We’re less than a month away from our official welcome to Cousins Beach with the emotional new season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and Jenny Han’s beautifully and emotionally charged story is ready to usher us into a beautiful new chapter full of hopes, dreams, first loves, and some brutal heartache along the way.
The characters in Han’s story aren’t just captivating and vulnerable; they’re relatable and honest, mesmerizing and easy to root for, and they’re also challenging you to do something brave this summer. From being in your “no regrets era” to “risking it all,” The Summer I Turned Pretty is encouraging audiences everywhere to believe in the power of true love, embrace it, and then never lose sight of its brilliance.
When we last left the Fisher and Conklin families, Belly and Conrad had just shared their first kiss, admitting to one another that the whispered secrets, stolen moments, and admissions of adoration all meant something after all. In fact, they meant everything.
In a new teaser for the upcoming season, Conrad says he wants to be with Belly and thinks that’s what she wants, too. As Belly proclaims in the first season, she’d travel forever for him; “Doesn’t he know… for him…I would’ve traveled endlessly around those curves?”
Belly’s summer wish is something similar; she wants to hold onto this feeling forever; the beauty in it and the majesty — she wants to memorize every special moment because you never know when the last time will be the last.
Now, we do have to talk about the other piece of Belly’s heart: Jeremiah. While we’ve never been Team Jelly, and we never will be, their bond is unique too. They’ve grown up together, and there’s a calm and safety that exists between them. We’re not big on their romance — Conrad is just the right guy for Belly, but in recognizing their relationship, we acknowledge an important piece of the puzzle.
Of course, multiple love stories occur within the realm of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and it looks like Steven and Taylor might just be at the heart of their own journey when we meet them again. While our hearts will always beat a little bit for Steven and Shayla, we’re also sort of excited about this new Steven and Taylor arc.
Fans of the series know that Steven and Taylor shared a kiss, which he later said was a mistake, in the first season — but Taylor admitted to Belly that she’d had feelings for Steven for as long as she could remember; this is her own great wish coming true, and we can’t wait to see where that leads.
You can watch the first season of The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime Video now, with the second season beginning on July 14 with three heartwarming and emotional episodes. Here’s to love, heartache, and the magic that exists within all of the ups and downs.