About The Show
Belly Conklin is about to turn 16, and she’s headed to her favorite place in the world, Cousins Beach, to spend the summer with her family and the Fishers. Belly’s grown up a lot over the past year, and she has a feeling that this summer is going to be different than all the summers before. The Summer I Turned Pretty is based on the book by Jenny Han, who is creator and executive producer.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3sB1Wpv
My Rating
If you know me, then you know that ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ trilogy by Jenny Han is one of my least favorite trilogies. Honestly, the books started off okay, and then just got worse. However, when Amazon Prime released their original series based off the books, I was intrigued. I hoped that it would be a fresh take on the books.
And, I’m happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the show. The first season obviously follows the first book in which we meet Belly (Isabella). Every summer, Belly (along with her mom and brother) goes to Cousins to spend the summer with her mom’s best friend (Susannah) and her two sons Conrad and Jeremiah.
Belly has always had a crush on Conrad, yet to him she’s like a little sister. But, now that she’s a little older, and has had a major glow up, she’s hoping that maybe he’ll see her in a new light. However, while Conrad might be falling for her, Jeremiah might start taking notice of the new Belly too. And that’s basically the majority of the plot of the first book, although a lot of other things happens throughout the book.
The show follows the first book pretty closely, but I liked a lot of changes that they made. From the first episode I knew that I was going to enjoy the series 100% more than the book. I’m not embarrassed to say that the show, in my opinion, is better.
“For me, everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”
I don’t know about other people, but it gave me classic teen drama vibes. I’ve always been a lover of ‘Dawson’s Creek’ and ‘One Tree Hill’, so when I say I got total Dawson’s vibes from the show you better believe it’s a compliment. Also, Conrad, Belly, Jeremiah – think Dawson, Joey, Pacey. Just saying.
The actors did a great job bringing the characters to life. And, I might have to admit that this version of Belly didn’t annoy me nearly as much as the one in the book. By the way, did anyone else get transported back in time seeing Rachel Blanchard? Not only is she stunning, but I still remember loving the Clueless series where she played Cher.
Overall, the show was a good time. I think that teens today will really enjoy it, as well as adults that are desperate for a good classic teen drama. If you are a fan of the books, I think you’d still like the show, because the root of the plot is still there. Just a side note, the fact the series pointed out that teens today probably don’t know who The Olsen Twins are makes me feel so old.
In the comments, let me know if you liked the series or books better. Also, let me know if you’d like me to review the second season of the series. Don’t forget to show your support by following my book blog.
Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ follows Belly as she gets caught in a love triangle between two brothers. The book takes place throughout the summer, and not only showcases first love, but heartbreak as well.
I was very excited for this adaptation, since I was a fan of the book. However, I noticed many changes. Of course, most adaptations are modified, but something felt off about this one. There were a lot of character differences, which could turn out to be a good thing. However, throughout the book none of the main characters suspected each other. Sure, they had their doubts at times, but they stuck by one another for the most part. From the looks of the trailer, they aren’t as united. Still, I will probably be giving the first couple episodes a chance. Here’s hoping it surprises me.
Although, I wanted to give the movie version the benefit of the doubt. Yet the trailer looks as dull as the book. No offense to anyone who liked the book, because I know a lot of people did. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Netflix does a lot of book-to-movie adaptations, but sadly I haven’t cared for many of them. But I might watch the film at one point since I do love my horror movies. And, I am genuinely curious to see if the story works better as a film.
This is another series release, and after seeing the trailer I am highly disappointed in the direction of the show. I loved the original movies, because they were scary without being gruesome. But, I guess Amazon saw the attention the Gossip Girl reboot was getting, and decided to go the sexualized, glamorized route. It seems like some weird Gen-Z version of a horror series. I am not into it at all. Out of all the adaptations, this is the one I am least likely to watch.