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The Summer I Turned Pretty sparks debate over which brother, Conrad or Jeremiah is ultimately better for Belly. Both have had sweet moments with her and fans are divided on whose side they’re on.

Love triangles are one of the most familiar romance tropes that have divided fans and caused them to choose one love interest over the other. Many people struggle with choosing which side they’re on, as each love interest has their benefits as well as their detriments. 

But Jenny Han, the author of The Summer I Turned Pretty (TSITP), further enhances this trope by making the two love interests brothers rather than two different people. This close relationship between both brothers and the main character, Isabel “Belly” Conklin, makes it difficult for fans to choose because each brother has specific moments with her. Recently, her books have been adapted into a TV series—aired on Prime Video—that has swept the media as many fans of the show are divided between the two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah. 

The first season of the show follows Belly as she spends the summer at Cousins Beach, the place she’s been to every summer since she was little, with the Fisher family. Throughout the show, she navigates through relationships and new experiences.

As the second season of TSITP just aired this past summer, many fans were thrown into disarray at the show’s tendency to make it extremely difficult for fans to choose which side they’re on as Belly experiences special moments with both Conrad and Jeremiah, touching fans’ hearts.

Many fans are still adamant as to which team they’re on. Since the beginning of the show, many fans have rooted for Conrad and Belly since they’ve had a long history and experienced many moments together. 

“The connection between Conrad and Belly is a lot stronger than Jeremiah and Belly. I feel like he understands her better,” junior Jacob Kim said. 

On the other hand, many fans are on Team Jeremiah. In the show, Jeremiah contrasts Conrad’s mysteriousness with his lightheartedness and this particular personality trait leads to some sweet moments between him and Belly.

“I think [Jeremiah] treats Belly better than Conrad. He is more vulnerable,” sophomore Jane Tan said. “They’ve been friends for a long time. So I feel like she’s always happy with him.”

However, the good qualities always come with the not-so-good qualities. Since both brothers are dealing with the grief of their mother passing, their responses differ and affect their attitudes towards Belly. 

Throughout the show, Conrad is often seen trying to work out his feelings, and this leads to miscommunication between the pair. Many viewers feel as though Conrad’s behavior and how he has dealt with the grief of his mother has hindered his relationship with Belly.

“I also feel like Conrad right now is going through a lot and is emotionally unavailable. He needs to work on himself before he gets into a relationship,” sophomore Kayla Huizar said.

Despite Jeremiah being an option for Belly, he is often seen as Belly’s best friend that wants more. Fans of Team Conrad suspect that Jeremiah only made the move to pursue Belly out of jealousy rather than genuine feelings.

“Jeremiah was always the [younger] one and thought that by taking Belly he could seem like he was the one that was on top,” Kim said. 

The reason why everyone is so torn between the two sides is because both brothers treat Belly well at times, and not so well at other times. It’s hard to weigh the pros and cons of both brothers and people just wish they could have both. 

“You want both of them,” ASL teacher Mrs. Natalie Cooney said. “Everyone wants a person who’s a bit of both Conrad and Jeremiah. Everyone wants the dark and mysterious, but at the same time fun and loving.”