The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 – who is Laurel?

By Adam Lock
Published: June 17, 2022
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Who is Laurel in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1 - amazon original series

This article, “who is Laurel,” contains spoilers regarding the Amazon original series The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1.

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Teen dramas are nothing without interesting parents on hand to either punish the rebellious adolescents or dole out some sage advice every now and then. Laurel does both these things, but she also gets her own subplot and overarching story. But who is Laurel Park?

Who is Laurel in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1?

Laurel Park (played by Jackie Chung) is the mother of Belly and Steven Conklin, and recently divorced from ex-husband John. She’s a competent, if struggling writer, who has writer’s block and her most recent novel is underperforming. Laurel hopes the summer will be a great chance for her to escape her dreary normal life and enjoy some downtime for once. Obviously the show-runners have other plans for our mother. She has quite the eventful summer instead.

On arrival at Cousins Beach, Laurel checks into the local bookstore. There, she bad mouths rival writer Cleveland, who she is clearly jealous of, only for the man to be eavesdropping on her conversation. Laurel is embarrassed, but equally inspired by the man. She starts up her first social media account and tries to get some words down on the page for her next novel. The writer’s block remains though, with Susannah inferring that it is due to the breakdown of her marriage. She hasn’t written a word since her divorce.

Laurel decides to get herself back out there and sparks up a conversation with Cleveland. He is complementary of her work and even buys a copy of her last book. They discuss the themes of this novel and later share a drink together. Laurel ends up sleeping with Cleveland and a romance beckons. This new lease of life is further bolstered by her ex-husband’s failing new relationship. She has the upper-hand, although she is gracious when ex John tells her the news.

She can be sassy and a pessimist, but is always supportive of Susannah. Laurel helps her through her initial cancer diagnosis and treatment, keeping her promise not to tell the children. They do argue over end of life care and Laurel wishes Susannah wouldn’t ignore the cancer, but she has to respect her best friend’s wishes. Once everyone is aware of the cancer, they all cry together. Laurel comforts her children in a touching moment. She is always there for the people most important to her and even though she hasn’t had the perfect marriage herself, gives advice to Belly on love. Possibly my favorite character in the show, she is the bedrock of the Conklin clan.

You can watch this series with a subscription to Amazon Prime.

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