Why isn't Shayla in season 2?
The Summer I Turned Pretty is finally back for season 2, but fans have been left with a big question after watching season 2: Where is Shayla?
FINALLY. Summer's here (although with the rain, you wouldn't know it...) which means our favourite comfort watch is also back on Prime Video. The first three episodes of season two, join Belly for another summer of teen angst, joy and love triangles, as she tries to figure out what she wants: Conrad or Jeremiah.
But one thing fans are a bit confused about is where Steven's love interest Shayla (played by Minnie Mills) has gone, considering she's barely mentioned in the first three episodes. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN MINNIE ISN’T COMING BACK AS SHAYLA FOR SEASON 2?!" one person wrote on Twitter, while another put, "Justice for Shayla in The Summer I Turned Pretty I miss her."
Where is Shayla in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2?
In the novels the Prime Video adaptation is based on, Shayla actually only appears in the first book, so it makes sense she hasn't made a return for the second summer.
But considering she was such a fan favourite, viewers hoped writers would make an exception, and keep her in for a second season. Sadly, it wasn't to be. Back in April, actor Minnie took to Instagram to confirm she wouldn't reprise the role of Shayla again.
In an extended Instagram caption, she wrote about what a privilege it was to play the role, adding, "To be able to portray a piece of the representation I’ve always wanted to see on screen was a dream come true and meant the world to me. In an industry– and especially genre– where women of colour are constantly defined by white men, and asian characters are often portrayed as meek and invisible until seen by a white counterpart, Shayla was unapologetically herself."
She continued, "To everyone who loved Shayla, who felt empowered or inspired by her, she will always be in the first season for you to come back to whenever you need her, and if I ever get the chance, I would love to continue her story. Thank you for supporting her, and thank you for supporting me. I could not have asked for a better cast, crew, or character for my first acting role, and I cannot wait to see what’s next."
The show's creator Jenny Han added to Entertainment Weekly, "There was one episode that we were trying to get her for, but it didn't work out, which is unfortunate because we would've loved to have given a proper send-off to Steven and Shayla's relationship. There are a lot of characters from season 1 that we really wish we could have seen more of this season, but the challenge of season 2 is the tight timeline, which is just over a week.
Peter Taylor//Amazon Prime
"The other challenge is the really narrow focus of the book storyline — it's a story that's about Belly's grief and her journey to forgiving herself, and every other story in the show has to radiate out from that. Grief can make people turn inward and really look at the people that are nearest and dearest to them, people that have been there all along, and this season is going to reflect that."
WATCH NOW The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 is now streaming on Prime Video
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Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
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