Diksha Sundriyal
Based on the book of the same name, ’The Summer I Turned Pretty’ follows the love life of a young girl named Belly. Every summer, she travels to Cousins Beach, where she spends the vacation with the family of her mother’s friend, Susannah. Over the years, she develops a strong bond with Susannah and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been in love with Conrad since forever, but he hasn’t really paid attention to her that way. On the brink of sixteen, Belly hopes that things will change now. She hopes she will not be seen as a child anymore.
Her wish comes true when not only Conrad but Jeremiah also sees her in a different light. Both brothers share a special relationship with her and want it to go further. This forces Belly to make an impossible choice, which is where all the drama of the story comes from. While Conrad is the quieter one, Jeremiah is more lively and flamboyant. Like every other teen around him, he indulges in flings and casual affairs. The show stays close to the portrayal of his character in the book, but there is one key aspect that it changes about him. Here’s what you should know about Jeremiah’s sexuality.
Is Jeremiah Bisexual?
Yes, Jeremiah Fisher is bisexual in the TV adaptation of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’. In the book, we see Jeremiah as a fun and friendly person. Unlike his brother, Conrad, he is not closed off about his feelings and often says what he means. He is also very flirtatious and can charm his way into anyone’s heart. His personality translates to the screen, where we often see him at parties having a good time. While in the book, his name is associated only with girls, in the show, he is more open-minded about it.
The first time we discover Jeremiah’s interest in more than one gender is at the club where he and Steven are working for the summer. While telling Steven about the people he has fooled around with, he points at a few girls as well as a few boys. Later, we see him at a party where he flirts with a boy and they kiss. The book doesn’t show any such interactions, which means that this change in Jeremiah is limited only to the adaptation.
Despite the fluidity of his sexuality, Jeremiah is, at his core, the same person readers met in the book. While talking to Variety, author Jenny Han explained the reason behind the changes that were made while bringing the story from book to screen. It was about “updating the novel for contemporary audiences”. Re-telling the story almost a decade-and-a-half later allowed the writers to incorporate the elements relevant to current times.
“To me, the essence of the character is still the same,” Han said. “It’s just, how would I write this person in 2022 versus how I wrote them 13 years ago?” The essence of Jeremiah’s character is his easygoing nature as well as his relationship with Belly. Both stay the same in the show. So, no matter how many flings he has, if you are Team Jeremiah, then you should know that his heart will always be with Belly.
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