The Summer I Turned Pretty began in 2022, following Isabel Conklin as she spends her summers in Cousins with the Fisher boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly (and seriously, who on earth chooses that nickname) shows up at the beach house on the cusp of turning sixteen, finding herself receiving the attention of both fisher boys.
Her biggest worries in season one were figuring out whether or not Conrad - her unrequited childhood crush - liked her back, or if she should explore new emerging feelings for her best friend Jeremiah. In the background, Susannah - mother to the Fisher Boys and college best friend to Belly’s mum - is re-diagnosed with cancer, turning their perfect summer into one last goodbye.
Cut to season three: Belly is twenty-one in college, and after an intense relationship with Conrad that went south due to lack of communication, she’s ultimately chosen Jeremiah to spend the rest of her life with. The characters may pretend everything is fine between them, but the reality is far from it.
When I first watched the show, I had to turn it off due to how cringe-worthy some characters and scenes were
I’ll admit, when I first watched the show, I had to turn it off due to how cringe-worthy some characters and scenes were, but something drew me back in. Yes, second-hand embarrassment may be had, but the show captures the feelings of being young, stupid, and naïve.
A healthy rivalry between ‘team Conrad’ and ‘team Jeremiah’
It’s why the series resonates with so many generations of women globally, being taken back to the days when they were sixteen and the big wide world was waiting for them. The added love triangle of the brothers doesn’t hurt, with a healthy rivalry between ‘team Conrad’ and ‘team Jeremiah’. Unfortunately, there is only one right answer, and if you say Jeremiah you need to be checked out.
Han seems to have the perfect formula for creating a hit teen romance
Social media has taken to reporting this rivalry too, with many big-name brands hopping on viral trends that have emerged from The Summer I Turned Pretty. Not only that, but theories and analyses have emerged on TikTok trying to figure out what Jenny Han, the author of the books, is attempting to convey with her use of Taylor Swift’s songs. Han seems to have the perfect formula for creating a hit teen romance, as can be seen with the buzz surrounding not only this show, but To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and its spin-off XO, Kitty.
Unlike the first two seasons that released their episodes all together, the third season releases a single episode every Wednesday night, keeping us all on the edge of our seats. Tuning in each week feels like escaping from real life for a while, like the feeling that surrounds summer each year.