‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’: Team Conrad, Jeremiah, or Cam?

The Summer I Turned Pretty is becoming the watch of the season, and for good reason.

The Prime Video adaptation of the first book in Jenny Han’s Summer trilogy tells a story of friendship, the complex dynamics between children and parents, and crucially, summer crushes. The seven-episode season follows 16-year-old Belly Conklin’s (Lola Tung) search for love on her annual trip to (the fictional) Cousins Beach. Every year from June to August, she and her mom stay with family friend Susannah Fisher (Rachel Blanchard) and her two teenage boys, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). But this year, everything’s changed.

Belly’s had a lifelong crush on Conrad, and it seems he’s finally looking at her the same way. Wait — but so is his brother, Jer. And, uh, so is another random cutie from Belly’s childhood, Cameron (David Iacono). That’s right, Belly’s juggling crushes on three boys, all of whom have their pros and cons.

As we anxiously await The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2, it’s time to decide who you really ship with Bels. Are you firmly Team Conrad despite his recent brooding — and at times rude — ‘tude? Are you Team Jeremiah even though he’s goofy and at times immature? Or are you Team Cam even though Belly technically called things off with him before the season ended? To help you figure out where your loyalties lie, we present a comprehensive pro and con list. (You’re welcome.)

Conrad “Conny” Fisher

Pros:

• Cute as hell. Great hair.
• Taylor Swift songs frequently playing whenever he’s around. Always a plus.
• Has mastered the art of sitting pensively on a beach
• Doesn’t smoke when Belly asks him not to, and he instead tucks the joint behind his ear. Swoon!
• Is good at surfing, sailing, and volleyball
• Has A+ chemistry with Belly and is good at flirting when he wants to be
• Taught her to dance when she was a kid and bought her a meaningful infinity necklace
• Boops her stuffed bear, Junior Mint, on the nose in private. Major points.
• Steps up to help his mom when he realizes she’s sick again
• Swoops in to save Belly at the Deb Ball and still remember all of the dances

Cons:

• Says “I liked you better with glasses” when he first sees her after a year
• Spends the majority of the season giving parents hell
• Is rude as heck and closed off since he quit football and broke up with his girlfriend
• Largely ignores Belly at the bonfire, then calls her a brat
• In his smoke pot, get drunk, start fights like Ryan Atwood Era
• Suggests he and the boys crash Belly’s date. Not cool, bro.
• Absolutely drops the ball on Belly’s birthday. (Yes, even though he bought the necklace.)
• Famously only wants Belly when she’s taken
• Pretends they didn’t almost kiss that one time, then kisses her even though he knows her brother’s into her. (Again, not cool!)

Jeremiah “Jer” Fisher

Pros:

• Cute as hell. The bluest eyes you ever did see.
• Has the winning Fisher brother personality. He’s sociable, outgoing, goofy, and emotionally available!
• Always invites Belly to hang out and does his best to make her feel comfortable
• Makes his brother “hangover smoothies”
• Has a job as a lifeguard
• Is excited to see Belly at the bonfire
• Always respects the moms
• Has a slew of adorable nicknames for Belly (including “Belly Button,” “Bells,” and “my future wife”)
• Gives her a good luck charm to help her pass her driving test, and even takes her for lessons in his car
• They share an iconic first kiss in the pool
• He escorts Belly to Deb Ball and absolutely nails the all guys dance

Cons:

• Flirts with everyone
• Doesn’t know what a sundress is. (I’m sorry, but this was annoying.)
• Is sometimes rude to Cam!
• Can be jealous and immature at times, like when he made gagging noises at the table after Belly and Cam kissed or shot off a firework to interrupt Belly and Conrad’s almost kiss
• Also famously wants Belly when she’s taken
• Ditches Deb Ball after finding out his mom is sick — which is understandable — but then he makes a whole damn scene and fights his brother on the dance floor

Cam “Cameron”

Pros:

• Cute as hell. Adorably shy and awkward.
• Remembers everything about Belly from seventh grade, including her poem
• Is always polite and respectful
• Talks to her when she’s alone at the bonfire and offers his hoodie when she’s cold
• Doesn’t drink or smoke and is a vegetarian who cares about global warming
• Acknowledges Deb Ball is “steeped in the patriarchy,” but excitedly shares that Elizabeth Warren attended last year’s fundraiser
• Wakes up early to intern on a whale watching boat
• Tells belly he never wants her to be wistful
• Invites her to a drive-in movie to see Sabrina. A+ date.
• Says stuff like, “There are so many inexplicable things about the ocean. I want to be able to explain some of them.”
• Wants to be Belly’s escort to the Deb Ball when no one else does
• Packs sandwiches and Fruit Roll-Ups for their beach date
• Takes the breakup like a champ and wishes Belly the best

Cons:

• Ditches Belly when she gets drunk at her birthday party
• Is almost too nice — like so agreeable that he occasionally borders on boring

The Crush Consensus

As you can see, Belly has quite the decision on her hands. Conrad gets points for being the OG crush — something no one can ever take away from him. His appeal is clear and he cares for Belly, but he’s got some serious issues to work out. Teenage me probably would have been Team Conrad in a heartbeat, but 29-year-old me knows he needs to clean his act up and mature a bit before Belly gets involved. Perhaps he’ll go off to college and return as Conrad 2.0. Then we can talk. Meanwhile, his brother, Jeremiah, who gives off a combo of puppy dog and living angel would make a great boyfriend. He’s fun, considerate, and not afraid to get deep. He could also use some maturing, though, and he needs to work on controlling impulsive behavior. The only boy who seems mature beyond his years here is Cam. The list doesn’t lie — so far we’ve seen very few cons. He should be the logical choice, but this is a teen romance, and even though Cam makes great husband material, I get that he might not make the most exciting teen boyfriend material.

My consensus? Team Jeremiah now. Team Conrad in a past life — and maybe a future one if he makes some positive changes. Team Cam from afar forever. But I’m also pro-them reuniting 15 years down the line.