Isabel > Isabel's Quotes

“for belly, conrad is the sun. and when the sun comes out, the stars disappear.”
― Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty

“When someone's been gone a long time, at first you save up all the things you want to tell them. You try to keep track of everything in your head. But it's like trying to hold on to a fistful of sand: all the little bits slip out of your hands, and then you're just clutching air and grit.”
― Jenny Han, To All the Boys I've Loved Before

“It's the imperfections that make things beautiful”
― Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty

“He didn’t give me flowers or candy. He gave me the moon and the stars. Infinity

-Belly Conklin-”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“How do you regret one of the best nights of your entire life? You don't. You remember every word, every look. Even when it hurts, you still remember.”
― Jenny Han, It's Not Summer Without You

“That's when I finally got it. I finally understood. It wasn't the thought that counted. It was the actual execution that mattered, the showing up for somebody. The intent behind it wasn't enough. Not for me. Not anymore. It wasn't enough to know that deep down, he loved me. You had to actually say it to somebody, show them you cared. And he just didn't. Not enough.”
― Jenny Han, It's Not Summer Without You

“Maybe that was how it was with all first loves. They own a little piece of your heart, always.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“He came up and kissed me on my forehead, and before he stepped away, I closed my eyes and tried hard to memorize this moment. I wanted to remember him exactly as he was right then, how his arms looked brown against his white shirt, the way his hair was cut a little too short in the front. Even the bruise, there because of me.

Then he was gone.

Just for that moment, the thought that I might never see him again… it felt worse than death. I wanted to
run after him. Tell him anything, everything. Just don’t go. Please just never go. Please just always be near me, so I can at least see you.

Because it felt final. I always believed that we would find our way back to each other every time. That no matter what, we would be connected—by our history, by this house. But this time, this last time, it felt final. Like I would never see him again, or that when I did, it would be different, there would be a mountain between us.

I knew it in my bones. That this time was it. I had finally made my choice, and so had he. He let me go. I was relieved, which I expected. What I didn’t expect was to feel so much grief.

Bye bye, Birdie.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“But just because you bury something, that doesn’t mean it stops existing. Those feelings, they’d been there all along. All that time. I had to face it. He was part of my DNA. I had brown hair and I had freckles and I would always have Conrad in my heart.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“He was marrying my girl, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I just had to watch it happen, because he was my brother, because I promised. Take care of him, Connie. I’m counting on you .”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“I love Jere more than anybody. He’s my brother, my family. I hate myself for doing this. But when I see you two together, I hate him too.” His voice broke.
“Don’t marry him. Don’t be with him. Be with me.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“I’ve only ever loved two boys—both of them with the last name Fisher. Conrad was first, and I loved him in a way that you can really only do the first time around. It’s the kind of love that doesn’t know better and doesn’t want to—it’s dizzy and foolish and fierce. That kind of love is really a one-time-only thing.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“I’m sorry for screwing everything up. I hurt you again, and for that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t want to do that anymore. So … I’m not going to stay
for the wedding. I’m just going to take off now. I won’t see you again, not for a long time. Probably for the best. Being near you like this, it hurts. And
Jere”—Conrad cleared his throat and stepped backward, making space between us—“he’s the one who needs you.”
Hoarsely, he said, “I need you to know that no matter what happens, it was worth it to me. Being with you, loving you. It was all worth it”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“Don’t marry him. Don’t be with him. Be with me.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“It’s a known fact that in life, you can’t have everything. In my heart I knew I loved them both, as much as possible to love two people at the same time. Conrad and I were linked, we would always be linked. That wasn’t something I could do away with. I knew that now—that love wasn’t something you could erase, no matter how hard you tried.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“I knew I had to be careful. I had to keep my distance. If she knew how much I still cared, it was all over. I wouldn’t be able to walk away again. The first time was hard enough.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“I never once cheated on you. I never even looked at another girl when we were together.”

Conrad Fisher”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“Sometimes it hurts to look at you,” I said. I loved that I could say that and he knew exactly what I meant.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“I go wherever you go,' he says, launching us into the water.
This is our start. This is the moment it becomes real. We are married. We are infinite. Me and Conrad. The first boy I ever slow danced with, ever cried over. Ever loved.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“Firsts were important”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“I need you to know that no matter what happens, it was worth it to me. Being with you, loving you. It was all worth it.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“We didn’t know what was ahead of us then. We were just two teenagers, looking up at the sky on a cold February night. So no, he didn’t give me flowers or candy. He gave me the moon and the stars. Infinity.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“He took a step closer. "I don't know if I'll ever get you out of my system, not completely. I have this... feeling. That you'll always be there. Here." Conrad clawed at his heart and then dropped his hand.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“It's not all of a sudden," he said, his eyes locked on mine. "It's always.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“I loved him in a way you can really on do the first time around. It's the kind of love that doesn't know better and doesn't want to - it's dizzy and foolish and fierce.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“You were gullible," he said. And then, "When you were really little, you hated carrots. You wouldn't eat them. But then I told you that if you ate carrots, you'd get X-ray vision. And you believed me. You believed everything I said."

I did. I really did.

I believed him when he said that carrots could give me X-ray vision. I believed him when he told me that he'd never cared about me. And then, later that night, when he tried to take it back, I guess I believed him again. Now I didn't know what to believe. I just knew I didn't believe in him anymore.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“I sank onto the deck. My heart was pounding a million trillion times a minute. I never felt more alive. Anger, sadness, joy. He made me feel it all. No one else had that kind of effect on me. No one.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“So no, he didn't give me flowers or candy. He gave me the moon and the stars. Infinity.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“When did you know you were in love?"
I didn't have an answer to that question. There hadn't been one specific moment. It was like gradually waking up. You go from being asleep to the space between dreaming and awake and then into consciousness. It's a slow process, but when you're awake, there's no mistaking it.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer

“We were still figuring out how to be in each other's lives without being everything to each other.”
― Jenny Han, We'll Always Have Summer