The rise of Amazon’s teen romantic drama “The Summer I Turned Pretty” surprised many, including some of its most devoted fans. Based on the bestselling young adult novels by Jenny Han, who acted as showrunner on this adaptation, the show built up a large fanbase over its three seasons. The third and final one even drew in a staggering 25 million viewers globally within the first seven days of its premiere. At a time of oversaturated streaming services and Prime Video’s own struggles to find a headline-grabbing success, there’s something to be said about this low-key and earnest teen romance becoming an organic smash hit.
In the finale, Conrad (Christopher Briney) makes his way to Paris to tell Belly (Lola Tung) that he loved her. The opening seemed primed for a romantic misunderstanding when he sees her, and her fab new bob haircut, ride up on a red vespa with Benito (Fernando Cattori.) But this is the last episode and we have no time for further entanglements! While she isn’t thrilled at first to see him – can you blame her, given everything they’ve been through? – she agrees to be his tour guide for the day before he takes the train to Brussels for a work trip. “Just play tour guide for a few hours, then send him on his way,” she tells herself.
Cue a picturesque Parisian montage (which also includes Versailles, making us wonder if the producers know just how far the palace is from the city center). “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has always done well with scenic locales and creating a hazy fantasy for adolescent romance, so of course it all ends in Paris. And Conrad asks to see Paris through Belly’s eyes. Expect yearning and unspoken declarations of love and, naturally, some soft piano music (and Taylor Swift, as always).
But don’t cry for Jeremiah. Back in America, he seems to have a new career as a chef with a TikTok presence. He also seems totally over his fiancée ditching him because she was clearly in love with his brother. The bigger relationship drama comes from Denise (Isabella Briggs), Taylor (Rain Spencer), and Steven (Sean Kaufman), Belly’s older brother. He and Denise have secured their dream seed funding and are now moving to San Francisco, which his girlfriend Taylor doesn’t know about. As they all prepare for a massive catering event that could make Jeremiah’s career, and host it at the now-legendary Cousins house, tensions run high and the champagne flows.
Will it all end well for everyone? Of course! It’s a slew of happy-ever-afters for our ensemble. Conrad and Belly, Jeremiah and Denise, Taylor and Steven. Jeremiah even gets a moment of reconciliation with his father, Adam. Bonrad shippers will be thrilled by their endgame, which includes some sexy moments and a montage of the pair enjoying Christmas together in Paris. We just love a happy ending.
The Internet seemed pretty divided between Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah – it’s a young adult romance where the love triangle was actually pretty balanced – but it seemed evident for much of the final season where this story was going to go (even to those who didn’t read the books, to which the show has remained faithful). In the finale, Conrad seems to have gotten over his own drama and Belly demands more than just pretty words. Although, the words certainly are pretty, as Belly declares, “I choose you of my own free will. There are infinite worlds. Every one of me chooses you in every one of them.” Expect to hear that quote all over TikTok.
Showrunner Jenny Han savvily translated her own novels’ melancholic yearning into a series with heart, drama and vast appeal. It’s not hard to see why audiences have been so drawn to it, and how it became an unexpected hit of the summer (fittingly). It’s a show that remained true to its spirit, and faithful to what made Han’s books so popular. The plots sometimes felt a touch soapy, but the emotions were always fully felt. There’s something to be said about a simple concept executed with detail and elegance. In hindsight, it’s the least surprising thing ever that a teen romance that took itself and its audience seriously won over millions.
The show ends with a thank you note from Han. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the love you’ve shown ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ all these years.” She then teased, “Maybe we’ll meet again one summer in Cousins.” Will Han bring us more romance from Belly and Conrad, or maybe follow Steven and Taylor to San Francisco, or see how Jeremiah and Denise get on as he becomes a chef? Maybe we’ll have a spin-off not unlike “XO, Kitty,” Han’s original sequel series to the “To All the Boys” Netflix franchise. Whatever the case, after landing the ending of this finale, fans are sure to be hungry for more.
