The Summer I Turned Pretty Season One Review: A Reader’s Perspective

Dear Jenny Han Stans, summer is upon us! I read The Summer I Turned Pretty when I was fourteen or fifteen and I remember I wasn’t really into the books because mentally and physically I wasn’t at a good place to appreciate the books. But knowing the show was coming out, I knew I wanted to reread the books because I am at a better place right now to enjoy reading it. And I LOVED loved loved reading TSITP this time around—-from all the moments I did recall to all the things that continued to surprise me.

After I read the book, I just had to watch the show, as one does.

The show made me feel like I wanted to live my best summer ever 💗.

And that I wished I had a beach house when I was younger and a couple of summer boys that I wish I fell in love with 🙈. Not going to lie.

I just felt like summer became a thousand times percent better after watching this show and feeling the joy, love, and empowerment that I felt after I watched this show. I wanted to go jump in a pool or the ocean with friends or have a party with people I loved. I wanted to go dancing to random songs like Laurel and Beck. I wanted to get all glammed like Taylor and Belly or go on a cute date like Cam and Belly. Every moment was pure joy and I loved every second of it. Okay, wait maybe not every second was pure joy 😂 (if you know what I mean), but I loved watching this show and that’s all that matters.

Honestly, it’s living rend free in my head now. I need to manifest my Belly Conklin summer.

Anyway, because I read the book and watched the show, I had to write a review about it!

❗️❗️There will be TSITP book and show spoilers. I will write my overall rating with no book or show spoilers. However, after the overall rating, everything is a spoiler! If you haven’t read It’s Not Summer Without You or We’ll Always Have Summer, you’ll also be spoiled so don’t read the rest the review after the Overall Rating.❗️❗️

Overall Rating

5 Freaking Full Bloom Flowers

Cast: I loved loved loved the entire cast 💗!!! I absolutely adored them! They were all phenomenal actresses and actors in making me feel the emotions they were portraying, especially the scenes where they weren’t even using words, but it was all in their look. I loved the angst that was written all over Chris’s face whenever he looked at Lola as Belly because it clearly communicated how much Conrad loved Belly. While I’m talking about Belly, gosh, let’s give it up for Lola Tung everyone 👏🏼!!! I cannot even express how proud I was to watch her on screen knowing that this is her first role and how I knew TSITP would be a hit and that she could be part of something this huge. She deserves all the love and success that will head her way because she is incredibly talented in the way I felt like she encapsulated Belly but also gave her a fresh take. That’s for every actor and actress in the cast too. I also love Gavin and he seems like he gives such great angry and would be such a good friend—-literally the best Jeremiah ever. I also loved how they gave Sean a bigger role in the show because Steven is nonexistent in the books 😂. What I loved about the cast the most is how there were so many fresh, up and coming actresses and actors that were given the space to showcase their phenomenal talent. It’s refreshing to see new faces that I know will go on to do amazing things beyond the show and I hope they do.

Plot: You know as someone who has reread TSITP and the whole series before and after I finished the show, I can say the adaptation was everything and more. I liked how there were things that they included in the first season that were mentioned later in the series through backstories that made sense to include now. I thought it was great that the writers and producers were looking ahead on how to make the story flow if there were more seasons. I also really loved the changes Jenny did to make the story more modern to fit the time we are in the world. I loved how Jeremiah was bisexual and how natural it seemed to introduce that fact. I also liked how Conrad wasn’t as much of an a** as he was in the books. I mean, in the show he’s still an a** but we understood why he was an a** 😂. I think it was because we got to see the world outside of Belly’s head and that everything was expanded to understand these different characters and to really know them. I also enjoyed how we added new characters like Millie’s with Shayla and how we gave Summer/Nicole a bigger and better role to play in the show. I also loved how we got to see more of Laurel and Beck’s friendship because it was so wholesome. I loved the fact that the show highlighted a strong adult female friendship because that’s not something that is shown often—-just two amazing, beautiful women who supported each other and joked around like teens and danced too. They had so much life to live and summer isn’t just for kids, it’s for everyone. I loved seeing that. The debutante ball change was my biggest concern because I knew it wasn’t in the books, but the way Jenny wrote it in was so seamless and made sense to the overall theme of the story. I really liked the debutante ball because it gave this pivotal moment in Belly’s life even more significance and meaning. It felt like. celebration for all these young women in the way they were growing up and turning pretty. Also, the last few episodes wrecked me, so Jenny for sure captured the feelings there 🤪. I know in interviews Jenny said she wanted to do the readers proud, but also that this was her adoption/vision of the show and that our perfect adaptation lives in our head. I agree. I think Jenny should be proud of her vision because it was beautiful and captured many hearts. And also, as a reader, she did do us proud, so so so proud. We love Jenny 🥰.

Setting: The Cousins house looked incredible. The house was different then how I imagined it because I thought the hose had like a picket fence around it and a pathway that lead to the beach and it kind of did. But that’s not to say I didn’t love the summer house because it was beautiful and a fun time. Also, the room designs were amazing too. I just loved the summer vibes.

Costume: Very classic teenage summer vibes. I loved all the details like having Belly wear ankle bracelets and all these beaded necklaces. I also loved the oversized shirt vibes because that was so Belly and a summer look. I loved the debutante ball dresses though and Lola Tung looked gorgeous and like a dream 💗! All the girls looked so stunning too, and the guy very handsome. Jenny looked was the real star in her cameo though 👏🏼!

Soundtrack: SLAPPED 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼!!

Adaptation: I don’t know what’s in the waters, but adaptations this year are coming in hot. This was such a great time and wonderful adaptation of the books. But also I loved the changes that made the story much more modern do this day and age. I definitely will be rewatching every summer 💗

Season One Review

❗️TSITP Show and Book Spoilers Contained Below❗️

Episode One: Summer House

Gosh, from the moment I heard Cruel Summer being played in the background, I knew, I knew, this was going to be a phenomenal adaptation.

I knew that there were going to be Taylor Swift songs in the show, but I kept telling myself that it would be a true disservice if they didn’t play Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift because it fit the vibe and it was summer. So when I heard it, I was smiling like a child in a toy store 😁.

I was smiling when Jeremiah and Conrad saw Belly and how different she looked. I loved the iconic belly flop moment and how fun everything was—you could just feel the cast having fun in what they were doing. One of my favorite parts in the first episodes, or just like a favorite moment was when Jeremiah went to Belly’s room to convince her to swim and he used Jr. Mint to convince her. I mean, Gavin made the perfect Jeremiah. I also loved their little friendship moment when they went to the beach together and just had a blast like old times.

Soooo fun and wholesome!

Can I also say, I am SOOOO happy that we gave Steven a role 😂👏🏼! Because Steven left in the beginning of the book, but he actually stayed the entire summer, which I appreciated. I liked having Steven around to see his banter with Belly and to be the over protective brother. Also, it was just fun to get to know his personality more because in the books, his presence was non-existent or sporadic, but we got to see him more in the show. I liked how Sean really brought Steven to life in a way I didn’t even know Steven could be brought to life. I liked how Sean gave Steven more bro humor and just chill vibes. I loved seeing it.

Chris also did a fantastic job with bringing broody and mysterious Conrad to life. I caught the vibe real quick. I liked how they kept the night swimming in and the whole Conrad the smoker part, but that’s not because I condone smoking but because it was in the books. I also loved seeing the bonfire moment where Belly met Cameron.

I loved the bonfire scene. I felt bad when Belly fell down in front of everyone because she looked hot as heck and she was having her hot girl moment and then she had to go and fall down in front of everyone after margin a scene with Steven. And she fell down in front of Conrad no less. Yikes. I liked how they put the fight during the bonfire. I know in the books, they were at a different party with Camron and that’s where Conrad was stirring for a fight with some random dude while they were playing beer pong or something. But I think it made sense to save the series from another party moment and just put the fight in the bonfire where the stakes were already high. It also made sense because Conrad looking for a fight was because Belly was with Cameron anyway. I liked how the bonfire was also where Jeremiah called him Cam Cameron instead of at the later party (in the books). I have to give kudos to David portrayal of Cam Cameron as such an awkward teen—-we love to see it 💙. I mean this in the best way though because being a teen in love is awkward and I thought he captured the newness and the cadence of flirting well. I also loved how we also introduced Red Sox Cap girl, Nicole, because she was an important character in the first book.

The only thing I thought was a bit quick was how Belly kissed Cameron in front of the car as they were leaving the party. It didn’t seem like something Belly would have done right away with a guy she just met, and I wanted the kiss to stick to happening after their movie date, but I get it.

I also have to say, I just loved the music during the fight scene—-we stan Olivia Rodrigo!

I also loved how they played 1 step forward, 3 steps back during the part where Belly was nursing her cheek bruise. What a fitting song 😂! I mean, if there is an anthem for their love, it would honestly be 1 step forward, 3 steps back because of how wishy washy Conrad was.

One of the things I was hesitant about with the show was the debutante idea because it’s not in the books. However, I really liked the idea of a debutante ball even if it was an archaic idea. I loved how it fit the plot because the story was about Belly feeling pretty and being at a time in her life where she grew into that and believed that, and how her relationships changed with those around her. The summer wasn’t superficial in her just being pretty and having all these guys interested in her, but it felt like her prettiness had purpose in the way she was presenting herself to the world for herself. The deb ball felt like a right move for Belly to step into who she was.

The end scene of episode one on the beach was beautiful too. I loved how the sun was rising and how Conrad and Belly seemed to have a normal-dish moment where he wasn’t being a douche canoe to her. It almost felt friendly and like he wanted to be nice to her.

Episode Two: Summer Dress

Episode two was super fun too!

One of my favorite moments from the episode was when Jeremiah saw Belly while she was walk-in to the debutante ball, and he had to literally do a double take to make sure it was Belly. I felt like that was the moment his feelings gneuilny changed for Belly because he saw her as an even more beautiful woman than he did when he first saw her that summer; just the way he had to pause and think about what he was doing and thinking made me feel like that was the game-changing moment. I loved how Lola and Gavin had such a fun conversation on their walk over about pineapples or flowers on her dress. I also loved when Jeremiah entered the room with Belly on his arm and all the girls stared at her with such open disdain or disgusted looks. I wanted to roll my eyes at them because they were obviously jealous that she had a nice guy on her arm. Also, I cracked up that Jeremiah didn’t have a shirt on in front of all these high and proper dressed ladies 😂. I also loved when he snuck a sandwich. I just loved Jeremiah.

I thought it was interesting that Nicole was Belly’s deb sister, but I liked it because it gave Nicole a bigger role— a tense role and relationship with Belly for sure. I also liked how Shayla was part of the deb ball and was Belly’s friend in some way. I liked how Shayla cover dup Belly’ bruise. I felt like the deb ball conversation around the table felt award with all of them judging Belly for being younger and for living with the Fisher boys and being related to Steven. I got the sense they were all jealous of her and only wanted to be her friend to know more about Conrad, Jere, or Steven. I felt like only Shayla might have been her real friend.

Shayla obviously didn’t exist in the book, but I was so glad they added her into the show because she’s such a spunky, confident, and kind character. I loved Millie as Shayla and adored her accent. Millie just seems like a wholesome person who I would want to be friends with. Heck, I would love to be friends with the whole cast. I digress, but when Shayla and Steven kissed on the beach, I was like, “Okay” 😏. Not literally Steven malfunctioning for 0.5 seconds when she asked him to be her escort at the deb ball 😂. I cracked up! I got the sense that he was like, “Dang it!” Jeremiah just told him not to get roped into the whole deb ball scene and here he was getting roped into the whole deb ball scene. It wasn’t like he could say no in the moment 🤪. Also, good for Shayla to know when to ask him 😂. She knew what she was doing!

I also thought Belly’s first movie date was super cute 💙.

I loved that they kept the drive-in movie aspect and perfectly captured the awkwardness that was their first date. I loved how they had this whole joke about her being wishful. It was very cute and flirty. I did like the change that the boys showed up to tease Belly about her date because in the books they never showed up, but Belly wished they did. In the books, the drive-in movie was known for watching movies but for couples to make out. So it was a tradition for the summer kids to intrude on each other’s dates and tease them about kissing. So again, I liked that they went there to tease her because I wanted to see that in the books. Not that I wanted Belly to be teased, but I wanted to see what would happen. I didn’t like how they did make fun of her for her almost kiss with Cam Cameron. I liked that when she was serious about them leaving, she looked at Conrad. She got through to him because as much as he was jealous and wanted to go there in the first place to ruin her date, he felt bad because she saw how hurt she was. He should have felt awful because the minute he suggested going to the drive-in movie, it was because he wanted to ruin her date.

Her date did feel tense and even more awkward after they left and probably Cameron heard what she said to them. I liked how they did kiss in the car afterwards like the book. Definitely a lot more sparks in the show than the simple kiss in the book.

When Belly got into he house, I loved that she had a classic argument with Conrad.

I believed Lola and Chris delivered the lines and the feeling so well, and I loved it 💙. I don’t think the dialogue in this fight was teh exact same from the book, but I liked that she hashed it out with Conrad because the anger was sure there on both their parts. Oh, when Chris said the iconic line of “Why don’t you go look in the mirror some more,” I was like OUCH. I also loved how Lola said the iconic line of how if this was how crushes faded.

But Belly’s crush sure was fading. She said I don’t have patience or time for guys who hurt me and treat me wrong 👏🏼.

Episode Three: Summer Nights

Oh my gosh, episode three was a wild ride.

I LOVED episode three 💙.

I think it’s because I also loved Belly’s birthday in the book. It was just a fun, but anger filled day 😅.

I loved how the episode opened with all of Belly’s past birthday’s and the pancake tradition with Mickey Mouse pancakes and how she would always wish for Conrad on her birthday. I also LOVED how Jenny thought to include the infinity aspect in this episode. The infinity story comes into play in future books, but I really liked how they gave a glimpse of it now because it made Conrad seem like less of a butthole. I do think the infinity story was much better in the books because it wasn’t just about Conrad telling her about what infinity meant on pancakes. To be quite honest, I was like, “Dude, that’s not enough syrup for her pancakes.” 😂 But he was trying to be aromatic when he was younger, so I get it. But I was laughing that that was my first thought. I hope that they do the infinity story in the future though 😉.

Speaking of infinity, I loved loved loved how we kept the birthday present scene true to the books where Susannah got Belly the pearls and Jeremiah got Belly the key charm for her charm bracelet. I liked how because Steven was actually present, he did get Belly a college sweatshirt just like he promised her in the books—he promised that he would return home with a college sweatshirt for her birthday because he was missing it. Conrad also forgot his present and skeeted out of their just like the books. But the thing that I liked most about the scene where he forgot his present was how we got to see how he actually did get her the infinity necklace, but he put it back into his pocket like he was embarrassed to give it to her. I think he was also nervous because the necklace held special meaning to them, and others would think it very romantic. I thought he should have just gave it to her because who cared what everyone else thought. It was his birthday and he looked like an absolute jerk when he said he didn’t get her anything!!! He wasn’t a jerk, he just didn’t know what to do with himself 😅. But at least in the show we got to see it.

I also loved how Taylor came to town for Belly’s birthday and we saw the similar power tension between them. Taylor always felt like Belly didn’t need her or Belly had a different life in cousins and she got territorial over Belly and irritated. I understood that because it’s hard to see your best friend with other people when you’re the best friend, but Taylor should have trusted that she was Belly’s best friend and that nothing would change that. But I liked how all the past scenes we saw in the book, happened in the present on Belly’s birthday. I loved how we had the chicken fight in the pool with Steven and Jere. I would have liked it if Conrad had joined the chicken fight, but he was out with Nicole. Not going to lie, I screamed when Taylor purposefully hit Nicole with the volleyball. I know Taylor was trying to be a good friend by looking out for Bely because Conrad was her man, but sis, that still wasn’t nice! Nicole did nothing so far to be mean to Belly.

I also loved how they had the clam bake for dinner and how Belly and Taylor looked so beautiful with their haku leis. Their whole conversation around dinner was so fun and gave wholesome family vibes. I liked how in the show they included Cam Cameron in the dinner and that this was the part where Jere teased him about kissing Belly with her non-vegetarian lips. In the books, Belly didn’t tell Cameron about her birthday because she only wanted the birthday to be with her usual summer people, but I liked that the show merged the formal meeting of Cameron with her birthday dinner. I also liked the stories they told around the table.

The party was also fun? I guess, that’s one way of putting it 😅.

I loved how Nicole was kind enough to get a huge tiered cake for Belly and that they sang to her. I loved that they barely knew her and they wanted to celebrate her birthday with her. I also loved how they actually kept the karaoke “Summer Lovin” in the show 😂. I loved it!!! Gavin was so cute trying to sing. Oh my gosh, not literally Sean singing in the first episode and me literally being like, “Wow, okay singer!” Dang, he can sing. Not that I’m trying to tease Gavin’s singing but it was cute how he did sing and how David/Cam joined him. What a good sport. I loved it.

Ugh, when Belly went to go find Taylor and started opening doors, I was like, “This can’t be good.” 😆

Especially not after Steven was feeling insecure about being with Shayla because she was rich and had all this money and he had to work hard for his money. He also met her friends and realized how he was out of his element because he wasn’t part of this rich world. Then there was Taylor also feeling out of her element and like Belly didn’t need her. Both were feeling some sort of way, so when Belly found them kissing in a room, I was like, “There it is.” Again, I liked how we kept this scene from the book in the present.

The fight that Belly and Taylor had was very similar to the one they had in the book about how Belly was selfish because she didn’t know that Taylor liked Steven the whole time. I appreciated that we didn’t slut shame our best friend. But they did say some hurtful things. I do agree that kissing her brother on her birthday was not the move, but I also agreed that Belly should have been a better friend to Taylor because all she did talk about was Conrad and it felt like Belly was never truly there for her.

The party was wild 🤪.

BUT DANG.

Episode Four: Summer Heat

I loved how the Fourth of July episode was the fourth episode. How fitting.

The Fourth of July was crazy too, or shall I say lit.

I thought it was cute how Belly and Conrad had one cute moment where they were making the guest room for Belly’s dad and his new girlfriend Victoria. I liked the moment because Conrad helped Belly and was joking around with her and it was the first time in the show that he didn’t come across as a jerk to Belly. I laughed at how all of them looked at Victoria coming out of the car and Jeremiah was like, “She’s hot,” and they were all grossed out and tried to act natural when the dad and Victoria came into the house. I could feel the awkward tension with how Victoria tried to show them how nice and hospitable she was but it was still weird how young she was compared to the dad.

Mr. Fisher was originally not supposed to come on Fourth of July, but Laurel called Adam to get his butt over there. We love to see Laurel in action, whipping Adam’s into shape because she’s the only person who can yell at him and he listens to. When he did arrive, it was another awkward situation and I had the sense Susannah didn’t want him there in the first place. But Jere’s excitement was so endearing because he missed his dad and just wanted to show him all that he had been missing; A son’s relationship with a father is so different than his relationship with a mother. But I liked how Jenny and the writers included Jere’s love for his father in the show because it will play into things later on.

Conrad was less than excited to see the dad—-Conrad’s animosity towards the dad is something we’ll also hopefully explore later in the show. Because it’s obvious in the show that Conrad has a bone to pick with the dad, and can barely look at him or talk to him. Even when the dad wanted to join Jere and Conrad during their nice brotherly moment of football, Conrad froze and made an excuse to get away from his dad. I don’t blame him. Jere throwing seaweed at Conrad to tell him to be nice to the dad was a brother moment for sure. Their relationship with the dad is different because the dad idolizes Conrad and pays attention to him more, but Jere wants that love from the dad and that’s why he’s all nice to the dad—in the hopes the dad will love him back.

I did love when Belly, Conrad, and Jere made Kool-aid pomegranate margaritas together using Mr. Fisher’s special blender 🥺 (if you know, you know). What a wholesome scene where Conrad was, yet again, not acting like a douche canoe but actually having fun.

Belly sure got DRUNK 😂!

She got turnt for sure, but in the second book (not really a spoiler), she had her drunk moment, so I guess I liked that they gave her a drunk moment now. But the whole beach scene with the teens was such a fun scene. I mean, weren’t people suspicious about a bunch of obvious looking teens who were obviously drinking shots on the beach 🤪. I mean, they weren’t the only ones on that beach that day. But I could just feel the camaraderie not only as characters but as a cast, which I loved 💙.

BUT DANG, Belly did not just reveal how Shayla shouldn’t worry about Steven because they were a solid thing, and bless Cameron for trying to get her out of there before she said more. But then Belly kept going, and I cringed because Shayla and Nicole were all onto what she was saying. That’s how the whole Steven kissed Taylor thing came up and then Shayla and the other deb girls left early, which made sense because Shayla felt betrayed and hurt. I was like, “Steven is going to have at it with Belly later for drunkenly revealing what they said to keep between them.” I think it did suck a lot more how Shayla played Steven kissing Taylor as not a big deal because they weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend or not really a thing, when obviously she wanted it to be. Not Jere, giving Steven boyfriend advice about how much he screwed up and read the situation wrong. I loved when Steven drove to her house and rectified what he said and how he wanted to be with her. Steven was a good guy, he was just feeling insecure about being with her because he wasn’t as rich and could give her the kind or relationship she was used to. I would feel intimidated and nervous too. But I loved that they made up and that this secret or blip in their relationship brought them closer.

Dang, when Belly was getting real drunk, it made me sad how Cameron just bounced out of there because of how uncomfortable he felt. I get it though. Cameron didn’t drink and he didn’t like the way things went down with Shayla and seeing Belly all inebriated. But he should have been there to make sure she was okay rather than skeet skeet. I kind of cracked up and cringed with how awkward and weird it was when Belly walked in on Conrad showering in his board shorts in the outside shower room. Honestly, really weird. I get that she was drunk but dude was trying to shower 😅. And then she had to go up and bring up how she found the infinity necklace in his drawers and that made Conrad even more uncomfortable.

When Belly ran to get cake and she fell down the stairs, I literally felt soooooo embarrassed and sad for Belly. Susannah fell and shattered an old plate that used to be her grandmothers or something and the cake was ruined. However, what was shocking about the scene was how everyone looked at Susannah like she was fragile and tried to help her up. But that was the first chip in the armor 😢 towards what was going to happen in the end. Because Susannah didn’t want everyone to know she wasn’t really okay and that she wanted a “normal and perfect” summer cousins that included a normal and perfect fourth. However, it didn’t completely end that way with her falling and hurting herself and all these things unsaid between the parents because they all knew. It just really hurt to see how the mood of the day shifted after Susannah fell. But also, I loved Lola’s acting in being a drunk teen and the absolute guilt and shame that ran over her face was so phenomenal. I loved it.

When the Taylor Swift music dropped and Belly joined Conrad on the dock under the cabana???

SCREAMING.

What a vibe.

The fact that they nearly kissed too?

But then Jere saw them and lit a firework to prevent them from kissing because it pulled their attention away from each other!!!!

The way Jere LOOKED, had me gutted 😫💙!!!

His little blue eyes al watery and his face looked like someone just stole his puppy or something because gosh darn, I was hurting for Jere!!

I’m just going to say it, I’m Team Jeremiah.

I have read all the books again, and I just would like to explain, I’m Team Jeremiah up until the second book and then the third book, I’m Team Belly because honestly she needed to do what made her happy and both guys in my eyes were amazing men—flawed men—but amazing men. But I liked Jeremiah more. I related to him more.

So to see how hurt Jere was at Belly and Conrad almost kissing, broke my heart. It was the first time the show confirmed the love triangle. Before that it was just in the way Jeremiah looked at Belly, which every person deserves a person who looks at you the way Jeremiah looks at Belly. It was also in the way that he always tried to do something to make her happy or smile or laugh like when Conrad forget her birthday present, he took her driving to get her mind off things. Or when she was fighting with Taylor, he gave her cereal. He was just genuinely a great guy. You could also tell he liked Belly in the way he also noticed how happy Belly was with Cameron and he would get jealous and do something to take the attention away from Cameron to him like when he teased Belly about kissing Cam with her non-vegetarian lips or singing “Summer Lovin” for them, which I still love and laugh about. But he loved her in all the ways that counted and he showed it through keenness, which was definitely more appreciated than Conrad’s method. I oiled how the show included all these subtle ways that Jere loved Belly because it was easy to catch on how much he cared about her, but also felt tense whenever she talked abbot Conrad. I also liked how at least Jere respected Cam Cameron and liked him after a while because at least Cameron treated Belly better than Conrad did. I liked that Jere cared about her best interest still.

I just felt for our sweet Jeremiah.

Dang.

Or should I say bang for Laurel 😂?

Oh, but Laurel sure had fun this episode. I knew from the moment that Laurel insulted Cleveland that we were giving Laurel an enemies to lovers situation. Also, it was in the way Laurel read his book and then called him kind of hot at that interview thing. When Cleveland joined her at the bar after Laurel and Susannah had a big fight, I was like . . . it’s going down. Let’s back track to the big fight because Laurel asked Adam to be there and Susannah didn’t want him there because she wanted to divorce him after she discovered that he cheated on her three years ago with his secretary. That follows the plot line of the story, however, Laurel knew about the divorce. What I liked about the fight was how we see Susannah as not perfect and their friendship as normal—friends fight and they use your weaknesses or secrets to hurt you because they know you best. When Susannah said, “You’ll enjoy that,” to Laurel’s statement of how she was going to have to pick up the pieces after Susannah was gone, I was like OUCH. That hurt. I felt that hurt for Laurel because Laurel is a very organized person and likes to be distracted by keeping things together, so Susannah played into Laurel’s strength and turned it against her like Laurel wanted to pick up the mess after everything because that’s what she likes to do. But Laurel didn’t want her best friend to pass away and she sure as heck didn’t know how she could take care of everything while grieving, so for Susannah to throw her personality back at her, hurt.

When Laurel got him and was like, “I went for a ride,” I was like, “Yea, you did 🤪.” It’s funny how Belly also knew.

But I did enjoy the conversation about how do you know if it’s love. I loved the mother-daughter talk and kids of relating or understanding her mother. I also loved how her mother and dad called her bean like in the books. I loved that the dad was actually present in the show because he seems like a good guy and I liked him. I liked how he took care of Belly after her hangover and fed her food. Not going to lie, I got the vibe that John (the dad) still liked Laura and maybe wanted to get back together with her? I don’t know! I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but I got a vibe 😅. He still loves her for sure, though. Maybe that’s just how you feel when you divorce someone in a friendly way, but I hope they get back together or stay close because I liked John.

I liked Cleveland too, he seemed like a nice character and interesting guy. What I really liked about Cleveland was how he was someone he didn’t know Conrad well and didn’t have any opinions about him. so Conrad could be real with him. I liked how Conrad did feel like he could open up to Cleveland without judgment—-like a father figure. Conrad needed a father figure who he actually liked and I liked that Jenny gave him one in the form of Cleveland. I liked how when Conrad was late to Cleveland’s boat interview that Conrad was so ready for Cleveland to chew him out like his dad would lie Conrad messed up, but I loved how Cleveland was no shiz about it and was like, “That’s not my job and it wasn’t a big deal.” Conrad’s so used to getting reprimanded that it almost feels like he constantly has to prepare his defenses to hear it. I felt the same sense that Cleveland felt in how Conrad carried a lot of guilt on his shoulders like people are always angry at him or blame him for things. Understanding Conrad’s fears of being lashed at, made Cleveland empathize with Conrad more too because he just saw a teenager who was going through a lot and who probably wasn’t given the best model of compassion from his father. So Cleveland gave him grace. I don’t think parents should be so hard to shut down their kids because the wya it makes a child feel will stick with them a lot longer and has a bigger impact than they think.

But I really liked how Conrad also felt looser and freer to be himself with Cleveland—-like he was just a boy and not a broodish one at that.

Episode Five: Summer Catch

A happy Conrad, is a unicorn in the wild—suspicious but cute😂.

Just his whole attitude the next day, was SOOO cute because he was happy and everyone noticed how happy he was and were curious why he was in such a good mood 🤪.

I guess, almost kissing the girl you liked you’re whole life does that to you.

But not him literally smiling and humming and letting Jere have the last dregs of the coffee instead of him because he was feeling generous today. Honestly, what a 180 on his personality. I like a happy, nice Conrad because it made me see why Belly liked him. But I also thought it was so cute how the first thing he did the next day was look for her 🥺. He literally went to her room and everything to check if she was still there, and I never noticed this until I saw a video online but he went to her room with wet hair because the day before she told him he liked him with wet hair. So he had his hair wet for her 😭!! I never saw that until someone said it, but gosh. He was happy and had wet hair. Then he got that text from Belly that said “Good morning,” and then Conrad smiled out the window like eh was thinking of her fondly. Gosh. He was in love.

I laughed with how thrown off Jere was about Conrad’s sudden sunshine up his butt.

But also not Jere secretly being angry at how close Conrad and Belly were to kissing, so he went to the country club before Conrad to beat him there. May I just say how much I liked Jere’s whole crotchet tank top he had going on? I love a crotchet moment, and it counted as a shirt. I thought it was so sweet how Nicole stepped up to dance with Belly when everyone else had a date and she was the only one without a partner. But I loved how Jere stepped up and danced with Belly too and then he turned the whole practice into a fun dance club moment. I couldn’t stop grinning and laughing—Jere just has such fun energy! I loved how all the debs were getting down and just having a good time.

I felt soooo awkward when Conrad showed up at the deb ball dance practice and saw Jere breaking it down with everyone too. There was definitely tension in the air between the brothers, and I liked how the tension was captured. I felt so awkward with how Conrad waved at Belly and Nicole that Conrad was being all smiley and nice towards her, but he wasn’t. YIKES. That was a whole other situation to talk about. But when Jere walked past Conrad down the hallway and gave him that look, DANG. The tension was just too good and the love triangle was upon us! Also, what a very scenic shot.

I felt sorry for Cam Cameron because he thought Belly would ask him to be her date, but she didn’t. Gosh, when she met up with Cameron later and went to that special whale watching place, I could feel the awkwardness because Belly didn’t want to be with him romantically and I could feel it. I truly do feel like it’s harder to break-up with someone when they are a good person and they treat you right, but they’re not your person and you don’t feel that spark with them. Because Cameron treated her right the entire time—he was as sweetie and a gentleman and he trusted Belly—-but he wasn’t for Belly. When he brought out the Fruit Roll-Up, I was like, “That’s like the Fruit Roll-Up she ate with Conrad at one point in the books because he knew how much of a sweet tooth she had.” I was confused why she rejected the Fruit Roll-Up from Cameron until I understood she was reminded of sharing Fruit Roll-Up with Conrad, the person she actually liked, that she couldn’t lie or string along Cameron anymore. He was too good of a person to continue to hurt. I felt bad for Cameron, just like I did in the books 😢. I liked how Jenny changed the break-up scene to a beautiful, scenic moment and how the vibes were the same—-how Cameron always knew Belly didn’t love him the same way she loved Conrad and that he was hurt but he understood. I always liked Cameron for that 💙. But I also liked how Belly didn’t ghost his butt in the show because in the books, they kind of said they would keep in touch and they never did and she didn’t reach out to him. I didn’t like the fact that she just forgot about Cameron like that. I don’t know if David will have more scenes in the future, but I like to think we can make space for Cameron in the future seasons 😊. I mean, Belly could still be friends with him, and Jere too!

What I liked about the end of Belly breaking up with Cameron was when she was biking away and felt lighter because she didn’t like Cameron that way and she didn’t have to feel bad about putting her efforts somewhere else. When Belly got home, she told Jere that she broke-up with Cameron. I knew Jeremiah was happy deep down, but I also liked that he at least could admit that Cameron treated Belly right and was a good guy.

Jeremiah with a ivy crown, trying to look like a Greek god was just too cute 🥺💙!

Just so cute!

This makes the most sense, but it was obvious how much the cast had tanned during the summer because they were all looking sun-kissed. But that’s not the point. I loved how we got to see Laurel and Beck all high just like in the books, but even more so. I liked how they were just talking out of their minds and eating random snacks. I loved how the kids were all just staring and laughing at them because seeing your parents high is another experience. I cracked up at how Susannah tried to paint Jeremiah while she was high and ended up creating a very abstract portrait of Jeremiah 😂. They were just being silly and having a fun afternoon.

I liked Conrad’s conversation with Cleveland on the boat too. Cleveland noticed how happy Conrad was, which I mean, you could just feel the happiness exuding off of him and it was cute and wholesome because Belly made him happy 🥺💙. But when he started talking about how he liked this girl he knew his whole life and how he always saw her as a girl, but he didn’t anymore, I was like, “Please spell it out for him. B-E-L-L-Y!!!!” He liked Belly!!! But also, just the giddy happiness on his face was so cute and made my heart warm because he really loved her. But he also feared loving her and that’s what made him act a bit broodish and not nice, which wasn’t right. If he feared f****ing things up, then I just wanted to say that he could control that and that he wasn’t his dad. I also wanted to tell Conrad that by fearing a relationship with her, he was only hurting her. But I get it. I appreciated that Cleveland said that he needed to be okay within himself before being with someone else. I agree with that platitude to an extent because I feel like people are constantly changing and we go through different hardships that test us, that there is no one day that just feels like you have it all together and it’s not fair to create a narrative that unless you fully love yourself, you can’t find love. I do agree that you need to love yourself and be okay with being by yourself, but that doesn’t mean that you have to feel that way all the time. But I think hearing Cleveland’s advice made Conrad even more sure that he couldn’t start something with Belly because he wasn’t okay and he needed to work on himself so he wouldn’t hurt her. I appreciated that he knew he needed to be okay first to be the guy she deserved.

But he did hurt her.

He broke her heart.

Especially when he found out something at home.

But Conrad’s mood changed quickly when he got home and discovered outside all trashed.

When he saw Susannah’s painting, and knocked it over, I was like OH SNAP 😖.

Earlier episodes gave hints to how Susannah was sleeping more and Conrad covering her up with a blanket and now he knew how much his mom was smoking, and he knew. He knew the last time his mom smoked was three years ago when she was going through her treatment. In that moment, I wanted to put my arms around Conrad because gosh darn, I could just feel the pain and worry rush through his body and the hurt about not knowing and then knowing how his mom didn’t know he now knew. I liked how in the show we actually got to see when Conrad knew because in the books it was alluded to that Conrad always kind of knew but there wasn’t a really defining or clear moment when he knew—like he just had a sixth sense with his mother. So I liked this small change.

One of my favorite parts of the show was when Laurel and Susannah had their girlfriend, drunk party moment 😊💙. I just loved loved loved it because we often see younger friendships of people having fun, that no one ever highlights that there is still so much vibrancy and life to live from everyone no matter their age, that older people can still get drunk, party, dance, make-out, and have fun! I loved how Susannah and Beck had a fun friendship conversation and walked around the beach like a romantic couple and I loved how they found the old bar they used to go to. I loved when they both tapped the doorway of the bar as they entered and they used their mom card to get drinks because they didn’t’ have their IDs or their wallets. I loved how they were gossiping like school girls about all the guys at the bar looking at them and how hot they were—-I mean, we love hot, independent, moms and women who own that 👏🏼! I loved when they just started dancing for them and had a blast doing so. I loved loved loved how “Doncha wish your girlfriend” started playing because how iconic and fitting 👌🏼. The n Susannah started making out with this lumberjack looking dude who was giving her eyes. Not Laurel feeling like the third wheel and then shooting her shot by finally booty texting Cleveland back.

But I just loved and adored how much more of the mom’s friendship we saw and how they represented life and all that there is to still live. You don’t need to be a certain age to feel hot or have fun! I also loved how Jenny gave the mom’s their man moments—that she breathed new life into these strong, hot women as moms.

I loved how Susannah supported Laurel getting her groove on with her mans too, and that there wasn’t this sense of Laurel ditching Susannah for a guy vibe. It was mutual support.

Not going to lie, Cleveland’s lake meet-up with Laurel felt creepy as first, but very romantic. I also understood Laurel’s nerves because she was a mom and her body had changed. It’s scary to put yourself out there again like that, but all bodies are beautiful and nothing to be ashamed of. Least of all, a body that birthed life.

When Laurel was in that car going home, I was like, why am I crying 😭?

There was just a somberness and a finality to the way that the mood felt. It just felt like all those sappy, sad 2000s music video where a person looks out the window while it rains, and contemplates life. It felt like Susannah was enjoying her last fun night of memories with Laurel and now that it was over, it hit her that it was going to be one of her lasts. Also, driving through Cousins gave me the sense that she felt like this was her last time she was going to get to admire this town that held so many fond, fun, and special moments. I was a mess with how we went from party-euphoria to sad girl vibes.

Oh gosh, but when Laurel got home and could barely make it up the stairs because she was dizzy and drunk and not feeling well, and Conrad saw her sitting on the stairs . . . insert tears here 😭. The way Conrad said, “Mom?” and he repeated it GUTTED my heart 💔. The love and concern wrapped into that one word was amazing! Good job, Chris. Way to make me cry. And then when he said, “Big day today, huh?”

UMMMMMM, what are tears? 😭

He knew and went to take care of her—he helped her up the stairs like the perfect gentleman son he was 🥺💙!! Because he knew.

He was worried about his mom and he loved her.

He saw her.

I saw Conrad.

Gosh.

I liked how he got a small moment like this between Susannah and Conrad to show how much he understood his mom and how much he always had to take on in caring for her. I loved it. I loved it but was pained by it—-a big mood.

I failed to talk about Steven properly but let’s talk about him now because I enjoy that he’s more in the show. Because Steven’s not rich, he works for his money—he needs to get his bread. I liked how Steven is a hard-worker and that he takes the opportunities he can get. The older men in the poker room gave me bad vibes the minute Steven walked in. They just seemed pretentious and entitled, and maybe that’s judgy of me, but we all catch vibes. I was worried for Steven when he made a gamble that one guy took, but it worked out. I DETESTED when that older man made some racist a** comment about Asians being smart because that’s so stereotypical and disrespectful, considering Steven was Asian and in the room. I don’t care how much money Steven would make from tips in the poker room, I don’t think it’s worth it to be demeaned and to tolerate that. At all. I liked how Steven was furious and questioned his morals and values because he wanted enough money to be Shayla’s escort and to pay for college—-he had a lot of pressure financially. But I really don’t think disrespect is worth the money. I felt for Steven.

The end of episode five had me SCREAMING.

My Jelly heart was comusting and I was unwell. Not good. I think I need to send Jenny Han by medical bill after this 😂. I’m joking.

Not about the screaming and combusting though!

When Jere joined Belly for her late night swim and then got all serious. . . I was like, “Oh okay.” 😏Not the way the water hit Jere’s eyelashes and the way the mood changed when he said, “Oh, Belly.” Dang. I was a goner.

And then he started talking about how he wanted to be more than friends . . . I was unwell. Jere opening up about wanting to be more than friends did happen in the first book but it happened after Belly had a movie night with the moms and he was downstairs with her cleaning up and she kind of shot him down. But we had to keep the love triangle alive in the show 👏🏼! I loved that Belly said she could love Jere because she only allowed herself to love Jere more so in the second book because she was fully through with chasing after Conrad. Oh my gosh, I’m cackling with how the song after Conrad basically rejected her was “Lost Cause” 😂😂😂😂😂!!! I freaking LOVE whoever made the soundtrack for the show 👌🏼😂! Absolutely iconic.

But the Belly and Jeremiah kiss in the pool?????

ICONIC 👌🏼.

And the song that sang “Are we still friends?”

FREAKING ICONIC 👌🏼👏🏼! We loved to hear it. Screaming, Combusting. Wow. What a move and a song.

Again props to whoever made the soundtrack because you know how to create the vibes.

But was this pool heated?

Because it was about to be 🤪.

Let’s go Jelly, let’s go!!!!

Episode Six: Summer Tides

Episode six was so fun and had the best friendship and love triangle vibes.

I loved how Taylor came into town and hyped Team Jelly up 😂!!! We were on the same wavelength!! Honestly, get you a best friend who creates a ship with your kind-of new boyfriend because she supports your happiness and your relationship. But I also loved how Taylor feigned like she broke her ankle just so Jere could sub in for her and work with Belly—-you know, Team Jelly for the win👏🏼! I loved to see it.

It was so fun and cute to see Jere and Belly work as a team and play volleyball. The whole volleyball moment wasn’t in the books but I liked the fun and sportsmanship of the whole volleyball charity day because it was a good time where we got to see the dynamics more. I could feel Belly getting frustrated with Jeremiah when they started losing, and it made me feel on edge because YIKES. I mean that is the hard part about working with a crush or a boyfriend, when they make you angry or frustrated and question why you liked them in the first place. I could feel Jelly slowly slipping away once Belly got irritated with Jeremiah for missing, and it made me worried about their ship because I love Team Jelly.

But gosh, when Belly told Conrad to sub in for Jeremiah, I was like DANG. Rip out his heart why don’t you!! That’s literally Jeremiah’s biggest fear and insecurity with Belly—that she will always choose Conrad over her. Her subbing him for Conrad, definitely showed that. I felt like Jere felt like a kicked puppy and it hurt to see him upset at himself and Belly and his brother with the whole situation. I felt for him because that sucks to feel liked you’re not good at something and to be replaced by someone who is your biggest competitor. I also liked the shots where we saw Jeremiah being jealous of Conrad standing with Belly because it built the sense of the jealousy that Jeremiah has with Conrad and the distrust that’s going to mean something more down the line.

When Conrad did sub in, I”m not going to lie, it was soooo cute and fun!

But also, why was Belly the only one who seemed to be subbing people in and out? 😂 Like is there a rule against subbing that many times? Because I don’t know if that’s cheating or not, but hey, if she could do it, might as well. She was in it to win it. Also, I can’t imagine how long the actresses and actors had to train to look like they played volleyball well because they did a fantastic job! I grew up in a high school that was big on volleyball and I knew a lot of people who played it well. I for the life of me, am not athletic in any sport that involves a ball you have to throw or hit, so I’m not a volleyball pro 😂, but I appreciate and admire those who can play volleyball. So that’s why it amazed me the level of the actresses and actors volleyball skills. I also heard from an interview that every morning or weekday mornings they all would play or practice volleyball with a pro volleyball player, which makes sense to help them get better at volleyball. That must have been fun.

Sucked to be Jeremiah 😭. But I felt for him.

I found it funny how the last game was against Steven and Shayla. I would have liked to seen more scenes with them playing volleyball to know how they ended up in the finals. But Millie and Sean were so cute and did a great job against Lola and Chris. What a great time! I also loved how Belly played for the women’s shelter because that is a charity Susannah mentioned helping with in the books.

Also, there was the whole drama with Nicole.

Susannah asked Conrad to ask Belly to the deb ball, which gave me big book two vibes with the you know what (if you know, you know). But I liked the fact that Conrad was honest with Nicole in telling her that Susannah asked him to take Belly to the deb ball because Nicole was technically a girl he was talking to and he wanted to respect her by letting her know that it wasn’t something deep. But it meant something to Conrad because he didn’t actually ask Belly because Susannah told him to. He texted her that on her phone, and Nicole and the other debs saw it when they went skinny dipping at night by the lake. They first went to Nicole’s party on a boat and they were drinking and playing Never Have I Ever, which is such a demeaning game for those who have never done things. But I was soooo UPSET that Nicole and the other debs had the audacity to take Taylor and Belly’s clothes and drive away after seeing Belly’s text from Conrad on her phone. I get that Nicole was upset and she’s a teenager, but stealing their clothes and driving away was a low blow. What happened to mature communication and just confronting Belly about the text in the first place?

I was so mad for them.

Taylor was just starting to like them too.

They had to walk home naked at night back to the house. I still wonder where they heck they got that blanket to wrap around them.

Meanwhile, Conrad and Steven went to a party. Jeremiah was supposed to go but he was still hurt from the volleyball game with Belly that he chose to stay home and play video games with his mom. I loved that little moment between them because it was wholesome and cute, but it was also the first glimpse that Jeremiah had that something was up with their mom—-that she wanted to go to bed early and was sleeping a lot. Because Jere had been working and out a lot, he didn’t get to see how his mom wasn’t acting like she usually did during the summers. So now his radar was on.

Jeremiah did go to the party and got drunk, but I liked how he and Conrad had a brief conversation about their mom. Conrad was trying to protect him, which goes the same way in the book. I think the protectiveness comes out of love. But then Nicole came and Jeremiah got a text to pick up Belly.

First, I loved that Nicole chewed Conrad out for playing her 👏🏼!

I loved that she had a role that was so empowering and that many people could relate to. Because most of us have been there where we were talking to someone and it was going somewhere, but they’re kind of wishy washy in their signals and then to figure out that they liked someone else the whole time and were stringing you along. It sucks! It sucks to feel played and to feel like you gave this person all your time and energy for nothing. However, I liked how confident and empowered Nicole was to say that she didn’t care about if Conrad wasted her time, but she felt like he didn’t respect her enough to be honest with her and that’s why she was upset. I loved that—self-respect! I loved how Conrad floundered to apologize to Nicole, but I also liked that he acknowledged that he was giving her mixed signals and that wasn’t fair to her. At least he knew what that what he was doing wasn’t right. This scene made me think about how Conrad said he would f*** things up in a relationship and how this was probably what he meant—his fear come to life that he messed things up. But he’s human. He made mistakes and he didn’t mean to hurt her, and he did. That’s not an excuse, but I understood him.

When Conrad was on the boat with Cleveland later in the episode, he was all tense, riled up, talking about how the interior of the boat was rotting and he was making a big deal out of it, I was like gosh 😔. Because Conrad’s franticness was a metaphor for how he didn’t notice Susannah’s cancer. Just the way Chris portrayed this scene, tugged at my heart because I could feel Conrad’s fears, his pain, his worry, all the things he kept bottled up was shaken. I loved how Cleveland knew what Conrad was feeling and guided him through deep breathing when Conrad had a panic attack. In the book, Conrad didn’t noticeably battle mental health because mental health wasn’t a thing people talked about in the early 2010s. But everyone has and does battle mental health issues, and I liked how we included Conrad’s anxiety because he did keep many things in and had all this pressure of taking care of anyone and being the big brother to do what was right. He was just a kid and he didn’t know how to do it all and that’s a lot of pressure to feel. He was going through soooo much.

Also, I wanted to scream when Conrad and Jeremiah both showed up to pick up Belly and Taylor. I was like, “She had two knights in shining armor come get her!!!” 👏🏼 I wondered who she was going to leave with! But she left with Jeremiah and I felt like Conrad felt personally attacked 😂. And that’s not even because Taylor told him off in his car that he should stop messing with Belly’s heart.

I loved that Jeremiah and Belly had their moment in the car where she apologized and asked Jeremiah to be her deb ball escort—the fact that she chose him to escort her. Now, now, her asking could have been because they were dating or because she wanted to rile Conrad after she found out she was a pity ask, either way, I didn’t care because I loved Jeremiah was taking her. But also not that kind of cringe scene where they started making out and he asked to touch her boob 😂. I mean, we love consent but what the heck 😂. I don’t know, it felt random and weird considering how the books, they didn’t escalate so fast with things, but okay. Let’s go Team Jelly.

Steven gambled at the party that Conrad and Jeremiah was at. I could sense that he was going to lose all his hard-earned money before he even sat down at the poker table, and that he was going to regret it. But Steven just wanted to fit in and show that he could be part of Shayla’s crowd, but he didn’t need to prove anything because, yea, she did choose him. But I would have felt the same way if I was Steven, like I had to prove myself to be there.

I loved how Cleveland and Conrad had a heart-to-heart on the dock instead of working that day because Cleveland knew how much Conrad needed a moment to breath—to be. I liked how honest Cleveland was with Conrad and how he reassured Conrad that nothing was his fault and that he can’t control what happens and that if Conrad says something to make it real, then that’s not his fault either. I teared up because Conrad did carry that blame, as I said. So for an adult to see him and tell him that this wasn’t his fault, meant the world to him. He needed to hear it 💙. None of this was his fault.

It must have been beyond difficult for him to keep the news inside—another thing he had to bottle up. But the way he asked the others to help out more by washing the dishes or cleaning up after themselves, he still was looking out for Susannah by helping her in whatever ways he could 🥺. He really is a good guy.

Not me, having a complete 180 on his character.

But that just goes to show how much depth and understanding Conrad’s character has.

I loved it.

The end was such a mood when he texted Belly if she was up and to meet her at the dock, and he gave her the infinity necklace!! I mean, from Belly’s perspective, it felt like Conrad was continuing to string her along by saying one thing one moment and being sweet the next, which is confusing as heck and I would be over it too. But gosh, when she walked away from him, part of me felt bad because I had more understanding and compassion for Conrad and that he really did like Belly. It’s a sad day that she didn’t reciprocate it back because she was tired of her games. I mean, I couldn’t blame her for that.

Episode Seven: Summer Love

If episode was all fun and games, episode seven took my already fragile heart, ripped it to shreds, ran it over, and then dumped it in the ocean for Cam Cameron to discover as a new species as broken-heart fish.

I WAS A MESS.

Let’s talk about the happy moments first because we love a happy moment 😊.

I LOVED the deb ball!

What a great change that made sense in the series, and it was honestly such a great time! I think if Jenny were to rewrite the books, she shoddy rewrite it with the deb ball because, you know, the books are better 😂. But I loved the show version.

I loved how in the show, they kept the dress thing a thing. In the books Belly saw an expensive dress and she thought Susannah went back and bought it for her. But it was Laurel. In the show, Susannah wanted Belly to war this big poofy dress, which was gorgeous on Lola by the way, but it was obvious Belly didn’t like that dress. Laurel went back to buy Belly the dress she really wanted. I loved loved loved that moment between Belly and Laurel because they love each other in small moments and with the things they know about each other 💙.

Nicole and Belly also had a moment that I liked. They talked to each other and Belly told Nicole how she had liked Conrad her entire life, to which I think Nicole softened to because young first love is incredibly powerful and can make you do wild things. But I liked that there was no pettiness or animosity between them. I still don’t agree with what Nicole did to Belly but I understood it, and Belly should have also been honest with Nicole.

I also loved Belly’s inner-monologue about how women becoming a certain age and feeling beautiful, but how every girl is beautiful and unique. I just really appreciated that dialogue with herself because the deb ball was more than just showing off for other people, but to come into themselves and be proud of it, and it shouldn’t be a thing where others make girls feel narcissistic or selfish for being confident in their own skin or liking who they are—there is no shame in being proud of yourself. I loved when Jeremiah saw Belly in the wings, he was just in awe. I was in awe too because Belly looked gorgeous and stunning—a true queen. When it was her turn to walk out, I loved how Jere made her. feel beautiful and how he ensured that the night was about Belly and not about him. I couldn’t stop laughing with how Belly kept giving a weird look because Susannah told Belly to mouth ______ as her model face, but instead she looked like she had bad plastic surgery 😂.

But the way Conrad looked at her?

Priceless.

Dang.

Someone give Chris an Oscar 👏🏼!

Ugh, the pinning.

I loved when Belly also hugged Laurel—we love a mother-daughter moment! I also loved how John was there to support Belly. Also, how awkward that John met Cleveland 😅.

John still loves her🤪.

But can we take a moment to appreciate how GOOD Laurel looked 👏🏼👏🏼!!!!

I was like, “Yes, queen!” Not her slaying in a red backless dress.

I also loved loved loved the escort dance!!! What a fun moment. This cast is just so good and so fun—-they seem like they are so supportive of each other and have the best time. I didn’t know Sean was that good of a dancer, but he brought the moves! And so did Gavin! I couldn’t imagine Conrad’s character doing the escort dance because it didn’t seem like something Conrad would do, but it would have been fun to see! Round two, let’s have Sean, Gavin, and Chris do the escort dance together. Also? I must say, Steven made Sean a baller 😂, and I loved it. Not going to lie, whenever Steven came onto screen, so high-key energy music would come on and I was like dang, look at Steven go. Steven’s so cool and I don’t think that’s appreciated enough.

I loved when Shayla went up to Steven after they danced and she kissed him and they had that conversation about how he felt like he still didn’t belong next to her—-like he felt out of place in her world. But I loved how she reassured him that she chose him, which matters a lot more than all the other guys she dated or her whole world—-that she wanted to be with him.

After Laurel saw Belly, something in her cracked and she had to leave the room. I could feel her sorrow over how this was a last special moment with Beck and how she was devastated to share this moment because it hurt to know she was going to lose her best friend. The concern that came over John made my heart sad, but also happy because he for sure still loved her 😅 and Cleveland could sure as heck bet that he has some competition with John and the history he has with Laurel. He just understood Laurel more and what she needed. When they talked in front of the fireplace, it hit me how much John loved Laurel but he knew how much Laurel loved Beck more—that that was the rift in their relationship. I liked this idea because in the books, Belly was always frustrated with Laurel because it seemed her parents divorced after not even fighting, and that bothered her. She blamed the mom for the divorce and all the changes. So to understand that maybe the divorce happened because Laurel chose Susannah over her marriage, made sense because a soul mate can be a best friend. But I also saw how much John loved her and still wanted to be with her, it was just he couldn’t compete with Laurel’s love for Susannah. That’s rough.

He was honest with Laurel, and was there for her, but he could have been more sensitive to how everything was heavy and complicated in her life. Gosh, when Jere walked into the room, I was like, hoped he hadn’t eavesdropped for long.

Jere was bothered and not thriving 😢💔!

Ever since he picked up how tired his mom was and how she was dizzy after Conrad spun her out front before the gala, he knew something was up. I thought Susannah looked beautiful and it was cute that Conrad was her date. But yikes, when Conrad spun her and she stumbled, Jere became more on edge. It made him tense and worried when he did the escort dance because he kept looking at Susannah like she would break before his eyes. I liked how Gavin embodied a worried and concerned teen while still managing to dance and have fun-ish. I would have liked to see the dance version where Jere wasn’t consumed by his negative thoughts because it made him a sad Jeremiah and that made me sad. But I could feel the break coming.

When Jeremiah was at the pool reading the emails after he snuck his mom’s phone . . . gosh, there has never been a sadder scene to witness 😭😭💔.

I mean, later in the episode there was, but DANG, I felt GUTTED seeing Jere have a full blown break down by the pool and how he know knew his worst fears confirmed. I was so sad for Jere. So so so sad. He knew too and it broke his heart.

I don’t even know what to say to that.

No one could find Jeremiah for the deb ball dance, so Conrad stepped in for Belly.

I must say, Jenny Han did us good 😂!

I’m Team Confused as F*** at the moment 😂, but I loved how we got the best to both worlds with Jere escorting Belly out, but Belly dancing with Conrad. Jenny said, I’m going to play both cards to keep both ships happy.

When Conrad looked at Belly when it was decided that they were going to dance together and “That’s the Way I Loved You” started to play . . .. ICONIC 👌🏼!

Get this person who made the soundtrack a raise because they are doing the bestest and the mostest 👏🏼👏🏼!

That is their song!!!!

I was SCREAMING.

Oh my gosh, but when they started to dance? 😭 So beautiful.

I loved it.

There’s just no words for such a beautiful moment.

My Team Jelly heart is shaking.

They looked good together. Also, not Susannah saying the when Conrad comes out, Belly shines—-the quote. We love the immaculate chemistry. I also loved the edits that came out later that merged the Conrad teaching her how to dance scene with dancing with her now 😭. Those edits are fire.

When Jere walked back in, he faked a sore stomach but then he started going to Conrad because he wanted to tell him. Conrad could sense Jere’s worry and bottled up fear, and told him he knew.

That’s when Jeremiah pummeled Conrad.

I did not see that coming to be quite honest.

I didn’t think Jere had that anger in him. Actually, I did, it just keeps surprising me knowing who Jere is. But I think that’s the interesting and fun part—-how we were seeing Jere when he wasn’t hiding behind a happy persona of making everyone happy. He was being real.

In the books, the fight was about Conrad stringing Belly along and making her cry, but I liked that they put the fight in the deb ball—that they changed the reason behind the fight. Because they weren’t fighting over a girl, they were fighting because they both felt hurt on the insides as brothers and there was all this tension from the last few weeks that have been building up for them to fight. It’s hard to see brothers fight, knowing how much they loved each other and how much they were both struggling.

When Susannah saw how beat up and devastated they were and Conrad was like, “We know,” I was like, “Gosh darn, that’s right they know and have known.” I just felt for all of them.

And Belly.

When she finally found out 😭.

Not going to lie, I wonder what happened after Conrad and Jeremiah fought because did they all just leave the deb ball after that? Did they stay to eat more food? What happened?

But gosh . . . the scenes after when they found out Susannah was sick again . . . THOSE were the most heart-wrenching scenes ever 😭😭💔.

Someone call me Cousins Ocean because that is what I have become after watching this show.

I also just loved seeing the interactions of what happened when they found out because we only saw Belly’s perspective in the books, but I liked seeing the expanded version with the family grieving and the conversation with Conrad, Jere, and Susannah.

Susannah changed her mind because of Conrad.

I knew it.

When he said he needed her, she couldn’t say no to him.

The relief that took over Laurel when Susannah told her, broke my heart still because I could tell susannah didn’t want to go through with the treatments, but she was going to try for her boys.

In the books, Susannah didn’t promise to go through with anything and you know . . . the two year time jump and all. So Susannah saying she would try, changed everything going forward.

I liked how the end of the season matched a similar ending to the books. They did have a dinner in the books where they talked abbot Susannah’s sickness and could joke about it, but in the show, we got Belly’s inner-monologue. I liked how everyone was at the table and they had a nice dinner, but the vibes felt completely different with how everyone seemed more hospitable around each other because they understood the shared pain and hope that they all had for a loved one—Susannah. And I think that’s what bonded them all to put aside their differences to be present with each other and with Susannah. I loved that they were brought close together 💙.

The kiss at the end was not in the books, but I’m not mad at it🤪!

I loved the sunrise/sunset moment.

But I also nearly toppled off the couch when Belly was like, “I need you to want me.” And Conrad was like, “I want you.”

UMMMMM, Yea he does!!!!

I hope she wasn’t still dating Jeremiah with those lips! 🤪

Yea, I’m honestly Team Confused as F*** for the wing 😂.

I really don’t know what to think anymore.

I love Jeremiah because he’s such a sweetie and a good guy, but also I understand and empathize with Conrad a lot more and the more I had read abbot him and rewatched the show, the more love and understanding I have for him as a person and the more I love him. And I’m really confused. I don’t know to think!

But wow, let’s just give it up for Jenny Han and the entire cast and crew for getting a season two BEFORE season one even premiered!!! That’s the energy I want for when the season three announcement comes 👏🏼!

❗️Spoilers Contained Below —Spoilers include spoilers from It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer❗️

Season Two Expectations and Hopes

Ah, Season Two!!!

I’m so excited because I’ve been seeing the cast hanging out, getting ready to film season two, and nothing makes me happier or more excited.

The thing that I’m not sure of with season two is the Susannah plot 😅!

Because in the show, it looks like we are going to see Susannah go through treatment to get better rather than there be a two year time jump to when Susannah passed away and there’s the whole funeral and the big Conrad and Belly fight. I don’t know, maybe we will do a time jump, but I think the move is to see Susannah go through treatment throughout the year and to see the characters past summer—like spring and fall and winter. That way we get to see how everyone is processing or handling what Susannah is going through and that is going to bring about new layers of depths from Jeremiah, Conrad, Laurel, Steven, and Belly. It’s going to be interesting to further explore the darkness within each character. I think that, not that I want this, by the end of season two, Susannah might pass away and then season three is the two year time jump into the We’ll Alwyas Have Summer plot line.

I think maybe with Susannah going through treatment and it getting even worse, that’s why Conrad is going to run away to the house and the dad is still going to try to sell it as a way to say that they might not have summers in Cousin’s anymore with Susannah still sick. However, Conrad is going to fight for the house because he knows that’s what his mom wants. Oh, and we might see Conrad in college or what that dynamic looks like between him and Jere.

I think we’re also going to see the Christmas scene between Conrad and Belly because Jenny Han wouldn’t do us dirty like that 😂. I can’t wait to see it! I also hope we get the flashbacks to when Conrad and Belly would talk for hours and he would help her with her homework over the phone. I think that would be cute to see and a nice way to transition from how they kissed on the beach to talking on the phone.

But then there’s Jere.

Since she already kissed Jere in this season and she was practically dating him at the end, I’m not sure how Belly dating Conrad at the beginning of season two is going to go because she’s obviously going to hurt one of them by dating the other already. Unless, Jeremiah stepped back and forgot about it because he was focusing on his mom or Conrad stepped back because he was focusing on college and his mom. I don’t know, one of them will call a chill and pull out of the situation so the other thrives.

Season two is definitely Jere’s season 😊💙!

And I don’t just say that because I love Jeremiah, but literally book two is his book with his perspective as well as Belly’s.

I want to see focus on Jeremiah as well as Belly’s—that we get Jeremiah’s inner-dialogue. I want to continue to explore Jere’s depths and darkness—who he is behind his sunny facade—and how he is processing his mother going through treatment and how it changed him. I also want to see the backstories between him and Conrad and the dad because a lot of Jere’s hurt and anger comes from feeling like he’s always second best. I think seeing those back stories will help the audience understand and sympathize with Jere more. I also want to see Jeremiah’s perspective on his love with Belly because in the book, he talked about how he saw her differently too and how they were best friends.

OH MY GOSH! Season two better have backstories of how Jeremiah and Belly were best friends first. I want the moment when they become best friends when Susannah and Laurel smoked pot in the past and Susannah talked about dying rather than going through treatment, and Belly squeezed his hand and then that summer they stuck close together and how he always made sure she felt included. I think it will be so special to see how they became best friends to understand how they became more than that. I also think those scenes will score one point for Team Jelly shippers 😂! Let’s convert people to Team Jelly, why don’t we!?

But that would be so cool and nice to see.

I don’t know if we’re sticking with the Conrad runs away plot and saving the house plot, but if we do, I would like to see that adventure between Jere and Belly. I would like to see them talking to each other and being friends again to get past the awkwardness of when they were a thing. I don’t think we’re going to have the infinity scene where Belly finds the necklace because we already got that scene, but maybe a variation where Belly sees that Conrad kept the necklace and had it in his dorm room. I hope we get the Conrad, Belly, and Jere big fight to see the tension between Conrad and Jere. I also want to see the moment that Laurel puts Adam into his place 👏🏼! I mean, Laurel is a bada**, and I would love to see it

I also know someway we need to integrate Shayla and Steven into the plot because Steven was basically nonexistent in the book and Shayla was nonexistent. So I’m curious if finding Conrad is going to be a scavenger hunt through Cousins and that’s how we integrate Shayla or Steven. Or Shayla and Steven try to help Jere and Belly find Conrad .

I’m also hoping we see more about how Shayla and Steven aqgivate the different statuses in their relationship and if they were doing long distance since they were going to different schools. I think money will definitely be another factor in the tensions in their relationship. Like maybe she offers to help pay for him to go to Princeton, but he can’t accept that from her. I don’t know. Or maybe Shayla gets into a good school or abroad and it creates a rift where he’s jealous that she got into a good school and can actually go there or that he doesn’t know how long distance will work with her. I don’t know, but I’m interested to see more of them.

I also hope that we can see Cam Cameron/David again. The way I see us incorporating Cam Cameron is that we make him a friend of Belly’s again. It would work because with all the drama between Conrad and Jere, I think Belly needs an outside perspective form someone genuine and kind and who would be her voice of reason. Sure, she could talk to Jere, her best friend, but she needs another guy best friend and Cam can be that guy for her. I hope so because it would be nice to see Cam Cameron again and to know that he was doing fine and that there was no hurt between him and Belly.

Speaking of friends, we’re going to see Taylor more. I don’t know if it’s just going to be in passing scenes where Taylor is covering for her, but I know there’s going to be the same selfish Belly fight. But I liked seeing Belly and Taylor’s friendship on screen because it is a complicated friendship with some tension and jealousy, which happens at that age.

I don’t know if Cleveland will be in the season as heavily because Conrad will be at college, so it’s not like he’ll be at the docks as much to help Cleveland. But I hope that we can see Cleveland around Cousins or that Conrad keeps in touch with him and they go to the dock to chat like old times. Conrad needs a father figure like Cleveland that he can still talk to, so I hope we do see him again. I also think Cleveland is the new Ernie 😂.

Also, Cleveland and Laurel might just not date past summer and only be a summer thing. Laurel is a strong, independent woman and she’s going to choose taking care of her best friend and her family first. But I also think that she might rekindle her love with John—I hope she does—-because I could still feel the love between them. I bet he’s going to step up when he needs her most and she’s going to love him again or at least want him back into her life. Either way, I’m for Team Laurel getting back with her ex-husband.

Laurel and Susannah 🥺💔.

I hope we see more intimate conversations and friendship moments. I hope we get another spontaneous, fun friendship moment like we got when they went dancing at the Lucky Pelican. I hope we see them laughing and hurting together because life is like that—beautiful and painful at the same time. I think it would be cool to see how Laurel and Susannah became best friends and how Laurel was there for Susannah the first time around.

Who wants to bet all money that Laurel’s next big book is going to be a best-selling book—-one that will really put Laurel’s name out there—and it will be about her friendship with Susannah. It will be about their lifetime friendship and how strong female friendships can be out true loves. I bet her book will release just before or after . . . you know 😭. But I bet you that that’s why Laurel is having a writer’s block, but all of her grief and emotions will come pouring out as her love story to Susannah/Beck.

Just you watch.

I bet that’s what Jenny Han is going to do.

It’s going to wreck me for sure.

But it feels like the right thing for Laurel to do.

The end of book two has to be the end of season two.

The end of book two was everything dramatic and more and we need to see it! We need to see the studying scenes all the way, when Jere and Belly share an Icee, to Conrad being all cheerful after he aced a test and hugging/spinning Belly, all the way to Jere and Belly kissing in the car again and Conrad seeing it. I want the screaming and fighting scene where Belly chases after Conrad and he tells her that “No one wants her and that he doesn’t want her,” which now that I think about it, goes well with the season one end scene where he told her he did want her. Watch his words in season one come back to haunt him in that moment he’s yelling at her.

I also want to feel the love dying in Belly’s eyes 🤪. Really make me feel the absolute pain of the scene because I can already feel it. Lola and Chris are going to do this scene justice 👏🏼!

Wouldn’t it be wild if Jere popped up into the conversation in the fight and she looked between both of them, because she ran after Conrad but she was going towards Jeremiah—-her present and her future because Conrad was her past 😭. If you know, you know.

I want season two to end with Conrad saying, “I didn’t mean it.” Then fade to black 😭.

I’m joking, I want season two to end with Conrad leaving again for school and acting like he didn’t just tell Belly he didn’t want her and that no one would love her, and then Jeremiah taking her back to her house and them making it official by her choosing Jeremiah and then that whole quote about how Jeremiah is her present and future and Conrad is her past. But in the back of her mind, I want her to think about Conrad and how he said he didn’t mean it.

Oh no, wait, the end of season two is going to have to be that they get a call or something and then they find out Susannah passed away. And then the funeral scene. And then the fight and not talking to Conrad. Oooh, unless this happens in the middle of the season and the second half of the season is when Conrad runs away and they save the house and then the big fight? Because it wouldn’t make sense for the funeral scene to be after the motel scene because they already hate each other and the motel scene was the last goodbye before the time jump. Yea, we need the funeral scene before the motel scene and the time jump because the time jump sets up season three.

We also need the prom story with how Conrad ruined Belly’s prom because I was so FURIOUS and would love to experience that fury in real life 🤪.

But if we follow the funeral scene with the saving the house and then the motel scene/blow up, it would set everything up for season three, which I AM HYPED ABOUT! Season three is going to be chaotic and a mess and I’m here for it. I mean, season three hasn’t’ been announced, but I don’t think Amazon Prime will want a riot on its hands if TSITP isn’t renewed for a third season? Bibliophiles are passionate for a reason 😂.

I’m too excited to see all the tension, drama, depth, love, and dynamic. Also, to cry my heart out.

I would also just like to give a big shoutout and massive thank you to Jenny Han for writing, producing, and advocating for us fans! Watching the last episode and seeing Jenny Han’s name flash multiple times during the credits, was a boss bi*** move 👏🏼!!!

Honestly, Jenny Han is the Taylor Swift of the literary world 👏🏼!!

All the thanks goes to her for creating such a dynamic and captivating story and for showing us her version with a fresh, modern take. I will say I was thrown off by the deb ball in the trailer, but the more I researched what the meaning of a deb ball was and to hear Jenny’s take on why she put the deb ball, I actually really loved it. I loved every second of the show! And I also thank Jenny and whoever made the soundtrack because they killed it! I mean, to get not one, but FOUR Taylor Swift songs on a show??!?!?!? That’s called big money moves! That’s sooo cool! All the Taylor Swift songs fit the vibe perfectly and I would love love love love to see more Taylor Swift songs in the show in the future. Also, can we thank Jenny for being the biggest advocate and queen of her fans because she created this show with her vision and us in mind, and I can’t thank her enough for not only thinking about what the fans would want but for delivering all of the things we wanted and more 💙! Genuine love for Jenny Han.

Until next time in Cousins,

As always, with love,