Why Is Everyone Watching The Summer I Turned Pretty?
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Explained. Everything You Need to Know Before the Finale
Every week I explain a book, show, or trend people can’t stop talking about.
This week: the beachside teen romance that somehow became one of the most emotionally stressful shows on television: The Summer I Turned Pretty. (Amazon Prime)
The Summer I Turned Pretty is the love story of the moment. TikTok edits. Spotify playlists. Reddit wars over who she should end up with. All the things.
Before you say “I don’t care about that show,” just know this: there are 21 days left until it ends forever but today is beginning of the end and it’s about to hijack the internet.
No matter what happens, there will be tears. There will be discourse. So you might as well know what everyone’s about to be yelling about.
📚 First Things First: It’s Based on Books
The Summer I Turned Pretty is based on a bestselling YA trilogy by Jenny Han.
The first book was published in 2009, but the TV adaptation, now airing its third season on Amazon Prime, has exploded into full-on cultural phenomenon territory.
25 million viewers globally watched the first seven days of Season 3
13.8 billion views on TikTok under #TheSummerITurnedPretty
But this isn’t a straight adaptation. The show is not going to end the same way the books did.
Jenny Han said the show is “what I would’ve written if I were writing the books now.” It’s an update for a new generation of romantics.
✍️ Who Is Jenny Han?
Jenny Han is the queen of YA romance. She started as a bestselling author, writing emotional, character-driven teen novels that felt deeply real. She’s also a social media phenom posting fun behind-the-scenes content and talking directly to fans.
Her signature vibe:
First love, emotional repression, beautiful boys who don’t know how to talk about their feelings, and girls who try to fix it all.
Her breakout hit was the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, a sweet story about a girl whose secret love letters accidentally get sent to all her crushes.
Those books became a Netflix trilogy that launched Noah Centineo’s career.
She’s one of the only authors who’s managed to stay in creative control of her adaptations, producing, writing, and overseeing the tone and casting of her projects. That’s rare. And it shows. Her shows feel like her books: emotional, romantic, and painfully relatable.
She’s also a massive Taylor Swift fan but we’ll get to that.
The Premise (aka Why Are We All Crying?)
Every summer, Isabel “Belly” Conklin has spent her life at Cousins Beach, where her mom’s best friend Susannah owns a beautiful beach house. Susannah has two sons: Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly, Conrad, Jeremiah, and her older brother Steven grow up together. A tight-knit group of kids, until feelings get complicated.
And now, suddenly, they both see her differently.
But don’t let the teen drama packaging fool you. This show taps into the same emotional resonance as Normal People, The OC, and My So-Called Life where the smallest looks feel like earthquakes and unspoken feelings carry more weight than the dialogue.
The show isn’t just about a love triangle. It’s about grief, memory, growing up, and choosing between what feels safe and what feels true.
Here’s the full backstory, character breakdown, and where we are now:
🐚 THE BACKSTORY
Belly has been in love with Conrad basically forever.
Jeremiah, the younger brother, has quietly loved Belly all along.
Susannah is like a second mom to Belly until she gets sick.
That summer, everything shifts.
The summer she “turned pretty” is the one where the boys finally start seeing her as more than a kid sister and the emotional chaos begins.
🧑🤝🧑 Who’s Who in The Summer I Turned Pretty
The essential character guide
Isabel “Belly” Conklin
The main character. Used to be the little sister tagging along but now she’s at the center of a love triangle between two brothers.
Has always loved Conrad
Is now engaged to Jeremiah
Still looks at Conrad like he’s her last cigarette
Conrad Fisher
The older brother. Brooding, brilliant, emotionally avoidant.
Used to be the popular football player, now hot in a sad-boy way
Found out his mom’s cancer came back, kept it secret
Found out his Dad was cheating with his secretary and kept it secret.
Imploded under the weight of all that and left Belly at prom, prompting Belly to break up with him.
Watching Belly get ready to marry his brother and suffering through it
Turned down a football scholarship. Is now pre-med at Stanford so he can stay far away from Belly.
Jeremiah Fisher
The younger brother. Warm, funny, golden retriever energy. .
Sweet, sunny, and emotionally available (at least on paper)
Always been in love with Belly
Cheated on her in Cabo, then proposed. So, Belly didn't go to Paris.
Working for his Dad and not telling Belly he’s not going back to school even though she stayed to be with him.
Currently engaged to her, and pretending it’s totally fine that she and Conrad keep staring at each other like that
Steven Conklin
Belly’s older brother. Protective, sarcastic, occasionally insightful.
Comic relief meets unexpected voice of reason
Knows Belly better than anyone
Dated Taylor, then cheated on his girlfriend with Taylor, currently in a surprisingly adorable friendship with Taylor
Taylor Jewel
Belly’s best friend since childhood.
Used to be a little chaotic
Now the MVP of bachelorette activities
Somehow the most emotionally grounded character on the show
Laurel Conklin
Belly and Steven’s mom. A writer, a realist, and not afraid to tell her daughter she’s making a mistake.
Best friend of Susannah, and still grieving her deeply
Wrote a memoir about Susannah that low-key made everyone uncomfortable
Divorced, but hooking up with her ex.
Furious about Belly’s engagement, but came around thanks to Conrad.
Susannah Fisher (deceased, but ever-present)
Conrad and Jeremiah’s mom. Died of cancer between Seasons 1 and 2. Her absence is felt in every scene, especially at the beach house.
Belly’s second mother and the glue that held all of them together
Always said she wanted Belly to marry Conrad.
Died of cancer between Seasons 1 and 2
Her death hangs over every moment in the show: the grief, the house, the way the boys can’t look at each other
Her memory is the reason this story has emotional weight
Adam Fisher (Conrad and Jeremiah’s dad)
Cheated on Susannah with his secretary
Generally bad at emotions and worse at parenting
Shows up occasionally to be shady, cold, distant, or judge the boys for being emotionally damaged by his mistakes
The reason Conrad started unraveling in the first place
John Conklin (Belly’s dad)
Divorced from Laurel
Nerdy, awkward, occasionally insightful
Has been popping back up this season just enough to make me think he and Laurel are going to get back together.
💔 THE LOVE TRIANGLE (AND THEN SOME)
The love triangle unfolds over the course of three summers and three seasons of the show.
Season 1: The Summer She Turned Pretty
This is the beginning. The summer where everything changes.
Belly (short for Isabel) returns to Cousins Beach after a growth spurt, a glow-up, and a quiet hope that maybe this is the year Conrad finally sees her. And he does. So does Jeremiah.
It’s a classic YA summer:
Belly gets asked to the debutante ball. The moment she dances with Conrad is THE moment when it happens.
She kisses Jeremiah
She kisses Conrad
She chooses Conrad
Susannah is smiling through her illness
Laurel is drinking white wine and trying to stay out of it
Taylor shows up, causes chaos, and says what Belly can’t
And Steven is busy trying to pretend his sister doesn’t exist while quietly being in love with Taylor
It ends with Belly and Conrad and one of the most emotionally loaded beach kisses in teen TV history but behind it all is something darker: Susannah is dying.
This isn’t a carefree coming-of-age story. Not anymore.
Season 2: Grief, Fallout, and Emotional Shrapnel
The summer after Susannah’s death is heavy. Everyone is broken, and no one is dealing with it well.
Belly and Conrad tried to be together after Season 1 and it imploded. Prom was a disaster. Laurel and Mr. Conklin got divorced. Belly’s grades tanked. Her friendships crumbled. Her relationship with Conrad crumbled harder.
Meanwhile:
The beach house is about to be sold
Conrad disappears
Belly and Jeremiah go on a mission to save the house and maybe also her heart
Taylor and Steven finally get together (bless them)
Laurel is writing a grief memoir and barely speaking to her daughter
Jeremiah is there for Belly loyal, warm, and still in love with her
Conrad is distant, cold, and also clearly still in love with her
It ends with Belly choosing Jeremiah. A line is drawn.
Season 3: Emotional Anarchy at Cousins Beach (Currently Airing)
The season starts with Belly and Jeremiah as a couple, then escalates at horrifying speed into an engagement with a dumb ring.
But:
Conrad is still in love with her
Belly’s dad is back in the picture
Laurel is furious not just about the engagement, but about everything: her daughter rushing into marriage, the memory of Susannah, and the fact that no one else is processing any of this.
Conrad convinces Laurel to come to the wedding and now she’s all in.
Jeremiah’s been working at his Dad’s office all summer and leaving Belly to plan everything. Has a weird fixation with a mirror glazed cake with 70% cacao.
Belly and Conrad have a magical day shopping for wedding supplies when they come across a peach stand during golden hour. (see below)
Conrad cuts himself surfing and Belly tends to the wound and they have A MOMENT on the edge of a bathtub
Jeremiah’s Dad offers to pay for the wedding and Kayleigh the secretary takes over planning a country club wedding instead of the lobster rolls on the beach Belly wanted.
Jeremiah and his Dad decide Jeremiah should just keep working at the firm and not go back to school. (Yes, even though Belly literally didn’t go to Paris to stay with him.) He does not tell Belly.
Belly spends her Bachelorette party pining over Conrad and having a full montage in her mind.
Belly confesses to Taylor that she saw Conrad at Christmas. So, something happened there.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah gets drunk and doesn’t show up to meet Belly at the beach.
BUT Conrad is there and professes his everlasting love for Belly.
She yells at him and says no one has ever made him feel like Jeremiah.
And now we’re 2 days out from a country club wedding nobody wants. (Except Kayleigh)
Meanwhile:
Steven is watching it all and starting a gaming company with his co-worker/romantic interest
Taylor is trying to detach from him and encouraging said love interest and is the unlikely voice of reason.
And Susannah’s presence still hangs over every scene, like salt in the air
And there’s a wedding being planned that literally no one believes is actually going to happen. There’s also a whole storyline with an infinity necklace Conrad bought for Belly.
💔 Let's Settle This: Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah
🌊 Team Conrad: The First Love Argument
Pros: Undeniable chemistry, deep emotional connection, remembers every small detail about Belly
Cons: Emotionally avoidant, terrible at communication, hot-and-cold whiplash
The Conrad Effect: Makes Belly feel things.
☀️ Team Jeremiah: The Safe Choice Argument
Pros: Emotionally available, loyal, consistent, golden retriever energy
Cons: Cheated in Cabo, rushing the wedding, hiding college plans
The Jeremiah Effect: Makes Belly feel chosen and secure
The real divide?
Jeremiah makes her feel chosen. Conrad makes her feel seen.
Jeremiah makes her feel safe. Conrad makes her feel alive.
🍑 The Peach Scene
There’s a scene in Season 3, Episode 5 where Conrad wipes peach juice off Belly’s chin.
That’s it. That’s the whole thing. And fans lost their minds.
It’s soft. Intimate. So small and a reminder that Conrad sees Belly in a way Jeremiah never quite does.
Conrad notices Belly in a way that’s almost too much to bear.
Even now. Even still.
🎶 The Taylor Swift of It All
Taylor Swift’s music is part of the show’s emotional architecture.
Jenny Han is a lifelong Swiftie, and when she started adapting the show, she wrote a personal letter to Taylor asking for permission to use her music. She explained the she was listening to Fearless throughout her writing and how it inspired her. She even thought about dedicating a book to her. She made the case that Taylor’s music wasn’t just adding to the story, it was part of the story.
Taylor said yes.
The result? Moments like this, “the bathtub scene,” with Belly tending to Conrad’s surfing wound.
🔮 Predictions: Who Does Belly End Up With?
🚨 Book Spoiler Alert: Skip if you want to go in blind! 🚨
In the books, Belly calls off the wedding and ends up with Conrad years later.
In the show, Jenny Han says things may be different.
Possible outcomes:
Belly marries Jeremiah
Belly chooses Conrad after a dramatic moment of clarity
Jeremiah backs out of the wedding (deep down knowing he’ll always be second choice.)
Jeremiah and Conrad get in a physical fight and never speak again.
Belly chooses herself and goes full Eat Pray Love at 20
Taylor and Stephen finally commit to each other
The wedding happens but it's Belly's parents re-marrying, or Jeremiah’s Dad and Kaleigh the secretary, not Belly and Jeremiah
🏖️ Before You Go
Now you’re all caught up and prepared for the finale.
Tell me: Team Conrad, Team Jeremiah, or Team Belly Goes To Paris and Lets Everyone Heal?
We have 4 episodes (including today’s) left to find out if we cry happy tears or throw our phones in the ocean.
Either way, it's been a beautiful summer.
See you at Cousins.
—N
https://open.substack.com/pub/egretlane/p/midweek-motivation-wednesday-october-e89?r=5ezmlv&utm_medium=ios
Thanks for this, I enjoyed it I definitely wasn't going to watch the show but I knew it was quite the phenomenon and I knew everything major from the edits and stuff but this sums up everything loved that