6 Shows Like The Summer I Turned Pretty to Watch if You Like The Summer I Turned Pretty

There's something wonderfully nostalgic about The Summer I Turned Pretty, so we get it if you're feeling the end-of-summer blues knowing that the Season 2 finale is the last episode of the Amazon Prime Video hit we'll get for a while. Based on Jenny Han's bestselling YA novels, the romantic teen drama stars Lola Tung as Isabel "Belly" Conklin, who returns to Cousins Beach to spend the warm summer months in the idyllic seaside town. Except this time, things are different. As Belly turns 16, she finds herself at the center of an angst-filled love triangle with her childhood friends, Fisher brothers Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), both of whom show interest in being more than just BFFs. Like all good summer flings, The Summer I Turned Pretty is chock full of romance, heartbreak, and, you guessed it, major teen broodiness. 

Coupled with an impeccable soundtrack (hello Taylor Swift!), The Summer I Turned Pretty deftly captures the highs and lows of first loves and last goodbyes, with sprinkles of family drama to keep things real and grounded. If you're looking for something new (or old) to fill that Summer I Turned Pretty void while you wait for Season 3 to arrive, check out these worthy coming-of-age shows that will transport you back to those dreamlike summertime feels. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty Amazon

More recommendations:

• The Best Shows to Watch on Amazon Prime Video Right Now
• The Best Movies to Watch on Amazon Prime Video Right Now
• The Best TV Shows to Watch Based on Ones You Already Love
• The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3: Everything We Know

Outer Banks

If Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah had treasure to find and a conspiracy to get to the bottom of, it would probably look a little like Outer Banks. Set in a beachside town in North Carolina, the Netflix drama centers on a group of working-class teens called the Pogues (the have-nots) led by Chase Stokes' ringleader John B. They embark on a dangerous mission to find his MIA father only to learn that the treasure they're also looking for is somehow connected to the mystery. Adding to their headache is the existence of the Kooks, aka Outer Banks' wealthy elite (the haves), whose main drive is to make the Pogues' lives a total nightmare. Heightening the stakes is the constant threat of death; several major characters fall victim over the course of the show, with the most game-changing ones coming at the end of Season 3. (We won't spoil it for you here!) If messy relationship drama, an intriguing mystery, and good-looking teens with perfect tans who are almost always exclusively in bikinis and board shorts are your jam, then Outer Banks is a must-watch.

XO, Kitty                    

Not ready to leave the Jenny Han universe just yet? Look no further than XO, Kitty, Netflix's TV spinoff of the To All the Boys I've Loved Beforemovies that had everyone wishing for a love story like Peter and Lara Jean. This time, Lara Jean's younger sister, Kitty (Anna Cathcart), takes center stage as she goes off on her own adventure halfway across the world to Seoul, South Korea. What begins as an innocent trip to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, Dae (Choi Min-young), turns into something much deeper and more meaningful after she enrolls at the same school as her late mother, appropriately acronymed KISS. Though she endures a few embarrassing moments, Kitty's world is soon expanded – literally and figuratively – as she explores her identity and sexuality, and begins to find her individual path. XO, Kitty has all the ingredients that should entice Summer I Turned Pretty fans: a requisite love triangle between Kitty, Dae, and privileged-playboy-with-a-heart-of-gold Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee), Kitty's ride-or-die friendship with fellow classmate Q (Anthony Keyvan), and a compelling enemies-to-potential-lovers twist that will leave you wishing Season 2 was just around the corner.

Dawson's Creek

No list of shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty would be complete without Dawson's Creek. Back before Instagram and TikTok took up space in teenage brains, this not-so-little show on The WB was appointment television. Set in the fictional beachside town of Capeside, a close-knit group of friends dealt with the trials of growing up, such as first loves, coming out, grief, and death. Created by Kevin Williamson (pre-The Vampire Diaries), the series ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003 and catapulted its cast – James Van Der Beek (as aspiring Spielberg-idolizing filmmaker Dawson Leery), Katie Holmes (as his best friend and longtime crush Joey Potter), Joshua Jackson (as his other best friend Pacey Witter), and Michelle Williams (as New York City transplant Jen Lindley) – to pop culture stardom. At times cringey with questionable storylines (Pacey dating his teacher?!) and brain-exercising tomes for monologues (get ready to whip out that dictionary), Dawson's Creek is quintessential viewing for teen drama enthusiasts. And like the never-ending Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah debate on The Summer I Turned Pretty, you'll likely form a very strong opinion about who Joey belongs with at the end of the day: Dawson or Pacey.

Looking for Alaska

Stay outdoors, pop open a can of spritz, and settle in for Looking for Alaska. The sepia-toned Hulu miniseries was adapted in 2019 from The Fault in Our Starsauthor John Green's beloved 2005 debut novel and follows high school junior Miles "Pudge" Halter (Charlie Plummer), who is obsessed with famous last words and finding "the Great Perhaps." That search leads him to a boarding school in the woods of Alabama with the hopes he'll experience spectacular things after living an unspectacular life in Florida. While there, Pudge meets and falls in love with the alluring and rebellious Alaska Young (Kristine Froseth), who is dealing with her own inner turmoil – namely unreconciled guilt over her mother's death. It's similar to Conrad's ordeal in The Summer I Turned Pretty following his mom's cancer and a major reason he's unable to give Belly his full attention. Then one night, Alaska disappears. The show stays pretty faithful to Green's source material, updating it with modern music and keeping with the themes of the novel, including Pudge's main query about the meaning of life. Does he ultimately find the answer? You'll have to watch and see! Despite being positively reviewed, Hulu removed Looking for Alaska in spring 2023, but it is available for rent or purchase from Amazon Prime Video. 

One Tree Hill

Things on One Tree Hilleventually get ridiculous and melodramatic as the seasons go on and the gang moves on from high school. But it's the early years that are worth applauding.Another iconic WB/CW offering that is textbook teen TV, the show centered around Chad Michael Murray's Lucas and James Lafferty's Nathan Scott as they compete for spots on their high school basketball team. At the start, the main drama stems from Lucas and Nathan's contentious relationship (which later thaws, thankfully) and their tendency to date each other's girlfriends. (They sure love the mess in Tree Hill!) Like Dawson's Creek, there are plenty of episodes to keep yourself busy for a while – nine seasons and 187 episodes worth. While the crux of One Tree Hill is the relatable horrors of high school, the show eventually acknowledged the cast's real-life ages and time-jumped ahead to life after college midway through its run, creatively revitalizing the show as it explored more adult issues such as parenthood, marriage, and even a psychotic, ax-wielding nanny.     

Never Have I Ever

The chances of Belly and Devi — the main character in Never Have I Ever – hanging out in real life are slim. But they do have things in common: They're both lovesick, intelligent, young women going through life-altering firsts during a tumultuous time in their lives. Inspired by co-creators Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher's upbringings,Never Have I Ever – which wrapped up in June 2023 – picks up after Devi's father, Mohan (Sendhil Ramamurthy), unexpectedly dies, causing the uber-smart Princeton hopeful to spiral. Devi is unfiltered, feisty, and a little erratic at times with her decision-making, especially when it relates to her love life. After all, it's on her must list that she has sex for the first time! And who can blame her when swim jock Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) starts giving her the time of day? Then there's her nerd-battles with academic nemesis Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison). It may not have started as an obvious love triangle, but it organically transforms into one, breathing life into the Team Paxton or Team Ben debate. Good thing Devi has her two besties, Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez), to keep her on track even as the rest of her relationships, including her complicated dynamic with her mother Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan), may be faltering. The rom-com is a lot raunchier and less politically correct than The Summer I Turned Pretty, but there's a certain charm to watching Devi fumble through her formative high school years and somehow making it out stronger than ever.