Since its premiere on Prime Video on June 17, The Summer I Turned Pretty has quickly captivated the hearts of viewers with its beautiful charm and wholesome yet complicated ode to young love. Based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Jenny Han (who also wrote the To All The Boys trilogy that turned into a hit Netflix film series), this coming-of-age romance captures the teenage experience fairly well, may it be pining for your crush, having confusing feelings, wanting to fit in, and exploring more of who you are and who you want to be.
In the series, we meet the main character Isabel "Belly" Conklin (Lola Tung), a bubbly 16-year-old girl who, for years, has had a crush on one of her childhood friends, Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney). When her family goes back to Cousins for the summer, she once again sees Conrad and his younger brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) as they stay in the Fisher's house. They, along with Belly's brother Steven (Sean Kaufman), have always been close friends and would hang out as much as they can. This summer, however, is different for the sweet, hopeful romantic Belly as she navigates her confusing feelings towards both of the Fisher brothers.
The Summer I Turned Pretty focuses primarily on these teenagers as they go through different experiences over the summer, highlighting the importance of self-discovery and learning how to properly balance your feelings in a way that will not hurt you and the people around you. Love is the central theme of the show, but it is not all about falling in love or going into romantic relationships because oftentimes, friendships are the best parts of life.
Besides the whole love triangle between Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah, what also made the show great are the adult friendships that were explored, specifically between Belly's mom Laurel (Jackie Chung) and Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), Conrad and Jeremiah's mother. In the first episode, Belly narrates the incredible and close bond between the two mothers throughout the years and how they always have each other's backs. Laurel is a devoted parent who has recently divorced her husband. She tends to be a bit too judgemental and strict, especially when it comes to her children. As for her career, she is a writer who has been experiencing writer's block for a while, and she, just like the others, is also figuring things out. Meanwhile, Susannah is this optimistic, life-of-the-party individual who always wants her loved ones to feel loved, which can sometimes be difficult as she is unfortunately dealing with not only her strained marriage, but cancer as well.
Much like the teenagers, the mothers are far from perfect. For instance, Laurel can be stubborn and pushy at times. There is a scene where Laurel secretly invites Susannah's husband to their Fourth of July party, which only resulted in disaster. Due to this, Laurel and Susannah get into a huge fight, but they soon reconcile. Aside from their arguments, one can tell just how much love they have for each other. There's one sequence where they visit the town and let loose for the night, filled with hookups, nostalgic conversations, and drunk dancing. It's those scenes where the show makes you care for the characters, because they seem real and comforting. It can even make you wonder if you'll share that feeling with your best friend forever.
Not all coming-of-age shows really spotlight the adults and how their lives are going, but The Summer I Turned Pretty pulled it off incredibly well. It shows that older people in teenage shows also deserve a well-rounded and intricate character arc, not just merely playing a role of a typical parent that essentially does nothing too big for the plot. It can make a show much more grounded and familiar.
If you want to watch a heartfelt, easy, and summer-themed show about teenagers and adults figuring out their lives, then The Summer I Turned Pretty has seven episodes that will surely make you feel all kinds of emotions. And if you want more of the Cousins crew, don't worry because the show has already been renewed for Season 2, so you'll surely see more of them.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is available to stream on Prime Video.