By Nedaat Masiat ’26
The Summer I Turned Pretty recently ended its three-season run on Sept. 17 with the episode “At Last,” a finale that tried to wrap up years of romance, heartbreak, and growth.
Adapted from Jenny Han’s bestselling novels, the series premiered in June 2022 and quickly became a hit among teens and young adults. Starring Lola Tung as Isabel “Belly” Conklin, Christopher Briney as Conrad Fisher, and Gavin Casalegno as Jeremiah Fisher, the show also featured Sean Kaufman as Steven, Rain Spencer as Taylor, Jackie Chung as Laurel, and Rachel Blanchard as Susannah. Over the course of three summers, fans followed Belly as she struggled with first loves, family loss, and the complicated choice between two brothers.
The finale highlighted Belly and Conrad’s long-awaited reunion in Paris. Their amazing on-screen chemistry, layered with flashbacks and a ton of Taylor Swift music, gave members of “Team Conrad” the payoff they’d been hoping for. Belly’s narration also reflected her personal growth, showing she was making choices for herself, as opposed to when she was previously defined by this egregious love triangle. Before this reunion, the season built up to what was supposed to be Belly and Jeremiah’s wedding, a culmination of years of back-and-forth tension between the brothers and Belly. However, the wedding was ultimately called off when Belly realized her heart still belonged to Conrad, leading to one of the most emotional moments in the series. The Summer I Turned Pretty follows Belly Conklin as she spends her teenage summers caught between two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher, while navigating family loss, growing up, and first loves. Side characters also found closure of their own, with the Steven and Taylor ship finally taking sail, and Jeremiah discovering a newfound passion for cooking, leaving his college dropout lifestyle behind.
Still, the finale definitely wasn’t flawless. Its pacing jumped unevenly between Belly leaving Paris to find herself and returning to the Cousins beach house to be with Conrad, all within the same episode, leaving some storylines feeling rushed. I loved the plot, but the production made the episode feel messy and unfinished. An example of this is the decision to cut Belly and Conrad’s wedding, a scene that was present in the books, which left me feeling unsatisfied. “It felt like the show was telling us how to feel instead of letting us see it unfold,” said Hailey Cartagena ‘26.
Reactions from students were split. “Jeremiah deserved so much more. The show built up his relationship with Belly so much just to end up pushing him aside,” Brianna Fernandez ‘28 stressed. Ashlyn Kish ‘27 disagreed, “As someone who’s been Team Conrad from the beginning, this was the perfect ending.”
In the end, “At Last” was heartfelt but far from perfect. For some, it was the romantic ending they’d been hoping for, while for others, it felt incomplete. Maybe the upcoming movie, with no set release date as of right now, will give some of the answers we so desperately need.
The Raider Press 