3 Sentence Summary
“We’ll Always Have Summer” is the final book in the “Summer” series and takes place two years after “It’s Not Summer Without You.” Belly has chosen to be with Jeremiah, but when she finds out about a big mistake he made and hid from her, she starts to question her feelings for him. This serves as a final test for Belly as she tries to make a clear decision about her emotions.
Summary Read Time: Less than 4 minutes
Actual Book Length: 291
First Published in: 2011
Below is the detailed yet quick summary of the book:
Part 1
The novel “We’ll Always Have Summer” follows Belly, a young woman who is torn between her long-time boyfriend, Jeremiah, and her childhood love, Conrad. The story is narrated in first-person past tense, with Belly and Conrad both sharing their perspectives on the events that unfold.
Belly and Jeremiah have a close relationship. They grew up together as their mothers were best friends and spent every summer together at a beach house. However, Belly has always harbored feelings for Conrad, Jeremiah’s older brother. When Belly and Conrad meet again by accident, Belly struggles to reconcile her lingering feelings for him with her commitment to Jeremiah. In the midst of this turmoil, Jeremiah makes a major mistake that threatens to tear them apart.
The main character in the novel, Belly, is an 18-year-old who narrates most of the story. She has been in a relationship with Jeremiah, whom she has known since childhood, but still has feelings for his older brother, Conrad. While in college, Belly discovers that Jeremiah slept with another woman while they were on break. Despite this, Jeremiah proposes to Belly, and they plan to get married in August at the beach house where they have spent their summers. Belly’s friends are skeptical about the marriage, but they support her decision. Belly is excited to see Conrad at a ceremony honoring her late mother, but is unaware of the significance of her feelings for him.
Part 2
Belly and Jeremiah decide to get married in August, much to the dismay of Belly’s mother, Laurel, and Jeremiah’s father, Mr. Fisher. They both insist that the wedding should be delayed until after the couple graduate college, but Belly and Jeremiah are determined to go through with their plans. Despite her mother’s objections, Belly begins planning the wedding with her friend, Taylor. When Jeremiah tries to persuade Laurel to support the couple, she remains steadfast in her refusal. In frustration, Belly announces that she will move to the beach house to continue planning the wedding.
Belly and Jeremiah had been planning their wedding, but tensions arose when Laurel and Mr. Fisher insisted that the wedding should not take place until after the couple had graduated college. Belly argued with her mother and decided to stay at the beach house to continue planning the wedding. While Jeremiah was away for his internship, Belly was left alone with Conrad and the two struggled with their feelings for each other. During the bachelor and bachelorette parties, Belly discovered that Conrad had convinced Laurel to attend the wedding shower, causing her to question her feelings for Jeremiah.
At the bachelor party, Conrad overhears one of Jeremiah’s fraternity brothers discussing Jeremiah’s infidelity. Furious, Conrad takes everyone home and heads to the beach. When Belly comes to find him, he reveals what he heard to her. Belly admits that she already knew about the cheating, but asserts that she does not care. Conrad expresses his love for her, but Belly claims she has never cared about him. The two argue and Belly tries to walk away.
Part 3
Conrad apologized to Belly for his actions, but she insisted that he leave the beach house. Despite realizing that Belly still had feelings for him, Conrad refused to leave. Later that evening, the group went out to dinner, during which Belly ignored Conrad. After dinner, Laurel asked Conrad to have a drink with her, and the two discussed Susannah. Conrad became emotional as he expressed his heartbreak over Belly. Later that night, Belly was unable to sleep and woke up Jeremiah to tell him about her conversation with Conrad. Jeremiah became angry and left.
On the day of the wedding, Belly is uncertain if her fiancé Jeremiah will show up. Laurel gives Belly a letter from Susannah and gives one to Conrad to give to Jeremiah. Conrad and Jeremiah have a physical altercation after Conrad gives the letter to Jeremiah. Jeremiah discovers that it was actually meant for Conrad and contains a message about how much Susannah loved Conrad. In response, Jeremiah disowns Conrad and declares that he never wants to see him again.
In the final moments leading up to the wedding, Belly’s true feelings for Conrad are revealed when he confesses his love for her and gives her a gift. Despite her love for Conrad, Belly decides to go through with the wedding to Jeremiah. However, before the ceremony can take place, Belly and Jeremiah decide to call it off. In the epilogue, we learn that Belly ultimately marries Conrad and the two celebrate by jumping into the ocean before the reception.
