With the release of the new The Summer I Turned Pretty trailer, the shocking clashes between Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah fans return. Needless to say, I’m Team Conrad (the only right choice).Â
Everyone is allowed to have an opinion, but if you’re Team Jeremiah, you clearly have the wrong one. I do believe Belly may be the problem in the show, with the way she flip-flops between brothers as she pleases, however, Conrad is definitely the better choice for her. According to the books and show, Jeremiah didn’t really consider Belly a potential love interest until it was clear that Conrad had feelings for her, indicating that a relationship with Belly isn’t really what he wants, but rather what he feels he needs because his brother wanted her first. This is further exemplified by Jeremiah throwing a firework at Belly and Conrad during the first season of the show, as they were about to kiss.
However, Jeremiah had no problem when Belly and Cam Cameron were dating and kissing. He only demonstrated his distaste with Belly being with another man when that other man was his older brother, depicting some underlying insecurities that come with being the younger brother.Â
Furthermore, it’s very clear from the beginning of the show and books that Conrad is who Belly likes. She has always considered Conrad the only boy she’s in love with. Jeremiah basically came out of nowhere, only because she “glowed up,” and his brother wanted her. Conrad has also loved Belly from the beginning, as depicted by the flashback scenes in the show, where Conrad wins a teddy bear for Belly, teaches her how to dance, and teaches her the meaning of infinity, symbolizing the importance this will bring to their relationship.Â
Many Team Jeremiah fans argue that Conrad didn’t treat Belly well, especially during the prom scenes, when they break up. In actuality, Belly is the one who broke up with Conrad when he was grieving the fact that his mother was about to die from cancer. Many will say that Jeremiah was also impacted by this tragic event, but never treated Belly badly. Firstly, Jeremiah and Belly weren’t together at the time, so who knows how he may have acted towards her if they were. The only fault Conrad had during this period was that he was being distant and forgot Belly’s corsage at prom, which he still showed up for, even though his mother was literally dying. I think we can forgive him for being distant when he was going through something so tragic, and despite it all, still managed to show up for his girlfriend.Â
However, many people on social media believe that Jenny Han would change the endgame in the books from Conrad and Belly to Jeremiah and Belly. First, she’s literally the author of the books; she created the endgame, so why would she change it in the show? Second, the teaser itself indicates that Belly and Conrad will still be endgame in the show. There are so many scenes of Jeremiah and Belly in the teaser, and only one scene of Belly and Conrad at the end, which was pulled directly from the books.
In the text, Belly opens the door to find Conrad standing there, and she mentions how her heart gets stuck in her chest, the same way it did before she started dating Jeremiah. This is clearly shown in the two-second clip that Conrad and Belly had together, where they have more chemistry than the Jeremiah and Belly scenes from the other forty seconds.
The songs used in this trailer are also significant. The Jeremiah and Belly scenes use Taylor Swift’s song, “Daylight,” but it abruptly ends before the famous line, “I once believed love would be (black and white), but it’s golden (golden).” The song “Red” by Taylor Swift is also played when Belly opens the door for Conrad. This goes back to when Belly once mentioned how she couldn’t be with someone who didn’t give her fireworks, and Conrad clearly still gives her fireworks, even as she’s in a relationship with Jeremiah. Jeremiah, on the other hand, just throws fireworks at the girl he likes.
Ultimately, I believe that Conrad is the right choice for Belly and that they’re endgame, regardless of all of the Jeremiah fans who are delusional enough to believe that the endgame would be changed in the show.