Every summer comes with its arguments: beach vs. pool, iced coffee vs. lemonade–but this summer’s fiercest debate has been about two fictional brothers: Jeremiah vs. Conrad. When Season 3 of the television series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” premiered on July 16th, fans immediately took sides.
The love triangle at the center of Jenny Han’s story has always been messy, but Season 3 made the rivalry feel more intense than ever. The series follows Isabel (Belly) Conklin, torn between two brothers – Conrad, the older, quieter one, and Jeremiah, the easygoing, younger one. What begins as a childhood crush turns into a complicated romantic entanglement as Belly’s relationship with both brothers deepens each summer. Online, fans are split pretty evenly. But at PDS, it doesn’t seem like much of a debate; everyone I talked to was firmly Team Conrad.
College Counselor Ms. Angela Wang explained her position: “I’m team Conrad, obviously, because I think in a sense he knows Belly better than she does. He is sensitive and in tune with her feelings. He takes care of her in a way Jeremiah doesn’t, and they can grow together. Whereas in the case of Jeremiah, Belly is almost mothering him. I don’t know about Belly, but I definitely don’t want to date a manchild.”
Sharing a similar view, Upper School Spanish teacher Señora Natasha Chity-Guevara expressed, “Jeremiah cheated, while Conrad played the long game. Additionally, Belly has always loved Conrad; she loved him first.” Señora Chity-Guevara also said she had “mixed emotions” about the weekly release schedule but enjoyed “talking to people in between episodes and seeing the TikTok edits.”
Sophomore Aditi Nagarkatte added, “Susannah and Laurel all wanted her to be with Conrad, and that pushed the audience to like Conrad more. Also, Conrad liked her before she got pretty.”
Although for PDS the answer appears apparent, for many, Season 3 didn’t resolve the debate. With the upcoming movie on the way, maybe we’ll finally get a clear answer to the question that’s been tearing the fans apart. As Señora Chity-Guevara threatened: “If Belly doesn’t end up with Conrad, everyone will get F’s on their next test.”
