The Summer I Turned Pretty (article)

Published by Mason Oldridge, 4 July 2026

The Summer I Turned Pretty is the teen romcom series that had everyone talking last summer. Now that it is the Fourth of July, the US holiday that features prominently in the series, we take a look back at the addictive show and analyse the talking points.

The Amazon Prime Video series is based on the novel trilogy by Jenny Han, author of other teen romcom novel trilogy To All the Boys, which was adapted into a film trilogy on Netflix. Every summer, the Conklin family (mother Laurel, son Steven and daughter Belly) spend the season with close family friends the Fisher family (mother Susannah and sons Conrad and Jeremiah) at their beach house at Cousins Beach. The four children have been friends forever, with Belly having had a crush on Conrad since she was 10.

Season 1 follows the titular Summer I Turned Pretty as Belly is turning 16 and has had a puberty-based glow-up, which the brothers both instantly notice. Belly begins a relationship with a boy she meets at a beach party Cam, but breaks up with him as she still has feelings for Conrad. The two nearly kiss, but Conrad rejects a relationship, fearing that his baggage could ruin it. The baggage in question is that he secretly knows that Susannah has cancer. Jeremiah admits to Belly that he loves her and they kiss. Throughout the series, Belly participates as a debutante on the encouragement of Susannah, despite initially being sceptical as she feels she doesn’t belong in the upper class society. However, she comes to enjoy it, befriending her fellow debutante girls. In the season finale, the truth about Susannah’s cancer is revealed, leading to confrontation and heartbreak. In the final scene, Belly and Conrad kiss on the beach.

Season 2 fast forwards to the following summer. It’s the end of the school year, Steven is graduating as valedictorian, Belly’s relationships with both brothers are strained and Susannah is dead. Flashbacks reveal that Belly and Conrad began a relationship after Conrad begged Jeremiah for his blessing, but the relationship ended on Belly’s prom night as Conrad felt that he was disappointing her and would keep letting her down. At Susannah’s funeral, Conrad performed a song in what is one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the whole series, but Belly later found him being comforted by another girl and caused a scene. In the present, Belly slowly reconciles with the brothers as they fight to save the beach house, which is being sold by Susannah’s sister Aunt Julia. A highlight of the season is when Belly, Steven, Conrad and Jeremiah, along with Belly’s friend Taylor, Cam and Julia’s daughter Skye, all spend a fun-filled day at the pier. At the end of the season, Jeremiah kisses Belly, unbeknown that Conrad was planning to ask Belly back out, and Belly must choose between the two when they are forced to spend an awkward night in a motel; she ultimately chooses Jeremiah, breaking Conrad’s heart.

In Season 3, Belly and Jeremiah are happily in love attending Finch together when Belly learns that Jeremiah hooked up with another girl while they were on a break. It turns out that Jeremiah did this because he was hurt after learning that Belly unintentionally spent last Christmas with Conrad at the beach house and lied about it. They reconcile and get engaged; the family are initially opposed to the marriage but eventually come around. Meanwhile, Conrad is in California as a medical student and recalls his heartache to his friend Agnes. When he gets fired from his job, he returns to the beach house and is reluctantly roped in to being Jeremiah’s best man and helping Belly plan the wedding, where he almost gives in to his feelings during the scene in which Belly eats peaches. This episode is narrated by Conrad and reveals that he made a deathbed promise to Susannah to look out for Jeremiah. Belly later almost gives in to her feelings when tending to Conrad’s surfing accident. Before the wedding, Conrad learns of Jeremiah’s betrayal and begs Belly to be with him instead, upsetting her. The day of the wedding arrives but Jeremiah calls it off as he can see Belly is still in love with Conrad. What then follows feels like a three-episode epilogue in which Belly escapes to Paris, even though Belly uprooting her life to start anew in the French capital, where her life is not that great, seems somewhat ridiculous. Steven and Denise quit their stable jobs to risk their own start-up company, which also feels somewhat irresponsible. However, in the finale, Jeremiah and Denise kiss and Conrad and Belly finally get together, before a final scene pans out on Belly and Conrad at the summer house, back where they belong.

Looking at character types, Jeremiah is upbeat and outgoing, whereas Conrad inhabits a more sombre and brooding personality. Whether you’re rooting for Conrad or Team Jellyfish, it is undeniable that Belly is destined to be with Conrad, as Jeremiah admits “that connection was like a force field.” It is unrealistic that Jeremiah would cheat on Belly, but it served a purpose as it acted as the catalyst that allowed Conrad to intervene in the wedding. Jeremiah is bisexual, a change from the book in which he is straight. This feels like an attempt to make the series more woke as it serves no purpose to the storyline and doesn’t align with Jeremiah’s personality. However, Conrad’s panic attacks are particularly impactful as having a handsome young character represent mental health conveys a powerful and supportive message to any similarly suffering viewers. Despite the brothers regularly locking horns over Belly, they are ultimately close-knit and have a deep love for each other, particularly in the wake of their mother’s illness and death, something which is bittersweet to witness.

A subplot sees Steven and Taylor engage in a turbulent relationship. However, a hard truth that must be confronted is that Taylor is not a good match for Steven. His love interest in the first season Shayla provides a much nicer storyline due to her acceptance of him despite his insecurities about their class difference and he is also much more suited to his love interest in the third season Denise.

Another subplot explores the love life of Laurel. Laurel is a caring mother at heart but also strict and, at times, annoying, particularly nicknaming Susannah as Beck and Belly as Bean. She eventually reconciles with Belly and Steven’s father John, abandoning the nice storyline of her blossoming relationship with author Cleveland, who would have made a nice addition to the dynamic as he was friends with Conrad, following their sweet moments together on the boat in the first season.

In addition to Shayla and Cleveland, other characters who don’t get their deserved happy endings and instead disappear from the show are Cam, Nicole and Agnes, who would all have made likeable additions to the dynamic. Instead, the third season introduces the unlikable characters of Belly’s college roommate Anika and Jeremiah’s fraternity brother Redbird.

A disappointing element of the show is the relaxed attitude towards smoking marijuana, treating it like a casual act that everyone does rather than a major health concern. However, one of the most positive elements of the show is the setting; the beach house is an absolutely stunning property and the perfect backdrop to represent summer.

With such raw emotion, The Summer I Turned Pretty is one of the best television series of all time. Particular praise goes to Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno for their strong performances. A feature film has been announced to serve as a continuation of the series; here’s hoping it features less drama and instead offers up a happy summer with the Fisher-Conklin clan in Cousins all together, reminiscent of the first season. But whatever route or form it may take, just remember… we’ll always have summer.