The Summer I Turned Pretty is a teen romance involving a love triangle between a girl and two brothers.
With a title like this, you'd expect it to focus a lot on image. These 7 episodes are based on the book of the same name by Jenny Han. In this series, we are following the teenage girl, Belly (Lola Tung). She has spent the last summer living with her mom's best friend, Susannah, and her two sons known as Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). In addition to that, there is also Belly’s brother called Steven ( Sean Kaufman) who is also living with them.
This summer everything is different for Belly, as she has grown up and all the boys have started to notice her. Hence, we are watching the story of Belly as she learns how to grow up and what it entails. In this case, it means navigating attention from different boys.
Lola Tongue feels like the perfect choice to lead this series. She fits this role really well, that you can't keep her eyes off her when she is on your screen. We do feel like we are on the same journey with her. There is a lot of honesty in her performance, which makes her really captivating to watch. While Gavin Casalegno feels like the perfect choice as Jeremiah. He comes across as really charming and sweet at the same time. No wonder Belly falls for him.
Then we have Christopher Briney, who makes Conrad really mysterious and the bad boy that all the girls want to get to know. In particular, Briney, puts on such an effortless performance that draws you in even when he is just in the background. As a result, the casting directors have done a fantastic job at casting this show.
On the surface, you may think that it is just a fun summer love story. However, over time the story really developed into a much deeper and more intense story. Thus, the writing is just perfect, as it not only focuses just on the teenagers, but the adults all have their own developed stories as well. The writing is truly the highlight of this show.
Both Jackie Chung and Rachel Blanchard, play the two mom's They have great chemistry together in scenes. While Blanchard also carries a heavy burden where you can see her struggle throughout the whole season. This subject is quite sensitive, but it is handled delicately and honestly.
What a lot of us have really enjoyed about this first season is the fantastic music choices. It has felt as if Taylor Swift wrote her songs with this show in mind, they just fit so well into the show. The music choices are memorable along with the romance.
Belly’s summer of finding and dealing with love has a lot of ups and downs. Certain aspects are quite predictable, but there is a heart-breaking subplot that is performed and handled beautifully. The Summer I Turned Pretty, isn’t for everyone, but fans of the book series will be delighted with how well the first book has been adopted.
This show is all about image, which could have a negative impact on some people, as it isn’t a very diverse cast, however, that doesn't take away from the good performances and delicate stories that are portrayed. A simple love triangle, that keeps you hooked, and wishing you could have had a summer like Belly.
With more seasons already in the pipeline, this show will be a hit. It is time to decide whether you are team Jeremiah or team Conrad?
Performance | 4.4/5 |
Enjoyment | 4.6/5 |
Overall Rating | 4.5/5 |
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