Diksha Sundriyal
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 1 follows the story of Belly Conklin who navigates the complications of having a love life. She is in love with Conrad, but when he seems entirely disinterested in her, she turns her attention toward the people who actually show some affection for her. This leads to a love triangle that further complicates the matters for her. One of the important things about the show is that it restricts the story to one time and place, making the characters more desperate to confess their love before the season is over. It adds an urgency to the story which eventually makes it more enjoyable. Here is everything you should know about the setting of the romance show.
When Does The Summer I Turned Pretty Take Place?
Tracing the ups and downs of a sixteen-year-old girl’s love life, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ is set in 2022 and takes place over the course of one summer. Originally, the story was set in and around 2009, which is when the first book in the series, on which the show is based, was published. Back then, Han created a love story that would resonate with the teenagers of that time. In the book, there is no use of social media. Texting is used sparsely, and the teens have to wait for each other’s calls by the common phone in the house. But that was a long time ago.
When adapting the book for the TV series, Han knew how important it would be to update not just the stories and characters, but also the means of their communication to the current times. It is impossible to imagine teens nowadays without their phones and social media. Texting, Face-timing, posting stuff, and scrolling through profiles of other people on Instagram are an important part of any teenager’s life, especially when it comes to romance. The show makes use of these things as potent plot devices that not only drive Belly’s love story but also have an impact on the lives of the adults.
Where Does The Summer I Turned Pretty Take Place?
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ takes place in Cousins Beach, North Carolina. Belly lives with her mother Laurel and brother Steven in Boston. Every year, they drive down to North Carolina to spend the summer at the beach house of Laurel’s best friend, Susannah. Belly loves summer and counts it as the most important part of her year. She has been visiting the place since she was little, and it is also the only time when she gets to see Susannah’s sons, Conrad and Jeremiah.
Cousins Beach plays an important part in the story as it becomes a pivotal point for the characters who don’t see each other for the rest of the year. While it is not a real place, it does draw inspiration from the beaches that author Jenny Han spent time in during her own young years. To keep the North Carolina spirit in the show, the filming took place in Wilmington, North Carolina. The show not only replicates the key locations in the book but also expands the view of Cousins Beach for the audience by adding new locations. So, you might be familiar with the beach, the swimming pool, and the drive-in theatre from the books. But places like the bookstore, the marina, and the Country Club are new additions that give more depth and space to the story.
Read More: Where is The Summer I Turned Pretty Filmed?
