For the past couple months, the viral Amazon series, The Summer I Turned Pretty, has had me, and so many others on the edge of our seats. Every Wednesday when a new episode releases, I curl up on my couch and watch intently, hoping to see scenes that meet my predictions. I wait patiently for my friends to finish the new episode so we can discuss it together. I will admit: I am completely and utterly obsessed with this show. But is it really worth all of this hype?
My first initial response to this question was no – I should definitely use my free time to do more productive things instead of watching fictional people make stupid decisions. However, as I think over the real reasons why I love this show, I am convinced that it is worth my time and the hype that it is receiving.
The Summer I Turned Pretty follows Isabel, “Belly”, Conklin as she faces the realities of growing up and falling in love. She lives in a beautiful beach house every summer, and her heart is torn between the two brothers she has grown up with: Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. The show is packed with the perfect summer aesthetic, a memorable soundtrack, and relatable characters. On the surface, it is the perfect, aesthetic, binge-worthy watch. But if you look deeper, you’ll see more than a pretty beach house and a nail-biting love triangle.
It is easy to admit that the feud between Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah is amusing enough to give the show a try. These two teams have taken over every social media platform there is. If you take a scroll on Instagram, you will see countless videos of viewers fighting over which guy deserved to be with Belly in the end.
Aria Johnson, junior, stated that the love triangle “spices things up because the two brothers are polar opposites.”
The love triangle is intense and it is a bit silly, but overall it is a very entertaining thing to witness. In spite of this, the love triangle is only the surface of what makes this show worth your time.
As I have watched the show over the years, I have realized that it is so much more than a story about some angst-filled teenage romance. If you look further into the lives of these characters, you see how real they are. They are going through experiences that each one of us either have or will go through in our lives.
When I watch Conrad suffer from the grief after losing his mother to cancer, I am reminded of my own family who have had to suffer through this same tragedy. I can relate to Belly as she faces the scary reality of growing up and what her new life will bring her, especially now as I am looking forward to college and where that path will lead me. I see the panic attacks, the dissociation, the devotion to loved ones, and it is all too familiar. In a way, it is almost comforting.
Seeing myself in these characters, I have begun to realize how this show connects with its diverse audience. It is not simply an escapist fictional drama – it reflects the real struggles of growing up. It normalizes the experiences that many teens and adults alike are forced to ignore, which is why the drama lingers with viewers long after the episodes end.
When I escape to my couch to watch the newest episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty, I look forward to seeing more than an aesthetic beach house. I look forward to the cherished relationships, the heavy conversations, and the realistic aspects in every shot. For me and so many others, it feels less like a TV show and more like a mirror of our own summers. It is proof that the best stories are the ones that we can make our own. So, to answer the question: The Summer I Turned Pretty is 100% worth the hype it is receiving. Maybe it is time that you become obsessed too.
