Isabel “Belly” Conklin captured the hearts of people everywhere in the summer of 2022 as viewers began following her story on screen. The Summer I Turned Pretty, novel series written by Jenny Han, was adapted as a TV series by Prime Video, following the story of Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) as she spends each summer with her family and her mothers best friend’s family. The Beck-Fisher family consists of the mother Susannah, eldest son Conrad (Christopher Briney) and younger son Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). As the show continues through its seasons, Belly finds herself in a love triangle with both brothers and is forced to figure out what she has to do. Season 3 of the series was released weekly in 2025 starting on July 16th. It recently came to an end, leaving some fans confused, upset and others happy.
Throughout the entire series, Jenny Han used music to add emphasis and particular emotions to scenes, continuing this through the entire series. Significant songs in the first two seasons included Funeral by Phoebe Bridgers and Exile by Taylor Swift & Bon Iver. The first episode ends with Belly finding out Jeremiah cheated on her during spring break of that year with Lacy Barone. The scene is accompanied by Taylor Swift’s You’re Losing Me. The lyrics “stop, you’re losing me” and “my heart won’t start anymore” accompany Belly as she runs away, signifiying the trust and that had been lost in that moment. As the season progresses and Belly finds herself engaged to Jeremiah at just 21, her relationship with her mother Laurel is impacted. Laurel attends Belly’s bridal shower, thanks to Conrad, while Cindy Lauper’s Time After Time (covered by Lennon Stella) plays as they reunite. The stripped back emotional cover highlights the motherly love Laurel possesses and reminds the audience that no matter what Belly does, Laurel will “catch” (Stella, 2024, 1:03) her “time after time”. The use of music throughout the entire series allows the audience to feel exactly what the character is feeling, therefore drawing you into the story even more. This is one of my favourite inclusions in the series, as I know most of the songs and the context of them, allowing me to feel as if I was in the characters shoes and in their minds during specific moments.
Some fans weren’t happy with how season 3 was written due to the character arc of main character Belly. Many fans felt she ‘lost herself’ and ‘wasn’t acting like herself’ while in her relationship with Jeremiah. As the season progressed and Belly found herself single and in Paris, this sentiment changed. Belly was seen to be enjoying things she used to, like reading and old movies, while also creating new hobbies in her new city. The character arc of Belly came quite late in the season (episode 10) but was still effective in sharing her story. During the tenth episode, Belly reveals through a voiceover that she is embarking on something “truly on her own” for the first time. She uses her time in Paris to find herself again and grow as a person. This growth is seen through her new friendships and summer fling. She feels as if she hasn’t “seen or grown enough” to visit home, however the pure fact that she stayed for a year was proof she had grown. Another important character arc in this season was Conrad. The first time Conrad is seen, he is walking into his therapy appointment. This development in Conrad’s life highlights his want to feel better and to grow as a person, which some viewers believed was his issue in the previous seasons. In the appointment, he speaks about going back to Cousins for the first time in a long time. He describes his perfect day, which does not happen, saying he say “exactly the right thing” about his mom. He later reveals he hasn’t had a panic attack in a long time, highlighting the personal growth he’s experienced by attending therapy sessions.
The Summer I Turned Pretty quickly became a personal favourite of mine. From the music to the characters, the series captured my heart and had me coming back for more each week. I was sad to see the series end but delighted to hear the story would come to an end in a movie yet to be released. While the ending of the show was beautiful, book readers, like myself, felt there was a significant piece of the ending missing, which made the announcement of the movie that much better. The show did an incredible job of highlighting issues teenagers and young adults face not only in relationships but in their own lives, such as getting cheated on, studying abroad and going to therapy. I personally highly recommend this series and cannot wait to see it all come together in the upcoming movie.
LeighCor 
Elizabeth Harris