Cousins Beach is welcoming fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty back for a second season, and the sun, sand, and salty air form the perfect backdrop for all of us to feel intricately connected to the characters who get to call it their summer home.
It’s also the perfect backdrop to help our favorite families as they struggle with their most immense loss and the subsequent changes and hurt that stem from it. Susannah was magic in human form, a piece of something otherworldly packaged together within a woman who could weave sunlight of raindrops, and she was the glue that held everyone together.
Her death wasn’t a surprise to those who read Jenny Han’s books, nor was it a shock to anyone who had been paying attention to teasers and trailers, but we have been lucky enough to get moments with Susannah in flashbacks, and we have a feeling we’ve not seen the last of her yet. The truth is, there are many things season two will bring us that we’ve only seen in glimpses so far, and from a soundtrack that’s bringing us to tears to moments that are shattering our hearts and putting them back together.
One way in which our hearts have been tied back together is by the trip Belly and Conrad took to the beach house for the chance to experience snow on the beach. The scene in the books was so important to fans that Jenny Han knew it had to make the series, and it did so in ways I wasn’t prepared for — in fact, I don’t think any of us were.
That Belly/Conrad moment is serving serious Romeo & Juliet vibes
Belly and Conrad going to the beach was the perfect scene for many reasons; one is that it was taken directly from the books, even more brilliantly than any of us could have imagined. There was magic in Conrad drinking out of his The Simpsons mug, a warm sense of comedy in him saying Belly’s specialty hot cocoa was “dusty,” and an authentic sense of urgency in that this was the first time they were truly alone in the home that allowed them to fall in love with one another.
Conrad reached out and touched Belly’s cheek but pulled back, almost scared that he might ruin the moment somehow. Belly was happy to be in his presence, to be near him, and then the most beautiful thing happened: snow on the beach. When they got back inside, a warm fire was there to warm them up, and they found solace in one another — and something else too.
Belly wanted everything with Conrad, and while the scene in the book stopped at kissing, the series took things a step further; the song as Belly and Conrad shared their most magnificent moment is giving us Romeo and Juliet vibes. Just as Belly and Conrad realize the importance of what lies before them, Romeo and Juliet lock eyes, and we couldn’t watch The Summer I Turned Pretty without thinking of that scene.
RueSpeaks describes it perfectly; it was a big moment for us and lovers of romance and larger-than-life belonging to one another everywhere. It was something Shakespearean in magnitude; almost otherworldly.
If you’ve never seen that version of Romeo and Juliet, we recommend canceling your plans and watching it this evening (or you could watch it for the umpteenth time if you already have), but no matter what, we love the way Jenny Han takes characters who could be written off as silly young adults and gives them a connection to a love that is transformative in nature, all-encompassing as it ebbs and flows.
Conrad gave us Mr. Darcy vibes
Speaking of larger-than-life love, we had to go back and watch this scene (not that it was a chore or anything) after we saw this TikTok video. Conrad giving us Darcy vibes is just everything a bibliophile could want, and I, for one, had to catch my breath once I saw this. I am very much Team Conrad, so much so that I ranted about it at a Fourth of July get-together, and in all of these little moments, I’m reminded that Team Conrad stays winning.
He’s also serving Joe Burrow
As a major Cincinnati Bengals fan, I saw this TikTok, and it stopped me in my tracks; I, too, saw Conrad’s “romantic and wet” hair and thought of Headband Joe, but I chalked it up to being a little bit like Belly after a few pomegranate margaritas.
Seeing this TikTok solidified a few things for me: first things first — Team Conrad stays winning. Second, Joe Burrow is coming up in casual conversation more often (as he deserves), and third — boys with wet hair really are romantic. Thanks, Jenny Han!
This scene, in all of its special glory
As we said above, this memorable scene meant a lot to those of us who have been fans of the story since we read them so many years ago. In rereading them, we recognized it immediately, and as we eagerly anticipated season two, this was the moment we most hoped for. Belly and Conrad sitting together in the beach house, waiting for snow on the beach, falling more in love than even they could have imagined — and the way he grazes her cheek with his hand, be still our beating hearts. It’s the delicate way that he looks at Belly, seeing her as a treasure, and the world would be a better place with more Conrads in it!
Of course, it wasn’t all butterflies and laughter; many tears were shed in the first few episodes, many…many tears.
We’ve got big emotions, okay?
We knew it was coming, but nothing could have prepared us for how this scene played out. Belly was begging Conrad to say something; all the while, he was praying she’d stop talking altogether. She was breaking things off, calling it quits, and while there’s a piece of his story that has yet to unfold on television that we won’t spoil for you here, the other part of what was happening was that Conrad was afraid again, scared that his mom’s cancer was soon to take her life.
He didn’t know what capacity for love he could give Belly, but he didn’t want it to end. In the same breath, however, he didn’t want her to keep holding on if he kept hurting her.
See what we mean? His voice cracked, and our hearts broke.
There are so many scenes in the three-episode premiere that completely gutted us, but even more that gave pause and opened our eyes to the realization that Susannah was right, Belly can keep the magic of the summer house alive, and she’s got the perfect people in her circle to do it. The magic Susannah left behind has found a home in all of them, and as they discover it within themselves, it’ll change everything.
You can catch up with the three-episode premiere of The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime Video now, and as soon as you’re done, we’ve got a seat for you over here on Team Conrad!
