Warning: This article contains major spoilers for “The Summer I Turned Pretty”

In June of 2022, the first episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty was released on Prime Video. While some were familiar with it, due to it being based on the book series of the same name by American author, Jenny Han, its television debut also drew millions of new fans into the story. The show follows Isabel “Belly” Conklin as she navigates her confusing feelings for her close lifelong friends, Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher. Every year, for her whole life, she has spent her summer with the brothers and their mother, Susannah, at their beach house in Cousins beach. Since the first moment of the series, fans have been engaged in the love triangle of Belly and the Fishers, asking themselves the same question: should she pick Conrad or Jeremiah? With the conclusion of the show’s third and final season, that question may have finally been answered.

This show definitely has its ups and downs, with Belly often ending up with a different brother at the end of each season. Season one started with her intense yearning for Conrad, feelings still lingering from a lifelong crush, but she ultimately realizes her feelings for Jeremiah. Not long into their relationship, Belly once again changes her mind and runs back to Conrad, with the two ending up together in the finale.

Season two is a sad one: in the first scene, we find out that the boys’ mother, Susannah, has passed away after a long battle with cancer, and Conrad and Belly had broken up during the school year. For the first time in her whole life, she won’t be spending her summer at the beach house, and she won’t be seeing the brothers. But after Jeremiah frantically calls her in need of help, she eventually ends up back in Cousins. Belly and the boys have to save the house from being sold, causing her to once again grow closer to them. She eventually gets with Jeremiah, and the season ends with her “releasing” Conrad and turning to his brother. Conrad then leaves the two of them and doesn’t speak to Belly for several years.

Season three picks up with Belly and Jeremiah in college, and almost immediately in the season, we find out Jeremiah has cheated on her. The only way he can think of to apologize for this is to propose to her: she says yes and the two decide they must be married by the end of the summer, so the wedding planning begins. However, their parents strongly disagree, stating that they are too young and need to wait until they are at least out of school. This causes Belly to move out of her parents house and begin living in the summer house. Unbeknownst to her, Conrad had returned from medical school all the way out in California and was now also living in the beach house. Once Jeremiah’s father approves of the wedding and begins stepping in to help plan and pay for it, it starts to feel less like Belly’s event, she begins feeling unwelcome in the planning, and the only person she can confide in is Conrad. The two grow closer and he eventually confesses that he still has feelings for her the night before the wedding. She is angry at him and tells him to not come to the wedding, and Jeremiah says Conrad can never see Belly again, stating that he is no longer his brother. Conrad comes to say goodbye to Belly on the wedding day, leaving her in tears when Jeremiah finds her. Jeremiah then asks her if she is really over Conrad, to which she says she can never truly let him go. Jeremiah feels he can not compete with Conrad for her heart, and he calls off the wedding. Feeling embarrassed and distraught, Belly leaves Cousins and immediately heads to Paris, hoping to rediscover herself. After spending months there, Conrad visits her on her birthday and the two spend the day together. At the end of the trip, the two share a kiss, and Belly realizes she still has feelings for him. This scares Belly as she is unsure if she is truly in love with him or the two are just connected by their past. Conrad then leaves her, getting on a train to leave the city, but she immediately realizes her mistake and races after him. The final moments of the show are her epic love confession on the train, showing that the two can finally have the happy ending they deserve.

Picking sides

From the very first episode, lines were drawn and sides were picked, with each and every fan quick to label themselves “Team Conrad” or “Team Jeremiah.” To really look at this from every angle, I decided to ask some BHS students what teams they identified with.

Team Conrad fans value his loyalty and emotional depth, labeling him as much more mature than Jeremiah. Olivia Leo said that she is on Team Conrad because, “the way he yearns for Belly is the way that every man should yearn.”

On the opposing side, Team Jeremiah fans often admire his fun personality and the stability he offers over his moody brother. Emma Dinkler said she is Team Jeremiah for life. “Conrad sucks,” she said. “He literally ignored Belly the whole first season. Then he left her at her school prom, which she had to beg him to go to. He even forgot the corsage.”

While the most talked about choices are Conrad and Jeremiah, there is a third option who is often left out. In season one, Belly had a short-lived relationship with a boy named Cameron. They had briefly met in middle school and reconnected at a beginning of summer bonfire on the beach. While they weren’t together long, many fans still support Team Cam-Cameron, they see him as the ideal low-drama, sweet, and respectful boyfriend for Belly. They break up in the middle of the season due to Cam wanting commitment and Belly still having feelings for Conrad. Emma DeLaney said she’s Team Cam-Cameron because, “he’s the only decent human being on that entire show; he never tried to sabotage Belly.”

Other fans have pointed out their dislike for Belly, identifying themselves as Team Anti-Belly. Some people believe that Belly has done irreparable damage to the relationship of the Fisher brothers, and that she should leave them alone instead of just hurting them further. Serafina Cuomo said Belly “could never make up her mind and kept switching between the brothers.”

My thoughts

I have been a fan of The Summer I Turned Pretty for a long time, having read the books and watched the series since it premiered. Throughout season one and two, I was definitely a Jeremiah fan. I viewed Conrad as temperamental and unpredictable, I did not at all think he was a good match for Belly. Jeremiah had been best friends with her for years, so I thought he would be perfect for her. But in the third season, major changes were made to their characters. With the absence of his brother and mom, Jeremiah started spiraling, becoming a completely different version of himself. He became even more immature, possessive, and self-centered, often hurting the people he loves. After the events of season two, Conrad started attending therapy and working to better himself, coming back more calm and collected, making himself a better match for Belly. So while I was on the fence for the start of season three, by the end of the series I had definitely become a Conrad fan, so I was very satisfied with the Paris finale.

The future of TSITP

Although Belly ended up with Conrad, that won’t stop the millions of fans from dissecting and debating every move made by each and every character on the show. The story of Belly and the Fishers will definitely live on and continue to be talked about, especially with the announcement of a movie based on the series, which is set to begin production in 2026. So while Belly and Conrad may have gotten their happy ending, who knows what the future holds for them: we’ll just have to wait and see.