Did I sit and binge watch seven episodes of this in one day? Yes. Did I complete said binge watch in one sitting? Yes (only movement was to stand for a minute whenever my watch told me to). Did I become completely invested in this show? Intensely so. Do I regret any second of spending my Saturday watching this entire season one? Absolutely not.
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ is based on the book of the same name by Jenny Han. I haven’t read the book so I cannot compare, I will only be commenting on the show.
Belly (Lola Tung) has been visiting Cousin’s Beach every summer since she was born. She goes to the same house every year with her older brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman) and her mother, Laurel (Jackie Chung). This is where they also meet up with another family, Laurel’s best friend’s, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) and her two sons, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).
This season one follows the summer where Belly turns 16. We follow the two family’s summer in a journey of drama and romance: Susannah convinces Belly is become a debutant, Belly goes on her first date, Conrad has adopted a mood which is constantly concerning all.
I have to say, I mostly have good things to say about this show, but there are a few negatives. I can’t say the acting is great. At times it was awkward. However, as the episodes went on the acting definitely improved. Plus, it’s actually nice to see actors playing somewhat close to their actual ages.
The soundtrack to this show is fantastic. There were so many modern songs that are just excellent. There does seem to be many songs that appear on TikTok… But there are many Taylor Swift songs if you’re a fan (I am of course a fan). To be honest, Taylor Swift was present very often, her songs were perfect to the scenes, especially in the last episode! I just loved whenever a Taylor Swift song came on to be honest.
I did become completely wrapped in this show for a day. I just loved the escapism and I found it such an easy watch. Laurel and Susannah’s friendship was delightful. I can’t not mention the emotion in the final episode, which had me completely and utterly trapped in. ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ was a wonderful drama and romance, I thought I was going to find it cringey but instead I couldn’t help but adore it. It was a fun, modern teen show to just get lost into, easy watching and simple.
Striking Film Reviews 