The Summer Everyone Was Obsessed With a Teen Show! What Makes ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ So Appealing to All Age Groups?
The popularity of TSITP before was nothing close to what it is now. It drove the few fans it had to have heated debates on who is right and who is wrong, but in its third and final season, Jenny Han’s creation has truly captured the world, with people across continents throwing watch parties, crying together and fighting for their ships like their life depends on it.
It is 2022, Amazon Prime Video has released 7 episodes of this chill teen drama that not many people are talking about. You look at the poster, and move on. Come 2023, you are bored and decide to actually watch some chill non-sense teen drama to get through life. That is how I discovered The Summer I Turned Pretty. Just a few days before the second season dropped, I was engulfed into the show instantly and could not stop talking about it since. But the popularity of The Summer I Turned Pretty then was nothing close to what it is now. It drove the few fans it had to have heated debates on who is right and who is wrong, but in its third and final season, Jenny Han’s creation has truly captured the world, with people across continents throwing watch parties, crying together and fighting for their ships like their life depends on it. While those who are in The Summer I Turned Pretty fandom what they love about it, those who are not, are left with one question - Why is everyone obsessed with The Summer I Turned Pretty? Well, here is a considerably objective look from a superfan.
The Early 2000s Aesthetics
Movies and shows have been evolving and the aesthetics we see in them have also evolved. The 2020s has been all about the pop of colours and trends that are bold and loud. However, The Summer I Turned Pretty, since its first season, has brought with it shades of pastels and calming warm tones that are reminiscent of the early 2000s. From the styling of the main cast, to the beach house itself, the aesthetics of The Summer I Turned Pretty is very early 2000s, reminding a lot of millennials of simpler times.
The Classic Tropes
Every 2000s romance movie was filled with tropes that brought us comfort. The Summer I Turned Pretty brings most of those tropes back. It is, at its crux, a love triangle with two brothers (very reminiscent of The Vampire Diaries), but it also gives us hints of first love romances, second chances in relationships and friends to lovers tropes - making this show perfect for anyone who craves for a cliched yet enjoyable drama.
Men Written by Women
The idea of a man, who will cook for you, clean the dishes, and then silently leave the food for you with cute notes is a woman’s dream. And Jenny Han turns that into reality with The Summer I Turned Pretty. While all the characters have charms and quirks about them, the characters of Conrad Fisher and Steven Conklin in particular have a few classic traits that are only found in men who are written by women. They are caring, thoughtful and do not want to boast about the acts of service they end up performing.
The Music
There are very few shows that manage to get the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Radiohead and even niche artists like Royal Otis and Sufjan Stevens into one show. But Prime Video manages to do that with perfection. Every impactful scene in the show is backed by powerful music, including specially produced versions of Taylor Swift songs that are immensely popular. The use of music in this show once again makes it more impactful and also takes people back to the time of classics, making it a perfect choice for people of all age groups.
The Classics Referenced
A teen show is usually known to have elements that mostly teens can relate to. However, The Summer I Turned Pretty offers something for everyone. Whether it is Conrad and his love for The Lord of The Rings, the fact that the kids all get together and watch classic movies like The Apartment, It Happened One Night and Sabrina or the odes to classic 2000s romance like The Notebook, the show is full of references that excite people of all ages.
The Emotions
The last reason that it is a show that resonates with not just the teen audience is probably the way that it handles grief - with care and empathy. Grief is an integral theme in The Summer I Turned Pretty and the show does a lot of justice to capturing mental health challenges like panic attacks, anxiety, depression and the trauma of loss in general. The nuances that the show holds on to, right from season 1, gives it a more refined taste, something that a lot of other teen dramas and even adult-focused dramas fail to capture.
Watch Trailer Video of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 3:
The Summer I Turned Pretty has managed to do something that most people struggle with, create a show that is engaging, intriguing and infuriating, which offers something for every type of person. Whether you are here to watch some teenagers fall in and out of love or merely want to witness the beautiful adult friendships that has been the essence of the show or are here to finally understand why your social media has been flooding with Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah fan wars - this show will manage to make a place in your heart nonetheless.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 26, 2025 12:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).