Based on the beloved book series of the same name by Jenny Han, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ is a teen drama that focuses on the burgeoning romance life of a sixteen-year-old girl. The first season gives us an overview of the characters and their relationship. The show takes many liberties with its source material, and introduces a lot new characters and plot devices to make it a captivating watch.
The main conflict of the story hinges on Belly’s love life. She is in love with three boys. She is able to evaluate her chances with each boy, but she must also confront the changes in her surroundings. It comes down to her final decision. Who will she choose to go with? Conrad, the man she has loved ever since she was ten, will she be her choice? Or will she choose Jeremiah? He is the kindest and most considerate person she has ever known and treats her like an heir. Here we analyze the ending of Season 1 and deduce what it means for Belly’s future.
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Recap of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ follows the story of Belly Conklin. At sixteen, Conklin wants to start her romance with Conrad Fisher. However, when she arrives at the beach house, where Belly and Conrad’s families spend the summer together, she discovers that Conrad has changed. Conrad isn’t the sweet, innocent man he used to be. He is detached, distant, and sometimes rude. Belly, after longing for him, decides to move on. Cam was her answer. But things get complicated when Conrad’s brother, Jeremiah, tells her that he wants more from their friendship. Belly remains in love all the while with Conrad.
Meanwhile, Susannah, Conrad’s mother, has convinced Belly to participate in the debutante ball. She is now able to join Cousins Beach society, something she was previously averse to. She discovers more about Jeremiah’s relationship with Conrad, as she makes new friends and meets new people. Belly is navigating these changes while her mother, Laurel struggles with her novel. She also meets a writer who becomes a close friend. Belly’s brother Steven falls in love with a rich girl named Shayla, but a brief fling with Taylor, Belly’s best friend, lands him in trouble.
Susannah, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, wants to make the last summer perfect for everyone. But her relationship with her husband is deteriorating and could lead to everything going wrong. Everyone tries to hold on to the things that are important as the date of the deb ball draws near. But when Susannah’s secret is revealed, everything goes haywire, and Belly realizes that she had been focusing on the wrong things all along. Conrad and Jeremiah both vying to be her, Belly has to make a decision about who she will spend the summer with. She leaves Cousins Beach and won’t return until next year.
The Summer I turned Pretty Ending: With Who Does Belly End Up?
Belly hopes to find love with Conrad this summer. When she feels that Conrad doesn’t see her that way, she decides to let go of her crush and move on. Three boys fall in love with her by the end of the summer. She breaks up with Cam but finds herself trapped between the affections of Conrad and Jeremiah. However, at the end, we see her together with Conrad. Is that a sign they will be together next season? Most likely yes.
While Belly had feelings for Conrad, she decided not to wait around for him if he wasn’t going to express his love for her completely. When she kisses Jeremiah and chooses to be with him, she starts to rebuff all of Conrad’s advances. Conrad knows she is with Jeremiah and she won’t let him forget it.
Later, on discovering Susannah’s illness, she understands why Conrad had been acting so distant all summer. She empathizes with him, but when she realizes that he needs someone he can lean on to cope with the grief, she makes it clear that she shouldn’t be that person. She knows the complications it will bring for her relationship with Jeremiah, and should Conrad continue to be his distant self, it wouldn’t be fair for anyone if she indulges Conrad any further. She lets him know that he can’t take her for granted anymore. He has to fully commit if he is to be with her.
Conrad also wants to be married to her, it turns out. He kept his feelings bottled up all summer, avoiding Belly and Jeremiah as well as Steven. His erratic behavior also affected his ex-girlfriend Nicole. All of this was possible because nobody knew anything about Susannah. Conrad’s grief had been eating him inside, and there was no one he could talk to about it. All of that changed after the debutante ball.
Conrad now feels comfortable being himself and openly discussing his feelings with Belly. He is willing to be himself and openly share his feelings with her. Belly also takes a step forward when he agrees to all this. Their first kiss is the final straw and their summer ends. Belly has finally gotten her wish. Conrad and Belly are now together.
Why does Belly choose Conrad over other options?
It is clear from the beginning of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ that Belly will always choose Conrad. They have been in a close relationship since their first love. Although she tries hard to forget him, and even though she tries not to, she cannot let go of him. Cam is the only thing she thinks of when she’s with him.
Jeremiah kisses her after she confesses to his feelings for her. While she loves Jeremiah and he is her best friend, we can’t help but feel that her decision has something to do with her contempt for Conrad. Conrad refused to confess his feelings for Belly, even though he almost kissed her. Belly is extremely frustrated by Conrad’s insistence on pushing her away. She says she will not wait around for Belly, but her feelings about him can influence her choices.
Jeremiah feels like she jumped into a relationship in order to get Conrad out her head. There is still something in common between them that comes out during the deb balls when they dance together. Belly, once all misunderstandings have been resolved and everything is over, returns to her first love. She likes Jeremiah, but there is more of a close friend’s love between them. She didn’t see him that way. And even though she wants to be with Conrad, she isn’t there with all her heart. Conrad’s kiss is the final straw. It seems as if it was inevitable, but it was long overdue.
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