We’ll Always Have Summer – Jenny Han (2011)

We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han, published in 2011, is the emotionally charged conclusion to The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy. Following the tangled lives and relationships of Isabel “Belly” Conklin and the Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah, this young adult romance weaves themes of first love, heartbreak, and self-discovery through the lens of sun-drenched summers and coming-of-age awakenings. As the series finale, this installment brings long-awaited answers and dramatic turns to a story that has matured with its characters.

Plot Summary

Summer lingered just at the edge of possibility when Isabel Conklin finished her freshman year of college, sharing dance breaks and psych exams with friends who were new but not yet essential. She was still Isabel, still Belly to those who mattered most, and Jeremiah Fisher was still the boy who’d carried her across campuses, across summers, into the hope of a forever they believed they had already begun. He had always been the warm sun of her life – easy, bright, uncomplicated. Until the truth unraveled them.

It started with a whisper, not from Jeremiah, but from another girl’s careless slur. Lacie Barone, red heels and redder intentions, laughing about Cabo and a secret that hadn’t stayed hidden. Belly hadn’t asked because she had never thought to question him. They had broken up briefly in the spring – a silly fight, nothing more – but she never stopped believing they were inevitable. And while she sat at home with heartbreak and chips, Jeremiah had let another girl into the space Belly believed was hers alone.

The betrayal hit like ocean wind after sunset – sharp, chilling, impossible to ignore. Jeremiah cried. He begged. He tried to explain, tried to fit shame and guilt into words too small to hold them. But the damage was already done. He hadn’t just kissed Lacie, he had slept with her. And Belly, who had held herself back, waiting for the right moment, now felt foolish for believing he would always wait too.

She left him behind that night. She turned off her phone, turned inward, and sat with the sting of it all. There were friends – Anika with her wisdom, Taylor with her claws – who reminded her she didn’t have to decide anything yet. But the silence between her and Jeremiah began to fill with doubt. And somewhere in the quiet of that heartbreak, a different memory stirred.

Conrad.

His name had not been spoken in a while, but it lived in her still, tucked away like a seashell at the bottom of a drawer. He had been the first. The boy she dreamed of. The one she had chased and cried over and kissed under starlight. He had walked away when she chose Jeremiah, and he had never asked her to look back. But Conrad was not a ghost. He had not disappeared. And when she thought of trust, of knowing someone without needing to be told, it was his face she saw.

Back at Cousins Beach, the house still held echoes of the summers that shaped them all. Belly arrived seeking clarity, Jeremiah returned trying to reclaim what was theirs, and Conrad – quiet, brooding Conrad – appeared like a tide returning to shore. The three of them were drawn back to the place where it all began, and something unspoken passed between them, like the hush before a storm.

Jeremiah, desperate to make her his again, proposed. A wedding, that summer. Fast, certain, before the cracks could widen. Belly didn’t say yes out of joy, not fully. She said yes because she wanted to believe in them again. She clung to the idea that if they could just move forward, everything would settle. The wedding planning began – dresses, flowers, disbelief from Laurel, her mother, who saw right through the facade of happiness Belly wore like borrowed lace.

Jeremiah faltered again, forgetting meetings, brushing off responsibilities, taking Belly for granted in ways big and small. And Conrad – ever present, ever watching – stepped in when Jeremiah didn’t. He helped with the planning, with the chaos, with the quiet moments when Belly didn’t know if she was making the biggest mistake of her life.

Laurel refused to come to the wedding. Taylor tried to be supportive, but even she couldn’t hide her concern. Belly began to doubt. Not because of cold feet, but because something inside her whispered that love should not feel like a scramble to fix what someone else broke. She remembered what it felt like to be known completely. She remembered the boy who had carried her pain without asking for anything in return. She remembered Conrad.

And then, in a moment that was both painful and freeing, she called it off. Not with screaming or dramatic exits, but with the quiet conviction of someone who had finally listened to her heart. Jeremiah was devastated, but he let her go. He knew, as she now did, that loving someone wasn’t the same as being meant for them.

Belly left Cousins and returned to her life. The summer passed, and the silence between her and Conrad grew again – not out of avoidance, but out of fear. Until a letter arrived. From him. Handwritten, careful, laced with the emotion he never let spill. He told her he had always loved her, even when he couldn’t show it. He told her that letting her go was the hardest thing he had ever done. And he told her that if there was still a part of her that loved him back, he would be waiting.

She went to him.

It wasn’t a declaration, not immediately. There was no need. They sat together, not as broken pieces but as something new, something rebuilt. There had been so much loss, so much confusion. But now there was also clarity. Belly had found her way, not to the easiest love, not to the one that shone the brightest, but to the one that had always been quietly burning.

Time passed. Not in leaps, but in quiet, steady days. And then came another summer. She stood barefoot in a white dress, with the ocean behind her and the boy who had once been her everything waiting ahead. This time it wasn’t about repairing the past. It was about stepping into the future.

Belly Fisher became Belly Conklin once. Now she was Belly Fisher again – not because of a choice made in haste or fear, but because of a love that had waited, endured, and finally, gently, come home.

Main Characters

• Isabel “Belly” Conklin – The heart of the narrative, Belly is thoughtful, sensitive, and caught between two deep-rooted loves. Her arc traces the growth from adolescence to emotional maturity. She wrestles with betrayal, self-worth, and the meaning of lasting love, making difficult choices as she begins to define her identity outside of the boys who’ve long defined her summers.

• Jeremiah Fisher – Outgoing and carefree, Jeremiah is Belly’s first boyfriend and someone who’s always worn his heart on his sleeve. But in this book, he struggles with fidelity and emotional depth, forcing both himself and Belly to reevaluate what love and commitment mean. His mistakes complicate their relationship, and his longing for reconciliation forms a major tension in the story.

• Conrad Fisher – Brooding and reserved, Conrad has always harbored deep feelings for Belly but buried them behind stoicism and protectiveness. In this installment, his silent suffering and quiet sacrifices come to the surface, casting light on his long-hidden vulnerabilities. He represents the enduring, complicated nature of first love and the pain of letting go.

• Taylor Jewel – Belly’s fierce, lifelong best friend. Sharp-tongued and loyal, Taylor adds emotional ballast and comic relief. She helps Belly through heartbreak and betrayal, reminding her of her worth and strength.

• Anika Johnson – Belly’s grounded and understanding college friend. Unlike Taylor, Anika offers a judgment-free perspective that allows Belly to explore herself in new ways, acting as a reflection of Belly’s shifting identity outside her childhood circle.

Theme

• Love and Betrayal – The novel dissects what it means to love someone through imperfections and mistakes. Jeremiah’s infidelity and Belly’s internal conflict highlight how betrayal affects trust, identity, and the future of a relationship. This theme is a catalyst for growth and reevaluation of what real, lasting love demands.

• Coming of Age – As Belly transitions from teen to adult, her emotional journey deepens. Her decisions surrounding relationships, loyalty, and self-respect are no longer fueled by fantasy but shaped by consequence, pain, and clarity. The tension between past innocence and emerging adulthood is ever-present.

• First Love vs. Lasting Love – The contrast between Belly’s two great loves – Conrad as her childhood dream and Jeremiah as her tangible present – is central to the narrative. It poses a timeless question: do we stay with the one who has always been there, or the one who sees us clearly now?

• The Power of Memory and Place – The beach house in Cousins Beach symbolizes the nostalgia and emotional weight of Belly’s formative years. Her attachment to this place and the memories it holds underscores how our environments shape us and how we must sometimes leave them behind to grow.

• Forgiveness and Redemption – Characters are challenged to forgive themselves and each other. Jeremiah’s apology and Conrad’s quiet devotion force Belly to consider what forgiveness looks like when the past can’t be erased, only understood.

Writing Style and Tone

Jenny Han writes with an effortlessly intimate and emotionally resonant style. Her prose is clear, fluid, and conversational, making the reader feel as though they’re hearing a close friend’s confession. Han uses sharp emotional cues, nostalgic imagery, and carefully drawn character introspection to deepen the emotional stakes. Dialogue is realistic, often witty, and layered with subtext that reveals more than the characters themselves sometimes intend.

The tone throughout We’ll Always Have Summer is bittersweet, marked by a mix of longing, regret, and the faint glow of hope. Han captures the volatility of young love and the aching process of growing up with honesty and tenderness. There’s a quiet vulnerability to her storytelling – moments of stillness are given just as much weight as moments of drama. As a finale, the tone matures along with the characters, leaving behind the carefree days of summer for a more reflective, emotionally complex landscape.