Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Unpleasant romance series ender answers the big question.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER begins at the end of Belly's first year at college, the same college where Jeremiah is finishing up his sophomore year. They've been together for about two years now, ever since Jeremiah's brother Conrad, Belly's first love, stepped aside. A crisis in their relationship leads Jeremiah to propose, and Belly is thrilled to say yes. Of course the wedding has to take place in the beach house where they've spent almost every summer of their lives. But when Belly arrives to start planning in earnest, she gets quite a shock to find that Conrad is spending the summer there, too. For now it's just the two of them alone in the house, and it's making Belly start to question whether Jeremiah is really The One. She's always loved both Fisher brothers, but which will she choose?
Is It Any Good?
Veteran teen romance author Jenny Han has definitely answered The Big Question fans of the series have been asking from the outset. Unfortunately, all three members of the love triangle are pretty hard to like in We'll Always Have Summer. Belly has become mostly a doormat to Jeremiah's self-centered frat-boy ways, and Conrad is as distant and off-putting as ever. It's almost enough to undo the setup from the start that one brother is better than the other and that there's a right choice for Belly. Neither one treats her the way someone in a relationship of equals should be treated. But fans of the series have their answer at last, and will no doubt enjoy comparing notes and imagining "what if."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the strong language in We'll Always Have Summer. Is it too much? Is it how people really talk, and does it matter to you?
Why are romances so popular? What do we love about them? Do they affect your expectations for romance in your own life? What are some of your favorites?
Have you read the other books in the series or seen the TV show based on the first book? If you have, which do you like best? If you haven't, would you like to now?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : April 26, 2011
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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