The Summer I Turned Pretty: Amazon announces film sequel

The popular coming-of-age show "The Summer I Turned Pretty" has just celebrated its series finale. But that's not the end of the story. Amazon has now surprisingly announced that the story will be concluded with a movie! The director will once again be series creator and author Jenny Han. She has already commented on the sequel:

"There is another big milestone left in Belly's journey, and I thought only a movie could give it its proper due. I'm so grateful to Prime Video for continuing to support my vision for this story and for making it possible to share this final chapter with the fans."

"The Summer I Turned Pretty" has become a true fan favorite in recent years. Over three seasons, the story of the love triangle between Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah has garnered a lot of attention, especially among younger viewers. The decision between "Team Conrad" and "Team Jeremiah" in particular was hotly debated on social media. However, it is not yet known when the final movie will be released on Amazon Prime Video.

The phenomenon of "The Summer I Turned Pretty"

"The Summer I Turned Pretty" is a series that strikes a chord with a young generation – while also captivating older viewers with its mixture of nostalgia, emotion and summer flair. The series is based on the novel trilogy of the same name. Author Han also enjoyed great success with "To All the Boys I've Loved Before", which was also made into a movie. The series tells an emotional story about growing up, first love and the bittersweet moments of a summer that changes everything.

What is the series about?

The focus is on Isabel "Belly" Conklin, a 15-year-old girl. She spends the summer – as she does every year – with her mother and brother at the Fisher family's beach house. There she meets Conrad and Jeremiah, the sons of Susannah, a close friend of her mother. The three of them have been friends for years – but this year everything is different. Belly has grown older, more self-confident – and is perceived differently by the boys, who have also grown older.

What follows is an emotional confusion full of romantic tensions, unspoken feelings and inner conflicts. As Belly tries to find her place between childhood and adulthood, she also has to deal with the complex feelings she develops for the two very different brothers. "The Summer I Turned Pretty" also deals with themes such as self-discovery, loss, friendship, family expectations and the inevitable end of light-heartedness. Another theme is the relationship between generations – between mothers and daughters, between siblings and friends.

The love triangle

The series also lives from its characters. Lola Tung impresses in her first major role as Belly with a mixture of insecurity, curiosity and emotional openness. Of course, the brothers Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) are also central.

A key element of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" is the classic love triangle – a well-known narrative motif, particularly in coming-of-age stories, youth series and romances. A character – usually the main character – has romantic feelings for two other people (or is desired by them). The character is faced with a difficult choice: two people, two different kinds of love – and often two versions of themselves. The love triangle is therefore not only a romantic dilemma, but often also an expression of inner conflict, personal maturation or social expectations.

"The Summer I Turned Pretty" is by no means the first series to use this concept. The love triangle has long been a tried and tested stylistic device in pop culture. Some of the best-known series and films owe their success in part to this constellation. A well-known example of this is "The Vampire Diaries", which features a love triangle between Elena Gilbert and the two vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore. At first glance, the two characters appear to be the classic "bad boy" and the "good guy", but the series quickly treats them in a more nuanced way. A famous example of a love triangle in modern film is definitely "Twilight". Here, too, the "Team Edward vs. Team Jacob" debate became a pop culture phenomenon.

A new coming-of-age highlight

For fans of sensitive teenage stories and love triangles "The Summer I Turned Pretty" is certainly worth a recommendation. You can of course find all three seasons on Amazon Prime Video.