When The Summer I Turned Pretty first came out back in 2022, I watched it the same way I used to watch Twilight: half-cringing, half-delighted and fully unable to look away. It wasn’t trying to reinvent TV, but it was addictive. Cousins Beach, the messy love triangle, the guilty-pleasure energy — it all worked.
Season three, which wrapped this summer, feels like the show matured a little. Belly isn’t as wide-eyed as before, Conrad finally breaks out of his one-note brooding and Jeremiah has stepped into his own lane. It’s fine. It’s just not extraordinary. Honestly, this season falls somewhere between comfort TV and those moments that make you just sit there awkwardly staring at them.
What saves it are the family dynamics. Belly and Laurel’s bond still feels genuine, and Susannah’s absence lingers in a way that gives the show its emotional weight. Those quieter moments hit harder than any love triangle fight. They remind you the story has always been about more than just who Belly ends up with, even if the show forgets that sometimes.
The pacing, though, is rough. The Conrad-Jeremiah-Belly back-and-forth drags on far longer than it should, like the writers were scared to finally land the plane. Whole scenes felt like reruns with slightly different dialogue. By the finale, the choice is made, but it feels somewhat cautious. Fans get closure, but no real shock.
The performances are decent. Lola Tung has grown a lot since the first season, and she gives Belly more depth than the writing hands her. Christopher Briney’s Conrad is still moody in that classic Conrad way. Gavin Casalegno brings warmth to Jeremiah but doesn’t make him the easiest one to root for, especially in the beginning. The cast does what it can, but the script mostly keeps them stuck in longing looks and circular arguments.
Visually, the series is as pretty as ever. Cousins Beach is practically a character on its own, with sunsets and porches that look like they were made to be screensavers. The soundtrack tries to capture that same season-one magic, but it doesn’t land as well as it did before.
Still, I get why I keep watching. The show knows what it is. It’s dramatic, cheesy, frustrating and still fun enough that you want to see how it all ends. It’s not life-changing, but it scratches the same itch as every other teen drama where emotions feel like life or death.
Season three is entertaining in its messy way, but it drags out the love triangle too long and never quite delivers on its bigger emotional promises. That said, if you’ve been invested in Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah since the beginning, it’s worth seeing the story through — if only for the comfort of closure.
Rating: 6.5/10
