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Let’s be real for a second. If you’ve ever sat in your room, crying over a fictional boy who doesn’t even know you exist while eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, you probably have Jenny Han to blame. Or thank. It depends on how much you enjoy emotional damage.
Getting into Jenny Han books in order isn't just about following a timeline. It’s about watching an author basically figure out the exact science of the "coming-of-age" ache. Han has this weirdly specific superpower where she can make you feel like a sixteen-year-old girl in the suburbs, even if you’re a thirty-something guy living in a city.
She started with middle-grade angst and ended up as the queen of Netflix and Prime Video adaptations. But if you only know her through Lara Jean’s letters or Belly’s beach house, you’re missing the full picture. There is a specific rhythm to her work.
The Breakthrough: Where the Obsession Actually Started
Most people think The Summer I Turned Pretty was her first book. Honestly, it wasn't. Before the beach house and the Fisher brothers, there was a little book called Shug.
Shug (2006)
This is a standalone. It’s middle grade, so it’s a bit younger than her later stuff, but the DNA is all there. It follows Annemarie Wilcox, aka Shug, as she navigates that awkward, sweaty transition into junior high. It’s got that signature Jenny Han "first crush" vibe, but with more training bras and less high-stakes drama. If you want to see where her voice really began, you start here.
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The Summer I Turned Pretty Series (2009–2011)
This is the big one. The one that launched a thousand "Team Conrad" vs. "Team Jeremiah" TikToks. If you’re looking for Jenny Han books in order of their most iconic series, this is usually where the deep dive begins.
- The Summer I Turned Pretty (2009): We meet Belly (Isabel) Conklin. Every summer of her life has been spent at Cousins Beach. This is the year everything changes because she finally "turned pretty," which is a bit of a dated concept, but the emotions still hit.
- It’s Not Summer Without You (2010): Things get dark. There’s grief. There’s a house being sold. There’s a lot of driving around in the dark feeling things.
- We’ll Always Have Summer (2011): The finale. It jumps forward a couple of years. There’s a wedding—sort of. There’s a choice. It’s polarizing. Some people hate the ending; some people live for it.
The Weird Side Quest: The Burn for Burn Trilogy (2012–2014)
People always forget about these. I’m serious. You’ll be talking to a "huge" Jenny Han fan and mention Burn for Burn and they’ll look at you like you have two heads.
She co-wrote these with Siobhan Vivian, and they are way darker than her other work. Think Pretty Little Liars meets a ghost story. It’s about three girls—Kat, Lillia, and Mary—on a wealthy island who team up to get revenge on the people who wronged them.
- Burn for Burn (2012)
- Fire with Fire (2013)
- Ashes to Ashes (2014)
It starts as a grounded revenge story and then, basically, goes off the rails into supernatural territory by the third book. It’s a trip. If you only like the sweet, baking-cookies vibe of Lara Jean, this might scare you. But if you want to see Han’s range? Read them.
The Global Phenomenon: Lara Jean’s Letters
This is the peak. This is the series that basically saved the rom-com genre for a new generation. When we look at Jenny Han books in order, this trilogy is the most cohesive and, frankly, the most polished.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2014)
Lara Jean Song-Covey writes secret love letters to her crushes but never sends them. Her sister sends them. Chaos ensues. Fake dating happens. Peter Kavinsky enters the chat. It’s perfect.
P.S. I Still Love You (2015)
The sequel introduces John Ambrose McClaren. Honestly, the "Second Lead Syndrome" in this book is terminal. It deals with the reality of a relationship after the "happily ever after" of the first book.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean (2017)
Senior year. College applications. The fear of growing apart. It’s the most "adult" feeling of the three because it deals with the actual end of childhood.
The Stuff You Probably Didn't Realize She Wrote
Aside from the big trilogies, Han has some deep cuts. In 2011, she released Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream. It’s a chapter book for younger kids about a Korean-American girl who wants to be the Apple Pie Princess in her town’s festival. It’s adorable and deals with identity in a way that’s really accessible.
Then there’s the short stories.
She has a story called "Polaris is Where You'll Find Me" in the holiday anthology My True Love Gave to Me (2014). It’s about a girl who lives at the North Pole. Yes, really. It’s whimsical and kind of heartbreaking.
How to Read Jenny Han Books in Order (The Master List)
If you just want the list to check off, here it is in publication order:
- Shug (2006)
- The Summer I Turned Pretty (2009)
- It’s Not Summer Without You (2010)
- Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream (2011)
- We’ll Always Have Summer (2011)
- Burn for Burn (2012)
- Fire with Fire (2013)
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2014)
- Ashes to Ashes (2014)
- P.S. I Still Love You (2015)
- Always and Forever, Lara Jean (2017)
What’s Happening in 2026?
It’s an interesting time to be a fan. We’ve seen the "Summer" series finish its run on Prime Video, and XO, Kitty took the Lara Jean universe into a whole new direction on Netflix.
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The newest thing hitting shelves? The To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Graphic Novel. It’s set for release in May 2026. Barbara Perez Marquez is doing the adaptation with art by Akimaro and Li Lu. It’s basically a way to experience the story again but with the visual aesthetic we all loved from the movies.
Also, Han is currently working on a The Summer I Turned Pretty feature film script. She’s gone on record saying there’s one "big milestone" left for Belly that needs a movie format. We don't have a release date for that yet, but the buzz is everywhere.
Why Order Matters for the Vibe
You could read these in any order, but if you go chronologically, you see Han’s writing get tighter. The Summer I Turned Pretty books are very "vibes-based"—they’re atmospheric and dreamy. By the time she gets to To All the Boys, her plotting is much more precise.
If you're a newcomer, I’d actually suggest starting with the To All the Boys trilogy. It’s her most accessible work. If you want something that feels like a humid July night where you might get your heart broken, go for the Summer trilogy. If you’re feeling edgy and want to see people get what’s coming to them, the Burn for Burn books are your best bet.
Next Steps for the Ultimate Jenny Han Experience:
- Check your local library for the Burn for Burn trilogy; they are often the easiest to find as hidden gems that people haven't checked out in a while.
- Pre-order the Graphic Novel if you want to see Lara Jean’s world in a totally new art style when it drops in May.
- Watch the "Summer" Finale on Prime Video before the movie comes out so you’re caught up on the TV-to-film transition.