Cruel Summer Review: Olivia Holt and Chiara Aurelia Anchor Freeform's Addictive Teen Mystery
Even when it verges into camp territory, it's worth sticking with
Allison Picurro
In one episode of
Cruel Summer, Jeannette (Chiara Aurelia) mutters, with the utmost sincerity, "I miss the days when no one wanted me dead." That's as good a way as any to set the tone for Freeform's teen mystery, a show with an intriguing premise that, even in its most ridiculous moments, is hard to look away from.
Cruel Summer, premiering April 20 on Freeform, centers around two teenage girls, awkward nerd Jeannette and rich, popular Kate (Olivia Holt). It chronicles the events of three consecutive summers — 1993, 1994, and 1995 — and, in its first episode, bounces between its timelines with an almost surprising deftness: In 1993, Kate suddenly vanishes, much to the confusion and devastation of their small Texan town.