It’s officially The Summer I Turned Pretty season, and while I personally can’t get enough (watching the old seasons, reading the book, maybe stalking their TikTok page too…), all before the new season comes out this week, I am already looking for other shows to curate the East Coast summer vibe.
Luckily, I’ve also done a fair share of binge-watching this summer.
Here are 5 shows with the same East Coast summer vibe as The Summer I Turned Pretty:
#1 We Were Liars
This show JUST aired, and it is also based on a best-selling novel, this one by E. Lockhart, you may have read. Starring the Sinclairs, the family lives on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts with their family’s estate. The family has a summer of fun, like sandcastle competitions, tennis, and painting, but a tragic accident and buried secrets unravel through the perspective of an unreliable teenage narrator, Cadence (the oldest cousin of the family). It’s an exciting and thrilling story that will leave you guessing even until the very end!!
Available to watch on Prime Video
#2 Sirens
Also a new release, this show is about a pair of sisters and their escape from their past in Buffalo, New York. The older sister, Simone, works as a personal assistant for a cult-like bird sanctuary founder on a private estate filled with maids, chefs, gardeners, and other staff. Her younger sister Devon tries to peel her back home, but becomes entwined in the East Coast summer haven that is Simone’s life. This show speaks on the societal differences between wealthy summer home owners and their staff, and how the “preppy” lifestyle isn’t all it seems.
#3 The Perfect Couple
Starring Nicole Kidman, a preppy Nantucket wedding weekend quickly becomes a high-society murder mystery. The maid of honor, Merritt, is found deceased on the beach the night before the wedding. As detectives investigate the case - whether murder or accident - family secrets unfold and the truth comes out.
Available to watch on Netflix
#4 Revenge
Set in the Hamptons, this show is about a girl who returns to the Hamptons to take down a wealthy family and their elite circle for framing her father for terrorism in the past. Using a false identity, she uses manipulation, romance, and strategic takedowns to dismantle each person who betrayed her family, all while hiding her true past.
Available to watch on Hulu
#5 Dawson’s Creek
This throwback show, filmed in 1998, takes place in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and goes through the teenage years of aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery and his group of friends as they navigate love, identity, heartbreak, and growing up from high school into early adulthood. If you love nostalgic shows and a coastal setting, this one is for you.
Available to watch on Hulu