12 Best Books Like The Summer I Turned Pretty
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The hit Prime Video series The Summer I Turned Pretty is finally back for a second season. The show, based on Jenny Han's popular series of books, features the complicated love story of Belly and brothers Conrad and Jeremiah on Cousins Beach. How can Belly chose between the brothers? It's angsty and perfect television, and the books are just as good. To celebrate the return of season two, here are 12 books like The Summer I Turned Pretty to fill the weeks between episodes.
The Complete Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy
First off: If you haven't read Jenny Han's books that serve as the basis for the Prime Video show, what are you waiting for?!
Some Other Now
In The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly is torn between brothers Conrad and Jeremiah. In Some Other Now, protagonist Jessi is similarly caught in a love triangle between brothers. The romance unfurls over the course of two summers.
Maybe in Another Life
In two concurrent storylines, 29-year-old Hannah lives out romances with two different men. As the book jacket asks,"Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?"
A Pho Love Story
The Asian American representation is a highlight of The Summer I Turned Pretty; in A Pho Love Story, two Vietnamese American teens fall in love—but belong to families that have rival pho restaurants. Can they make it work amidst their feud?
Beach Read
A huge part of the appeal of The Summer I Turned Pretty is its beach setting. So if you're looking for romance on a beach, look no further than Beach Read, Emily Henry's hit novel. The story follows Augustus, a literary fiction author, and January, a romance novelist, who are in neighboring beach houses and struggling with writer's block.
One True Loves
Ahead of her freshman year at NYU, Lenore and her family take off on a Mediterranean cruise. There, she meets Alex, a hopeless romantic. As NPR notes, "One True Loves is a fantastic tale full of shenanigans, escapades, and lighthearted banter, while also delving into deeper issues of race and the perception of the successful futures of young people of color."
The Summer of Broken Rules
Meredith and her family spend every summer in Martha's Vineyard. We'll let the publisher take it from here: "Meredith's family's annual game of assassin at Martha's Vineyard during a summer wedding is the perfect chance to honor her sister's legacy, and finally join the world again. But when she forms an alliance with a cute groomsman, she's at risk of losing both the game… and her heart." Sign us up.
The Queens of New York: A Novel
If you're looking for more female friendship energy like Belly and Taylor in TSITP, look no further than this tale of three Asian American best friends who spend the summer apart.
Every Summer After
At age 13, Percy and her family go to vacation at Barry's Bay, a lake in Ontario, next door to a boy named Sam. Over the next six summers, the two fall in love, until things go wrong. Over a decade later, Percy returns to Barry's Bay for Sam's mother's funeral. Can the two heal old wounds?
Same Time Next Summer
When Sam starts planning a wedding near her family's Long Island beach house, she runs into her high school ex-boyfriend, Wyatt. Will her feelings about their relationship send her engagement with doctor fiancé Jack spiraling off track?
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
If you love Jenny Han's storytelling, definitely check out her To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy (before watching the Netflix series starring Lana Condor and Noah Centineo).
Going Bicoastal
One girl, two very different summers. In Dahlia Adler's queer Sliding Doors YA rom-com, Natalya decides between staying home in NYC with her dad for the summer, or traveling to LA to be with her estranged mom. Both summers play out in alternating, thrilling timelines.
Love and Other Words
Childhood sweethearts Elliot and Macy reunite by chance. The two had spent summers together outside San Francisco, but as adults, they are complete strangers. Told in alternating perspectives (of the past and present), can they put aside what happened and reconnect?
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