From the time she was a young girl, Belly has loved Conrad. The previous summer, they had finally started dating, but during Susannah’s burial, they had fought. Conrad was in the basement, laying his head on a girl’s lap, when Belly went to locate him after the burial. Belly recollects that the beach house was crowded with people at the time. The following morning, when Laurel gets to the beach house, she is angry because Belly lied about sleeping at Taylor’s home. Belly angrily rejects Laurel’s demand that they leave and insists on preserving Susannah’s home. She claims Susannah would never forgive Laurel for allowing the Fisher boys to lose their beach house and that she wishes Susannah were her mother rather than Laurel. In July, Belly is still mourning Susannah’s loss and going through the motions of normal life. But then she gets a call from Jeremiah. Conrad has skipped his summer classes and has been missing from college for two days. Jeremiah wants Belly to come on a road trip to help him find Conrad. Belly agrees. Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher were Belly Conklin’s childhood friends. Belly, her mother, and her elder brother, Steven, have spent every summer at Susannah’s home in Cousins Beach since Susannah and their mothers have been lifetime best friends. Jeremiah and Belly arrive at the beach house, where they attempt to convince Conrad to return to school. He insists that he’s not leaving the beach house. Belly and Jeremiah stay the night so that they can continue their persuasion the next day.

Belly sets up a study area at the beach house, and she and Jeremiah help Conrad study all night. The next morning, Conrad, Jeremiah and Belly drive away from the beach house, and Belly cries because leaving the house feels like losing Susannah all over again. But this summer, everything is different. Susannah died of cancer in May, leaving all her friends and family grieving. Belly feels like she has lost the whole Fisher family, not just Susannah, since she has scarcely spoken to Jeremiah since the funeral and her relationship with her former boyfriend, Conrad, is even more strained. Family – The beach house and the residents’ shared recollections of prior summers are major themes in the book. The characters’ family structure is complicated because of the strained relationship between Conrad and Jeremiah and Belly’s mixed feelings for both of them.Mr. Fisher was only interested in parenting Conrad, his eldest son, and ignored his second son, Jeremiah, when the boys were growing up. Mr. Fisher wants Conrad to be perfect in all areas and pressures Conrad to live up to his vision of what a man should be. Conrad tells Mr. Fisher that he is a bad father and a worse husband. When Belly goes upstairs to sleep after everyone leaves the party, Jeremiah asks Conrad if he still likes Belly. Before Conrad can reply, Jeremiah says that he himself truly likes Belly, which prompts Conrad to say that he doesn’t like her and only took her to her prom because she asked him. They find out he’s gone to the beach home. They need to find him is urgent. He will flunk the summer term if he doesn’t show up for his tests on Monday.

In the end of Belly understands that their relationship is finally coming to an end and that Conrad will never be able to show her the kind of love she desires. Belly clutches Jeremiah’s hand as he drives her home, feeling pleased and at peace with her decision. Themes Laurel slaps Belly after the last remark. She then apologizes for the slap and for being an absent parent in Belly’s life due to her grief over losing Susannah. Laurel promises to fight for the house on the boys’ behalf. Identity – Belly is having a hard time defining who she is as she matures and starts to interact with new people. She is unclear of who she wants to be or what she wants out of life since she is divided between her love for Conrad and her developing feelings for Jeremiah. Style People start arriving for the party, and Belly begins drinking more. Jeremiah and Belly want to swim in the ocean, but Conrad forbids it, saying that Belly is drunk. Angry with Conrad, Belly runs out of the house and toward the ocean. When Conrad comes after her, she grabs a bottle of tequila from his hand and drinks directly from it. In July, Belly is still grieving Susannah’s death but carrying on with daily activities. But then Jeremiah calls her. Conrad missed two days of college and skipped his summer classes. To assist him in his search for Conrad, Jeremiah wants Belly to accompany him on a road trip. The stomach concurs.Conrad rejects his father’s proposal to sell the beach house and invites Mr. Fisher over to talk to him. Despite Conrad’s opposition, Mr. Fisher declares that the home will be sold before leaving. Jeremiah plans to buy wine and have a party if it’s his last night at the beach house. Jeremiah challenges Belly to kiss him as they consume wine before the party. When she merely gives him a cheek kiss, he expresses obvious disappointment. will be all right. Maybe letting myself forget how good it used to be will make things easier. But when I slept that night, I dreamed of Susannah and the summer house, and even in my sleep I knew exactly how good it used to be. How right it was. And no matter what you do or how hard you try, you can’t stop yourself from dreaming. From Belly’s point of view, the novel is written in the first person. With a concentration on speech and character interaction, the aesthetic is uncomplicated and direct. With a few artistic flourishes here and there, the language is understandable and simple to read. The tale advances swiftly since the chapters are brief and the tempo is rapid. The book is primarily written for a teenage readership and sensitively and accurately reflects the feelings and experiences of adolescence. Yet, everything is different this summer. In May, Susannah passed away from cancer, leaving her friends and family in sorrow. Given that she hasn’t spoken to Jeremiah much since Susannah’s burial and that her relationship with her ex-boyfriend Conrad is getting worse, Belly feels as like she has lost the entire Fisher family, not just Susannah. The next morning, Laurel arrives at the beach house, and she is furious that Belly lied about staying at Taylor’s house. Laurel says they have to leave, but Belly adamantly refuses and wants to save Susannah’s house. She says she wishes Susannah was her mother instead of Laurel and says Susannah would never forgive Laurel for letting the Fisher boys lose their beach house.

It’s Not Summer Without You” is a beautiful and emotionally resonant novel that captures the experience of adolescence with accuracy and sensitivity. The characters are well-drawn and complex, and their relationships with each other are explored with depth and nuance. The themes of love and loss, family, and identity are explored with honesty and insight, making the book a poignant and moving read. About the Author – Jenny Han Photo Conrad finishes his last exam and finds his brother and Belly kissing in the car. When he runs away angrily, Belly runs after him. She and Conrad exchange some tense words, but even though he’s jealous, he won’t actually say that he loves her. Belly realizes that she should choose the brother who will say what he really thinks instead of always hiding his true feelings. Conrad tells her that he never wanted her. When guests begin to arrive for the party, Belly starts to consume more alcohol. Conrad prohibits Jeremiah and Belly from swimming in the water because he believes Belly is inebriated. Belly storms out of the house and approaches the water in a fit of rage at Conrad. She seizes a bottle of tequila from Conrad’s hand and sips it straight when he pursues her.Conrad drove down from college to go to prom with her the previous spring, and Belly wonders how Jeremiah knew this. Belly is reminded of her catastrophic prom with Conrad as a result of this. He looked terrible the entire night, wouldn’t dance or make conversation, and wouldn’t engage in any of the romantic prom activities she had imagined. She had to coerce him into going with her. He had a cold emotional distance. Belly understood that he had only gone to her prom at his mother’s insistence. Belly had crushed her heart by telling Conrad that their love was ended. Han employs pictures to convey a sense of longing and nostalgia throughout the entire novel. The characters’ recollections of previous summers are well detailed, as are the beach home and the beach itself. Belly and Conrad’s sadness is compared as a storm that rages within them, further evoking the sense of loss and grieving that permeates the whole novel.