Teen love/drama series are Jenny Han’s specialty, from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before to Burn For Burn. We all know The Summer I Turned Pretty, one of her most successful books and TV series. I’ve recently watched all the seasons, including the new release of season three, which I thought did a wonderful job keeping the audience hooked. However, in order to understand the love, heartbreak, and soul mates from the start, we need to go back to the beginning of season 1, where it all began. That one memorable summer Belly will remember forever.
This season, we were introduced to most of the key characters, including the main three: Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah. This sparked the attention of viewers and created teams for all three of the characters. Personally, I’ve been team Conrad from day 1, but opinions on both brothers' love for Belly are pretty divided, especially during season 1. Team Jeremiah was popular due to the fact that he had a lighter and happier energy during the season, while Conrad had a low and quiet energy. Overall, I thought Jenny Han did a great job communicating the differences between them while still showing their bond over the summer.
Belly’s idea of a dream summer did and didn’t happen. She kissed Conrad, a dream she's had since she was ten, while also kissing Jeremiah multiple times over the summer. That created problems between the two brothers due to the fact that she was moving from one to the other. I think she took the boys for granted a bit and played with Jeremiah’s feelings when she kissed Conrad at the end of the summer. Yes, she told him—but the fact that she did it at the end of the summer and it was his brother was just messed up.
Overall, I thought Belly caused some problems over the summer and was not as mindful of her actions. I would like to draw attention to some choices made by Belly and the other teenagers in the series that I thought were slightly problematic such as underaged drinking, the use of smoking, and cheating. I understand that they’re teenagers and make bad choices, but throughout the season, there were various moments, such as the 4th of July party, the bonfire, and multiple parties where this tactic was used in the show. Considering that this show is watched by young teens, I would like to see less of this throughout the rest of the series to avoid the normalization of these actions.
Each of the episodes in season 1 had a great soundtrack. It really added to the energy of the story and completed each of the different episodes. I love how they incorporated some of Taylor Swift’s early albums such as Fearless, 1989, and Lover. They grab the attention of younger audiences while also including songs from the late 90s such as “Free Fallin” by Tom Petty and “Waterfalls” by TLC, adding some of that late 90s and 2000s spunk. My favorite moment was when they played “Lover” for Conrad’s entrance in the first episode. It really acknowledged Belly’s feelings when he’s around, almost like a fairy tale.
Overall, the show’s cast, directors, and other jobs that help the show come to life did an amazing job on the areas they filmed, outfits and costumes they designed, and the overall story line for each of the main characters. Lola Tung did a really great job capturing Belly’s personality and style throughout the season; it made connecting with her character easier when watching the different episodes. Love this show, will never stop loving it—or in other words, infinity.
If you love this show as much as me, check out some of her other trilogies!
This season, we were introduced to most of the key characters, including the main three: Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah. This sparked the attention of viewers and created teams for all three of the characters. Personally, I’ve been team Conrad from day 1, but opinions on both brothers' love for Belly are pretty divided, especially during season 1. Team Jeremiah was popular due to the fact that he had a lighter and happier energy during the season, while Conrad had a low and quiet energy. Overall, I thought Jenny Han did a great job communicating the differences between them while still showing their bond over the summer.
Belly’s idea of a dream summer did and didn’t happen. She kissed Conrad, a dream she's had since she was ten, while also kissing Jeremiah multiple times over the summer. That created problems between the two brothers due to the fact that she was moving from one to the other. I think she took the boys for granted a bit and played with Jeremiah’s feelings when she kissed Conrad at the end of the summer. Yes, she told him—but the fact that she did it at the end of the summer and it was his brother was just messed up.
Overall, I thought Belly caused some problems over the summer and was not as mindful of her actions. I would like to draw attention to some choices made by Belly and the other teenagers in the series that I thought were slightly problematic such as underaged drinking, the use of smoking, and cheating. I understand that they’re teenagers and make bad choices, but throughout the season, there were various moments, such as the 4th of July party, the bonfire, and multiple parties where this tactic was used in the show. Considering that this show is watched by young teens, I would like to see less of this throughout the rest of the series to avoid the normalization of these actions.
Each of the episodes in season 1 had a great soundtrack. It really added to the energy of the story and completed each of the different episodes. I love how they incorporated some of Taylor Swift’s early albums such as Fearless, 1989, and Lover. They grab the attention of younger audiences while also including songs from the late 90s such as “Free Fallin” by Tom Petty and “Waterfalls” by TLC, adding some of that late 90s and 2000s spunk. My favorite moment was when they played “Lover” for Conrad’s entrance in the first episode. It really acknowledged Belly’s feelings when he’s around, almost like a fairy tale.
Overall, the show’s cast, directors, and other jobs that help the show come to life did an amazing job on the areas they filmed, outfits and costumes they designed, and the overall story line for each of the main characters. Lola Tung did a really great job capturing Belly’s personality and style throughout the season; it made connecting with her character easier when watching the different episodes. Love this show, will never stop loving it—or in other words, infinity.
If you love this show as much as me, check out some of her other trilogies!
Clementine Radue
