How The Summer I Turned Pretty’s love triangle became the season’s most popular cross-generational romance

Since its television premiere in 2022, The Summer I Turned Pretty had all the makings of a summer-ready romance. Two brothers: the older; melancholic, self-sabotaging young man with big dreams whose father sees his own reflection in and the younger: the blonde-haired, blue-eyed frat boy who lets life lead the way and decisions follow. Between them, a young girl who gravitates in their shared orbit; in some part due to the adoration their mother showered on her as hopefully, future family. The secondary characters: her loveable yet annoying tech bro older brother, her straight-shooter of a best friend who is irrevocably in love with said brother and her divorced parents who are on-again and off-again without their children knowing any better. The background: A fictional beach town where the two families spent their blended childhood summers celebrating landmark birthday dinners and Independence Day pool parties in a dreamy Cape Cod-esque home, creating memories and fortifying bonds that intertwine them well into young adulthood.

The storyline; though a tad predictable and often elongated, captured the attention of the internet since it first arrived on television three years go. In the summer of 2025 however, The Summer I Turned Pretty reached the peak of its popularity with its final season being rolled out weekly. Social media users proceeded to collectively discuss the twists and turns as each episode arrived; almost as a reminder of the days when cable TV shows followed the same format; where an extended storyline could stretch for months. 

Ahead of the series finale releasing today, the crux of the penultimate season has left viewers hooked. Pushing Belly’s lifelong connections with the Fisher brothers to its very limit; it begs many questions. Is a broken wedding, minutes before walking the aisle, enough to forever destroy her bond with Jeremiah? Will the piece of her heart that Conrad eternally resides in, be enough to consume her fully? Will her whirlwind Parisian relationship with Benito; a surprise character added to her chaotic love story, be the one for her? Or ultimately, will Belly pick her ambitions, choices, career and ultimately put herself first?

With questions like these, it’s unsurprising why the internet is in a tizzy, which isn’t confined to a particular age group. While the Conklin and Fisher kids are in their early 20s, that hasn’t stopped viewers in their 30s, 40s and 50s from following the show and Belly’s love story, like clockwork every week. While numerous TV shows and movies with similar premises; like My Life With The Walter Boys, Anyone But You and Sierra Burgess Is A Loser, were positively received by the audience, none has a devout fanbase quite like those who follow the shenanigans at Cousins beach.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is based on Jenny Han’s novel trilogy, which released between 2009 and 2011. This was nearly a decade before its television adaptation, when millennials themselves were experiencing the trials and tribulations of their own 20s, making the novels a success. Which is why the familiar names and connections between the friends and family at Cousins found a natural fanbase in viewers well-past their 20s, who tuned in to find out how the plot and characters played out on television, compared to the visuals they created in their minds when reading the books. Another bolster for the post-Gen Z fanbase was how effortless the notion of a love triangle felt for those who reached adulthood in the 80s, 90s and early aughts. Notably; Falcon Crest in the 80s, Friends in the early 90s followed by Dawson’s Creek in the latter half of the decade, Gilmore Girls of the 00s left their impact on Gen X and Y. Even Archie Comics, with the famed triangle between Archie, Veronica and Reggie, first released decades before television. Add a weekly roll-out of episodes to the mix that keeps viewers tuned in for months rather than the length of a movie, and you’ve got a winning formula that The Summer I Turned Pretty turned into a global revolution where even celebrities today have picked between Team Jeremiah and Team Conrad.

The reasons for The Summer I Turned Pretty’s popularity are many and evidently, enough to unify generations; making this television series not just a hit, but a pop culture staple for many years, and memes, in the future.