher in the books.