If you’re still chasing that high of having your first crush then boy, have I got the TV show for you. It’s on Amazon Prime and it’s called ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’, and if you don’t have Amazon Prime then first of all what are you doing? Jack Ryan is also on Amazon Prime and if you don’t want to look at John Krasinski run around and be all hot and shit then who the hell even are you?! It’s John Krasinski!
Anyway, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ is based on a book of the same name by nostalgia’s favourite author, Jenny Han. It follows 15-year-old Belly (kooky, I know, but short for Isabella) on her summer to her mum’s best friend’s house. Her family go there every year to hang out with the sons, but this year is different, because over the past year Belly has hit puberty, had a glow-up, gained her confidence, and this year is ready to try it on with her first love – but someone who still sees her like a little sister – Conrad. Cue the heart emojis.
First of all, everybody in this show is so good looking. Like obviously everybody’s falling in love when you have this many good-looking people in the same area all at the same time. I fell in love with like 5 different characters and I wasn’t even there. Conrad – the eldest son – is obviously the most swoon-worthy, looking like a more innocent version of Dane Dehaan, but Conrad’s brother ain’t so bad either.
His character’s name is Jeremiah, and one thing I absolutely stan about this show is that he’s casually bi. No more bisexual erasure, my friends – bi people exist, and some of them even look like that. I mean, no wonder Belly can’t figure out her feelings when characters are just casually 11/10’s!
The show not only deals with Belly trying to figure out her feelings (against the background of the perfect summer holiday), but also contains some very real struggles too – of which I’m not going to spoil. This is to say that yes, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ may be based off a YA book and follow a teenager and her crushes, but it shouldn’t be brushed off as simply a nothing, fluff story.
It’s feel-good, and real, and really, really engaging. Not to mention it makes you wish you were 15 again (don’t we all), and makes you super nostalgic for an American summer you never had.
There is nothing quite like the excitement of a first crush though, and especially the overwhelming literal hum of your body when you find out he likes you back. This show is the perfect encapsulation of falling in love for the first time, so naïvely, but with all the hope in the world, wading through it utterly confused but so excited to be there anyway.
Whoever came up with the soundtrack for the show deserves an Oscar, because frankly, hearing ‘The Way I Loved You’ by Taylor Swift (the Fearless album is already the soundtrack of my first crush anyway – double whammy, right in the feels) at just the right time literally levitates my soul right out of my body.
I promise you you’ll love it, just like when Jenny Han brought our collective crush to life in Noah Centineo in ‘All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’. Luckily for us, they’re already working on the second season. Yeah, you can thank me later.
Image via Prime Video