The Summer I Turned Pretty is the summer show. From pretweens to adults who love rom-coms, the show is a crowd pleaser for anyone and everyone.
The coming of age show aired on Prime Video in the summer of 2021. Its third season was released this past summer with continuous episodes every Wednesday until September 17th. The tension with Belly’s love triangle and the Fisher brothers sparks the romantic and intense story line we all fall in love with.
Belly isn’t sure about what she wants when it comes to commitment. Belly needs to prioritize herself and focus on her own self growth instead of getting wrapped up into relationships she can’t even commit to.
Jenny Han’s best-selling romance novels walk us through the romantic and tragic story of love between Conrad Fisher and Belly, while also exploring the romantic side of Conrad’s brother. As for the Prime Video tv-series, we see more of Belly trying to find herself through multiple relationships, both Fisher brothers, Taylor, Cam-Camron, Susian, her family, and her new found friends in France. Belly is exploring the world as well as her buried feelings for Conrad.
Isabel Conklin, known as Belly, has dragged us along her messy love life to figure out what she really wants, when really, does she even know what she wants? From Jeremiah to Conrad, back to Jeremiah and potentially back to Conrad at the end of the tv-series, Belly has played with their feelings like a game of chess. Will she ever make up her mind? Maybe not, maybe she shouldn’t.
In the TV-series, Conrad and Jeremiah both lost their mom, Susian, at a young age. At the time, Belly and Conrad were a couple. Jeremiah’s way of coping with his mothers death was unhealthy, involving partying, drinking, and lashing out due to buried emotions. He masked his grief with his “sunshine boy” facade, continuing to make the people around him happy as he believed that is what his mom wanted. However, Conrad bottled up his emotions and isolated himself from hurting more than he already was. His distance from loved ones pushed Belly away, ultimately breaking up their relationship. Months after Susian’s death and the break up, Belly ran right back to Jeremiah leaving Conrad in a depressive state as his love for Belly was still so strong and alive.
Now, after Jeremiah and Belly’s engagement break up Conrad is making his move to win her back four years later. He hopes that part of her heart longs for him as his heart does for hers.
Belly doesn’t deserve Conrad. She has been mentally cheating on Jeremiah with Conrad for the past four years of their relationship. Yet, it took her wedding day to realise her true love for Conrad after living in denial for so long. Conrad has a bright future waiting for him and he doesn’t need an immature, confused, little girl to hold him back. Belly needs time to find herself by herself, not in unhealthy relationships for lust.
Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah have been made all across America. But what about Team Belly? Team go figure yourself out Belly? This is what really needs to be done. Belly should piece herself together after all her immaturity and poor self confidence issues heal.
Belly is not the only problem here. Jeremiah is the most childish out of all them. He is not ready for a committed relationship and instead should figure out his identity and sexuality with the help of a good influence like Steven, Belly’s brother, or his own brother. As for Conrad, he still hasn’t recovered from his mother’s passing and isolated state of depression. Maybe a partner to love him the way his mother did would aid his recovery, but not Belly, someone mature and older.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is this generation’s Twilight. Both feature prominent love triangles, first loves, heartbreaking truths, and identity development. Today’s conversations between tweens and teens may be formed from what team you are; Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? Friends and enemies can be made from those answers as the show brings out the best of our silly summer romance fantasies. However, many agree upon the fact of Team Belly where it doesn’t involve Conrad or Jeremiah. Instead, it’s Belly leaving them alone, dragging her problems and confusion elsewhere.
Now with the end to a beloved show, Belly and Conrad are planning to spend the rest of their lives together loving the Cousins Beach they call home. Although with the climax leading up to the hopeful romance for most, the people want more. Thus, The Summer I Turned Pretty is getting a feature film for the continuation of Belly’s life.
Does this mean there will be a plot twist to the story? Will we watch Belly and Conrad’s love thrive, or die? At this point, who knows.
The story isn’t done, but it is obvious who Belly will ultimately choose. However, will she suffer from the chaotic history her and the Fisher brothers share? Or has she grown far more than we thought with her time in Paris? Belly needs to put herself first even if that means putting aside Conrad Fisher, at least for now.
