A series that’s captured the hearts, minds and For You Pages of the nation came to a close on Wednesday the 17th leaving fans hungry for more.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” premiered in the summer of 2022 and has taken us through years of love, angst, grief and heartbreak.
Causing division over which brother the main character, Belly Conklin played by Lola Tung, should finally choose to give her heart to.
Plots surrounding family issues from death and mourning to two brothers engaged to the same girl at different times have unfolded to be the biggest hit during every season, not just summer.
The finale was the culmination fans had been expectantly waiting three years for, and yet it still didn’t quite hit the mark for viewers.
“We have finally made it to the series finale of this show that I love so much, and while we got some moments that I’ve been waiting for for years, as the adorable credits rolled, I couldn’t help but think to myself, ‘Huh…that’s it’”, Jennie Richardson a Collider writer wrote.
The series love triangle fiasco finally came to a resolution in the final episode but fans question if the romantic conclusion between Belly and Conrad Fischer [Christopher Briney] and Jeremiah Fischer [Gavin Casalegno], felt forced and rushed by the time the show finally came to a wrap.
With a new haircut, new friends and a whole new life the show takes a turn that took fans out of its normal sweet, summer vibes and into what felt like a whole different show.
Instead of allowing herself to stay tied down to all the people and disruptions in her life back home she creates new paths yet stays in her old and immature ways causing fans to root against the main character they’re supposed to be in love with.
She creates a new life for herself but is trying to leave behind the issues haunting her from the past.
Conrad, who has had a bit of an extreme and unrealistic obsession with Belly, reconnects with her in the finale as he is passing through Paris on a European trip creating an array of emotions for him but stirring up the life Belly has been running away from.
Belly’s extreme reluctance to any sort of relationship with Conrad or Jeremiah and her intentional disregard for them and their feelings makes the story and plotline get a bit lost and feel ingenuine.
The constant back and forth between Belly and where her feelings lie creates a somewhat bizarre distance from the viewers and the characters.
As the episode progresses and existing embers spark between the characters, the tension we’ve felt since season one comes to a steamy climax in a taxi cab…and a staircase…and a bedroom.
Causing audiences to feel a rush of relief as they watch years of miscommunication and frustration explode in intense emotions displayed by an intimate scene between the characters.
After sharing a night and expressing feelings that have been buried for years, fans think that finally this is the time to experience what they’ve been waiting for.
And yet her indecisiveness once again makes a romantic moment seem sour and as Belly’s bob bounces in the early morning light she finally decides who she wants to run to.
And yet, the confession felt forced and written only out of necessity instead of reality.
The quick change in emotions shows Belly’s relatable character traits but diminishes her character depth and the finale ending fell short to the way the media was crazed for it.
“Some fans were just sad they didn’t get to see Belly and Conrad get married, one of the last scenes in Han’s third and final book “We’ll Always Have Summer,” USA Today said.
Even so, the author of the book series announced a “The Summer I Turned Pretty” movie will be released, the date is currently unknown.
Hopefully viewers will feel more closure after the movie while seeing their favorite couple in a way they’ve been pining for for years.
