Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty is a captivating look at love in all of its forms, from the giddy first romances that we always hold space for, to the friendships that feel more like they’re part of our family and help shape us into who we are. Cousins Beach is the perfect backdrop for the most magical love stories to unfold, and does so in a way that seems almost fairytale-esque.
Fans were first introduced to the Conklin and Fisher families in Han’s book trilogy in 2009, which also included It’s Not Summer Without You, and We’ll Always Have Summer. The stories focused on Belly and her journey through love, self-discovery, heartache, and healing — but they also shared glimpses into the lives of Steven, Laurel, Susannah, Conrad, and Jeremiah — and the summer boys and girls who traveled to Cousins Beach for warm summer days.
Of course, the summer days and nights wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the Fisher family, as the home they retreated to each season was Susannah’s home, a place she created for them to find safety and solace and to build new memories within. While most would have looked at the beautiful structure and seen nothing more than a beach house, it was home for Susannah, Laurel, and their families.
Susannah and Laurel have been friends since they were nine years old, and while their bond in the television series is next level, there’s a quote in the books that sums it up in a way that focuses on the brilliance of what they created. Something that reminds us all of childhood as we read it.
“My mother was the only one who called her Beck. They’d known each other since they were nine – blood sisters; they called each other. And they had the scars to prove it – identical marks on their wrists that looked like hearts.”
Blood sisters, the type of undying oath you pledge to a friend when you’re young and unaware of everything you’ll face together. Or better yet, when you’re young, and you know the bond you’re creating is strong enough to face anything that might dare stand in its way. Laurel and Susannah had it, they had it then, and they still have it now — the world they’ve created for themselves and their kids is the place that holds the magic, and while it’s truly in bloom during the summer season, it’s enough to keep them warm forever.
Speaking of forever, it’s that type of friendship that Susannah and Laurel have, sharing some of the most beautiful moments together — and some of the most heart-wrenching. Fans of the series know that Susannah has battled breast cancer and beat the disease, only to have it come back before their big summer together. Laurel knew about the diagnosis and Susannah’s decision not to move forward with treatment this time, but she still thought there was a window to convince her friend to change her mind.
The two stole moments to have conversations about her diagnosis in private, or instead, Laurel stole moments to bring it up — but Susannah was less interested in those talks. She wanted to have the last best summer of their lives together if it was to be that way. She wanted to see Belly in a beautiful white dress, making her debut into society, and paint portraits of the kids so that they had something to hold on to if her physical presence were to end soon. She wanted to celebrate her favorite holiday together and to live in the moments, quiet and routine, with the people she treasured most.
What Susannah and Laurel didn’t know is that Conrad also knew about his mom’s secret, and it was tearing him apart inside. Both women noticed the changes in Conrad but wrote it off as something to do with a recent breakup. He tried to mask the pain he was feeling, but as Laurel knew — imagining a life without Susannah felt impossible.
Of course, for all of their beautiful and profound moments together — we also see a lot of heartaches too, and moments where they know just what to say to hurt one another, trying to lend the painful blow before the other one does. Even in adult friendships, there are moments when we don’t always think before we act, letting impulse and the primal desire to protect ourselves take over. Laurel and Susannah may have experienced a lot of life together, but their friendship wasn’t some fairytale fantasy; they both knew what was coming and call it a fear of the unknown or an inability to consider what life might look like when summer ended — there were a few times they took the opportunity to say awful things to each other.
Boys may come and go, but a best friend is once in a lifetime
Of course, with a friendship as deep as theirs, the hurt didn’t last long, and the apologies were both spoken and unspoken — you see — when you know someone better than you know yourself, you understand that words aren’t always necessary. Sometimes it’s a hug, a drink, a pan of brownies, or a movie night; the conversation about why isn’t always necessary.
There’s a silent fear between them; what would life look like if Susannah doesn’t get better? Laurel is very much a planner, someone who likes things to make sense; she doesn’t leave much room for magic — in fact, she tells Susannah she doesn’t believe in it. Things make sense to her fundamentally, but she’s having a hard time grasping why her best friend…her blood sister, won’t fight again.
For Susannah, magic is real — there’s a particular window of space and time where everything works out in her favor. She speaks almost poetically, reminding us all how easy it is to find beauty if we slow down enough to pay attention to it. She believes in the good of the world, and more than that, she believes in her family and the love they’ve built. It’s the only promise she has left, the place she knows her kids will continue to thrive in — the safety she plans to leave them with when she goes.
While we see Susannah and Laurel experience many firsts together during their magical summer, we also see them longing for the past. They go to a bar and act like young adults again; they bake, have drinks, and watch their favorite movies together. They enjoy traditions with one another as they try to build new ones; it’s a slow summer, something beautiful and almost untouchable, but it’s also a season they’re trying to pack as full as possible, building enough new memories to get Laurel through all of the years she may face without her.
Susannah and Laurel have never really known a life without each other. They met when they were kids, and their most formative memories all involve the other. Susannah ebbs where Laurel flows and vice versa; they’re like soul mates in friendship form, and the idea of a next realm of existence for either of them seems unfathomable without the other by their side.
It’s in the moments they look at one another, speaking without ever saying a word to the conversations that keep them up at night. It’s in how they root for one another in good times and bad, championing each other when one needs it most. They’re each other’s person, and the bond they share is magic — it’s not Cousin’s Beach, it’s not the home they live in; it’s the space that exists when they greet one another.
We need to hold tight to our friendships because we never know what the future will hold
As the magical summer draws to a close, secrets can’t be kept any longer, and everyone finds out about Susannah’s diagnosis. It’s one of the most heartbreaking moments in recent television history. Everyone realizes the weight Susannah and Laurel have been carrying, and it’s soon discovered that Conrad was doing the same thing, too — trying to keep a secret to make life better for everyone around him.
Susannah promises her children that she’ll go through with a new clinical trial, and as she tells Laurel the news, they embrace in the hug they’d both been so desperately waiting for — the one that felt like it was gluing their broken pieces back together. There’s something special about having a best friend, something even more wonderful about that best friend becoming family, and it’s impossible to imagine your life without them.
That fear, if just for a moment, leaves the room as the women embrace, with Laurel reminding Susannah that she doesn’t believe in magic but that she believes in her.
It’s that note, that statement, those four words that remind us all how important it is not just to treasure our friends but to fall wildly in love with them. Life is more beautiful when you’re surrounded by love, and it doesn’t always have to have a romantic connotation; in fact — platonic love can be the most magnificent. Susannah and Laurel are the true love story of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and it’s a beautiful one.
So while it’s fun to watch the romantic love stories, the hidden infinity necklace, and the kisses shared under the sun — it’s genuinely enchanting to watch the real love story as Susannah and Laurel soak in every moment together, preparing for the next chapter and hopefully plenty more after that.
