Jenny Han's second Summer series novel is a sharper, sadder book than The Summer I Turned Pretty, and it earns that emotional weight without the cushion of anticipation that the first volume carried. Belly Conklin no longer counts the days to Cousins Beach with uncomplicated joy. Susannah Fisher, the mother figure who made those summers possible, has gotten sick again, and Conrad has retreated into an apathy that has taken everything good with it. It's Not Summer Without You opens in the aftermath of that particular loss, and what makes this audiobook notable is the way Jenny Han handles grief in a YA romance context without subordinating it to the love triangle. Lola Tung narrates the 6-hour-and-7-minute production, which carries its own significance: Tung plays Belly in the Amazon Prime adaptation of the series, making her narration a layered performance rather than a straightforward casting choice.
The Summer series sits at an interesting intersection of romance and coming-of-age narrative, and the second volume tips further toward the latter. Belly's voice has more texture here; she is less defined by who she wants and more defined by what she is losing and what she refuses to lose. Han structures the novel around a rescue mission, Jeremiah's call, Conrad's disappearance, and the return to the beach house that none of them is ready for, but the forward momentum is emotional rather than plot-driven.
Grief Rearranges Belly's Sense of Self
The decision to center grief over romance in a sequel to a summer love story is not the obvious choice, and it is what makes this installment more resonant than it might otherwise have been. Susannah's illness functions as a structural rearrangement of everything Belly thought she understood about her own identity. She does not know who she is without those summers, without that house, without the woman who welcomed her into it. Han articulates that particular loss, the loss of a version of yourself you did not know you were attached to, with a precision that lifts the book out of the genre's more formulaic registers.
One reviewer described the book as going deeper, especially with the grief and heartbreak both Belly and the Fisher boys are facing, and feeling more connected to the characters because of it. That response tracks with what Han is attempting: the depth is intentional, and the complicated dynamics between Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah are more interesting in this volume because they are filtered through shared loss rather than simple romantic competition. None of the three characters is unsympathetic, and the book respects all of them enough not to reduce any of them to a function. Han has always written these characters as fully formed rather than archetypal, and the pressure of Susannah's illness makes that fullness more legible.
Tung Brings the TV Role into Audio
Lola Tung's narration is the audiobook's most distinctive element. Her familiarity with Belly as a character, built through filming the TV adaptation, creates an intimacy with the material that conventional casting does not automatically produce. Tung brings a naturalness to Belly's interiority that feels lived-in rather than performed, and the emotional scenes in particular benefit from a narrator who is not discovering the character for the first time. Whether this counts as an asset depends on the listener's relationship to the show, but for most audiences it enhances the audio experience rather than complicating it.
The 6-hour-and-7-minute runtime is well-suited to the story's emotional arc. Han does not overextend the narrative; the book knows what it is doing and does not add scenes to justify a longer runtime. The Cousins Beach sequences, once they arrive, have an elegiac quality that the earlier Belly-at-home scenes set up carefully. Tung navigates the shift in register with skill, and the audiobook closes at an emotional point that is satisfying without pretending to resolve everything.
Jeremiah's Role Grows Alongside His Own Grief
The Conrad-Belly dynamic in this volume is more ambivalent than the first book prepared many readers for. Conrad's withdrawal is not presented as simply cruel; Han gives him enough interior justification that his behavior is comprehensible even when it is frustrating. The book does not resolve the love triangle in any definitive sense, which will disappoint readers who wanted clarity. It resolves the grief question instead, which is the more important one, and it does so with genuine delicacy.
Jeremiah's role also expands meaningfully in this volume. He is not simply the more available option; he is a young man dealing with his own grief about his mother and his brother in ways that make him both more sympathetic and more complex than his function in the first book suggested. Han handles the ensemble with more confidence here, and the beach house scenes, with all three of them in the same space again, have a density of feeling that rewards close listening rather than treating them as simple backdrop for the romantic storyline.
More Urgency than the First Book Had
Listeners who completed The Summer I Turned Pretty and want to know what comes next will find this audiobook a meaningful continuation rather than a mechanical sequel. YA fans who appreciate coming-of-age fiction with genuine emotional sophistication, particularly around grief and identity rather than solely romance, will find Han's approach here resonant. Lola Tung's narration is a specific asset for listeners who came to the books through the Amazon adaptation, and for those who have not seen the show, it is still an accomplished performance. New listeners should begin with the first installment; the emotional stakes here depend entirely on the foundation Han built there. Readers who found the first book's pacing leisurely will find this installment moves with more urgency, as Han is working in territory where the mood has shifted and comfort is no longer something the narrative can rely on to carry the story forward.
- Narration: Lola Tung, who plays Belly in the TV adaptation, brings lived-in familiarity to the character's voice, creating an intimacy with the material that standard casting rarely achieves.
- Themes: Grief and identity loss, the cost of summer's end, coming of age through mourning
- Mood: Elegiac and emotionally layered
- Verdict: A second installment that deepens rather than simply continues the Summer series, anchored by grief that outweighs its romance.
A Few Questions About It’s Not Summer Without You
Do I need to listen to The Summer I Turned Pretty before this audiobook?
Yes. It's Not Summer Without You assumes full familiarity with the first book's characters and events, particularly Belly's relationship with Susannah and her history with Conrad and Jeremiah. The emotional stakes depend on that foundation entirely.
How does Lola Tung's narration compare to a typical audiobook narrator for this kind of YA series?
Tung brings specific familiarity to Belly's voice from her role in the Amazon Prime adaptation, which creates a naturalism that standard casting often does not. Whether you have seen the show or not, her performance feels inhabited rather than interpreted.
Is this audiobook more focused on grief or on the Conrad-Belly-Jeremiah love triangle?
Grief is the dominant emotional register of this installment. The love triangle is present, but Han deliberately filters it through the shared loss of Susannah rather than letting it drive the plot independently. Readers expecting a straightforward romance continuation may find the tone heavier than anticipated.
Does this audiobook resolve the love triangle or end on a cliffhanger?
The romantic question remains genuinely open at the end of this installment. Han resolves the grief arc with more closure than the romantic one, which is consistent with the book's priorities. Listeners who want the full resolution will need to continue to the third installment.
