Cruel Summer

This series is great when you get past the bad "Texas" accents, and the annoying Harley Quinn Smith.

I had never heard of this show, but it was among the recommended titles on imdb.

So I decided to give it a chance, while not betting a dime I'd end up loving it. I stand corrected! It had me "hooked, lined and sinkered" after 2 episodes.

First of all, it is not a teen series, although the main characters are actually teenagers.

Second, the plot is very good and bursting with twists that keep you guessing all along. The idea and of the 3 parallel timelines one year apart works great and seamlessly here.

Third, the acting is impeccable, the evolution of the characters over the 3 year span is flawless, and quite impressive, with a special mention for Chiara Aurelia. Olivia Holt is insanely pretty.

All in all, a great and entertaining series, that comes as an unexpected surprise. I'm glad I watched it.

I'm in my 30s and I was wary about this show because I thought it was for teens. But it was actually super gripping and had me hooked. I binged it over two days. Yes there were some silly unbelievable things in it but there were lots of twists and it had you guessing the whole time. The acting was also good. I love that it was based in the 90s too.

Her character is bad in 1993, 1994 and 1995. I get anxious when her scenes are on. No one should use their mouth that much to talk, adding to the over-acting even more.

It is hard to pick a rating for this because Season 1 deserves 9 stars, but season 2 is barely 4 stars. When I found out S2 was not a continuation, but a new plot with all new cast, I was equally excited hoping it would be as good as S1. It doesn't even come close. I don't understand how this show went from being as good as it was in S1 to this junk in S2. I've watched all 8 available episodes of S2 so far and honestly don't know why I'm still watching. I think there is only one episode left and no matter what happens it can't make up for how bad the other episodes have been. TLDR: Season 1 is amazing, Season 2 is trash.