We'll Always Have Summer

Conrad Fisher has loved Belly for a long time, but for much of the Summer series is unable to express his true feelings to her. In We’ll Always Have Summer, Conrad realizes that his inability to be vulnerable with Belly before has nearly cost him the love of his life, and he learns the importance of taking risks for love.

For much of the text, Conrad struggles internally with Belly and Jeremiah’s engagement. He does not let on to either of them how much their impending union bothers him, admitting it only to himself: “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” (146). Conrad holds himself to the standard that he cannot pursue Belly because he promised his mother that he would look out for his brother before her death. To Conrad, this means giving up all hope of being with Belly.

Conrad’s mind changes as he spends more time with Belly, planning her wedding and falling deeper in love with her. He receives advice from an older friend, Ernie, who tells him, “If a girl’s the one, all bets are off, family or no family” (210).