So far this year, Prime Video has given high schoolers everywhere three amazing dramas: The Summer I Turned Pretty, We Were Liars, and The Runarounds. Before you read, note that there are some light spoilers for season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty. However, I’ve kept We Were Liars spoiler free, since I found the shock essential to the series’ success.
First and most familiar, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han was originally a three-book series about a summery romance/drama. With the popularity of the books, Jenny Han did her usual move of adapting a book to film. The first season came out in 2022 and many were instantly hooked. However, the release of the third season this summer was the most popular yet; this may be due to all the pieces of Han’s puzzle coming together. Prime reported that 25 million worldwide viewers tuned into the third season’s premiere the week of its release, a 40% increase from the second season’s release in 2023.
In most girls’ opinions (the correct one), this season shined due to the “win” of Team Conrad. For those unfamiliar, The Summer I Turned Pretty follows teenager Belly Conklin as she battles the grief of her mother’s best friend Susannah, while also caught in a love triangle with Susannah’s two sons. Messy and dramatic, season 3 leads to Belly nearly walking down the aisle with the younger brother, Jeremiah, but leaving at the last minute for Paris because of her true love for Conrad.
Overall, Belly was far from perfect and I think that’s why fans fell for the show. They saw a less-than-perfect girl and a less-than-perfect boy find a somehow perfect love. Vogue put it best when explaining the lessons young girls took from the show so I will summarize, never follow your boyfriend to college and do not get engaged at 21. The entire series and especially this season, was full of rough around the edges decisions, grief, love, and basically every human experience. This third season earned all my love and respect for Prime, and the numbers show I’m not alone.
Next, We Were Liars, based on the award-winning novel by E. Lockhart, was adapted for television and released this past July. The show centers on Cadence Sinclair Eastman who, after a traumatic brain injury, is trying to recall the events of the summer she turned 16, or “Summer 16.” With no memory of who or what hurt her, and with her family refusing to discuss it, Cadence begins triggering her own memories in search of the truth.
Although a much eerier drama than The Summer I Turned Pretty, We Were Liars still delivered all the drama and romance. If you have yet to watch, it is important to understand that Cadence is a Sinclair, a family described as a national treasure of power and prestige. Cadence and her relatives spend their summers on Beechwood, the family’s private island off Martha’s Vineyard. Alongside various family members, the core group includes Cadence’s cousins Johnny and Mirren, as well as her best friend and later on boyfriend, Gat. Together, they call themselves the “Liars” and have spent every summer together since Summer 8.
When I first read Lockhart’s We Were Liars, I wasn’t amazed and honestly felt a little lost in her writing style. However, my opinion wasn’t the consensus, and I quickly became obsessed with the show.
First off, the family dynamics reminded me of a more psychologically thrilling Gossip Girl. There’s a well-known quote from Gossip Girl that perfectly captures what it shares with We Were Liars: “The Upper East Side was like something from Fitzgerald or Thackeray. Teenagers acting like adults. Adults acting like teenagers. Guarding secrets, spreading gossip, all with the trappings of truly opulent wealth.” Once again, a messy, romantic show wins every time.
The season was filled with the ups and downs of a family consumed in their wealth, romance, drama and high school party’s, but the season’s finale set itself apart as something else.
How can I begin to review We Were Liars without talking about all the craziness of the finale, I don’t know. But it’s even more important not to spoil one of the best TV episodes I’ve ever seen. After 7 episodes, the finale explodes into a psychological whirlwind that redefines every scene. The ending was undeniably sad, yet so beautiful and original. It’s no surprise that We Were Liars quickly climbed to #1 on Prime Video’s global charts, becoming one of their most popular shows ever released. In the era of binge-worthy shows, We Were Liars proves that teen dramas can also deliver psychological depth and real world trauma.
Finally, The Runarounds’ first season premiered on September 1 and is still reaching a wider audience. I wanted to talk about this show because once again, a 2025 Prime original really impressed me.
The show’s creator is Jonas Pate, who also created Outer Banks, and after the huge success of that series,
Pate delivered again in his signature North Carolina style.
The first season follows five recent high school graduates in Wilmington, North Carolina, who spend one unforgettable summer forming a rock band. The music is incredible, and what makes the show unique is that the band members are real-life musicians who are now touring across the U.S.
The season builds suspense around whether The Runarounds can succeed as a band before having to give it all up for college. Along the way, the boys face resistance from their families and the law.
I found the band to be such a fun, dynamic group and I respected their drive, especially knowing the actors share a similar passion with their characters. The debut season has only been out for 11 days, and the band already has multiple sold-out shows on tour. I’ll try not to spoil the plot, since binging a whole season in a week isn’t realistic for every student, but I’ll leave you with this: The Runarounds is an amazing show with a satisfying ending, and I highly recommend it.
