Conrad Fisher: The Heartbeat Of The Summer I Turned Pretty

Last updated on February 7th, 2026 at 04:56 pm

Conrad Fisher isn’t just the “brooding one.” Instead, he functions like the story’s emotional gravity. He pulls scenes into intensity. He also pulls people into reflection. And because he struggles to speak what he feels, he often becomes the loudest silence in the room.

That silence drives the entire The Summer I Turned Pretty universe. Belly wants certainty. Jeremiah wants closeness. Meanwhile, Conrad wants control. However, control never holds forever. Consequently, Conrad’s arc becomes less about romance and more about emotional survival.

If you want to understand Conrad, you have to stop treating him like a stereotype. He isn’t “cold.” He’s overloaded. He isn’t “mysterious” on purpose. He’s guarded because he fears what he might say. And he isn’t a villain because he pulls away. Rather, he’s a person learning how to stay.

So, let’s break him down. Let’s talk about who he is, what he represents, and why fans keep arguing about him.

Who Conrad Fisher Is

Conrad Fisher is the older of the Fisher brothers. He grows up with pressure baked into his identity. He feels responsible for the people he loves. Therefore, he often tries to carry family pain alone.

He also holds a long history with Belly. Belly’s crush on Conrad begins before the story starts. Consequently, she enters each summer with years of hope attached. That history matters because it turns every glance into meaning. It also turns every silence into a wound.

Conrad’s role in the story sits at the intersection of love and loss. Cousins Beach represents memory. It also represents Susannah’s warmth. So, when Conrad changes, the whole beach feels different.

Why Conrad Feels Distant

Conrad’s distance isn’t random. It’s a coping strategy. He tries to manage chaos by managing himself. However, that strategy backfires.

He believes silence can protect people. Yet silence usually creates confusion. Moreover, confusion often turns into resentment. Therefore, Conrad’s withdrawal doesn’t keep anyone safe. Instead, it isolates him and damages trust.

Still, his pattern makes emotional sense. When people feel overwhelmed, they often clamp down. They control what they can. They avoid what they can’t. Consequently, Conrad often chooses disappearance over conversation.

This is why he frustrates fans. Yet this is also why he feels real.

Conrad’s Core Personality Traits

Conrad reads as complex because his traits collide.

He Leads With Responsibility

Conrad behaves like the “designated adult.” He watches the room. He monitors moods. He anticipates problems. Therefore, he often feels older than his age.

However, responsibility can become a mask. It can also become a cage. Consequently, Conrad sometimes uses responsibility to justify emotional avoidance.

He Loves With Restraint

Jeremiah shows love out loud. Conrad shows love in small choices. He remembers details. He steps in quietly. He takes hits so others don’t have to. Therefore, his love can feel invisible unless you look closely.

At the same time, restraint has a cost. Belly wants words. She wants clarity. So, Conrad’s quiet love often registers as uncertainty.

He Struggles With Communication

Conrad often knows what he feels. Yet he can’t deliver it cleanly. He hesitates. He retreats. He changes the subject. Consequently, other characters fill the gaps with their own fears.

This is why his relationships become messy. It’s not because he lacks emotion. It’s because he lacks language under pressure.

He Carries Guilt Like A Habit

Conrad takes responsibility even when he shouldn’t. He blames himself for outcomes he can’t control. Therefore, he often chooses self-sacrifice over honesty.

Ironically, guilt makes him less helpful. It makes him less present. And it makes him harder to love.

Conrad And Belly: A Relationship Built On Time

Belly and Conrad don’t start from zero. They start from years of longing. Consequently, their relationship carries a nostalgic glow even before it becomes real.

That glow creates intimacy. Belly notices Conrad’s shifts. Conrad notices Belly’s growth. Therefore, they often feel connected without speaking.

However, nostalgia can also distort reality. Belly sometimes loves the idea of Conrad more than the person in front of her. Meanwhile, Conrad sometimes treats Belly like something precious he might break. So, he handles her like glass. Yet glass handling still hurts when you drop it.

Their dynamic hinges on a simple conflict. Belly wants him to choose her out loud. Conrad wants to protect her by pulling away. Therefore, they keep missing each other at the worst moments.

Why The Love Triangle Feels Personal

Many love triangles feel like a gimmick. This one doesn’t. It feels personal because the brothers represent different emotional promises.

Jeremiah offers immediacy. He offers warmth. He also offers reassurance. Consequently, Belly feels seen in real time.

Conrad offers depth. He offers history. He also offers a kind of love that feels rare and heavy. Therefore, Belly feels like she’s touching something profound.

So, the triangle isn’t just “who do you like?” It becomes “who can you build a life with?” It also becomes “what kind of love can you survive?”

And that’s why fans fight. Each side defends a different definition of safety.

Conrad Versus Jeremiah: The Brother Story Matters Too

It’s easy to reduce the triangle to romance. However, the brother relationship carries equal weight. Conrad and Jeremiah share grief. They also share a rivalry. And because they process pain differently, they trigger each other constantly.

Jeremiah externalizes. He talks, jokes, and reaches. Meanwhile, Conrad internalizes. He holds, hides, and withdraws. Therefore, each brother sees the other as “wrong,” even when both are just coping.

Conrad Fisher often believes he has to be strong. Jeremiah often believes strength means connection. Consequently, they misunderstand each other at the exact moment they need each other most.

When the story hurts, it’s often because the brothers can’t translate their love into the same language.

Conrad’s Growth Arc: From Control To Courage

Conrad’s arc becomes compelling when you track one shift. He moves from control to courage.

Early Conrad tries to manage everything. He makes decisions alone. He carries secrets. He absorbs pain without sharing it. However, that approach collapses under real loss.

Later, Conrad begins to understand a hard truth. Love requires presence. It also requires vulnerability. Therefore, he has to learn to stay in the room even when he feels exposed.

This is why his best moments aren’t romantic speeches. They’re moments of emotional endurance. There are moments where he doesn’t run. There are moments where he admits uncertainty. And because he rarely does that, it lands harder when he does.

The Books Versus The Show: How Conrad Changes By Medium

Conrad Fisher feels slightly different depending on the format.

In the books, you get more internal logic. You understand what he thinks. Therefore, his choices can feel less abrupt.

In the show, you get more visual subtext. You watch him pause. You watch him tense. You watch him swallow words. Consequently, the performance can make him feel even more guarded, because the audience doesn’t hear his thoughts.

However, the core stays consistent in both versions. Conrad loves deeply. He also fears damage. So, he protects by withdrawing. Then, he learns that protection without honesty becomes another kind of harm.

Conrad’s Most Important Turning Points

Conrad’s story often pivots around three types of moments.

Silence Moments

These are the scenes where he doesn’t speak when it matters. He avoids the truth. Consequently, someone else gets hurt by the gap.

Rupture Moments

These are the scenes where his restraint breaks. He snaps. He confesses. He implodes. Therefore, the audience sees the real weight he’s been carrying.

Repair Moments

These are the scenes where he chooses responsibility differently. He shows up. He apologizes. He listens. Moreover, he stops trying to control outcomes and starts trying to be present.

These moments create his pattern. Silence leads to rupture. Rupture creates repair. Then, the cycle repeats until he learns.

Why Conrad Feels So “Real” To Fans

Conrad Fisher resonates because his flaws look familiar. Many people know someone like him. Some people have been him.

He tries to be the strong one. Yet he crumbles privately. He wants love. Yet he fears what love demands. Consequently, he becomes his own obstacle.

Also, he doesn’t “win” through charm. He earns connections through change. Therefore, fans who love character growth gravitate toward him. They don’t just ship him. They believe in him.

At the same time, critics of Conrad also make sense. His avoidance hurts people. His silence causes chaos. So, frustration becomes part of the viewing experience.

And honestly, that tension is the point. Conrad isn’t a fantasy boyfriend. He’s a grief-shaped human learning emotional skills.

What Conrad Represents In The Bigger Story

Conrad Fisher represents the cost of unspoken feelings. He also represents the possibility of transformation.

He shows how grief can warp communication. He also shows how love can turn into control when fear drives the wheel. However, he proves that growth can happen when a person stops hiding behind “I’m fine” and starts telling the truth.

Cousins Beach holds childhood memories. Conrad holds the shadow side of childhood. Therefore, he forces the story to mature.

He reminds us that summer isn’t only sunshine. Sometimes, it’s the season where you finally face what you avoided all year.

Final Thoughts

Conrad Fisher remains one of the most compelling characters in The Summer I Turned Pretty because he carries the story’s hardest emotions. He frustrates viewers because he withdraws. However, he moves viewers because the withdrawal comes from pain, not cruelty.

Most importantly, he grows. He learns that love without presence isn’t love that can last. And while his path stays messy, it also stays honest.

So, if you’re Team Conrad, you’re probably drawn to depth and transformation. Meanwhile, if you’re not, you’re probably drawn to consistency and emotional safety. Either way, Conrad stays central because he turns a beach romance into a story about becoming.