Hating Belly isn’t the take some of y’all think it is.
Belly did not ruin Conrad and Jere’s relationship. Their relationship was bad I n the books and in the TV show on their own accord. Their parents are the reason they lack communication with each other and have internal issues. You can make the argument that fighting over a girl didn’t help, but at the end of the day it could’ve been any girl…. This isn’t specific to Belly. they could have literally fought over any girl and they would have literally been on the outs. Their issues did not stem from them each liking Belly. They had issues far beyond and before the summer that starts the series. Belly makes a lot of mistakes in both the book and the show but the way that so many of you so easily give the boys in the series grace while ultimately disparaging Belly is so sad to see.
This isn’t me saying that she does nothing wrong or that she doesn’t need to do better with her choices. She does need to do all those things. But here’s the thing, so does every other character in the show/books. At the end of the day she, Conrad, and Jeremiah have issues they need to fix all on their own before any of the couplings can truly survive.
But so many people see it as her being the center problem. The story is about Belly’s coming of age. This is about her finding her voice, understanding herself, and ultimately choosing herself, whether she chooses one of the brothers or not. This isn’t a soap opera. She’s not jumping from Brother to Brother to add shock value or add drama. Before I am team Conrad, I am 100% team Belly and that means whatever choice she makes come July, I support her. 











