Let’s be real. The Summer I Turned Pretty is ragebait. You watch it knowing you’re going to get emotionally wrecked, annoyed at Belly’s choices, and somehow still obsessed with every scene. And that’s exactly why it works. The show follows Belly, who spends her summers at Cousins Beach, tangled in a love triangle between two brothers: Conrad and Jeremiah. 

It’s dramatic, messy, and full of moments that make you want to scream at your screen. But if you ask me, I’m Team Conrad. He actually cares, and even when he’s emotionally closed off, you can tell he’s trying. Jeremiah’s fun, sure, but loyalty matters. That’s why Conrad wins. Season 2 takes everything up a notch. There’s grief, tension, and way more chaos. Belly’s decisions? Questionable. The drama? Unavoidable. And the emotional damage? Immediate.

It’s like the writers want us to spiral. Every time you think things might calm down, someone says something that makes it worse. It’s like watching a slow-motion car crash, and you can’t look away. What makes the show hit hard is how real some of the feelings are. You see people mess up, say the wrong things, and hurt each other, and it doesn’t get fixed in one episode. That’s what growing up feels like. It’s not perfect, and neither are the characters. 

Belly doesn’t always know what she wants, and that confusion makes everything harder. You can’t blame her for feeling torn, but you can definitely blame her for how she handles it. Visually, the show is soft and dreamy, but the emotions underneath are anything but. The beach scenes, the camera lingering during awkward silences, the way people avoid eye contact it all adds to the tension. It’s like everything looks calm, but you know someone’s about to cry or explode. 

Even the quiet moments feel heavy. Toward the end, everything gets messier. Relationships fall apart, people say things they can’t take back, and Belly is stuck trying to fix what she broke. It’s not a clean ending. It’s complicated, and that’s what makes it feel real. Loyalty wins, but not without damage. And honestly, that’s what makes the show worth watching. I’m Team Conrad. Always.