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The Sumer I Turned Pretty is a coming-of-age novel about a teenage girl grappling with her identity. As the youngest kid at the Fishers’ beach house and the only girl, Belly has always been viewed as childish, and was often left behind by the boys. Belly’s biggest conflict in the novel is her wish to be seen not as a child, but as grown-up and desirable.
While Belly has had a crush on Conrad since she was ten years old, he has never shown romantic interest in her. The inciting incident that sets the story into motion occurs just after this when Belly pretends to ask Conrad for help and then pulls him into the pool in a bold declaration of her new ability to keep up with the older boys. After Belly pulls Conrad in, she is surprised by the unfamiliar way he looks at her and how it makes her feel. Belly doesn’t yet realize she’s taken the first step in changing how Conrad views her.
Throughout the book, the setting shifts from the past to the present. Flashbacks throughout the novel show how Belly’s crush on Conrad develops and deepens over the years. The summer Belly is ten, Conrad defends her when Steven teases her. At age eleven, Conrad teaches her how to do a dance called the shag, and she enjoys being held by him. At age twelve, Belly is crestfallen when she thinks Conrad has invited her on a date only to discover that he likes another girl. Flashbacks form the foundation for Belly’s present feelings for Conrad.
Belly’s first-person narration allows insight into her true desires and motivations. From the start, the boys’ reactions to Belly suggests that she is prettier than she realizes. Belly’s beliefs about herself are what make her feel unattractive, not her actual appearance. In fact, Cam openly tells her she’s the prettiest girl he’s ever seen, but she doesn’t believe him. Belly’s actions suggest she has strong feelings for Cam, but her thoughts don’t always match. For example, she asks Cam to go skinny-dipping, which suggests that she wants to become physically intimate with him. However, when Cam rejects her offer, Belly is secretly relieved, revealing that she didn’t truly want to go skinny-dipping with Cam. Belly isn’t the only character whose actions don’t match their true feelings. Although Conrad denies having feelings for Belly, his actions tell a different story. Because the first-person narration only reveals Belly’s inner thoughts, Conrad’s true feelings remain a mystery.
Intertwined with the complicated romance is Belly’s slow realization that Susannah’s cancer has returned. Belly spends most of the novel declaring how grown-up she is, but her focus on her own feelings causes her to ignore plenty of clues that Susannah is struggling, such as her weight loss and frequent naps. In another example of this dynamic, Belly is too focused on whether Conrad thinks she’s pretty to realize that he is struggling and really needs her support. The climax occurs when Belly confronts all of these conflicting and unspoken emotions by demanding that Conrad admit he has feelings for her. Her pressure is the final straw that breaks him, which leads to Jeremiah releasing his frustrations through violence, and ultimately, Susannah releasing the secret that has fueled much of the summer’s tension. In a sad echo of Belly’s eternal status as a child, she’s the last to learn this secret.
Belly is devastated to discover that her mother’s friend is dying from cancer. Learning that she will soon lose one of the people she cares about most in the world prompts Belly to shift her focus to supporting people who need her, rather than fretting about crushes and romance and what others think about her. This shift allows her to love Conrad without conditions, even if that means waiting for him to pursue a relationship with her when he’s ready. Until the climax, Belly believes that being pretty is the only requirement for gaining a boy’s attention. Her new, mature way of showing love through patient support is the real reason that Conrad can begin to see her in a romantic light. Although Belly’s demand for Conrad to express his feelings does not result in the answer she wants, it does force everyone in the story to express their true feelings. After the explosion, the Fishers and the Conklins can enjoy the last few days of vacation without underlying tension. Finally, after being given some space, Conrad shows that he views Belly as desirable by surprising her at home with a visit.
