There’s something remarkable about the power of a book. A captivating story offers an escape from reality, a chance to live vicariously through a fictional character’s feats and hardships. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” trilogy, written by Jenny Han, transports young readers to Isabel (Belly) Conklin’s annual summer beach vacation at Cousin’s Beach. In “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “It’s Not Summer Without You” and “We’ll Always Have Summer,” readers swim along Belly’s voyage of friendship, heartbreak, and overall the universal experience of simply being a teenager. 

The beloved book series is now hitting the big screen with a June 17 debut, and it will be fascinating to see how the real-life characters compare to the individuals imagined from words in bold print. Expectations are high due to the success of the iconic “To all The Boys I loved before” movie chain additionally based on another renowned book series written by Han. 

Han wrote the pilot for the series, and is fulfilling the role of the co-showrunner alongside Gabrielle Stanton, known for her behind-the-scenes efforts on “The Flash.” The show will be available to be streamed on Amazon Prime Video and consists of eight episodes featuring love triangles and plot twists alike. 

Since the novels originally targeted the general audience of middle schoolers, their television counterpart will spark feelings of nostalgia for viewers. Now, TSITP chronicles can be enjoyed by audience members across various age groups, considering it will appeal to both young newcomers and sentimental fans. This cinematic experience is arriving at the perfect point in time since summer is right around the corner. The stakes are high for the show, which has massive shoes to fill. The series is bound to prove yet again that “It’s not Summer without” these admirable characters.