“The Summer I Turned Pretty” is more than just a silly and cringey coming-of-age series. Adapted from Jenny Han’s novels, the long-awaiting series came out on Amazon Prime on June 17, 2022 and is perfect to watch with your friends this summer.

Every summer, the Conklins and Fishers spend their time at the Fisher beach house, but everything is about to change. Isabel “Belly” Conklin (Lola Tung) suddenly had a major glow-up and now is stuck in a love triangle between the two brothers, Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno).

Personally, I was expecting a lot from the series, as I have been a big fan of the novels for a long time. They did an amazing job with the casting (absolutely nailed it). The characters are exactly how I imagined them and the actors did an excellent job bringing them to life. They also brought their own personalities into the characters, making each of them more authentic and unique.

Although it’s not exactly like the books, I loved the changes that they brought to the screen. For instance, the series was based around a debutante ball, which brought a good twist that wasn’t really talked about in the novels. Another big difference I noticed was the representation of the LGBTQ+ community. They went ahead and made Jeremiah’s character bisexual and even included a lesbian couple throughout the whole debbing process, which I found very unique and interesting to watch.

Not to mention, the soundtrack is to die for. From Taylor Swift to Tyler the Creator to Phoebe Bridgers, whoever put together the soundtrack truly deserves a raise. Being the biggest Taylor Swift fan myself, I SCREAMED when I heard “Lover” being played as Conrad sees Belly for the first time. I was not prepared for it at all and after rewatching it, I still am not.

Despite all the complicated love problems, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” also discusses more serious issues like the strain that divorce and cancer can have on families. The show does a brilliant job of conveying the main point that you should cherish everyone in your life. I suggest you have plenty of tissues by your side, especially during the last episode, because one moment, everyone is happily dancing the night away and the next, everyone is balling their eyes out on the couch.

I would recommend anyone to give this series a chance, even if you aren’t a hopeless romantic like me. I managed to finish the whole show in one sitting— I couldn’t stop once I started. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is simple, sweet and short (only seven episodes) and has me hungry for more. Currently, the show has been renewed for two more seasons and I don’t have the patience to wait any longer.