Almost everyone has heard of Jenny Han’s hit book-series-turned-raving-TV show. Whether it’s from hearing people fight over Team Conrad or Jeremiah, having it show up on your feed when looking for your next show on Prime Video, or seeing edits on TikTok, the weekly episodes filled with intense romantic feuds and family drama have everyone tuned in for the final episodes as they are released. Part of why this show was able to rise to its number one spot is because of its ability to relate to the millions of teenagers watching. The topics of this show carry through the lives of its viewers, making the show all the more loveable, interesting, and relatable.
As the episodes continue to release, we are left with cliffhanger after cliffhanger, leaving viewers anticipating who Belly, the main character, will end up with. Although the show is now on season three, where Belly and Jeremiah are in college, the plot started back when they were in high school, which left Belly with a first love and first heartbreak. Characters Belly, Conrad, Jeremiah, and others go through various emotional states throughout its three seasons. Many of the emotions portrayed caught the attention of teens throughout the world; millions were interested by its realness and accuracy to true teenage emotion. This has helped the show skyrocket in popularity and capture the hearts of viewers.
Though the characters may be in college, the emotions experienced by brothers Jerimiah and Conrad as well as the Conklin family, which includes Belly, Laurel, and Steven, are very real to students in high school. The Summer I Turned Pretty exemplifies feelings of grief, love, friendship, and family throughout its episodes. When walking through the hallways in school, you walk by people that have felt all of the same emotions these characters express. Whether from studying for your upcoming math test or going through a friendship breakup, school can lead to intense feelings of stress and anxiety. Conrad experiences feelings similar to this when he has to step up as the big brother, watching his mom pass away from cancer. Grief is another emotion expertly portrayed throughout the episodes, and although this feeling isn’t exclusively relatable for teens, losing a family member or anyone else at this age is an extremely hard thing to do while being a full-time student. Having to show up to school with a smile on your face after finding out devastating news, is something that many people here at LM have had to face.
Nostalgia is another important aspect of high school as we grow into young adults. Just like Belly, seeing people you share fond memories with or going someplace you used to visit as a kid can pull at the strings of nostalgia within you. Although Belly is a college student who’s getting married to Jeremiah, she was once a high schooler, deeply in love with Conrad. She often gets flashbacks to that version of herself, missing the girl she used to be. As we continue to grow up, nostalgia is almost inevitable. That feeling when you drove a car for the first time or when you took your first steps into high school are all factors of nostalgia in our lives. The Summer I Turned Pretty is able to demonstrate these emotions with ease, in their case representing nostalgia through cinematic tools like flashbacks and inner monologue.
As Belly develops as a character, viewers see her grow up. She started as a shy sixteen-year-old, barely able to speak to Conrad. She is now getting married, looking to buy a house, and stepping into the most independent version of herself yet. Just like any high school student, she goes through periods of growth where she changes. During season three, she decides to call off her and Jeremiah’s wedding after realizing she isn’t ready and needs to focus on herself, which leads her to new beginnings and a fresh start with a plane ticket to Paris. In these teenage years, young adults are constantly changing just like Belly, learning and making decisions that shape our lives. Belly’s struggles often mirror our own at LM—choosing colleges, figuring out friendships, and learning to be more independent as we go through high school. In many ways, Belly is just like the rest of us, with her journey throughout the seasons and with all her choices and growth.
Growth isn’t just about independence—it can also come with heartbreak. Many teenagers experience teenage love, which might lead to disappointment as Belly’s did. The idea of marrying a “high school sweetheart” sounds magical, but the reality is far more complicated. Since young adults are so young and still learning, it is so easy to hurt someone and not even realize, and the struggle easily affects both people. As you learn things about yourself in high school, it is even harder to balance learning about a significant other. Belly focuses on Conrad after her mother’s best friend Susannah passes, who also happens to be Conrad and Jeremiah’s mother. But, since Conrad is finding himself while grieving his mother, Belly didn’t understand those deep feelings, let alone her own. This led Conrad and Belly to a big breakup at their prom, which left Belly confused and heartbroken. Expressing feelings is never easy, but to put into words the feelings you have for someone else is almost impossible. Belly learns this the hard way, like most of us. The Summer I Turned Pretty captures these struggles perfectly in a way that people of all ages relate to, making us hooked onto each week’s episode.
Ultimately, what makes The Summer I Turned Pretty so captivating for its viewers is the raw emotion expertly illustrated through the characters. Out of every show Prime Video users choose to watch, this one is picked time and time over for good reason. The show is able to stand out for its relation to teens’ emotions of love, loss, nostalgia, and change as we grow up. So, while watching, don’t just think about Belly and which brother she’s choosing; notice the consistent depth of emotions that the characters experience, and consider what these symbolize about a person’s relationships, struggles, and growth.
