(Disclaimer: This review includes brief spoilers on the novel The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.)
On August 3rd, popular series The Summer I Turned Pretty was confirmed to be renewed for a third and, assuming it follows the structures of the book series, final season. The series, coining the abbreviation TSITP, became an on-screen adaptation in the summer of 2022, with its first season containing seven episodes.
TSITP, a coming-of-age, romance series following a girl in her contrasting relationships with a pair of brothers, drew the attention of many since the start. Isabel, or Belly, Conklin grew up spending her summer at Cousins Beach in the summer house of her mom’s best friend Susannah. In her time at the summer house, Belly develops deep relationships with Susannah’s sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. As long as she had known him, she had been secretly in love with Conrad but never received the same sentiment in return. So when Jeremiah starts to give her the attention she has been longing for from Conrad, it’s up to Belly to make a choice.
This past summer brought the release of the second season, building its popularity among many. As episodes were released on a weekly basis, a schedule different from the original season’s, Prime Video kept viewers wrapped around their fingers as people tuned in to see which brother would be chosen in the end. Throughout the course of the airing, TSITP trended on social media platforms such as TikTok, with fans debating over “Team Conrad” or “Team Jeremiah.”
A big aspect of fans’ anticipation of the third season stems from the question of whether or not it will follow the finale of the novels. Published in 2011, the final book reveals that Belly chooses first-and-forever love Conrad after experiencing intense internal conflict over the weight of her choice. The episode count also implies that the final season will be the heaviest in terms of content and will aim to wrap up the storyline- season one consisting of seven episodes, season two of eight, and the third season ten. There are a lot of expectations and anticipation riding on the final season, the majority of which can be credited to the growing popularity of the characters, especially the brothers.
The season is anticipated to air during the summer of 2024, allowing for almost a full year between it and its predecessor, and the story of Belly Conklin’s summer romances will finally be coming to an end.
