Everyone is counting down the days until summer, but none with quite as much eager anticipation as fans awaiting their second summer with the Conklin and Fisher families in Jenny Han’s book-turned-hit series The Summer I Turned Pretty.

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When we first met Belly Conklin, she was preparing to head to the beach house with her mom and brother to meet up with their lifelong family friends. Susannah, Conrad, and Jeremiah grew up alongside Belly, Laurel, and Steven — of course, the husbands and fathers were there too (for a spell, at least), but as Susannah affectionately says in an early episode, the season and the home belongs to the women and the children. That’s where the unbreakable bonds were built, where strength and love truly live.

Many love stories exist within the pages and episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and one of the most prominent is the story of a lifelong and life-affirming friendship, especially between Susannah and Laurel. As fans discover early on, Susannah is trying to hide a secret from everyone she can, but she’s not as convincing as she’d like to be — and it doesn’t take long for her loved ones to pick up on the fact that her health has taken a turn for the worst.

Amid the pain, heartache, joy, and love, the Fisher and Conklin families are there for each other through it all, and they’re embracing the season that has the power to make all of their wishes come true. It’s a beautiful story, a series of bonds that can’t be broken, and it all happens in the most serene location, all unfolding in sand and sun that makes you long for eternal summer.

So where does The Summer I Turned Pretty take place, and is the setting in the book an actual location if you’re looking for the perfect place to have your own great summer love story? As usual, we’ve got you covered.

Where is the filming location for The Summer I Turned Pretty?

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For many films and television shows, the filming location for a project is not the same place as its storyline location counterpart, and for a good reason. Many fictional towns don’t really exist and are instead inspired by all the beautiful places that authors and filmmakers love, which is very much the case for The Summer I Turned Pretty.

So where is the series actually filmed? Han’s story is shot in the beautiful town of Wilmington, North Carolina — a picturesque location just 30 minutes away from the beach, perfect for the backdrop to a love story that could only happen alongside unending summer days, perfectly warmed salt water, and the kind of sunshine that makes all of your worries melt away.

The home that The Summer I Turned Pretty was filmed in is an absolute dream come true, and it feels just as warm and cozy in real life as it is portrayed on screen. In a chat with House Beautiful, Beth Robinson — the set designer for the series — shares the following sentiments about what it’s like to be inside the infamous summer house.

“It’s a summer sanctuary for the two families. The rooms are large and well-curated throughout. It isn’t pretentious but rather warm and welcoming. It is the kind of place where you can walk in from the beach and put your sandy feet on the coffee table.”

The coffee table, where so many conversations happen, is an integral part of the series and sets the tone for the togetherness and love shared between families. It’s also a location that houses pain, heartache, and room for growth — it’s not just a table; it’s a gathering place; it’s home. So while the location where the series was filmed is important, as is the fictional town The Summer I Turned Pretty takes place in, it’s truly the people and the things closest to them that make the show so comfortable and beloved.

What town is The Summer I Turned Pretty set in?

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If you’re familiar with Han’s book, you know that Belly longs for summers in Cousins Beach, the town that served as the backdrop for her first love and for all of the moments she holds closest to her heart. While Cousins Beach isn’t a place you could find on a map, not somewhere you’d be able to pull up and frolic around in; it’s a location that changed the Conklin and Fisher families forever.

Han says she had several locations in mind when she dreamed up what Cousins Beach would be, and they’re all beautiful and full of a little bit of magic. Han spoke with TODAY and said that everywhere from The Hamptons to Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, all inspired the quaint town we wish we could spend all of our summers in. Each location brought a different piece of the puzzle with it; some were quaint and beloved while others held a spark and sense of fun and freedom; they each meant something special to Han as she dreamed up the location where Belly would fall in love with Conrad, in both flashbacks and her current timeline.

Of course, the real story takes place in the summer home with all the summer boys and girls, and as we said above, there’s a lot of love within the walls of that house, the kind of love that gets you through anything.

What’s so special about summertime in Cousins?

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So what exactly is the magic in Cousins Beach? The question has many answers that all come back to one magical word: love. The four-letter word that holds perhaps the most tremendous weight of all is what breathes magic into the story. From platonic love to passionate love and everything in between, there’s a particular brand of hope that exists where the sun doesn’t wear you out, the kind that instead gives you a renewed sense of being, one that inspires you in the way it matters most.

The magic is also in the characters and the stories they tell. The series centers around Belly’s love story with Conrad, her fleeting romances with other boys, and the way her heart will always long for her first great love. Of course, it also sees the importance of bonds in brotherhood, sisterly love, familial ties, and deeply profound friendships that have the power to change our lives.

Fans got to know Conrad — the boy who shouldered the weight of pain and heartache for his mother without letting those closest to him know. We saw him in moments of hurt and also in moments of love and awe. We met Jeremiah, the younger brother who had more freedom and carelessness in his existence, but also depth and compassion in his heart. We fell for Steven as we saw him grow into the man he wanted to become while still keeping his childlike humor in tact. We saw Laurel and Susannah as they faced a particular and heartbreaking kind of loss, the kind you anticipate in the slow way it moves towards you, and still tried to find a balance with memory building and love.

Each character brought out a new side of the story being told, and became a relatable person for audiences to cling to. We saw ourselves in the characters and their wins and struggles, and it was a joy to spend a summer with them.

Another one of those characters was Shayla, the girl who seemed like she walked right out of a dream and into Cousins Beach for the summer. She quickly caught the eye of Belly’s brother, Steven, and became a beacon of light for him — encouraging him to be his truest self, enjoying the things that made him who he was. Shayla brought a sense of class and sophistication to the series, so we were all heartbroken we were all heartbroken we were all heartbroken when Minnie Mills broke the news that she wouldn’t be returning for the next chapter of the story.

Those who worked alongside Mills sent her messages of love, encouragement, and gratitude for their time together, which never felt like long enough. Fans can relate to that feeling, and since Han changes things up between the books and the series, fans were hoping that Shayla would have a role in the upcoming storyline in some capacity.

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For Mills, playing Shayla brought a lot of power and truth to the screen — she was a “fully fleshed, powerful woman all on her own,” not being validated by a relationship or deemed worthy by anyone but her own self worth. She also said that the relationship she did share with Steven is so important because of their vulnerability, openness, and the healthy love they shared. Signing off, she shared wishes for anyone who felt empowered and inspired by Shayla, saying “she will always be in the first season for you to come back to whenever you need her.”

She also brought a tiny glimmer of hope to fans who want more Shayla in the future, saying that if she ever gets the chance, she’d love to keep telling her story. We’re crossing our fingers that we’ve not seen the last of Shayla — or Mills, yet.