The Summer I Turned Pretty Review: A Series of Sweet Teenage Escapism

The first season of The Summer I Turned Pretty is sweet summer escapism.

No need to fight the current on this one; just lay back and let the soft waves of teenage nostalgia whisk you away to a simpler, much cringer time. This serene balm of beach shenanigans is our savior in a summer of franchise spin-offs and multiversal madness.

It gives the impression of superficial ease, but like any top-tier teen romance, its emotional gravitas is anything but gentle, dredging up a deep ache of longing through gripping family dynamics and one emotionally manipulative soundtrack.

This teen romance feels like a classic plucked right from the early 2010s. Jenny Han’s fingerprints are all over this series, bringing her book trilogy to life with a renewed self-awareness and the old-school charm of chemistry that feels lived in.

Viewers do not have to imagine what lays in past summers at Cousins Beach because the grand beach house and ease as to which this ensemble navigates their surroundings are steeped in years of rich, steamy subcontext.

The romance is intoxicating. This cast of up-and-coming actors plays off each other with a familiarity and warmth that allows this mundane offering to flourish.

There is also a fair amount of cringe, like multiple karaoke sessions worth. It’s a staple of the teen genre and counterbalanced well by the elaborate sets and stellar acting chops. But this series will offer you little reprieve if you struggle to watch teens be their horrifying, awkward selves.

This Love (Taylor’s Version)

This soundtrack is a teenage masterpiece dripping in pop artistry. The Summer I Turned Pretty really said, “Screw the music budget; we have a dream.” A dream to exploit fans with deep-rooted nostalgia because if there is anything that will make us earn for the most awkward time of our lives, it’s Taylor Swift.

It’s not an exaggeration to say Swift is a main character in this series. Her music is a constant, amplifying everything her lyrics come into contact with and setting swoony-worthy scenes between Conrad and Belly ablaze with one simple lyrical nudge.

This series deserves all the praise for cashing in on Swift’s abilities as a storyteller. From the explosive drama of “False God” to the unbearable final beats of “This Love,” it’s clear that Swift and this show were a match made in teen angst heaven.

I could go on and on, and I will. Artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Selena Gomez are rooted in coming-of-age stories, and it’s ingenious for so many female musicians to play alongside Belly. Also, dueting a fight with “Brutal” is downright brilliant.

The soundtrack is an experience meant to be enjoyed between fits of uncontrollable gasping and sports-like chanting.

Cruel Summer

Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? It’s a question the series reopens for debate. But what is so lovely about this first season is its ability to put aside the love interest trappings for meaningful character growth.

These are still the swoon-worthy boys that occupy the pages of Han’s books. Conrad is moody to the point of arrogance, and Jeremiah drinks other people’s cereal milk. However, by exploring their inner thoughts, they become more than trophies.

Surprisingly (because queer baiting), Jeremiah is open about his sexuality, and that part of him exists without a need for fanfare. As such, Jeremiah slips into this ensemble and our hearts effortlessly with his happy golden retriever persona and boundless energy.

For Conrad, the show cracks open his angst, revealing a sweet cinnamon role who loves night fishing and struggles with anxiety. By giving this vulnerable piece of him to us, sliding over to Team Conrad becomes all too easy.

Maybe it’s the fact that he gives off early nineties Disney Channel movie vibes, but the chemistry between Conrad and Belly is magnificent. I can’t help but think it has to do with allowing Conrad’s vulnerabilities to be his most attractive asset, rather than the tormented bad boy persona the genre has outgrown.

The first season does, unfortunately, leave Jeremiah out to dry in its grand love affair.

There isn’t nearly enough romantic subcontext between Belly and Jeremiah to justify their fling. By leaving Jeremiah out of the final beats of the finale, his seasonal arc is left unfinished. In true John Ambrose fashion, the younger brother is dismissed unceremoniously.

That said, The Summer I Turned Pretty makes one crucial adjustment to its material, pivoting the brothers away from a feud that revolves around Belly.

Instead of fighting over Belly at the debutant ball, Susannah’s cancer diagnosis pushes Jeremiah to punch Conrad. The show affords a great deal of depth by rooting their grief in family. Conrad internalizing his mother’s lies while Jeremiah eagerly seeks out answers creates a bittersweet juxtaposition to explore.

And the haunting look on Jeremiah’s face as he launches that firework at Conrad’s head says everything a petty fight over a girl could not. Details like that award us with two brothers that transcend the typical love triangle trope.

Best Friend (feat. Doja Cat)

While Belly struggles with the most psychologically taxing summer of her teen life, mothers Laurel and Susannah are basking in a friendship worn down by love.

What’s beautiful about approaching this series from multiple perspectives, rather than just from Belly’s POV, is that these adults get to have their own great loves and heartbreak on screen. Some of the season’s best moments are spent with Laurel giggling over car sex and watching Susannah paint high.

Cleveland is a lovely addition to the ensemble, pulling Laurel from her reserved armor and becoming a profound source of comfort for Conrad in his father’s absence. He witnessed a boy trying to carry the world on his shoulders and stepped in — that’s chivalry!

The mystery surrounding Susannah’s diagnosis is heartbreakingly threaded through this series. But the platonic love between Laurel and Susannah, one so powerful it drove a wedge between their marriages, stands to shine the brightest.

It’s a reminder that not all great loves are romantic, and not all coming-of-age stories have to end with high school.

Summer Lovin’ Had Me a Blast

Prepare for the nastiest hangover when you sit down to binge this beachy gem.

You will cry, you will laugh, and you will inevitably shield your eyes when a very wasted Belly clotheslines Susannah. Nevertheless, this show is an experience, equal parts enthralling and imperfect.

It’s a comfort watch that wraps its audience in promises of young love while bombarding us with reminders of our fleeting mortality. It lets us settle into Cousins Beach with plenty of space to explore the drive-in and country club settings without the storytelling slipping into scenic lulls.

This summer, there is no place I would rather be than swimming in the safe, eclectic whimsy of this teen drama.

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Season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty is streaming now on Prime Video.

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Jenny Han and Lola Tung Discuss the On-Set Magic of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ [Interview]