Just when fans thought the drama in The Summer I Turned Pretty couldn’t get messier, a new theory has entered the chat:
What if Lacey Barone wasn’t just a random spring break mistake… but a jealous girl with a motive?
Let’s break down the Cabo chaos.
Did Lacey Have a Crush on Jeremiah for Years?
Some viewers believe Lacey Barone had a long-standing crush on Jeremiah Fisher — one that was never fully reciprocated.
According to this theory, when Jeremiah finally hooked up with her in Cabo, she may have hoped it would turn into something more. Maybe she thought it could spark a real relationship.
But when it became clear she was just a spring break fling — and that Jeremiah was still deeply in love with Isabel “Belly” Conklin — resentment could have set in.
And resentment can be loud.
Was Belly Overhearing It Really an Accident?
One of the biggest “hmmm” moments for fans is how conveniently Belly overhears Lacey talking about spring break.
Was it coincidence?
Or was it calculated?
If Lacey felt used, outing the situation publicly could have been a way to retaliate — either to hurt Jeremiah or to make sure Belly knew the truth.
Spite?
Closure?
Jealousy?
The theory hinges on intention.
The Flaw in the Jealousy Theory
However, not everyone is convinced.
If Lacey truly wanted to expose Jeremiah, wouldn’t she have gone about it more directly? She wasn’t the only girl in Cabo. And since she and Taylor Jewel were in the same sorority, someone could have easily “accidentally” told Taylor long before Belly overheard anything.
Instead, it feels more like classic college chaos: drinking, gossip, loose lips.
As the saying goes, loose lips sink ships.
Similar to when secrets slip in other parts of the series, sometimes people talk because they’re careless — not strategic.
The Bigger Question: Why Were the Guys So Loud?
Here’s where the theory gets even messier.
If the Cabo hookup wasn’t a secret among the guys, and they were openly talking about it, how did it not reach Taylor sooner?
Why didn’t Davis — who was in Jeremiah’s fraternity — mention it? Especially if the guys had “no problem yapping about it” and making Belly look foolish behind her back?
That’s the real mystery.
Was it selective silence?
Blind loyalty?
Or just another example of how messy rumors spread unevenly?
Jealous Villain or Drunken Drama?
At the end of the day, the Lacey jealousy theory is compelling because it adds motive to the madness.
But it could just as easily be a perfect storm of alcohol, ego, and poor communication — the very ingredients that fuel most of the show’s biggest explosions.
Was Lacey trying to tear them apart?
Or did the truth simply surface because it was bound to?
At Cousins Beach — and beyond — secrets never stay buried for long. And sometimes, the real drama isn’t what happened in Cabo.
It’s who chose to talk about it.
