My anticipation for “The Summer I Turned Pretty” began the day after I finished season one. Finishing the first season left me begging for more.
And season two delivered.
Season two aired July 17, only releasing three episodes. Hitting number one on Amazon Prime video, the day it aired. Additional episodes aired each Friday. The season featured a total of nine episodes.
The series follows the main character Belly as she navigates through her complicated love life with Conrad and Jeremiah, two brothers. As well, as all the characters who begin to overcome the death of Susannah, the boys’ mother and Belly and her brother Stevens second mom. As Belly and her family and friends try to save their summer house love dies and flourishes. Wither it’s from Belly, or her best friend Taylor. The story is one that will never grow old.
The show has always offered an amazing playlist featuring popular artists such as Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac, Oliva Rodrigo, Lizzo and many more. It is one created for a stereotypical teen girl, exactly like me. I often found myself sitting on the edge of my seat as the songs correlated to the scenes.
Episode two, “Love Scene” captured my full attention with the lineup of songs it featured. “Steal My Girl” By One Direction, “Deja Vu” By Oliva Rodrigo and “Invisible String” By Taylor Swift were all among my most favorites of episode two line up. All of which perfectly captured the essence of heartbreak, puppy love and teen romance.
Not only does the music add to the series but so does the story telling. Every episode would end off in an overwhelming cliffhanger. I would often find myself screaming at the screen hoping and practically begging for more.
Although I had already read the books on which it is based on (The Summer I Turned Pretty), I just could not seem to get enough. The awkwardness displayed by the characters made me cringe with joy. The suspense of each episode kept me counting down the days till I could open Amazon Prime and begin to stream the new season.
As many people often express, reading the book is always better than the movie or show. While I could argue the same, I do think the differences in the show and book were necessary to captivate today’s audience.
Not only did this season follow the main character Belly in her struggles, but we also are able to get a look into the new love of Taylor and Steven. A couple that I did not know I would find myself rooting for. Their adorable chemistry often leads me to smirk and awe at the screen.
Throughout the first season, I had clearly established myself as “team Conrad,” always rooting for Belly to choose him and not any other love interest. But this season I was almost shocked with the way the storyline ran out. The lack of care that would often come from Belly would astonish me in the fact that she had a “me over we mentality” always thinking of herself instead of the bigger picture. This made the story more and more engrossing for me.
At this point it has almost become more of a necessity for me to end my week, each with a new episode and an uneasy mind.
In all aspects, this season was a game changer. Each episode had me laughing or crying. I could never seem to get enough.
Jenny Han, who is the author of the trilogy that the series I based off is the mastermind behind it all, she never seems to miss any of her work. The actors and actresses perfectly portrayed the uneasiness of teenage life and all the quarrels that come with it.
The perfect mixture of teen life, love, and a lot of tears on my end. Whenever a new season premieres, I can guarantee you that I will be one of the first to stream each episode, as it is essentially a needed source of life for me.
I am always a sucker for an addictive teen romance story, and this is exactly what this show delivers.
