Warning! SPOILERS about The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 ahead.
Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 concluded with a finale that revealed Susannah’s secret, Belly’s final choice, and finally had the Cousins’ Beach debutante ball. The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 is based on the novel of the same name by Jenny Han, the first in a trilogy following Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) discovering love during summers spent with her mother Laurel (Jackie Chung) at the summer home of her mother's best friend Susannah (Rachel Blanchard). Han’s series was adapted for television and released on Amazon Prime Video on June 17, 2022, but The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 was announced ahead of its season 1 release.
The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 started with Belly about to move to Susannah’s house for the summer alongside her mother and brother Steven (Sean Kaufman). Belly was determined for that summer to be different from the previous ones she spent at Cousins’ Beach, especially in relation to her crush on Susannah’s son Conrad (Christopher Briney), who she hoped would finally see her as a romantic interest. Ultimately, what Belly hoped for was very different from what she got by the end of season 1, as she was convinced by Susannah to take part in a debutante ball. Realizing that Conrad had changed in their time apart also led Belly to develop an interest in other The Summer I Turned Pretty characters, including Cam (David Iacono) and Conrad's brother Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).
The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 ending played out to expose Susannah’s secret illness to all members of the Conklin and Fisher families, and it also led to Belly’s wishes finally coming true. Season 1, episode 7 ("Summer Love") set up what The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 will have to face, both in regards to the challenges of Susannah’s cancer and Belly and Conrad’s romantic relationship possibly breaking Jere’s heart.
What Happens In The Summer I Turned Pretty Ending?
The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 episode 7 revolved around Belly’s debutante ball, which provided the perfect occasion to bring Jere with her as her escort. Their relationship was what almost let Belly forget Conrad, and as Jere made it clear he always liked Belly, she realized she could have something real with him—a significant ending change from the book. Still, everything fell apart when Jere realized that his mother Susannah had cancer and hid it from him, making him unavailable for Belly’s debutante dance, which made Conrad step up and dance with Belly instead. The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 ending had the reveal of Susannah’s cancer blow up quite dramatically when Jere and Susannah realized that Conrad knew all along, explaining his being different and sad throughout the summer. Finally, The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 episode 7 had Conrad and Belly reveal their feelings to each other, which they both had always assumed were unrequited.
Why Belly Chose Conrad Over Cam And Jere
Belly’s love for Conrad was evident since The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 premiere, as her friend Taylor (Rain Spencer) emphasized that now Conrad would have finally seen her. While she tried her best to forget him, Belly choosing Conrad over sweet and caring Cam and hopelessly besotted Jere was almost obvious at the end of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1. Throughout the season, Belly tried her best to forget her crush on Conrad, which became especially difficult when he sent her mixed signals regarding how he felt about her. While Belly was rightfully done with him after they almost kissed in episode 4 and he started ignoring her again in episode 5, she couldn’t really move past her feelings for Conrad, no matter how nice Cam and Jere could have been. As Steven rightly said in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 episode 7, Belly always had eyes only for Conrad since she was ten years old, so nobody else could stand a chance if Conrad actually liked her back, which is what she finally discovered in the season 1 finale’s ending.
Susannah's Cancer Secret Sets Up TSITP Season 2
Unlike To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, whose primary source of tragedy came from Lara Jean’s (Lana Condor) mother having died when she was a child, The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 had Susannah wanting one perfect last summer before telling her kids and Laurel’s kids that she had cancer, and that it was untreatable. Her reveal not only disrupted the events of season 1's ending, but it also set up what will happen in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2. Laurel already told her date Cleveland (Alfredo Narciso) and her ex-husband John (Colin Ferguson) that she would need help in the fall with the kids. With Conrad and Jere convincing Susannah to take part in the trial, The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 will have to focus on Susannah’s treatment and Laurel taking care of her, hopefully letting the show display their beautiful friendship as it did in season 1.
Why Jere And Belly Broke Up
Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 showed a Jeremiah utterly supportive of Belly and her choices, even when she decided to date Cam and didn’t see him as an option. Jere was often the only one who took Belly and her desires seriously, while Steven and Conrad either dismissed her or saw her as a kid. However, after Jere confessed his feelings for Belly and she admitted she wasn’t confused anymore and wanted to choose him, their relationship still didn’t last. While Jere standing her up at the ball could’ve factored in, it was ultimately Conrad’s admission of his feelings for Belly that eliminated any doubt for her, as Conrad had always been her first love and Belly never had the chance to explore that relationship.
What The Summer I Turned Pretty Ending Means For Season 2
Belly and Conrad’s will they/won’t they characterized The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1. As the ending saw them finally admitting their feelings for each other and possibly dating, season 1 set up season 2 for Belly and Conrad to finally see how they are in a relationship. The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 will also have to explore Susannah’s treatment and how the Conklin and Fisher families will face that. Finally, because of Susannah’s cancer, one of Conrad and Belly’s toughest challenges will be faced early in their relationship, which could strengthen it or make it suffer. Whatever the case, The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 will definitely shed more light on the events shrouding the Conklin and Fisher families.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.