The Summer I Turned Pretty is a book series by Jenny Han that later became a film adaptation streamed on Prime Video. The first season was released on June 17, 2022, and the second on July 14, 2023. The main character, Belly, took a journey to discover herself in the show. Along this journey she found herself caught in a love triangle with two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher, whom she had grown up with. Belly had to determine who would be the best love interest for her. If I were in Belly’s shoes the answer would be clear; I would choose Conrad. 

The history between Conrad and Belly is unmatched. Throughout the series, we see various flashbacks showing the dynamic of their relationship in their youth.

For instance, Conrad gifted Belly on her birthday an infinity symbol necklace. The symbol dates back to their childhood when Conrad explained the significance of it to Belly. The gift represented the deep love and never-ending connection they bore for each other. Despite the challenges they faced they always found a way to unite due to their infinite connection.

The love Conrad holds for Belly is authentic. He always wants the best for Belly even if the consequence of it is getting hurt himself. Conrad was asking Jeremiah for approval to confess his love for Belly because he was aware that Jeremiah had feelings for her as well. In a scene of the show, he said “My chest physically hurts to not be able to tell her that I’m in love with her”, showcasing the compassion and empathy he as for Jeremiah. This further proves that Conrad was not only in love with Belly, but that he also valued his relationship with his brother. 

On the other hand, Jeremiah acts out of jealousy and anger when striving for his desires. There were many moments Conrad and Belly shared romantically. On the sidelines, Jeremiah was attempting to sabotage their romantic interactions. This demonstrates that Jeremiah held resentment and only cared for what benefited him. Jeremiah did not take into account what Belly wanted, nor what was best for her happiness. With this deep jealousy and anger, it makes me wonder if Jeremiah truly loved Belly or saw it as a competition with his older brother, Conrad. If Belly and Jeremiah were to become romantic, I would guess that their relationship wouldn’t be built on trust and wouldn’t be best for Belly long-term. Rather, the relationship would end in both getting hurt. 

While in the first season, it seemed as though Conrad was emotionally withdrawn, this was later explained to his knowledge that his mother, Susannah, had cancer for the second time. We find that this was most likely her last summer alive. Conrad wasn’t supposed to find out, but had overheard a conversation with between his mother and Belly’s mother, Laurel. Regardless of the tragic news, Conrad cared for Belly. He repeatedly showed up for her and came to her rescue. This was especially seen in the last episode of season one, where Jeremiah was Belly’s escort for a formal dance they were all attending. Jeremiah doesn’t show to accompany Belly for the big dance they had rehearsed for weeks, so Conrad, with no warning, quickly steps up to be there for her. 

When Jeremiah finally had a shot with Belly in season two, he didn’t think twice of how it might affect Conrad, who at this point of the show was Belly’s ex. I think this crosses a ton of boundaries. Jeremiah consistently had been trying to seek out romance with Belly after his brother dated her. He then approached the situation recklessly with no compassion towards his brother. This can be seen numerous times, for example, when Jeremiah kissed Belly in a parked car while waiting for Conrad to return from an exam taken at a college he attended. In my opinion, this shows that he didn’t care who he hurt, as long as he got his desires. Because of this selfishness, I don’t believe that he should start a serious relationship with someone who is both his brother’s ex and a friend he’s known all his childhood. With this lack of thinking, I find Jeremiah immature and unfit to be with Belly. Therefore, Conrad is the best match for Belly.

Jeremiah and Conrad have been struggling to prove to Belly that one brother is better for her than the other.  This is a continuous debate between fans and has everyone split: Team Jere or Team Conrad. I am definitely on Team Jere.

At the beginning of the first season, Belly had a massive crush on Conrad, who was very withdrawn. He was quick to push Belly away, even when she was just trying to be supportive of him and understand what he was going through. To me, he seemed cruel, even if he was struggling. Throughout the season, he gives her mixed signals and also leads her on multiple times while being with Nicole. To be fair, he flaunted in Nicole’s face multiple times, when Belly only had good intentions. 

Later, Jeremiah is finally given a chance with Belly, then in a matter of minutes, loses her to Conrad after just finding out that his mother’s cancer has returned. What Conrad did at the debutante ball was kind, stepping in for Belly, but he shouldn’t have gotten with her the next day. In my opinion, Jeremiah wasn’t given a fair chance.

In the second season, we see that Belly and Conrad are together briefly until Conrad begins withdrawing from Belly again, and loses her at prom. This is a common theme with Conrad, he’s constantly riding a high or a low, which is shown many times throughout both seasons to be a torturous cycle for Belly. It can be difficult to hold strong, healthy relationships with people who don’t know how to control and regulate their own emotions. Belly and Conrad have a history, and for a short time, they made each other happy, but a relationship with Conrad wasn’t realistic long-term. 

During this time, Belly, admittedly, was so focused on being supportive of Conrad that she forgot about Jeremiah, which understandably hurt him, even if it was just on a friend level. Even though Jeremiah was hurt and frustrated with Belly, he was able to put those feelings aside to support her as well as work to get their mother’s home back. This is when Jeremiah’s thoughts are revealed, and it becomes clear that he was waiting patiently for his chance with Belly from the beginning. He allowed her and Conrad to have time together because he knew that they had so much history.

In the second season, it’s also shown that Jeremiah had always paid attention to Belly, knowing all of her favorite flavored drinks, movies, and other things that show how important she always was to him, something mutual between the both. Even if Conrad was her choice when she was younger, maybe she’s starting to see the two brothers differently as she’s grown older. Not to mention, Jeremiah’s naturally optimistic and friendly personality, beautiful eyes, and reliability, I think he would be the only choice for Belly.