The Summer I Turned Pretty, a tv show by Jenny Han and Gabrielle Stanton, has recently become a sensation, dividing the public into two camps: Team Conrad Fisher and Team Jeremiah Fisher.
The trilogy, adapted into a television series on Amazon Prime in 2022, demonstrates the excitement of a love triangle. Despite the fame of the series, the love triangle between the Fisher brothers and Belly Conklin wasn’t the first in pop culture. Her Campus brings TV shows and books with more love triangles that have captivated and polarized audiences.
Twilight (2008–2012):
Based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, the film tells the story of Bella Swan, a 17-year-old girl who moves to Forks, Washington, to live with her father. There, she meets Edward Cullen, a vampire with whom she falls in love and begins a romance.
The love triangle begins in the second book of the series, New Moon. In the second film, Edward Cullen distances himself from Bella to protect her. Meanwhile, Jacob Black, a werewolf and Bella’s childhood best friend, approaches her. Bella begins to feel torn between her two romantic interests.
The drama continues in the next two films, in which Bella must choose between her childhood friend, who offers her safe, natural love, and the mysterious vampire, who stirs up intense feelings in her.
Made of Hornor (2008)
The romantic comedy Made of Honor tells the story of two best friends who are complete opposites. Tom is a womanizer with no intention of getting married, while Hannah is a born romantic who dreams of finding her “Prince Charming.” While Hannah is traveling in Scotland, Tom realizes that he is in love with the woman who has always been by his side. However, his plans to confess his feelings upon her return are thwarted when she announces her engagement to a charming, gentlemanly Scotsman. His situation worsens when she asks him to be the maid of honor at her wedding.
Throughout the film, Tom is on a mission to show Hannah that he is the right man for her. The film entertains the audience and shows that the love of our lives may be right by our side.
Challengers (2024)
“Challengers” is a sports drama about three tennis players: Tashi, Art, and Patrick.
After suffering an injury during a match, Tashi, a former prodigy, now coaches her husband, Art, who is going through his worst phase in tennis. She suggests that he play in the Challengers competition, in which his former best friend and ex-boyfriend, Patrick, will also be playing. Tashi has enormous difficulty showing her love for her husband, unlike what happens with sport.
The three protagonists harbor hurt feelings, resentment, and their problems. The film is not a romance to watch on a Sunday when you just want to relax and envy the girl you love, but rather a profound, multi-layered film that makes us think about how someone can get to taste victory.
The plot uses flashbacks to reveal how the love triangle led to a troubled marriage and the loss of their best friend. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, Challengers uses sports as a metaphor to explore themes of power, desire, and competition within a love triangle.
One True Loves (2016)
Taylor Jenkins’ novel tells the story of Emma and Jesse, who met in high school and immediately felt a connection. A few years later, they moved from Massachusetts to California to start a life together. On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse disappeared during a helicopter trip and was presumed dead. Devastated, Emma returned to her hometown, determined to rebuild her life and overcome the loss of her beloved. There, she reconnects with her longtime friend, Sam. After picking herself up and overcoming her husband’s death, Emma became engaged to Sam. The drama begins when Jesse reappears, alive and looking for his wife. Emma finds herself torn between her “deceased” husband and her fiancé.
The book aims to demonstrate Emma’s indecision and explore how women deal with grief, pain, and healing. It questions whether there is only one true love or if we can love two people deeply at different times in our lives. The book was adapted for the cinema in 2023, reaching a wider audience and further dividing opinions on who Emma should spend the rest of her life with.
My life with the Walter boys (2023)
The plot of the teen novel My Life with the Walter Boys is very similar to that of The Summer I Turned Pretty, both involving a love triangle with two brothers.
After losing her parents in a tragic accident, Jackie Howard, a teenager from Manhattan, moves to Silver Falls, a small town in Colorado, where she goes to live with her adoptive parents, the Walter couple, and their ten siblings.
The girl becomes involved in an intense love triangle with Cole Walter, a former high school football star, and Alex Walter, a nerdy scholar.
The two brothers, opposites of each other, represent the stereotype of the good guy, Alex, and the bad influence, Cole.
The series was released in 2023 by Netflix and is based on the novel of the same name by Ali Novak. With the sequel confirmed, the audience can only wait and hope that the young woman chooses her beloved.
The notebook (2004)
We couldn’t leave this classic off our list. “The Notebook,” a romance directed by Nick Cassavetes, was inspired by Nicholas Sparks’s book of the same name. The film tells the story of two young people from different social classes who fall deeply in love, Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun . Despite their strong connection, their parents disapprove of the relationship, and World War II separates them. Years later, Allie is engaged to a wealthy, charming lawyer, Lon Hammond, whom her family approves of. However, when she sees a photo of Noah in a newspaper next to the house he promised to build her, she decides to visit him. As Allie faces the choice between the safe, comfortable, and gentle love of the wealthy lawyer and the great passion with Noah, the romance and love triangle unfold. Although insecure, risky, and troubled, Noah’s love makes her heart race.
Although not as successful at the time, the film is currently one of the greatest examples of romance in pop culture.
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The article above was edited by Beatriz Gatz.
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