The first two episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 dropped on July 16, and they are already full of drama to discuss with fellow fans. Since this is the final season of the show, we can probably expect an emotional roller coaster to finally bring us out of the love triangle that put viewers through some serious heartbreak over the past three years.
The show picks up four years after the end of season 2, nearing the end of Belly and Jeremiah’s undergrad experience, and, to the relief of half of the fandom, the couple is still going strong. Fans remember how Belly became Jeremiah’s rock as he grieved the loss of his mom, but is that the only experience keeping the couple together?
Meanwhile, Belly’s first love, Conrad, who is also Jeremiah’s brother (yikes!), is in the trenches of medical school. He’s been out of sight, out of mind for a while, but fans are still wondering: is the connection between Belly and Conrad truly over?
If you or your teenager were team Conrad in previous seasons, the famous words, “I release you Conrad…I evict you from my heart,” from season 2 are still ringing in your ears and piercing your hearts with sorrow for their breakup. But, if you were team Jeremiah, you’re probably desperate for Conrad to move on so Belly can have her happily ever after.
The opening scene of season 3 makes viewers feel like things are too good to be true between Jeremiah and Belly, but team Jeremiah has no reason to give up yet! As we know, good things don’t always last in teenage romance series, but there is always a glimmer of hope.
Explaining The Summer I Turned Pretty age rating
The series is rated TV14 for “violence, substance use, alcohol use, smoking, foul language, and sexual content”, according to the Prime Video description. This rating implies that the show is appropriate for teens fourteen and over, which season 3 seems to prove so far.
Sex & Nudity: Even with just two episodes available, there are a fair number of scenes involving sex. Viewers see couples with just their underclothes, but there is no nudity. Much is left to the imagination, but sex is a big topic of discussion for the main characters.
Violence: Jeremiah and Belly have their first argument of the season within the first two episodes, but there is nothing violent in nature. If you’ve read the trilogy, you know there is nothing too dark or violent looming for the future of the season. In episode 2, one of the characters gets in a severe car accident, but the actual collision is not shown.
Language: The young adult characters in this series don’t shy away from profanity. You will hear a variety of colorful words, including the a-word, s-word, d*ck, dumba**, and the f-word. Older teenagers in the home can probably handle this, but it may not be your preference for a younger audience.
Drinking & Drugs: Alcohol and smoking are seen in a couple of scenes briefly, but you don’t see the substance abuse and addiction in this series that you might see in other shows geared toward teens.
Overall Verdict
The TV14 rating is fair for The Summer I Turned Pretty. The show is definitely less heavy on young adult issues that occur in shows like 13 Reasons Why and Tell Me Lies, which both earned stricter ratings. The Summer I Turned Pretty focuses mainly on first love drama instead and leaves space for teens to consider their approach to romantic relationships, grief, and figuring out what life will look like after high school.
Speaking of lessons: fans beware! According to Entertainment Weekly, author Jenny Han stated that, “there are things that aren’t exactly like the books”. Expect some plot twists and reimagined lessons to come out of this gut-wrenching love story.
This statement comes as a fair warning to fans, but the show itself also issued a PSA on Instagram this week, telling fans to “keep the conversation kind this summer” as they consider posting thoughts or criticism about the love triangle.
You’ll probably easily get roped into watching this show with your teen, but if nothing else, you will enjoy the soundtrack of familiar hits from artists like SZA, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Rowland & Nelly, and Ariana Grande.
New episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty will release on Prime Video on Wednesdays, with the series finale happening in mid-September.
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