'The Summer I Turned Pretty' is about teen love. Its biggest fans might be millennials.
The show, which focuses on the love triangle between two teen brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah, and their longtime female family friend Belly in an idyllic summer beach town, became all that Vicky, 33, could talk about. Eventually, once Vicky had run out of TikToks, Instagram Reels and BuzzFeed articles that dissected the teen drama, her husband had a proposal: She could make her own show to talk about it.
Casey, who had a background in podcasting, offered to produce it. That's how Better With Glasses, a recap podcast about The Summer I Turned Pretty, its group of fictional Gen Z teens and their exploits in Cousins Beach began.
As it turns out, Vicky was only solo podcasting for one episode. Casey was quickly won over by the show too.
'He watched it so much that he started to care about it,' Vicky tells Yahoo, and Casey soon joined her as a cohost to offer a male viewpoint.
Almost immediately, the Pazzalias, now both 36, began to receive long, detailed DMs and emails from millennial listeners thanking them for sharing their perspectives. Because of them, they wrote, they no longer felt silly or alone as adults obsessing over a TV show about teens.
'The podcast gave them a sense that it's OK [to talk] about [The Summer I Turned Pretty] like it's super important,' Casey tells Yahoo Entertainment. '[They said], 'It's so nice to feel seen [because] I couldn't really articulate to my friends, my family, my husband why I was so obsessed with this young girl and the boy she chooses [to be in a relationship with].''
The TV adaption of Jenny Han's young adult book series of the same name is a classic coming-of-age story of a girl who grows up within the prism of a love triangle. Belly (Lola Tung) has spent every summer at the beach house of her mom's best friend, Susannah Fisher (Rachel Blanchard). Like the first book, Season 1 begins during the summer that she turns 16 and finds herself torn romantically between Susannah's sons. Conrad (Christopher Briney) is the boy she has always loved, who's finally paying attention to her. Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) is the boy who has always been there for her and lets her love him.
This love triangle is the central arc of the show. It follows in the tradition of teen dramas of the late '90s and early aughts that came before it, including Felicity, Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls, which millennials grew up watching. These shows heavily emphasized romantic entanglements between the characters, a plot device used to grow and retain audiences.
The Summer I Turned Pretty proves that a good love triangle still does. According to data from Parrot Analytics, the show's viewership more than tripled from Season 1 to Season 2, which premiered in July 2023. In the show's second season, Belly was finally forced to make a decision between the brothers, and as the show became more popular, fans declared fierce loyalties to Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah online.
On Reddit threads about the show and in outlets like Esquire and Slate, millennials were admitting to being as 'hopelessly infatuated' with the Gen Z drama and wondering if anyone else their age felt the same way.
The answer was a resounding yes.
One such fan was 32-year-old Kara Crevier, who decided to launch The Summer I Started a Podcast after the second season premiered. Crevier thinks the millennial investment in Belly's story is a direct result of how the show takes the books to 'another level.' Its pitch-perfect depiction of summer days spent swimming (and flirting) in the pool and summer nights spent stealing kisses and pining for your crush at parties taps into viewers' nostalgia for their own summers past.
'[The] summer vibe is really well curated throughout the entire show. … You kind of feel like you're transported onto a summer vacation when you're watching it,' Crevier tells Yahoo. '[It] brings me back to a time when I didn't have work responsibilities … or the responsibilities of life.'
That feeling isn't lost on its cast members either. Jackie Chung, who plays Belly's mom, Laurel, tells Yahoo, 'People are nostalgic for that time when they are experiencing that first love and blossoming in their life.'
Chung finds nostalgia to be an element that has always drawn older generations to teen-focused storylines. From her perspective, what really makes the show special is the room that it gives the adult characters to become full people, especially Laurel.
In most teen shows, Chung finds that adult characters typically exist primarily 'as a parent in relation to the teen or child on the show.'
The Summer I Turned Pretty stands in contrast. Yes, Laurel is a mother, but she's also still a woman exploring romantic relationships and searching for love, just like her own teenage daughter, while also striving to reach some of her career goals. She's doing all of that while making mistakes and learning from them, just like her daughter.
'It's helpful for people to see someone [like Laurel] who is a bit messy and still figuring it out but also loving her family and taking care of them,' Chung tells Yahoo. That way, when they enter adulthood, they will hopefully feel less pressure to have everything figured out because they see that growing up never ends.
This complexity within the writing of the series is one of the reasons that Crevier loves the show.
'I think I really enjoyed the story of the books, but I really love how the show expands on the different characters,' Crevier says. For example, the teen characters in the show are struggling with timely themes like sexuality, identity and finances, which are largely absent from the books. The adults are also more complex. As in the book, Laurel is navigating the grief of her best friend's cancer diagnosis, but in the show she's also embracing her own strength when she dips a toe into dating after divorce and navigates her career as a writer.
The depth of the adult storylines is one of the reasons that Rachel Gonvales Parkes, a 36-year-old mom of two, is also a fan.
'I love that they also show that parent dynamic of what happens when you're going through divorce, drama and hardship,' she tells Yahoo. 'You don't get that in the book. The books [are] really focused on Belly.'
For Gonvales Parkes, it's also the messiness of both the teen and adult characters that makes the show relatable. As a viewer, she sees herself in Belly as a teenager, even though in her real life, she's stepped into the role of mother, like Laurel.
Ultimately, Casey thinks this duality plays heavily into the show's multigenerational appeal. Millennials who are no longer teens and are also not as likely to be parents to teenagers, exist somewhere in the middle, so they can relate to 'both perspectives.'
It's this relatability that has created a devoted, unabashedly obsessed millennial fanbase that is eager for the show to return for Season 3 after two years. So much so that some are gathering in person to celebrate its release.
Ahead of the series' third and final season, which premieres on July 16, the Pazzalias are traveling to Wilmington, N.C., where The Summer I Turned Pretty is filmed, to meet with fellow millennials at a meet-up they've planned in connection with their podcast, called Better With Glasses Fest. They've organized a fan weekend, held July 11-13, that includes activities like a filming locations tour, live podcast taping and scavenger hunt.
'We [aren't] really expecting huge, huge [turnout], but we knew that it would draw an intimate crowd of people who are like this [millennial fandom] is our family,' Vicky says.
Even though Vicky is Team Conrad, she hopes that no matter how the show ends, millennials will continue to be Team Belly, supporting the character through her misjudgments and missteps. After all, they have the experience to know it's all part of the journey.
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Elle
an hour ago
- Elle
'The Summer I Turned Pretty': Lola Tung Is Ready For What Comes After Summer
Tyler Joe All clothing, accessories, and fine jewellery, Chanel. It's sweltering hot in the sun-drenched, top-floor café on the Lower East Side that Lola Tung is using as her makeshift dressing room. The electric fans do little to battle the July humidity, and the bottled water for the crew has gone lukewarm. The actress feels the heat, too, as she changes from one Chanel look into another for her ELLE photo shoot, but she powers through. After all, she thrives in the summer. At 22 years old, Tung is the star of Prime Video's The Summer I Turned Pretty , the wildly popular TV show based on Jenny Han's bestselling book series of the same name. The television adaptation debuted in 2022 and introduced her as protagonist Isabel 'Belly' Conklin, a teenager caught in a love triangle between two of her longtime family friends: Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) and his younger brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). With a literary fan base, a cast of good-looking newcomers, a soundtrack filled with Taylor Swift songs, and a love triangle that could rival Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, TSITP had all the makings of a pop culture sensation. And sure enough, it shot to the No. 1 slot on the streamer when it first premiered, even bringing a resurgence in popularity for Han's books and, as if she could get any bigger, Swift's own music catalogue. Tung, who was born and raised in New York and attended the famous LaGuardia School of Performing Arts, was a freshman at Carnegie Mellon when she was cast as Belly—her first on-screen role ever. Since then, she has skyrocketed to It-girl status with the wardrobe and followers (4 million on Instagram, but who's counting?) to match. 'When we were filming the show, people were like, 'Your lives are going to change,' and we were all like, "I don't know what you're talking about,"' she says later over Zoom, reflecting on earlier seasons with the cast. 'It's really wonderful to know that there are people who love the show so much and that your work means something to [them].' As evidenced by social media posts from fans, the viewers aren't just the YA demographic, but also women in their 20s and older, even moms who watch the series with their kids. (Belly's mother, Laurel, played by Jackie Chung, also has her own arc in the series.) There's just something universally irresistible about a summer coming-of-age romance set on the beach. The world couldn't help but dive in. Three years later, TSITP is back for its third and final season. As viewers lock in for one last vacation at Cousins Beach, Tung is saying a bittersweet goodbye to her breakout role and looking ahead to what's next. 'I've loved getting to play [Belly] for so long. It's kind of like graduating,' she says. 'I'm excited to show a different part of myself—and even have people see me in a different world.' Until then, fans are savoring every last episode of TSITP we have left. Tyler Joe If you had heard the screams coming out of Bryant Park last Wednesday night, you would have thought there was a live concert taking place. In reality, it was a premiere screening of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3. Crowds gathered on the grass with blankets, snacks, and friends in tow, cheering when the cast made an appearance and gasping along at each plot twist. 'I've never experienced that ever in my life,' Tung recalls. 'There were just so many people.' Viewers had a lot to chew on in these new episodes : Belly is now a junior in college and four years deep into a relationship with Jeremiah. However, things don't really seem to be settled between her and Conrad, even after they broke up years ago at prom. She and Jeremiah face an obstacle in season 3, episode 1, when Belly learns that he slept with another girl during a spring break trip to Cabo—twice! The circumstances of the hookup are murky; in classic Ross and Rachel fashion, Jeremiah thought he and Belly had broken up during an argument before the trip, whereas Belly believed they were still together. A dramatic series of events follows: Belly and Jeremiah fight at a frat party. She slaps him. He tries to win her back. Belly's brother, Steven, gets into a car accident and suffers a possible brain injury. After Steven wakes up safely from his coma, Jeremiah apologizes to Belly profusely at the hospital, and then proposes to her. She says yes. 'Young love is intense,' Tung says during another call days after the premiere. While fans and haters alike might classify this intensity as chaos, she walks me through how Belly is handling all of the ups and downs. First, the fight with Jeremiah: 'I think it's just pure shock for Belly,' Tung says of her character's headspace. 'This is someone who's been her rock for so many years and who she's known her entire life. It can be heartbreaking when you feel like you don't know everything [about someone].' It kind of leads Belly to wonder, What else don't I know about you? Tyler Joe She and Casalegno rehearsed the emotional scene prior to filming. 'It was important to have a level of trust in each other, especially with the slap,' Tung recalls. 'Poor Gavin, he was like, "Yeah, you can slap me." I was like, "Are you sure? Please, I don't want to hurt you!"' Ultimately, they filmed the slap in just a couple of takes. 'I was not about to slap him 50 times otherwise. For some of the angles, I would just kind of wave my hand…I'm used to the stage slap,' she says. Now, onto Jeremiah's alleged infidelity: 'No matter whether you think that he cheated or not, it's wrong,' Tung says diplomatically, pointing to how Jeremiah rebounded with another girl shortly after the presumed split, and then hid it from Belly. 'I personally don't think they were on a break or broken up, because that argument was so quick and everything happened so fast.' However, 'Belly is not completely blameless,' she continues. 'She didn't reach out either. There is a little bit more of a mess in her own head.' 'Young love is intense.' So, how does Belly go from feeling betrayed to getting engaged? She was likely swayed by Steven's near-death experience. 'She's almost lost someone else in her life that's really important to her, and they both experienced a huge loss [Susannah, Jeremiah, and Conrad's mom] years before that—it's still obviously affecting them and their relationship. The thought of losing more people in her life, whether it is Steven or Jeremiah, is just not an option.' She adds, 'Jeremiah is showing up and trying to be there whenever she will let him. I think, in that moment, she's completely overcome with all of these emotions and is in a very vulnerable space. They both are, and they really want to lean on each other, because they do love each other. Even though Jeremiah did mess up, I think when it's put into perspective, it feels so silly compared to literally a life-or-death situation.' Tyler Joe Belly also might also feel a 'little bit of guilt about not mentioning to Jeremiah what happened at Christmas. Even though nothing did happen.' Tung is referring to Belly's own secret: that she spent one Christmas alone at Cousins beach house while she and Jeremiah were dating; except she wasn't really alone. Conrad coincidentally showed up too and stayed over. Nothing romantic or physical happened between the exes, but you can feel there's still something between them. While filming those scenes, Tung and Briney wanted to convey a sense of 'ease' and that Belly and Conrad 'have a certain understanding with each other' as friends. 'It's nice that even after so long, they can sit together and watch a movie, and just exist in the same place without speaking, without having to do anything but just be ,' she says. 'I think those are the most beautiful sort of friendships and relationships.' While a big part of the fandom is still rooting for a Belly and Conrad endgame—I won't spoil how the books end—Tung believes that, at least during that engagement scene, Belly's mind is solely on Jeremiah. 'I don't think she's thinking of Conrad in that moment,' she says. But Belly is aware that she and Conrad will always have an 'unspoken connection.' 'We're human beings. A lot of times, we see what you say, especially if it's mean, and those things stick with us.' And to address the elephant in the room, Belly is also aware of her age. She's 20 when she says yes to Jeremiah, and based on snippets in the season 3 trailer, her mother and older brother are bound to question whether she's ready for such a commitment. 'She knows she's young, but she's also quite stubborn and is making decisions for herself,' Tung says. 'She's like, "I need to do what I need to do for myself to protect myself, and to feel safe, and to feel like I am in control of my story and my life."' While the cast and crew keep further season 3 details close to the vest, Tung cautiously teases that we can look forward to more group dynamics when the Fishers and Conklins reunite in future episodes. 'That will always be complicated, when all of them are together,' she says. Much like Han's To All the Boys I Loved Before trilogy, The Summer I Turned Pretty is fiercely beloved—sometimes to an extreme degree. As viewers debate between Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah with such enthusiasm and fervor, some comments cross the line and directly target the cast or fellow fans themselves. Days before the season 3 premiere, the official TSITP social accounts announced a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, hate speech, harassment, and doxxing. Users who break these rules will be banned. Tung supports the guidelines, saying the criticism 'can be really, really hard, especially with new cast members. It happened last year with Elsie [Fisher, the nonbinary actor who played Jeremiah and Conrad's cousin Skye]. We were all really, really upset about it, and they're so wonderful and was such an incredible addition to our cast and our dynamic. … We're human beings. A lot of times, we see what you say, especially if it's mean, and those things stick with us.' 'A lot of it is so unnecessary, especially when it's not about the characters and it's about the actors,' she continues. 'Ultimately, you don't really know these people.' Tung hopes viewers are 'respectful' to the new season 3 cast members, 'kind' with their discourse, and that they 'appreciate the characters,' even with all their flaws. 'Everyone is working really hard to make sure that the story is the best that it can be for the fans. And we love the fans, because they have given us the opportunity to make three seasons.' Tung, for her personal well-being, tries to stay off social media. 'You just can't really engage [with the comments], because then it feeds the fire a little bit. It sucks. Because people can be mean when they're behind their screens, which, I'm not saying anything new,' she says, ever so politely. On rare occasions, interactions can get uncomfortable in real life, too. Tung remembers a moment when a fan approached her in public and asked to take a picture when she wasn't feeling up for it. 'I was like, "I'm so sorry." I hate saying that, because then you feel guilty. And then he was like, "Well, I already have the camera out." I remember feeling a little like, "Oh, man," like a boundary was broken.' Tung fully understands the passion is coming from a place of 'enthusiasm and a love for the show.' She says, 'I always appreciate when people are super respectful, and just understand human-being boundaries. It can be such a lovely thing, and [I've had] such lovely conversations, and some people really stick with you, and it makes you so happy.' Tyler Joe Thankfully, she's able to find support in her co-stars when it comes to handling the 'really weird, niche things' that come with adjusting to fame and public scrutiny. 'I think we all lean on each other,' Tung says. Han, who is a showrunner and executive producer on the series, has also been a lifeline. 'I've learned so much from Jenny. When I was working on the first season, and figuring out how to navigate the really busy schedule we had, she had a conversation with me—not in an overstepping way, because we're very close—but she was just like, "Hey, maybe start going to therapy." That was one of the most helpful pieces of advice she's ever given me.' Tung adds, 'I was a really emotional kid and teenager, and I still am a really emotional person. I was sometimes afraid of letting people see that emotion and being vulnerable in front of people. That's what this profession is all about, and that's what this show is all about. I'm forever grateful that we get to see that, especially through Belly, and then even through Jeremiah and Conrad…[showing] Conrad in therapy is huge. I think it's such an important thing for young men and boys to see.' 'I was a really emotional kid and teenager, and I still am a really emotional person.' When it comes to showing emotion in the spotlight, Tung actually felt seen by Ariana Grande during the Wicked press tour last fall. 'A lot of people were being very critical of Ariana crying in a bunch of interviews, and I was like, "What are you talking about? This was her dream! It makes me so happy to see her so overcome with emotion."' She adds, 'To see her get so emotional was nice just to see, as an actor and as someone who's in the public eye, because it made me think, Yeah, why not? Why not show that you care about something? ' Tyler Joe The Summer I Turned Pretty was an education for Tung. 'I've learned so much from Belly, and from her boldness, and from watching her take risks,' she says. But she also gleaned a lot from working on a set for the first time, and by observing other actors, directors, and crew members. She also learned how to take care of herself—and recognize when it's time to rest. Those are lessons she'll take with her as she transitions into life post- Summer . Tung has already been dropping hints of what that'll look like. Last year, she made her Broadway debut as Eurydice in Hadestown , a dream role that nourished her inner theater kid. (Legend has it she fell in love with acting after playing the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz back in middle school.) And this past April, she wrapped filming Forbidden Fruits , a women-centric horror film due in 2026 co-starring star Lili Reinhart, Victoria Pedretti, Alexandra Shipp, and Emma Chamberlain. That genre might be a major departure from the sunny beaches of Cousins, but Tung was eager to give it a try. She's recently been watching scary movies like Longlegs , Sinners , The Substance , and Jennifer's Body . 'It was transformative,' Tung says of the latter. (Diablo Cody is also a producer on Forbidden Fruits .) 'I've learned so much from Belly, and from her boldness, and from watching her take risks.' 'I loved getting to sit down with the director [Meredith Alloway] and talk for three hours about the dynamics of female friendships, and what that looks like in a horror setting. ... I love having conversations with all of these incredible women, and seeing them soar,' Tung says. She hopes to do more of that in the future—just like her fellow cool-girl creatives who are collaborating with one another. 'There are so many really cool women right now who are making cool art with their friends, like Ayo Edebiri, Rachel Sennott, and Molly Gordon,' she muses. Tung is excited for what's to come but admits that every new project can be daunting, whether it's adapting a beloved book series for TV or stepping into an entirely new genre. 'That's the wonderful thing about art—it's always a risk, and it's always a little bit scary, but it's so, so worth it.' Hair by Dana Boyer at The Wall Group; makeup by Misha Shahzada at A-Frame Agency; special thanks to Ludlow House. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE . Where The Summer I Turned Pretty Was Filmed Did You See This To All the Boys Reference? Erica Gonzales Deputy Editor, Culture Erica Gonzales is the Deputy Editor, Culture at where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
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