It's Not Summer Without You

The Setup

Okay, so I was making dal makhani—the proper way, not the shortcut version—when I started this one. Six hours of simmering, six hours of audiobook. Perfect symmetry. And look, I knew what I was getting into. Young adult summer romance, beach house drama, the eternal question of Which Boy Will She Choose. This is not my usual fare. But here's the thing: I study why people make the choices they make, and teenage protagonists? They're basically walking case studies in identity formation and attachment theory. (Don't tell my students I listen to YA romance "for research.")

Jenny Han's It's Not Summer Without You is the second book in the Summer I Turned Pretty series, and it drops us into Belly's world after everything has changed. No summer at Cousins Beach. Her mother's absence looms large. And then Jeremiah calls about Conrad disappearing, and suddenly we're back in the messy orbit of the Fisher boys.

The Dual Narration Problem (And Why It Mostly Works)

Lola Tung narrates Belly's chapters, and honestly? She is Belly at this point. The warmth, the uncertainty, the way she can pivot from self-assured to completely unraveled in a single sentence—Tung captures that perfectly. There's this quality to her voice that feels like listening to someone think out loud, which is exactly what first-person YA needs. She doesn't perform the emotions; she inhabits them. When Belly is confused about her feelings for Conrad versus Jeremiah, you can hear the genuine conflict. It's not melodrama. It's the real, messy ambivalence of being seventeen and not knowing your own heart.

Gavin Casalegno handles Jeremiah's perspective, and this is where things get... complicated. He's fine. He's genuinely fine. But "fine" sits awkwardly next to Tung's naturalness. His delivery is sweeter, more earnest, but it lacks the same lived-in quality. Some listeners apparently struggled because his voice doesn't match the TV show version of Jeremiah, which—fair. But my issue is different. Psychologically, Jeremiah is supposed to be the "easier" choice, the sunny one, the one who doesn't make you work for his affection. Casalegno leans into that sweetness, but sometimes it tips into flatness. The character needs more texture, more of that underlying hurt that makes him interesting. I found myself waiting for Belly's chapters to come back around.

That said, the dual narration does something clever for the story's central tension. We're literally hearing both sides of this love triangle (well, two sides—Conrad remains somewhat opaque, which is the point). The research actually shows that perspective-taking increases empathy, and switching between Belly and Jeremiah forces you to hold both their experiences simultaneously. Smart choice.

What Makes This Character Study Work

Here's what Jenny Han understands about human nature: grief makes people stupid. Not in a mean way—in a true way. Belly's decisions in this book are frustrating. She's chasing Conrad when he clearly doesn't want to be found. She's hurting Jeremiah by being emotionally unavailable. She's making everything about herself while also genuinely trying to help. And all of this tracks perfectly with how adolescents process loss.

The protagonist exhibits classic anxious attachment patterns—she's terrified of abandonment, so she pursues connection even when it's clearly not being reciprocated. Conrad, meanwhile, is textbook avoidant. He withdraws, he pushes people away, he deals with his pain in isolation. My therapist would have thoughts about these two trying to make a relationship work. (Spoiler: it's not going to be easy.)

What makes this compelling rather than just annoying is that Han doesn't pretend these are healthy patterns. The book doesn't romanticize the chase. It shows the cost—to Belly, to Jeremiah, to everyone orbiting this mess. That's surprisingly mature for the genre.

The Listening Experience

At six hours, this is a quick listen. I finished it over two cooking sessions and one morning jog through Cambridge. The pacing moves, which is good because the plot is essentially: go to beach house, have feelings, make questionable decisions, repeat. The audio production is clean—no weird background noise, no jarring transitions between narrators.

I'd recommend 1x speed, maybe 1.25x if you're impatient with the more introspective passages. But honestly, the emotional beats need room to breathe. Rushing through Belly's internal conflict defeats the purpose.

One thing: if you watched the TV adaptation first, you might need an adjustment period. The audiobook came before the show, but now the show has colonized our mental images of these characters. Tung bridges that gap effortlessly since she plays Belly on screen. Casalegno's Jeremiah requires more recalibration.

Who Should Listen

This is a summer listen. Literally—save it for beach trips, pool days, long drives with the windows down. It's not demanding. It's not going to change your life. But it's emotionally satisfying in that specific way that good YA romance delivers.

Best for: Anyone who wants to feel seventeen again without actually being seventeen (thank god). Fans of the show. People who enjoy watching characters make bad romantic decisions while yelling "WHAT ARE YOU DOING" at their earbuds.

Skip if: You need plot-driven narratives. You can't handle romantic angst. You're going to be annoyed by a protagonist who doesn't always make rational choices. (Though I'd argue that's the point—humans aren't rational, especially not teenage humans in love.)

The Verdict

I found myself asking: why does Belly keep choosing unavailability? And the answer the book offers—that sometimes we chase what feels familiar rather than what's good for us—is psychologically sound. It's not groundbreaking insight, but it's honest. Lola Tung's narration elevates the material. Casalegno's is serviceable but not memorable. The story itself is comfort food with just enough nutritional value to feel worthwhile.

Would I recommend it? Yeah, actually. With the caveat that you know what you're signing up for. This is a beach read that happens to be an audiobook. Embrace the vibes.