Is The Summer I Turned Pretty Uni-Student Worthy? | By Lim Zhen Ping
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| by @zp0904 |
Disclaimer: This review looks at The Summer I Turned Pretty through a uni student’s lens. While the series now has three full seasons, most of the examples here come from season one, not because the later seasons aren’t worth watching, but because, personally, I think season one works almost as a standalone story with its own open-ended resolution. Don’t worry: there are no major spoilers ahead, just themes, vibes, and why it may (or may not) resonate with university life.
The Skeptic’s Eye Roll
Let’s be honest, not many of us opened Netflix this week thinking, “What I really need right now is a pastel-filter teen romance.” At the same time, you might have probably scrolled past it a dozen times already—the beach scenes, the love triangle memes, the Taylor Swift soundtrack. And yet, maybe it’s worth a second look.
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| Opening title from The Summer I Turned Pretty |
It’s a fair question. With essays piling up, deadlines haunting our dreams, and club activities demanding our attention, who has time for a teen summer romance? But here’s the twist: maybe this show isn’t just for high school nostalgia junkies. Maybe it hits closer to home for uni students than we’d expect.
So, is it actually “uni-student worthy”? Let’s put it through the test.
The Uni-Student Test
Time Investment
One of the biggest questions uni students ask before committing to a show: “Can I actually fit this into my life without tanking my GPA?”
Pass: The Summer I Turned Pretty isn’t a monster franchise with eight seasons and spin-offs. Season one is a breezy seven episodes, each under an hour. If you’re the type who likes to binge over a weekend (or during “study breaks”), this is absolutely doable. Perfect for low-commitment viewing. Easy to finish in a week (or even in one dangerously addictive night) without feeling like you’ve signed your soul away.
Fail: To me, the pacing for some of the episodes drags a little, and you might be tempted to give up before the story actually takes off. It’s one of those shows where you need to push through the slow burn before it pays off emotionally.
Relatability Factor
This is where the show punches above its weight. It includes themes like:
- Growing Pains: Belly doesn’t magically “turn pretty” overnight; her transformation is a metaphor for the awkward in-between of adolescence and adulthood. That’s something uni students know intimately, trying to outgrow old versions of yourself while fumbling into new ones. One character even says, “Give yourself the chance to discover all the possible versions of you.” Isn’t that exactly what uni feels like switching majors, testing identities, stumbling into adulthood?
Scene from The Summer I Turned Pretty - Messy Relationships: It’s not just about romance. The show dives into messy, overlapping dynamics between friends, family, and lovers. Each character is carrying their own baggage, from insecurities to the pressure to live up to expectations, and those struggles spill into their relationships in ways that feel painfully real. For instance, Conrad’s panic attacks, and Laurel, Belly’s mother, reassuring him, “You don’t have to hold everything in all the time. You don’t always have to be strong,” capture how young adults struggle with vulnerability. Nicole delivers one of the most brutal truths: “Oh please, you didn’t hurt me. You wasted my time. There’s a difference.” Anyone who’s ever had a toxic friendship, a situationship, or even a flaky groupmate knows the sting of wasted time.
Scenes from The Summer I Turned Pretty - Identity Struggles: Steven, Belly’s brother, dates Shayla, who comes from a wealthier background. He clearly cares about her, but he also wrestles with insecurity: is he “enough” for her when their worlds look so different? That tension mirrors what many uni students feel when navigating relationships across social, financial, or cultural lines. It’s not just about love. It’s about the fear of being seen as less than. Identity struggles aren’t just “teen angst.” They’re the same dilemmas uni students face when choosing majors that satisfy parents vs. passions, juggling multiple “selves” in friend groups, or questioning whether they belong in certain spaces.
Scene from The Summer I Turned Pretty
Relatable? More than you’d expect from a pastel-filter YA drama.
Romance Appeal
At first glance, The Summer I Turned Pretty seems like just another love triangle—Team Conrad vs Team Jeremiah. But if you look closer, it’s not simply about picking between two boys. It’s about the choices we face in love, in identity, and even in the direction of our lives.
Take Cam, for example, a love interest in season one. He’s the cozy campfire: steady, kind, the sort of warmth that feels safe on a cold night. But as Belly realizes, sometimes a campfire isn’t enough. The same way Laurel, her mother, didn’t feel much for John, her ex-husband (despite him being a perfectly good man), Belly doesn’t feel much for Cam.
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| Scene from The Summer I Turned Pretty |
That tension between safety and intensity is something uni students know well. Do you stick with the safe path: a predictable career, a stable relationship, a comfortable routine? Or do you take the riskier choice: the passion project, the intimidating new connection, the uncertain leap?
Laurel herself frames it best when Belly asks how you know if it’s the right person: “You’ll know when you want to be with that person no matter what. Too hot, too safe—you won’t care. You’ll just feel right.” It’s not about checking boxes, but about finding the kind of love (or path) that feels worth it. Messy flaws, risks, and all. And that’s a lesson that transcends teen drama.
Vibes / Aesthetic
Pass: If there’s one thing this series nailed, it’s the atmosphere. Think: golden-hour sunsets, beach bonfires, wistful summer nights, and a soundtrack that feels like someone raided your “late-night feels” playlist. Taylor Swift is basically the emotional backbone of the series, but it also sprinkles in Olivia Rodrigo and indie tracks that could double as background music for your next study session. It’s pure escapism. The soft lighting, coastal visuals, and curated soundtrack create the perfect mood board for when uni life feels like endless fluorescent-lit classrooms.
Fail: Of course, it is a fantasy. The beach houses are borderline mansion-level, the characters are impossibly photogenic, and the summer looks nothing like a semester stuck in Subang traffic. For some, that disconnect makes it feel too polished, like scrolling through an influencer’s Instagram feed instead of living in reality.
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| Scene from The Summer I Turned Pretty |
Final Verdict
Time Investment: 6/10
Relatability: 7/10
Romance Appeal: 7/10
Vibes: 7/10
Academic Productivity: 2/10 (do not binge this before deadlines)
Overall: 7/10
So, yes. The Summer I Turned Pretty is uni-student worthy. Not because it mirrors our exact lives (it doesn’t), but because it captures the universal turbulence of growing up: the yearning, the heartbreak, the identity shifts, the choices between safe and risky.
If you only watch season one, it works as a neat standalone with an open ending. But if you dive into seasons two and three, the emotional depth sharpens. Either way, it’s comfort viewing with enough substance to resonate long after the credits roll.
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| Behind the scenes from The Summer I Turned Pretty |
If You Liked These, You Might Like The Summer I Turned Pretty
K-Dramas: Twenty-Five Twenty-One (youth, yearning, heartbreak) or Start-Up (safe vs risky love triangle).
Coming-of-age films: Lady Bird or Booksmart (messy but honest takes on identity).
YA series: Never Have I Ever (awkward growing pains) or Heartstopper (gentle exploration of love and identity).
Vibe-driven dramas: Normal People (intimate, bittersweet) or Euphoria (aesthetic-heavy, if you want angstier vibes).
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