The Summer I Turned Pretty has taken the world by storm over the summer, especially on social media reaching over 1.3 billion views on TikTok. The show is the latest adaptation of Jenny Han’s young adult novel. Starring Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah), Christopher Briney (Conrad), and newcomer, Lola Tung (Belly).

The Summer I Turned Pretty tells a story of 16-year-old Belly and her summer vacation at Cousins Beach. The series focuses on her romantic life as she finds herself stuck in a love triangle with two brothers, Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher.

The connection between the actors and the characters was phenomenal, especially between Tung and Briney. In season one, episode one, Belly and Conrad share a special moment of reconnection for the first time in the series. This proves just how well they go together. I would tell you more, but I’d rather not spoil anything!

When I first heard about the show, I was expecting it to revolve mainly around the love triangle. Instead there were too many scenes involving the two moms, which I felt was unnecessary and a little boring.

What I really liked about the show was its costume design because it was designed for each individual character. An example of this is when Belly attended the Debutante ball wearing a more subtle gown that matched her sweet and innocent nature. The other girls wore more of a sparkly dress that really stood out, yet still not taking the attention away from Belly. 

While the storyline was predictable, watching how the characters will advance in their relationships was still very pleasing and left me hooked for season two. There are so many reasons why the show is admirable, but the most important one is how it teaches you to accept and embrace change.