In the beginning, they were riding in the car, and Belly was talking about how winter wasn't important and summer was the only thing that mattered. She also wanted to know what Conrad and Jeremiah looked like in winter because she only saw them during summer. Belly and her brother arrived at her mom's best friend's beach house. The two boys greeted her, and they enjoyed their first couple of days. They both realized that Belly had a huge glow-up since last summer, and they thought she was beautiful. This made Belly happy because she had been interested in one of the boys, Conrad, for a while. Conrad and Belly went to a fair, and the lady she saw running it was very beautiful, so she got jealous thinking Conrad would like her. Conrad won her a prize and Belly ran off. She has had that prize since she was 12. Finally, they took Belly and threw her in the pool as a welcome surprise.
We met Belly’s mom's best friend: the mom of the two brothers. She said this was the summer Belly turned pretty. They had a welcome dinner when they said that even though the kids weren't 21 they could have red wine. The boys were going camping and Belly asked to go, but they left her out and said no. Belly learns that Conrad has a girlfriend, and Belly asks a bunch of questions about her to try to do things she does because she wants Conrad to like her.
In the beginning, Belly explained that she swims at night almost every day and she loved it when Susannah came out there with her because she could see her without her wig. She found Conrad smoking by the pool and forced him to quit. Laurel, Belly’s mom, forced Belly to call her dad because Belly’s parents are divorced. She refused because she wanted him to call her. She explained that it was hard when her dad moved out because he brought his cat and even though she wasn't close with it she felt weird without it around. She explained at the end that she does not like the room in her dad's house because it has nothing she likes but she's happy he is trying.
In the beginning, we find out that Conrad quit football which was his thing and Belly didn't know. Then they brought up Susannah dying and Jeremiah got depressed so Belly and Jeremiah started holding hands and comforting each other. In chapter 15, Jeremiah and Belly are at the movie theater and they drink out of the same drink at the same time as a couple. Jeremiah looked at her like he was in love, so Belly thought they were going to kiss. She thought about always loving Conrad, but maybe things would change because Jeremiah never looked at her like that.
In the beginning, her best friend Taylor came who Belly thinks is pretty, and she's jealous of her. Her friend said she kinda liked Conrad so Belly got mad because she likes Conrad. In the middle, Jeremiah was teaching her how to drive and they started talking about how it was Belly's first kiss with Jeremiah. He said it wasn't his first kiss though. Later, Taylor said she now likes Jeremiah and Belly was confused. Belly felt left out because Taylor just got there, and she forgot about Belly so she could move on to boys.
In the beginning, Steven, Belly’s brother had to leave for the rest of the summer to go check out Princeton so Belly was sad he had to go. Then she met this guy named Clay by the pool with the boys, and she didn't have a crush on him, but she was kind of acting like it so that Conrad could get jealous. Then, she went to a bonfire with the boys expecting some smores and songs but actually, she met a boy that she knew from Latin that they took together and she liked him. She wanted to get a ride from this new boy, but Conrad said no which led them to an argument. Jeremiah ended up breaking up the argument and she went back to the boy. They talked for hours, and he gave her his hoodie.
At first, she started tanning waiting for this boy (Cam) to call but he never did. Instead, Mr. Fisher called the two brothers' dad and talked about how he couldn't make it this year and he goes every year. After that, Jeremiah took her for driving practice at a go-kart place. They talked for a while, and Belly saw a boy she thought was cute but Jeremiah was being overprotective.
In the beginning, she figured out that Cam called so she called him, and then the next night she called again, etc. They hung out and he asked her to go to a party with him. She said yes. After that, she accidentally brought it up at breakfast so then Jeremiah and Conrad said they were going. Cam picked her up and they headed to the party. She saw Jeremiah singing and knew they had come to. They were at the party for a while and Conrad almost got into a fight but they got him and left.
In the beginning, it explains how Cam hadn't called in a while but when he called her eventually he asked her to the drive-in. She got nervous cause that's where people make out and she didn't know if she wanted to yet. They had a cute date and at the end, they kissed. Belly wished this was her first kiss because the first one wasn't real. In chapter 5, nothing happened except for her telling Susannah about her date. Susannah explained that she could also talk to her mom about this stuff but she didn't want to.
Mostly chapter 26 was Conrad and Jeremiah telling Belly that Susannah and Mr. Fisher were getting a divorce. Belly was surprised by this and didn't understand why they would. She figured out that Conrad might be acting quiet and a little sad because of the divorce. In chapter 27 Susannah invited Cam to dinner and he came. When he was eating, they were asking him a bunch of questions and then Belly and Cam kissed again. Belly got mad at all the questions and tried to walk out but Cam didn't come so she came back even more angry. She calmed down and took a walk on the beach. Cam wondered which brother was her first kiss and he said Conrad. He said Conrad because of “the way he looks at her.”
In a flashback, they started playing truth or dare and they told her to kiss Taylor. She said she didn't want to kiss anyone there and she didn't. Then Jeremiah got dared and instead of kissing Taylor like everyone thought, he kissed Belly. She liked it a lot, but this was her first kiss she didn't want it to be like that. In front of everyone. This is why now she says that it wasn't a real first kiss. She walked on the beach and saw her best friend Taylor kissing her brother. She got really angry. They got into a giant fight about how Taylor ruined her whole summer and then Taylor left. They were still friends after that but not best friends.
Conrad was playing loud music so Belly went into his room, and they ended up dancing. She said that’s why she used to love him but she still liked him a lot. Then she went on a date with Cam at the beach and told him to get her some water. He never came back. When they went back to the beach they were about to go skinny dipping but Cam backed out.
Jeremiah invited Belly to the country club. There she told Jeremiah that she was completely over Conrad which was a lie. Cam Cameron invited her to a mini golf place, but she had bad memories there. She was trying to make new good memories of mini golf for the future. Cam Cameron kissed her and they went back. Belly overheard the mothers talking about Conrad and how they needed to tell the boys something.
It was finally Belly's birthday. Susannah got her a real pearl necklace that she loved a lot. Everyone else knew their presents wouldn't be as good as that. Then Conrad said he had forgotten her birthday! Conrad had never forgotten any other year. Jeremiah got her a silver key charm. He bought it because she would be driving soon. Then Conrad said he wasn't hungry for cake. He was acting weird. Then Conrad invited a girl over to their house. They were boring and just left Belly and Cam there. Cam asked if she invited him over just to make Conrad jealous because she still liked him and Belly said no but deep down she did still like him.
Jeremiah told her Cam Cameron was probably not the one. Belly said she didn't think so either. He took a deep breath and told her that he needed to tell her something. He said it was more than a best-friend relationship for him. He saw her as more than that. She still wanted Conrad but was very confused. Jeremiah was very sad and said that everything was always Conrad and he didn't get anything. She said she knew since she was 12 that she would love Conrad forever.
She was going to tell Conrad everything. Everything about how she loved him. She started by saying how she loved him for so long and naming things that he's done for her. After pouring her heart out, he said that he was not the one and she shouldn't love him. They got into a pretty bad argument. Jeremiah came in and stood up for her and Conrad walked away. Belly was so confused. Jeremiah and Conrad got into a big fight with blood on the sand. Conrad and Jeremiah knew something that Belly didn't know. Belly's mom told her that Susannah was sick again. She was so sad like the world was ending.
Belly came into Jeremiah's room and saw Jeremiah had his eye swollen and he was kinda injured. She said she was gonna sleep in his room right next to him. They were both depressed about Susannah. She told Conrad that he was so selfish, and she couldn't believe that she had ever loved him. She talked to Susannah for a while and after that, she kissed Conrad! Cam kept calling her and she didn't answer. The summer was over and it was cleaning day. She decided she was going to have one last swim before the summer ended so she slipped paper under Jeremiah and Conrad's doors to tell them to hang out. They just talked for a while and got sad that summer was going to be over.
The summer was finally over, and months later it was Christmas. Conrad called Belly and asked to hang out. She hadn't seen him since August but of course, she was happy he called. He picked her up from her house and they drove together. He gave her his jacket like a cute couple. His jacket didn't smell like cigarettes so she knew that he had quit. She knew that everything that happened this summer and everything that happened every summer before all led up to this moment with Conrad. After all, he drove from Boston and left college just to see her.