August slipped away into a moment in time...
That is how The Summer I Turned Pretty fans are feeling after the second season of the Amazon Prime Video series came to an end. In the emotional Aug. 18 episode, Belly (Lola Tung) finally made a decision between the two boys that have the Internet divided: Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). But, no matter what Fisher boy's team you're on, there is one thing all fans can agree on: It's just not The Summer I Turned Pretty without its major moments set to Taylor Swift songs.
The superstar's music has played an integral role in the series since it premiere last summer, serving as the backdrop to its trailers and playing during some of the show's biggest scenes, like Conrad and Belly's first kiss. Plus, the season two finale featured two devastating uses of Swift's tracks that left fans crying, screaming, throwing up. (IYKYK!)
Showrunner Jenny Han, who wrote the novels the show is based on, previously told E! News that being able to use Swift's music brought everything full-circle for her, as she revealed that she "almost dedicated" the second book, It's Not Summer Without You, to the singer in 2010.
"I was listening to Fearless and I was like, 'These songs have really helped me get to the finish line,'" Han explained. "When I write books, I like to listen to music to help me see the emotional vein of the story and her music really did that with me for the series."
And when she first began working on the show, Han said her "no. 1 dream" was to be able to use just one of Swift songs. Consider her mission more than accomplished as The Summer I Turned Pretty has featured more than a dozen of the "Delicate" singer's tunes.
So, it's a love story between TSITP and Swift, baby just say yes to all of these major moments that brought the two pop culture sensations together:
Taylor Swift's connection to The Summer I Turned Pretty began even before the Amazon Prime Vide series premiered in June 2022, thanks to the superstar debuting her re-recorded version of "This Love" in the first trailer for season one.
After the video dropped, the Grammy Award-winning singer took to Instagram to thank author and showrunner Jenny Han for choosing the song.
"I've always been so proud of this song," Swift wrote, "and I'm very [cute pleading face emojis] about this turn of events."
The track returned in epic fashion at the end of the season when it was the backdrop for the first kiss between Belly (Lola Tung) and Conrad (Christopher Briney). Swoon Beach, population: Us!
While not a necessarily a major moment, this absolutely bop from 2019's Lover plays as Belly is packing to head to Cousins Beach in the series premiere, foreshadowing a summer to remember...
The only clue viewers needed to understand Belly's long-simmering crush on Conrad was the fact that the title track from Swift's 2019 album played during the pair's very first scene together.
Name something cuter than Steven (Sean Kaufman) having this Fearless tune as his ringtone, we dare you!
In an unexpected twist, the show used this Fearless song as the needle-drop when Conrad finally stepped in to dance with Belly at the debutante ball in the season one finale. Chills, reader, we had them and we weren't the only ones moved by the choice.
"That was my favorite moment," Tung told E! News. "It's really unbelievable. It was magical to film and everything came together perfectly."
In keeping with tradition, the first trailer for season two debuted a new track from Swift. This time, it was a new, slowed-down version of the beloved song off of her folklore album. August slipped away into a moment in time, indeed...
The same week Swift released Speak Now (Taylor's Version), TSITP used this song to close out the season two premiere, which featured a sad Belly reflecting on her relationship with Conrad.
While "Snow on the Beach" may have seemed a more fitting soundtrack for Conrad and Belly's trip to the beach during the wintertime, this sweet ballad proved to be a perfect choice for the moment.
While Swift's songs famously are used to backdrop major Conrad and Belly scenes, this re-recorded Reputation track accompanied a sweet pool moment between Belly and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) in episode six of the sophomore season.
For a flashback to Belly's younger years pining away for Conrad, the show used Swift's piano-led ballad from Midnights to drive home the innocence of her crush.
LOL, you thought The Summer I Turned Pretty wasn't going to use this gem off of Midnights? The song, which features Lana Del Rey, plays as a drunk Belly walks back to the house from the beach and finds herself physically (and metaphorically) between Conrad and Jeremiah at the house party. A love triangle with two brothers? Weird but f--king beautiful!
As if watching Belly's final scene with Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) before she died due to her battle with cancer wasn't emotional enough, TSITP had go to and set the tearjerking moment in the season two finale to this heartbreaking ballad off of Midnights. Sob!
Oof. That's all we could muster when this haunting folklore duet came in as Belly broke Conrad's heart in the season two finale, instead choosing to be with Jeremiah. "exile" is particularly resonant for Conrad and Belly as the couple's main issue has always been communication and his inability to share how he is truly feeling.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.