Flipping between past and present, Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty exhibited youthful romanticism and uncomfortable realism with such care. People of all ages will surprisingly find much delight in watching the new season of this friends-to-lovers series.
Just like Jenny Han’s best-selling three-part trilogy of the same title, the second season too explored deep, adolescent turmoil without going overboard. While it still allows itself to be a serious drama, the show also revels in light-hearted comedy and swoon-worthy romances.
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Following the plot of the book, the first season started with Belly (Lola Tung) catching the attention of her longtime friends, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah(Gavin Casalegno) – two very cute brothers – who finally noticed her after so many years of spending summers together at Cousins Beach. Then, enter the inevitable love triangle and summer romance trope – the late-night swims, the white beach house, beach-side make-outs, and real-life angst. Throughout the season, we see Belly developing her relationship with the broody Conrad and the happy-go-lucky Jeremiah. However, at the end of the day, she knew exactly where her heart truly lay, which was with Conrad. Despite the love triangle drama, the first season didn’t have a ton of soap opera dramatics, but that absolutely changed in season two.
Here’s everything you need to know about season two:
Season two starts with heartbreak, grief, and intense drama, which wasn’t apparent in the previous season. Pretty faithful to the book series, the seasons follow up on Belly’s decision on choosing Conrad, the emotional trauma of losing a loved one, and the struggle of being there for one another. Thoroughly relatable, the series weaves in between the reality of struggling with death and the heartening of falling in love and finding the will to live again – all complemented with coastal aesthetic cinematography and a Taylor Swift radio playlist.
The first few episodes thread between the past and present – showcasing how Susannah’s cancer affected all of the main characters, especially Belly, and her two sons, Conrad, and Jeremiah. As the series progresses, we see how Belly’s relationship with both boys deteriorates as they all struggle with their emotions. However, when an unexpected visitor threatens the future of their beloved beach house, they all end up coming together to fix all that’s already broken. But, with Conrad and Jeremiah fighting over her heart constantly, things get more intense, swoon-worthy, and angsty – revealing the light-hearted and the most sentimental part of the show.
We eventually will find out the reasons behind their visit to the summer beach house and the result of the love triangle battle. Even if you haven’t read the books, when all is said and done, you’ll figure out how the season pans out and how it will trigger the pathway for season three.
There’s a slightly more grown-up feel in this season compared to the last, but there’s still a delightful reverie that you’ll lose yourself in. Staggering weekly release of episodes, with the final episode being released on 18th August, The Summer I Turned Pretty should definitely be on your summer watch list this year.
You can watch the show on PrimeVideo.com
