By Jenny Han

Simon & Schuster

Released: May 2009

Isabel “Belly” goes through the months of school counting down the days until summer when she can go spend three months with her closest friends: Susannah Fisher and her two boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been taking a trip to Cousins Beach every summer for her entire life, where the Fisher’s summer home was. Every summer has been remotely the same: Belly being left out of Conrad, Jeremiah and her brother Steven’s games and of course, Belly’s love for Conrad. This summer, however, will change everything. Belly comes back for her summer visit and it’s as if the boys see her in an all new light. Belly catches both Jeremiah and Conrad staring at her from time to time and she even catches the eye of a new kid on the block, Cam.

This is a classic teenage love story with a mix of first love and family drama. Han does a good job describing the beach and the characters, I sometimes found myself able to smell the salt from the ocean while reading. This book is perfect for those die-hard romance fanatics and of course for teenage girls. This book opens up the heart of a teenager and opens reader’s eyes to the reality of sickness and love and life. –Kate Pate

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars