'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Review: A delightful ode to love and friendship
Amazon Prime’s new show ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ has all the perfect ingredients of a romance drama: an adorable but clumsy heroine, mysterious boy, unrequited love, misunderstanding, friendships, kissing on the beach, the epiphany, and the happy-ever-after. It is the second Jenny Han adaptation after 'To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before'. Amazon Prime had renewed the show for Season 2 even before the premiere of the debut season. Looks like they had all the good reasons to make the decision as this coming-of-age romance drama does not disappoint.
'The Summer I Turned Pretty' narrates the story of one unforgettable summer in the life of Isabelle "Belly" Conklin (Lola Tung). Every summer Belly, her mother Laurel Park (Jackie Chung), and older brother Steven (Sean Kaufman) visit the Cousins beach and spend time with Laurel's best friend, Susannah Fisher (Rachel Blanchard), and her two sons Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Belly returns to the beach house to celebrate her Sweet 16 birthday along with a "summer wish" hoping that her childhood crush Conrad develops feelings for her. Belly is no longer a dorky teenager who had braces and glasses but instead has transformed into an attractive young girl. However, her shy smile and nervousness indicate that she is still the awkward kid she used to be and is still searching for a resolution in her life.
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Conrad has suddenly adopted a moody, indifferent attitude that confuses Belly and she notices he has changed a lot. He is also dating Nicole which upsets Belly. On the other hand, Conrad’s brother Jeremiah is a bisexual, party boy and flirt who develops feelings for Belly. Belly even starts a romance with another boy named Cameron, however, it is quite obvious to the viewers she only has feelings for Conrad. Interestingly when Conrad learns about Cameron, he is shown to be jealous making the viewers wonder if he also has feelings for Belly.
Apart from Belly’s story, there are other subplots that provide an alluring depth to the flow of the show. Perhaps the most poignant part of the series is the friendship of Laurel and Susannah who wrestle with their own issues such as divorce, mid-life crisis, work problems, and a painful secret.
The highlight of the series is a debutante ball, which Susannah asks Belly to participate in. Susannah helps Belly to prepare for the ball, with the dress-shopping, dancing lessons, and other aspects of it. Belly's summer in Cousins delves into bonfires, night swims, beach walks, Fourth of July festivities, volleyball tournaments, and the debutante ball. The ball not only transforms Belly but also raises a complicated question in Belly’s life. Who will be her escort to the ball? Conrad or Jeremiah?
Lola Tung is impressive with her lustrous performance. Her magnetic screen presence and charming portrayal definitely suggest that her career is going to skyrocket after this series. The music, featured in the series ranging from Taylor Swift to Olivia Rodrigo also deserves a special mention as it perfectly enhances the ambiance and sentiment of the summer romance. Overall the whole show is quite predictable just like every teen romance. However, Jenny Han’s show evokes delight and anticipation with an endearing narrative and a perfect cast.
All episodes of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' are available on Prime Video.
