It's Not Summer Without You

Belly often seems annoyed by her friend, Taylor, and the two are frequently at odds. What role does Taylor play in the text and in Belly’s life?

What role does nostalgia play in the text? How does Belly rely on nostalgia for the past to inform the decisions she makes in the present? Compare some of these decisions with her forward-looking actions at the end of the book.

Why does the author include Jeremiah’s perspective in this book? What do we learn about him through his perspective chapters that we would not otherwise know? How does his point of view deepen your understanding of their evolving love triangle?

How does Belly display emotional maturity and growth throughout the text? Where does she begin, and what changes does she make in order to grow?

The Cousins Beach house has always been important to Belly but takes on additional symbolic meaning in the wake of Susannah’s death. How does the symbolism of the house change throughout the book?

Compare Belly’s relationship with her mother with the one Belly and Susannah had. How does Laurel and Belly’s relationship change throughout the text? How is it informed by the mother figure Susannah represented?

Laurel is one of the few adult figures in the book, with Susannah gone and the fathers largely out of the picture. Compare how she and Mr. Fisher model grief for their children, and how their grieving behaviors are echoed or subverted.

Steven is an important figure for Belly but is largely absent in this installment of the Summer series. Compare his function as a character in The Summer I Turned Pretty with the hole he leaves in Belly’s life here. How does his absence hinder Belly or allow her to grow?