A series of “boos” filled the Great Room when the loathed Jeremiah Fisher from “The Summer I Turned Pretty” appeared on the TV. The show’s third season was finally here, and I had never felt so united with my fellow cherubs.
During previous summers, my idea of a “TSITP” watch party consisted of me alone in the comfort of my bed, accompanied by a huge candy salad bowl.
This time, however, I was watching with about 70 other teens. And it couldn’t have been any better.
You would’ve thought we were watching the Super Bowl, the way we erupted in cheers and applause every time Belly and Conrad shared a moment on screen. At one point, I swear the room shook.
Passing around communal packs of Oreos and Goldfish, we cried out in agony when yet another character cheated on a partner, and groaned every time a T-Mobile ad interrupted a scene. Even my friends who hadn’t watched the show before told me they felt invested.
It didn’t matter that we all came from different places. That night, we were one. We all felt Belly’s heartbreak, laughed at the characters’ cringy lines and engaged in fierce battles over Team Jeremiah or Team Conrad. (Let’s be real though, we know who’s the better brother.)
Post-cherubs, I’ll unfortunately have to return to my solo watch parties. But I’ll never forget the screaming laughter coming from the Great Room that Wednesday night.
To quote a line from the books the show was based on, “It was a summer I’d never, ever forget.”
