#first-love

#first-love

The university experience is a risky business in fiction. Generally, the feelings are intense, but the stakes are low; it's all very formative for the individual character, but it can feel a bit trivial to anyone else. In fact, reading an account of someone's university days is surely only one or two stages removed from having to hear about the dream they had last night.

All these elements make for great entertainment, but it can be argued that the show has more than just good storytelling - it also offers lessons about what is (and isn't) healthy in our relationships. The Summer I Turned Pretty offers the viewers solid examples of what healthy relationships look like, and what behaviours we should be seeking from the people around us, as well as those to avoid.

Falling in love with a straight friend at 15 was both a rite of passage and a turmoil I thought I would never escape.