For Isabel “Belly” Conklin, summer means everything—especially the one where she finally feels seen.
Jenny Han’s beloved novel, The Summer I Turned Pretty, captures the intoxicating feeling of summer at Cousins Beach, where lifelong friendships blur into first loves, and growing up happens in intense, sun-drenched moments.
Narrated by Belly, the story navigates the giddy highs and confusing lows of adolescence, exploring themes of transformation, friendship, family dynamics, and the enduring power of first love, especially her complex feelings for brothers Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher.
This collection presents 48 memorable quotes from The Summer I Turned Pretty, verified with page numbers from the 2010 Simon & Schuster paperback edition. Organized by theme, these lines capture Belly’s voice, her pivotal summer of change, and the emotional currents of Cousins Beach.
For Belly, Cousins Beach isn’t just a place; it’s the measure of her life, holding the promise of transformation each year.
Summer and Transformation at Cousins Beach
Cousins Beach is the magical backdrop where Belly feels most herself and where life truly seems to happen, especially the summer she turns sixteen.
“It was like coming home after you’d been gone a long, long time. It held a million promises of summer and of what just might be.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Homecoming, Anticipation, Summer Magic, Chapter 1, Page 2
Belly captures the potent feeling of returning to Cousins Beach, a place imbued with nostalgia and the boundless possibilities of summer.
“The air tasted just the same, smelled just the same. The wind making my hair feel sticky, the salty sea breeze, all of it felt just right. Like it had been waiting for me to get there.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Sense of Place, Belonging, Comfort, Chapter 1, Page 3
“For me, it was almost like winter didn’t count. Summer was what mattered. My whole life was measured in summers.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Time, Summer Significance, Perspective, Chapter 1, Page 5
“It was a summer I would never, ever forget. It was the summer everything began. It was the summer I turned pretty. Because for the first time, I felt it. Pretty, I mean. Every summer up to this one, I believed it’d be different. Life would be different. And that summer, it finally was.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Transformation, Self-Perception, Coming-of-Age, Chapter 4, Page 21
This iconic passage marks Belly’s internal shift, where feeling “pretty” symbolizes her transition from childhood to adolescence.
“It occurred to me that I was going to have to make the most of this summer, really make it count, in case there wasn’t another one quite like it. I was getting older too. Things couldn’t stay the same forever.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Growing Up, Change, Transience, Chapter 19, Page 98
“Things couldn’t stay the same forever.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Change, Growing Up, Chapter 19, Page 98
“Moments, when lost, can’t be found again. They’re just gone.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Memory, Time, Loss, Finality, Chapter 23, Page 153
Often highlighted as a defining quote, this line captures the bittersweet realization of time’s passage and the irretrievable nature of past moments during adolescence.
“When you walk on the beach at night, you can say things you can’t say in real life.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Intimacy, Communication, Setting, Chapter 27, Page 171
“For me there was-is-nothing better than walking on the beach late at night. It feels like you could walk forever, like the whole night is yours and so is the ocean. When you walk on the beach at night, you can say things you can’t say in real life. In the dark you can feel really close to a person. You can say whatever you want.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Freedom, Intimacy, Setting, Communication, Vulnerability, Chapter 27, Page 171
“In the dark you can feel really close to a person. You can say whatever you want.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Intimacy, Vulnerability, Connection, Chapter 27, Page 171
“Even paradise could be suffocating”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Perspective, Feeling Trapped, Complexity, Chapter 44, Page 264
“I wished I could stay forever, in this moment. Like in one of those plastic snowballs, one little moment frozen in time.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Perfect Moments, Desire to Pause Time, Cherishing Happiness, Chapter 45, Page 271
“For a second, I felt sad, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, it came to me. A memory, pressed in my heart like a leaf in my book.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Memory, Emotion, Nostalgia, Chapter 45, Page 272
Belly’s long-standing crush on the older, brooding Conrad Fisher defines her summers and her emotional landscape.
First Love & Crushes: Belly, Conrad & Jeremiah
The heart of the story lies in Belly’s complex feelings for the Fisher brothers – her enduring crush on Conrad and her easy friendship with Jeremiah that deepens into something more.
“Smirky mouths make you want to kiss them, to smooth them out and kiss the smirkiness away.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator, likely about Conrad), Theme: Attraction, Desire, Chapter 1, Page 5
“He smiled at me, and that smile — he just gets in. His smile did it every time.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator about Conrad), Theme: Crush, Infatuation, Charm, Chapter 1, Page 8
“He pulled on my foot, drawing me closer. Being this close to him was making me feel dizzy and nervous. I said it again, one last time, even though i didn’t mean it. “Conrad let go of me.” He did. And then he dunked me. It didn’t matter. I was already holding my breath.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin about Conrad), Theme: Flirtation, Tension, Young Love, Chapter 3, Page 19
“On the way out Jeremiah turned around and danced a quick jig for me and i couldn’t help it, I laughed. Over his shoulder Conrad said, “Good night Belly.” And that was it. I was in love”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator about Conrad), Theme: First Love, Infatuation, Defining Moment, Chapter 6, Page 29
A simple goodnight from Conrad solidifies Belly’s long-standing crush into what she perceives as love.
“Sometimes it’s like people are a million times more beautiful to you in your mind. It’s like you see them through a special lens — but maybe if it’s how you see them, that’s how they really are.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Perception, Love, Idealization, Subjectivity, Chapter 12, Page 47
“Sometimes it’s like people are a million times more beautiful to you in your mind. It’s like you see them through a special lens — but maybe if it’s how you see them, that’s how they really are. It’s like the whole tree falling in the forest thing.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Perception, Love, Idealization, Reality, Chapter 12, Page 47
“I could survive for months, years, on a crush.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Crushes, Young Love, Endurance, Chapter 21, Page 105
“His voice made my shiver, it was like the sound f water when it pulls off sand.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator about Conrad), Theme: Attraction, Sensory Detail, Chapter 23, Page 152
“He made it so hard not to love him. When he was sweet like this, I remembered why I did. Used to love him, I mean. I remembered everything.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator about Conrad), Theme: Lingering Love, Memory, Complexity, Chapter 29, Page 191
“I didn’t dare look at Conrad. I was afraid my love for him and my need for him to say yes would be written on my face like a poem.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Vulnerability, Unrequited Love?, Fear of Rejection, Chapter 30, Page 193
“I wondered if this was the way old crushes died, with a whimper, slowly, and then, just like that—gone.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Fading Feelings, Growing Up, Disillusionment, Chapter 31, Page 200
“The thing was, Jeremiah was right. I did love him. I knew the exact moment it became real too… Watching him serving rubbery eggs and pretending not to be sad, I thought to myself, I will love this boy forever.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator realizing her love for Conrad), Theme: Love, Compassion, Defining Moment, Chapter 41, Page 241
Belly pinpoints a moment of Conrad’s vulnerability as the instant her childhood crush solidified into enduring love.
“You just want to keep me on this hook, right?… As soon as I start to get over you, you just reel me back in… But I’m telling you, this is it. You don’t get to have me anymore… I’m through.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin confronting Conrad), Theme: Frustration, Setting Boundaries, Moving On?, Chapter 42, Page 245
“His eyes were these bleak and empty abysses, like sockets… He looked so lost sitting there. I felt that old lurch, that gravitational pull, that desire to inhabit him… I would find him and take him home. I would take care of him, just like Susannah wanted.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator seeing Conrad’s pain), Theme: Empathy, Concern, Protective Instinct, Connection, Chapter 43, Page 261
“The old pull, the tide drawing me back in… First love kept making me come back to this, to him. He still took my breath away, just being near him. I had been lying to myself the night before, thinking I was free, thinking I had let him go. It didn’t matter what he said or did, I’d never let him go.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator acknowledging her feelings for Conrad), Theme: First Love, Enduring Connection, Self-Realization, Chapter 43, Page 262
Despite her frustration, Belly acknowledges the inescapable, gravitational pull Conrad still holds over her heart.
“I had been lying to myself, thinking I was free, thinking I had let him go. It didn’t matter what he said or did, I’d never let him go.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: First Love, Self-Realization, Acceptance, Chapter 43, Page 262
“I wondered if it was possible to take someone’s pain away with a kiss. Because that was what i wanted to do, take all of his sadness and pour it out of him, comfort him, make the boy i knew come back.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator wanting to comfort Conrad), Theme: Love, Compassion, Desire to Heal, Sadness, Chapter 43, Page 262
This deeply felt line reveals Belly’s profound empathy and her helpless desire to fix Conrad’s inner turmoil, often considered one of the novel’s saddest reflections.
“I love Conrad and I probably always would. I would spend my whole life loving him one way or another. Maybe I would get married, maybe I would have a family, but it wouldn’t matter, because a piece of my heart, the piece where summer lived, would always be Conrad’s”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Enduring Love, Acceptance, Soulmates?, Defining Love, Chapter 44, Page 265
This resonant quote is perhaps the most definitive statement of Belly’s feelings for Conrad, acknowledging his permanent place in her emotional history.
“We sat around the kitchen table picking off of foil-covered plates. Conrad kept sneaking looks at me, and every time I looked back, he looked away. I’m right here, I wanted to tell him. I’m still here.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Unspoken Communication, Connection, Hope?, Chapter 45, Page 267
“I say, ” I can’t believe you’re really here.” He sounds almost shy when he says, “Me neither.” And then he hesitates. “Are you still coming with me?” I cant believe he even has to ask. I would go anywhere. “Yes,” I tell him. It feels like nothing else exists outside of that word, this moment. There’s just us. Everything that happened this past summer and every summer before it, has all led up to this. To Now”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Dialogue: Belly Conklin and Conrad Fisher), Theme: Resolution, Commitment, Climax, Future, Chapter 46, Page 276
The novel’s culmination sees Belly affirming her choice, suggesting a future intertwined with Conrad.
“Would you rather live one perfect day over and over or live your life with no perfect days but just decent ones?”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Conrad Fisher), Theme: Philosophy, Perfection vs Reality, Life Choices, Chapter 20, Page 100
Conrad’s philosophical question reveals his introspective nature and perhaps hints at his own struggles with accepting imperfection.
Belly’s journey involves navigating complex family relationships and the evolution of friendships.
Friendship, Family, and Growing Up
Beyond the central romance, Belly’s experiences touch on changing friendships, family bonds, and the bittersweet process of maturing.
“Everybody had somebody but me.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator feeling left out), Theme: Loneliness, Adolescence, Belonging, Chapter 6, Page 28
“I’d never heard of them, but at that moment, it was the best song I’d ever heard… When I listened to track five, “Black,” it was like I was there, in that moment all over again. After the summer was over, when I got back home, I went to the music store and bought the sheet music and learned to play it on the piano. I thought one day I could accompany Conrad and we could be, like, a band.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator about Pearl Jam), Theme: Music, Memory, Emotional Connection, Hopeful Fantasy, Chapter 8, Page 35
“My dad once told me that Winston Churchill said that Russia was riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. According to my dad, Churchill had been talking about my mother… I wasn’t sure if it was that she fell our of love or if it was that she just never was. in love, I mean.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator about her parents), Theme: Family Dynamics, Divorce, Perception, Understanding Parents, Chapter 12, Page 51
“My mother was good at that, making people feel normal. Safe. Like as long as she was there, nothing truly bad could happen.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator about Laurel), Theme: Motherhood, Safety, Comfort, Security, Chapter 14, Page 56
“Growing up with Steven and spending my summers with Jeremiah and Conrad, winning was always important, and doubly so because I was a girl and was never expected to win anything. Victory is a thousand times sweeter when you’re the underdog.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Competition, Gender Dynamics, Underdog Mentality, Achievement, Chapter 23, Page 133
“I loved the feeling of talking and having somebody really listen to what I have to say. It was like a high or something.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Communication, Being Heard, Connection, Validation, Chapter 23, Page 142
“Best friends are important. They’re the closest thing to a sister you’ll ever have.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Laurel Dunne), Theme: Friendship, Sisterhood, Female Bonds, Chapter 28, Page 181
“She and I were still friends, but not best friends, not like we used to be. But we were still friends. She’d known me my whole life. It’s hard to throw away history. It was like you were throwing away part of yourself.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator about Taylor), Theme: Changing Friendships, History, Growing Apart, Identity, Chapter 28, Pages 186-187
Belly reflects on the natural evolution and sometimes painful drifting apart that occurs in childhood friendships.
“It’s hard to throw away history. It was like you were throwing away a part of yourself.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: History, Friendship, Identity, Loss, Chapter 28, Pages 186-187
“She’d known me my whole life. It’s hard to throw away history. It was like you were throwing a part of yourself.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator about Taylor), Theme: History, Friendship, Connection, Chapter 28, Pages 187-188
“It’s the imperfections that make things beautiful”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Beauty, Imperfection, Philosophy, Chapter 35, Page 215
“I was as cool as a cucumber”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Belly Conklin as narrator), Theme: Idiom, Self-Perception, Confidence?, Chapter 39, Page 230
“Belly, this is Yolie. She’s my co-lifeguard.” … “You too. Jere, do you want to take your break now?” … “Belly, go work on your sun damage.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Dialogue/Narration: Jeremiah Fisher, Yolie, and Belly Conklin), Theme: Introductions, Character Interaction, Beach Life, Chapter 33, Page 207
“Susannah continued. “If and when I go off slow dancing in the ever after, I don’t want to look like I’ve been stuck in a hospital room my whole life. I at least want to be tan.”
~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty, (Character: Susannah Fisher), Theme: Illness, Facing Death, Appearance, Humor, Dignity, Chapter 45, Page 269
Conclusion: The Enduring Summer
These 48 quotes from The Summer I Turned Pretty capture the sun-drenched essence of Belly Conklin’s transformative sixteenth summer. Through her eyes, we experience the intoxicating thrill of first love, the comforting anchor of lifelong friendships, the pain of change, and the bittersweet beauty of growing up.
Jenny Han masterfully evokes the sensory details and emotional intensity of summer, making Cousins Beach a character in itself. Belly’s journey, intertwined with the Fisher brothers, resonates with anyone who remembers the potent magic and confusing heartbreaks of adolescence.
Explore more beloved stories through our collection of Book Quotes With Page Numbers.
A Note on Page Numbers & Edition:
We meticulously sourced these quotes from The Summer I Turned Pretty (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition, April 6, 2010, ISBN-13: 978-1416968290). Like the tide pulling you back to Cousins, page numbers can shift between editions. Always verify against your copy for accurate citations!
Jeremy Mortis, founder of Ageless Investing, applies a rigorous analytical approach (the AAM framework) to distill timeless wisdom and contextualized quotes from classic literature, saving you time while deepening understanding. Learn more about Jeremy’s unique background and methodology on his author bio page.