This article, “who is Cleveland,” contains spoilers regarding the Amazon original series The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1.
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Belly’s mother, Laurel, has her own fully-formed storyline in The Summer I Turned Pretty, battling a rival writer, looking for her own romance and dealing with some tough adult dilemmas. The rival writer and lover in this case end up being the same person, with Cleveland finishing off the cast as this intriguing individual. But who is Cleveland?
Who is Cleveland in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1?
The rival writer first appears in the opening episode, where Laurel is actually bad-mouthing the novelist in a Cousins Beach bookstore. The writer overhears this unfortunate critique and quips about his appearance. Laurel stating that he probably wears glasses, which he does. Cleveland can take the banter and shows up Belly’s mother in the process. Their relationship starts off quite awkwardly, although this soon descends into something a little more intimate.
They meet again at Laurel’s book party, where Susannah is helping her promote her latest novel. Cleveland’s books are currently flying off the shelves and his social media following is in the hundred-thousands. Laurel is clearly jealous of Cleveland’s success, but they spark a conversation about her own book, which she signs for him. The competing writers meet again in a bar, when Laurel is at her lowest. The two kiss and sleep together in the car park.
A romance beckons for these two middle-aged wordsmiths and the duo continually hook-up. In the finale, Cleveland even asks Laurel to come to a festival in the fall with him, but Laurel declines. Maybe this is just a summer fling after all. It does happen to be the first serious relationship for Laurel since her divorce though. Cleveland seems to accept Laurel’s rejection amicably.
In the series he has another budding relationship, one where he plays the father figure to Conrad. The writer asks for help researching his next novel, which is all about sailing. Cleveland believes in writing about topics he knows absolutely nothing about, so he entrusts Conrad with teaching him. The two hit it off and spend their days having heart to heart conversations about girls and life in general. Conrad really appreciates this time spent together, with Cleveland helping him to understand his emotions and verbalize his worries. Conrad doesn’t have this kind of relationship with his own father and is thankful of the support.
Cleveland is a secondary character, yet one who plays a vital role in the show. It is unclear whether he will return for subsequent seasons, but it would be interesting to see where his relationship with Laurel heads and if he has any other significance in the narrative.
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