“The Summer I Turned Pretty” is a popular book trilogy by author Jenny Han that was adapted into a show with two current seasons and a third season to be released in the summer of 2024 or 2025. The books can be checked out from a library, including the school library, and purchased or rented online as paper copies, e-books, and in most bookstores. The movie series is available with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
The books are classified in the young adult and romance genres while the show is classified as romance, drama, and a coming-of-age story. While both are the same storyline, genres are classified differently from books to movies.
There are many aspects to love about both the books and the show. The books give more detail and background information that helps to understand reasoning for some of the characters’ actions and get to know the characters better. While the books are good in that aspect, the show, in season one specifically, presents with an interesting aspect of slowly learning the characters’ perspectives throughout every episode.
Both the books and the show try to teach you not to take what you already have for granted whether it’s with romantic or family relationships. This message is very effective by showing that sometimes what you already had could, in the end, be what you truly needed all along. It’s also effective by showing that you never know how long the people you love and care for might be in your lives, so it’s important to make the most of that time while you have it.
One of Hans’ other book trilogies is called “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” I have not read the whole series but have watched the movie adaptations. This series is very similar to “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” but in my opinion, at least based on the movies, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” is better. The main character in “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” seems better as a person overall but I do like both series.
While there are parts I don’t like about both, I do think they are hits. The books are worth reading; it just might be a hit or miss on whether you yourself like it or not.
The main three actors in the movie are Lola Tung who plays Isabel ‘Belly’ Conklin, Gavin Casalegno who plays Jeremiah Fisher, and Christopher Briney who plays Conrad Fisher. Han is very successful writing other books such as the “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy and helping with making both into cinematic adaptations as well as a show called “X.O. Kitty” starring a side character, Katherine ‘Kitty’ Song Covey, in “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
The books are decent overall but more worth checking out or renting than buying. There are things about the show that aren’t my favorite but I definitely think it’s worth watching even for other relationships and storylines than the main one.
