THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY SEASON 3

Like a preteen with pimple patches, I have been counting down the days until Season 3 of THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY returned to see Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah do their love triangle thing. And now it has. My daughters and went to my friend Andrea’s house and we (alongside our friend Tracy and her daughter) turned down the lights, ordered take out, popped some buckets of popcorn, threw some M&Ms in there — and kicked back in Conrad Jeremiah heaven.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY SEASON 3

Love Triangle That Still Burns

The return to Cousins Beach in this two-part premiere doesn’t shy away from the messy intensity that defined the series—but it’s now laced with more mature grief and emotional weight. We see Belly (Lola Tung) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) navigate their adolescence as college sweethearts – trekking through the familiar weights of academic pressure, parental pressure and wanderlust urges and all that comes with it. We see things unravel when there is a reminsicent Ross Geller impulsion and confusion of “We were on a Break!” leads Jeremiah into a secret fling in Cabo—a heartbreaking betrayal that echoes the show’s past but and leaves Belly in a muddled puddle of disgust and heartbreak – emotions we can all relate to, I’m sure. 

Meanwhile, Conrad (Christopher Briney), now a medical student, drifts through the start of the season in near-silence, grappling with his own grief over their mother Susannah’s death and unresolved feelings for Belly. (Yes, I’m still Team Conrad.)

Tone, Themes, and Technical Craft

Season 3 shifts away from beachy nostalgia, opting instead for a more somber and introspective palette. The use of Sufjan Stevens’s “Mystery of Love” during flashbacks beautifully underscores the longing and melancholy now clouding Belly and Conrad’s relationship. Congrats to music supervisor, Melyssa Hardwick for always nailing it and using music to enhance the storytelling.

The camera lingers on small moments—strained silences, heartbreak-soaked confessions—prolonging their growing pains and love triangle emotional weight. 

Verdict

The Season 3 premiere lands as a thoughtful expansion of the show’s themes and total evolution. It preserves the core love-triangle tension, but now layered with loss, doubt, and tentative adulthood. It’s a perfect watch with your teen daughters or your own childhood besties.

Watch it today. It’ll be the Erewhon Smoothie Bar talk all month.