When it came to casting the protagonist Isabel “Belly” Conklin, Han was looking for a genuine, down-to-earth girl. She was pleasantly surprised when she came across newbie actress Lola Tung’s audition tape, saying: “I felt like a proud mom at the Olympics, waiting to see if she would nail the landing—and she did.”

Belly is also Lola’s first professional acting role.

Previously appearing on shows like The Vampire Diaries and Noah, actor Gavin Casalegno plays golden boy Jeremiah Fisher wonderfully. Christopher Briney plays heartthrob Conrad Fisher with his own flair, developing the character beautifully on screen. With credits on CBS' FBI: Most Wanted and NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Sean Kaufman plays Steven Conklin, Belly’s snarky older brother.

A movie lasts about two and a half hours at most, but you could spend several days watching a series by enjoying all the episodes over a period of time.

This young adult series makes viewers’ hearts flutter with its brilliant plot and touches on familial ties and the joys and woes of friendship.

The coming-of-age series features Isabel “Belly” Conklin, a down-to-earth teen who spends every summer at Cousins Beach in the beach house of her mother’s dear friend, Susannah. Belly has long had a crush on Susannah’s eldest son, Conrad Fisher. As Belly goes back to the beach house over one summer, the story unfolds. 

A complicated tale on young love, Belly has had her heart set on Conrad since she was a little girl but was also unaware of the feelings of another boy, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno)—who happens to be Conrad’s brother. 

Throughout her years spent at Cousins beach, Belly had always held a crush on Conrad, the quiet and brooding elder brother. The golden boy of the family, Jeremiah, was always close friends with Belly, harbouring his feelings for her in his heart because of her attraction to his elder brother. 

Belly is caught in a love triangle with the two brothers this summer as one remains introverted and the other retains his extroverted personality. 

Unlike the novel, the series decided to include a debutante ball to the storyline. While Han was also the co-showrunner and an executive producer on the series, adding a major new plot point to the series was a big decision for the team. And the annual debutante ball was fitting for this teen series.

“I was thinking a lot about visual representations of coming-of-age and how many different cultures celebrate that moment, like a quinceañera or a coming-out ball or a bat mitzvah,” Han said.  

Watching the series, the debutante ball has proven itself a great addition: the balls, the gowns, the dancing. Yes, please. 

Social media users went wild when Taylor Swift posted the series’ trailer, accompanied by a new recording of her hit song, Lover. It’s clear that fans can’t get enough of the soundtrack, which also features the likes of Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, and Carly Rae Jepsen. 

The series has also been renewed for a second season, and we already can’t wait. 

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