Every summer sparks the same debate. For the past few years, fans have been split between who Belly should choose in “The Summer I Turned Pretty”: Team Jelly or Team Bonrad? There’s obviously only one right answer. I’ve been Team Conrad since I picked up Jenny Han’s first book four years ago, and the series finale confirmed that Conrad has always been the one.
The trilogy, and later TV adaptation, is a coming-of-age beach vacation love story centering on a love triangle between Belly and the Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah. From her very first summer at Cousins Beach to the moment she realized she could never picture her future wedding without him there, Belly only ever truly loved Conrad.
To start with the obvious: Jeremiah’s entire perception of love for Belly stemmed from his competitive streak with his brother. While he might’ve cared about her as a friend, marrying her was always a matter of winning for him. Jeremiah tried to force Belly to choose him after admitting that he knew she still loved Conrad. Jeremiah only ever put himself first, even setting off a firework when she and Conrad nearly kissed earlier in the series. That isn’t romantic, it’s reckless.
Jeremiah also wasn’t mature. He couldn’t graduate from college on time because he forgot to check his emails, but had no problem checking his email for his flight to Cabo for a frat party trip, where he cheated on Belly. Worse, he rushed into marrying Belly after cheating on her, hoping to lock things down before she realized he wasn’t right for her. And unlike Samiah says, the “we were on a break” excuse doesn’t fly when it happened two days after their breakup, and he never even thought to bring it up after they got back together. Furthermore, he was in no position to support a marriage, but refused to admit it, insisting on buying a seven hundred dollar chocolate mirror glaze cake instead of being realistic about what they could afford. By the time of the wedding, Jeremiah and Belly were both only clinging to the illusion of love, not the real thing.
Conrad, on the other hand, always noticed the little details for Belly. He remembered her favorite candy was Sour Patch when Jeremiah couldn’t be bothered to care. He taught her about infinity, alluding to their never-ending connection. He showed up for her during the volleyball fundraiser, taking it seriously when Jeremiah wouldn’t because Conrad knew it mattered to her.
No matter what their relationship status was, Conrad always put Belly’s happiness above all else. Samiah’s argument that Conrad was dragging her down with him when he was depressed is simply untrue, as he purposefully tried to push her away so that she could be happy with someone else, namely Cam, but Belly kept pushing to be with Conrad. Later on, while she was engaged to Jeremiah years later, he secretly reached out to Belly’s mom to ensure she would attend Belly’s wedding, knowing how much it meant to her and how much it would hurt him. Time after time, Conrad prioritized Belly’s needs and wants over his own.
Not to mention, Conrad couldn’t get over her after FOUR years of not being with her. Even if Jeremiah thought they were broken up, he couldn’t last two days before moving on. Conrad’s heartfelt speech in the finale wasn’t a lie; it was the years of love pent up, finally expressed. Even Belly subconsciously couldn’t get over Conrad after years of trying to stay away.
Conrad’s love was patient, selfless and infinite; everything Jeremiah’s wasn’t. How can you be for Jeremiah when Belly herself is not even Team Jelly?
