In the lead-up to the season 3 premiere of Prime Video’s YA hitThe Summer I Turned Pretty, the show’s official X account posted a warning to fans about bullying and harassment.The Summer I Turned Pretty’s third and final season will reunite viewers with Belly (Lola Tung), Conrad (Christopher Briney), and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), as Belly’s complicated love life is turned upside down one last time.
Many YA romance shows enjoy avid fanbases, as their younger-skewing audiences tend to spend more time on social media, creating reels, discussion posts, and TikTok edits to celebrate their favorite characters and “ships.” While many fans simply want to share their enthusiasm online, some have taken to directly harassing and bullying other fans as well as the show’s cast and crew throughout seasons 1 and 2.
Anticipating the return of this behavior,The Summer I Turned Pretty’s social media accounts reminded fans of what the show is all about.“Cousins is our safe space. Everything good, everything magical. Let’s keep the conversation kind this summer.“The account also wrote that it has a"ZERO tolerance policy"for bullying, hate speech, and doxxing, and that anyone engaging in that type of behavior will be banned.
What This Means For The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3
The Summer I Turned Prettyhas dealt with this kind of toxic online behavior before. Creator Jenny Han, who wrote the books the show is based on, took to Instagram in the wake of season 2 to publicly proclaim her support for Elsie Fisher, who joinedThe Summer I Turned Pretty’s sophomore season as Jeremiah and Conrad’s non-binary cousin, Skye.
Han wrote,“The Summer I Turned Pretty community is one of inclusivity. The hurtful comments directed at the cast are not in the spirit of the show. Please be mindful of what you’re putting out there and of who is seeing it”(viaUS Weekly).
Skye’s character was not included in the original novels, and some fans were angered by their inclusion,spamming Fisher’s social media accounts, commenting on their looks, and purposefully misgendering them and their character.
Other cast members have also received negative online attention, with the show’s leading performers being threatened when something happened in the show that didn’t match what fans were expecting or wasn’t in the books. Star Lola Tung spoke out about this in a recent interview withTeen Vogue, admitting:
“It starts to get very overwhelming sometimes. There are so many people giving their opinions about you, and it can sort of mess with your head. My mind feels a lot clearer when I don’t have social media on my phone.”
Tung also echoedThe Summer I Turned Pretty’s anti-bullying social media post, saying:
“When people have an attachment to the characters, they want to see it come together at the end. I’m so grateful that they care so much, but people get a little scary about it. Please don’t threaten to kill someone if something doesn’t go your way — I promise you, it’s not that serious. Jenny [Han] is so smart and she cares so much about the story and making it the best story that it can be. It will be okay.”
Our Take On The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3
Some Scenes Will Be Different From The Books
At the center ofThe Summer I Turned Prettyis a love triangle, and love triangles famously and understandably split fanbases right down the middle. People take sides and react emotionally when something doesn’t go as they want it to. That doesn’t excuse this type of anti-social behavior, of course, but it’s sadly not surprising thatThe Summer I Turned Prettyhas fallen victim to it as well.
InThe Summer I Turned Prettyseason 3, Belly has been in a relationship with Jeremiah for a few years; her feelings for Conrad have been left in the past (or so she believes). With Conrad tucked safely away in another state, she’s been able to move on from her first love, but will old feelings resurface when he waltzes back into her life, just as she’s planning to marry his younger brother?
Jenny Han has previously hinted that book readers will be surprisedby a few key moments in the show. It’s even been suggested that the ending will not be one they expect. How will the show’s most fervent fans react to these changes? That remains to be seen asThe Summer I Turned Prettyseason 3 continues on Prime Video.
The Summer I Turned Prettyseason 3’s first two episodes are now available on Prime Video. New episodes will drop weekly on Wednesdays until September 17.
