And so, we return to Cousins Beach for another round of teen romance and melodrama. Season two of the acclaimed drama The Summer I Turned Pretty has arrived in Australia, now streaming on Prime Video.
Adapted by writer Jenny Han (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) from her bestselling novel trilogy of the same name, The Summer I Turned Pretty follows Asian-American teen Isabel “Belly” Conklin (newcomer Lola Tung) and her various romantic entanglements while spending the summer at her beach house of family friend Susannah Fisher (Rachel Blanchard), along with her mother Laurel (Jackie Chung) and brother Steven (Sean Kaufman).
It’s an annual getaway tradition of many years’ standing, but things have begun to change as the kids mature. Though Belly has long harboured a crush on old childhood friend Conrad (Christopher Briney), Susannah’s son, new kid on the block Cam (David Iacono) sparks her interest. Further complicating things is the torch Conrad’s younger brother Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) carries for Belly, which gives us a suitably tangled network of relationships to hang a series off of.
However, when we catch up with Belly and the gang for season two, the situation has turned dire. Since being diagnosed with cancer last season, Susannah has passed away, leaving Conrad and his younger brother Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) emotionally devastated. What’s worse (well, not really) is that the boys’ aunt Julia (Kyra Sedgwick), and their cousin Skye (Elsie Fisher) are putting the beloved beach house up for sale. Of course, Belly and the boys won’t let that happen without a fight.
A defiantly teen-orientated series, The Summer I Turned Pretty balances weepie melodrama with youthful shenanigans like secret beach parties, debutant balls, and the requisite love triangles to good, albeit tissue-box-emptying effect. Anchored by a winning performance by Lola Tung, this is a coming-of-age drama for the 21st century.
