As summer ends, so does Amazon Prime’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” (TSITP), with a finale that resolved the love triangle at its core.

According to IMDB, the Amazon Prime hit had 25 million global viewers in its first week of season three, a 40% viewership increase from last season and is the most-watched Amazon show for women aged 18-34. 

The popularity stems from a variety of elements, the book series by Jenny Han, to the vault of Taylor Swift songs and the social media frenzy each episode stirred up. Yet only one element was indisputable: viewers were either Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah.

That’s right, a teenage love triangle did it again. Like “Twilight,” “The Notebook,” and all the tropes that have come before it, TSITP split viewers down the middle and left them pleading for the female lead to choose the right man.

All of Belly Conklin’s life, she was madly in love with Conrad Fisher, the brooding, conflicting older brother. Then came Jeremiah Fisher, the flirtatious younger brother, who wasn’t scared to express his feelings for Belly.

Because of this, Belly spends years torn between the safety of Jeremiah’s affection and her long-time feelings for Conrad. 

The final episode brought the long-awaited answer. After ending her engagement to Jeremiah, Conrad reunited with Belly in Paris, where the two confessed their feelings and sealed the series’ conclusion with a happily-ever-after.

And that’s precisely the way it should’ve ended. 

From the moment Conrad first appeared on screen to Swift’s “Lover,” it was clear he was always Belly’s first true love, and that he felt the same, even before the summer she “turned pretty.” It was evident that Jeremiah only wanted Belly out of spite towards his older brother. 

Down to the finale episode, it’s reiterated that Jeremiah was jealous of his father’s obsession with Conrad being “the golden child.” Because of this, he tried to attain everything Conrad had, including his relationship and feelings with Belly.

 The infamous firework scene said it all; Jeremiah wanted to win a rivalry, not love.

Season three was a tough watch; four years of watching Conrad sacrifice his own happiness so Belly and Jeremiah could play house. After therapy, distance and silence, Conrad did everything he could, all just to protect her. 

He embodied the definition of someone who deserves the girl he loves.

So, when Belly and Conrad finally got the alone time the fans were waiting for this season, we slowly saw the cracks in her heart widen for Conrad. 

From “The Notebook” cinematic parallels, to the peach scene and then the bathtub “almost-kiss,” it became evident to her that Jeremiah’s love for her was always a distraction from her feelings towards Conrad. 

Jeremiah and Belly’s relationship only worked when Conrad wasn’t present. The second he was in the room, Belly unraveled, lied to Jeremiah about seeing him, hid her feelings, and even dismissed Susannah’s letter on her wedding day, because she knew, deep down, it wouldn’t happen.

Then, Han threw fans for a loop with the final episodes of this season, sending Belly on a year-long escape to Paris. But even then, Conrad was never far.

He sent her letters, care packages and the infinity necklace he first gave her for her 16th birthday; a reminder of their endless bond.

“Doesn’t he know, for him, I would’ve traveled endlessly around those curves?” Belly said about Conrad and the necklace back in season one. This line came full circle in the finale. 

Within twelve hours of Conrad showing up at her doorstep in Paris, the two finally caved to their love. And in classic Belly fashion, she almost fumbled him again, but true love doesn’t let go that easily.

“I have brown hair and brown eyes, and I will always love Conrad Fisher,” Belly said, as the chorus of “Out of the Woods” by Taylor Swift sent cheers of joy worldwide to “Bonrad” fans. 

The series ended like every true love story should: Belly chased Conrad through a train station, catching him just before he left. The final montage showed the couple at the beach house, preparing for a future together, infinite, just like it was always meant to be.

Conrad fans knew deep down that Belly wouldn’t steer away from him. Han left fans worried, making them think that Belly would choose herself at the end. Thankfully, Han stuck to the book’s narrative and pleased the majority. 

Clues sprinkled throughout the season made it clear this was always the conclusion. Han incorporated many easter eggs and symbols to indicate the couple was meant to be all along. 

The season’s trailer set the tone with two Swift tracks: “Daylight” over Jeremiah’s scenes and “Red” over Conrad’s. “Daylight” is about moving on from a toxic love into something calm and steady; an echo of Jeremiah’s safe, loyal affection. “Red” is about a passionate, unforgettable, intense, and lasting love like Conrad’s. The trailer cuts “Daylight” before the lyric “but it’s golden,” a signal that Jeremiah was never the golden endgame.

That same message carried into Belly’s wardrobe as she often wore red around Conrad. Even the beach house’s signature blue hydrangeas occasionally featured red ones as the season went on, indicating that Belly’s burning love for Conrad was seeping in.

The first of Swift’s songs to appear in the third season was “You’re Losing Me,” which played after Belly found out Jeremiah slept with another girl. The song features a fading heartbeat, which represents falling out of love with someone. 

We didn’t hear another Swift song until episode seven with “False God,” when Belly almost kissed Conrad. What was key to this scene was that a heartbeat could be heard, meaning Belly’s heart was finally beating again, but this time for Conrad. 

One of the promotional posters for this season was a replica of the 1954 movie, “Sabrina,” which, if fans recall, was the movie Belly saw at the drive-in during season one. Like the plot of TSITP, Sabrina pines for two brothers, and on the poster, the brother she chooses is to her left. On TSITP’s poster, Conrad is to the left of Belly. 

One of the clearest symbols that Belly and Conrad were always endgame came through the show’s deliberate parallels to “The Notebook.” Just like Allie, Belly was caught between two men.

Conrad is seen standing in front of the restaurant after Belly and Jeremiah announced their engagement, echoing Noah’s iconic stance in front of the house he built for Allie amid her engagement to another man.

While Noah poured himself into building a dream home, Conrad constantly repaired the Fisher house for Belly’s wedding. Both were straining themselves to please the women they were yearning for.

The heartbreaking beach scene mirrored Allie and Noah’s famous moment in the rain, filled with tension and unspoken longing. The bathtub “almost-kiss” carried the same bittersweet ache, showing how close Belly and Conrad were to falling back into each other, even when everything around them tried to pull them apart.

These cinematic parallels weren’t random; they were Han’s way of telling viewers that Belly and Conrad’s story was meant to replicate one of the greatest love stories of modern romance. 

Altogether, the symbols, the songs, and even the posters left little doubt that this was always Conrad’s story.

“If there are infinite worlds, every version of me chooses you, in every one of them,” Belly said when confessing her love to Conrad in the season finale.

The truth is, I could go on and on about why Belly and Conrad were meant to be. It pains me knowing that my mouth won’t drop when I hear a strategically placed Swift song, or my feed will no longer be full of “Bonrad” edits.

After three seasons, you can either be Team Conrad or accept the loss and still be Team Jeremiah, but one truth is undeniable: Conrad and Belly were always infinite.