‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Wednesdays Walked So ‘Heated Rivalry’ Fridays Could Run
Society yearns for appointment TV and passionate Gen Z romance.
As Demi Lovato once said, “Here we go again.” The teens and 20 or 30-something teens barely survived the psychosis of The Summer I Turned Pretty summer, only to find ourselves spiraling back into that same unhinged mental state this Heated Rivalry winter. The community is counting down the days or hours until we get a new episode, knee-deep in cinematic TikTok edits, and forging intense parasocial relationships with fictional characters. (Kip is my close, personal friend after episode 3.)
The evidence is overwhelming: People yearn for appointment TV and years-long, will-they-won’t-they, fiery romance that makes us feel something! Cursed dating apps and tragic bar scenes in cities just aren’t cutting it in the year of our lord 2025, so we need to get our romance fix from TV adaptations of YA books written by women.
And while The Summer I Turned Pretty love triangle was entertaining enough to keep me coming back every Wednesday, I’d argue Heated Rivalry is raising the bar for this specific genre of television. There’s no incest-adjacent vibe, no characters that make me wanna pull all my hair out (*cough* Belly), no concerning stalking (*cough* Conrad), and certainly no sanitization of sex scenes. The Heated characters are fundamentally more complex, interesting people with immense talent and ambition. And the spicy scenes? Habanero-level. The kind of pepper that makes a jalapeño look like a cucumber.
Shine Bright Like a Diamond
In partnership with A Diamond Is Forever
Whether it’s a stunning engagement ring or a sparkly necklace to add to your stack, there’s something about a diamond that stops us in our tracks. And with the new Desert diamonds campaign from A Diamond is Forever, it’s safe to say that natural diamonds are having a moment. Some of your favorite celebs like Julia Fox and Chanel Iman took to NYC to celebrate the launch of this groundbreaking line. With natural diamonds of every shape, size, and color, each piece in the Desert diamonds campaign tells a story rooted in the beauty and uniqueness of nature. Read more about why your next diamond should be a Desert diamond here.
Not to mention, the stakes for our beloved hockey boys are in a completely different stratosphere. Jeremiah was always gonna be butthurt by Conrad and Belly ending up together (who GAF, frankly), but Shane and Ilya are public figures in a deeply homophobic industry, forced to navigate their romantic connection in secret or face real, career-altering consequences. There’s an element of danger that adds to the thrill and heightens every interaction between them.
Sure, I’ll concede that The Summer I Turned Pretty has the more elite soundtrack of the two, thanks to that limitless Amazon budget. The series is essentially a Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo collab jukebox musical. I’ve been saying I desperately need Reputation songs soundtracking Shane and Ilya’s love story. What if the director, Jacob Tierney, just… called Taylor up?
In summary though, I’ll take the watery, three-quarters-full blueberry smoothie with an (alleged) extra banana over the two-tier dark chocolate cake with a raspberry coulis filling and a mirror glaze finish. Sorry, Jeremiah.
While I would’ve jumped at the chance to binge The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 and Heated Rivalry season 1 in one or two sittings, appointment TV fosters conversation and community. It’s a truth I must acknowledge, even though I do despise waiting for episodes. More fans hop on the train every week as the buzz grows, and the space in between gives us ample time to overanalyze smoothies and cakes and dream up insane theories about what’s next for the lovebirds.
One can only hope TV execs are learning from the organic frenzy Heated Rivalry is generating online. We need stories that push boundaries and have people gasping and sobbing in TikTok videos. Dialogue that’s clever and quotable, not predictable or cliché. Multi-dimensional characters with full lives outside of their personal relationships. Enthralling and devastating emotional slow burns. More YA book adaptations, duh. And yes, many more queer love stories, please!
Because the truth is, basically everyone who’s not a cishet man can’t get enough of this show — MLM romance is hardly a “niche market.” If anything, based on my TikTok FYP, straight women are just as invested in Heated Rivalry as they were in The Summer I Turned Pretty… if not more.
This has been a thorough Heated Rivalry glazing and a formal plea for more gay romances that make me feel alive. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. (And BTW, I still love you, despite your shortcomings, @The Summer I Turned Pretty.)
Written By: Ilana Frost
Gotta disagree on the soundtrack, but over all agree!