Never-Ending Summer

Cute, Modern, and Easy to Watch

I loved how scheming and manipulative Wanwan ( FL) was. Even after falling in love, she couldn't let go of her desire for revenge. She was incredibly determined, independent, and strong-willed. At times she almost felt like the villain, and I loved that vibe 😏

Despite all the hidden agendas and everything that kept pulling them apart, their relationship was beautiful to watch. I loved their dynamic as a couple. It felt very modern and mature.

I also loved how the mother was written. She was deeply flawed, but never a one-dimensional villain.

Great OST (I actually saved a few songs on my playlist).

If you liked *The First Frost*, you'll probably enjoy this one too. It has a similar vibe, but with a more outgoing female lead and a more youthful feel.

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chemistry so good i didnt care about the plot

i need this man booked and busy.
the way he delivered the lines, the emotion he was putting in every scene.
bao shang en my queen i love you i just met you but i loved your character
i cant lie, the story was hanging by a very thin thread called chemistry and nothing else. thank god i wasnt paying attention to anything else except these two, but that plot has some holes i cant ignore
jk i absolutly can
and boy he is a yearner he a real one i love when men cry let em cry i will watch it a hundred times
but now getting serious, what was that time jump? so uncalled for and unnecessary; why be separated for over ten years if youre gonna get back together in the next 20 minutes
i need tension, passion, love, hate, indecision—something that leads me to the HEA
i really liked this show i smoked it in like 5 days

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Never ending summer? more like Never ending trauma

I finally got around to finishing the drama, and it makes me sad that it's over. When I first saw the Reuters videos of it last year, I thought this would be a cute, youth drama. I WAS WRONG.

I never expected to be met with trauma and sadness to the point that I thought this was more like never-ending sadness.
There's some inconsistency with the story; for example, Zhou Wan is a top student, and it doesn't really make much sense that her school wouldn't bat an eye at her missing the gaokao and skipping school, especially given how much China values studies.
I know they probably had to change a lot due to the censorship, but also to avoid "promoting" bad behaviours like smoking. This did create some plot holes in the end, which is a shame.

I personally wished they would develop the 2nd couple more because they were quite cute but didn't get much attention. I honestly got bored after the timeskip when they started to talk more about the business side of things; I guess it's more a me problem.

I saw a lot of people complain that the flashbacks were too long and dragged but I think it's necessary because we need to know what happened in the past then just directly showing the present but i feel like they couldve avoided this by doing a half and half situation where they showed the past then present but overall I didn't have much problems with it despite anxiousness of notknowing when the seperation woukd happen.

The revenge did feel rather underwhelming knowing that the Lu family was the cause of Zhou Wan's misery, but it's a modern show so the best she could do was crush his role at the company, tho it did feel like the revenge was kinda sidetracked sometimes.

The ost's were so good and amazing and they added a lot to the scenes and overall vibe of Never-Ending Summer. The acting was great; Zhou Keyu did amazing and Bao Shang En did fantastic as well. One scene in particular that stuck with me was when Zhou Wan ended up in the hospital due to a gas leak she wasn't paying attention to because her grandma had just passed away and she shouted, " I can't live anymore, I'm only 18"something along those lines that I cannot remember lol. That scene struck me hard because I'm close in age to Zhou Wan and I've had my ups and downs with my mental health that made me want to leave. So I related a lot to her in that moment despite how different our struggles were.

The chemistry was amazing that I wish they would get cast in another modern drama together cause the chemistry is there!!!
I gotta say that this drama made me fall in love with Bao Shang En! Especially the way she smiles and talks, omg I'm obsessed, and I tried to watch Generation to Generation that aired before this and I couldn't really get into it. I gotta also mention Zhou Keyu's English scene and the way he spoke in English was so attractive that I'm obsessed lol.

The cinematography was beautiful, especially the past episodes in their youth; it really felt like it was a never-ending summer by how bright yet sunny it was. It really made me wish that my youth was like those summer days lol. Sadly, it does fail during more emotional, sadder scenes because it didn't feel like the event that was happening was sad.

I wanna talk more about the characters now; Zhou Wan has been misunderstood so much by people on this site and social media that it reminded me of my girl Wen Yifan. So many people don't understand her decisions and complain or believe that she has the right to be with Lu Xixiao and so on but many people don't bother to see beyond that tunnel vision they formed.

She was just a kid when her dad's business failed and he died; then her mother abandoned her and left with her dad's insurance money to go find sugar daddies. She was basically left with nothing with her grandma but it didn't matter because she had her grandma with her. That all changed when her grandmother got sick; she became desperate and reached out to LXX as a desperate mesure because she was racing against time. Either she let her die or get money to help her get surgery.

So many people thought she was a villain for hurting LXX so much but they never tried to understand that she was desperate to save someone she loved and dare I say love makes us do all sorts of crazy things. This is why critical thinking is pretty much gone nowadays, when people never bother to think beyond why she did that? She knew it was wrong, she hesitated but desperation makes us do the worst things even if it's morally wrong. After all, she was just 17-18 when it all broke down. No child should suffer that but our world doesn't create a system that is fair to everyone. These are the same people who want more complicated characters in media, but the moment they are a woman, suddenly that empathy is gone out the window.

Lu Xixiao was rather someone who had a selfless love. He didn't care that Zhou Wan lied to him if that was what it took to let her stay by his side. I admire him for that quality cause I couldn't. That was, I guess, what led many people to think that Zhou Wan didn't deserve him or that he needed to move on. Honestly, it was sad seeing him being hurt this much by the breakup, but it doesn't really give you the right to whine about that, because one might think that you would want him to end with you because you "can treat him better". Not to mention what his grandpa said was really cruel to a girl who just went through a traumatizing moment

I gotta say it really felt like two lonely hearts that got attracted to each other lol. It was crazy when I found out that in the novel, LXX took the stab for Zhou Wan because he didn't want her to leave him, which was crazy to me. In the end, she still left, and he had a stab wound, so it didn't work out lol. The novel version of him must have been, to a certain extent, a red flag.

I know a lot of people hated Jiang Yan because he was annoying, but I related a lot to him, especially being a coward and feeling helpless. Many people needed to remember how insufferable his family situation was. He had a mother who was breathing down his neck because she couldn't accept her wedlock child to be mocked by the Lu family and his illegitimate blood because it would be admitting defeat and admitting that he was illegitimate and thus lower than the rich Lu family, who were better and smarter. So she had to raise him to be a smart and proper child because he NEEDED to be successful, not a maybe but a definite one, even if it meant his mental health hit an all-time low.

His dad wasn't a help either because he kept pressuring him to be a good child but also the connecting link to him and his mother because his mom decided to never speak to him, but it seems he still had lingering feelings. He had to be a good, obedient child because whenever Lxx, his legitimate son, wasn't there, he was the backup.

So he was basically the rope in a game of tug-of-war. How would you feel if you found out your dad was the reason you got the job and the girl you loved for so many years licked the guy that you were compared to your whole life because you were "illegitimate"? I could never because it sounds so insufferable tho I relate a lot to his situation; what makes it sadder is how confident he got after the timeskip. All for that to crash down because of his father.

It felt like the sadness was just never-ending lol. I liked this drama, and I'm definitely gonna miss hearing the beautiful ost's and cinematography of summer. I do gotta say that I did wish we could've gotten a wedding scene because there were Reuters videos of them doing a wedding for promo, so I kinda wish they ended with them in their wedding attire riding off in the sunset, but it's fine, the documentary, I guess.

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No villain, just life being cruel

Honestly I wasnt planning to watch this in the first place, i know how cliche it will be and since i already dropped speed and love, i thought this is the same. it also uses brother-sister dynamics but thank god, it just for a short while.

The best part is they are not met by chance, or by coincidence, they met by choice. Xixiao seek her to buy her notes and Zhouwan seek him to get money from her mother who is currently his father's mistress. surely, at first, she only tried to get money for her grandma surgery, but she surely make him fall too hard. when her grandma died, he stayed by her side, and that is very profound. they runaway is absolutely cute (though i dont recommend it irl). i love how nonchalant he is but still expressing his feeling obviously.

they said there is a lot of misunderstanding in the drama, surely it is, but in my opinion, they already know and understand each other well even though they dont know anything since they dont communicate, but they immediately forgive each other is golden.

there's a lot up-down in the drama, and i keenly follow through with the updates. there's biggest plot twist at the finale, and i absolutely love it.

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Snow in Summer!

I'm being really honest,I didn’t expect much. Storywise,it didn’t bring anything new to the table. We've already seen plenty of these type of stories, rich mentally struggling boy with poor but strong girl, both falling in love,then starts all the drama,separation and then the time jump and reunion. Yeah,very known formula for an young love story.

Then what makes Never Ending Summer so special that made me binge the whole drama? I think its the main couple. Daniel Zhou and Bao Shangen. The creators of the magic in the show. These two young actors took the huge responsibility of making a simple story so memorable and they did it. They made something special. Never ending summer was indeed full with warmth,love and comfort. Hats off to these two, and whoever casted them together.

I must say about Daniel. I've seen him before,yes. But he never caught my eyes this way before. This boy portrayed every emotion of Lu Xixiao so good. His love was completely evident, you could feel it through screen.Even in his rebellious teen era,his presence was really comandable. His yearning,his sadness,his depression, his rage.... everything was heartfelt. Specially in that breakup scene where he starts to panic when he couldn’t find Zhou Wan... Thats one of the most memorable scenes in the whole drama. Is Lu Xixiao a green flag character? No. Not every male lead has to be greenflag. Lu Xixiao is grey and its okay. He is human. He has humanly emotions and he expresses it. But when he loved, he loved with his everything and nothing compares with that. He decided to be there for Wan and he was there. He fulfilled his promise. He never left,not for once.

And his best companion was the female lead without whom this journey is incomplete. Zhou Wan, a girl always struggling, suppressing her feelings,never letting anyone enter into her storm....did everything she could only to survive. In the midway she found love and even after lossing him she never lost herself. She also yearned for him,maybe not as expressly as him,but her actions always screams her love for him. She was a teenager when she had to take the most cruel decision of her life to leave him. And I think we can forgive her for that cause as teenagers,they struggled A LOT. And even adults couldn’t take any rational decisions in the whole story,why would we expect that from some teens to be always brave and do everything right? After everything she went through, she could only hope for the best for Lu Xixiao and she did what she thought would be best. Maybe it wasn’t the wisest decision,but again thats a devastated, struggling teen we're talking about. And she always proved before and after she actually loved him. She was'nt only talk and no action. She was always present in his story. And her struggles weren’t something you can brush off,as a teen she really pushed mountain. That's why when she screamed "I'm only 18, I can't pretend to be strong anymore", your heart breaks.

And they both together brought comfort to the show.Both as teens and adults,their presence together makes you smile. Lu Xixiao brought safety to her world and Zhou Wan brought calmness in his storm. And they togther built their world as a cozy,comfy,warm one with lots of sunshines and rainbows.

But yeah,the story of course had its lackings. I wasn’t satisfied the way they showed the reunion phase,it was extremely easy after all the emotional turmoil they went through,especially him. Maybe a little bit more push and pull would bring out more raw emotions. And that home eloping phase was too easy. Idk if its thats easy for teens in China to elope and stay in such comforting way for months without any money or suitable jobs. And they really should've added the wedding scenes. I mean...after two proposals,atleast a glimpse of wedding is the most expected thing and we were robbed.

Also,side characters werent that much memorable... I mean i was'nt even paying attention to them that much. The second couple was just meh,they could be completely avoided and I couldn’t care less. Evil people were evil throughout the whole show doing evil things,some changed,some didn’t. They weren’t anything special to remember.

The OST's were another plus point. I enjoyed every ost in this show. The dance scene was extremely adorable, I really hoped they would add another one in their wedding. Yeah,we were really robbed so badly.

This show,maybe not the best one,but a memorable one. Best of luck to them,would look forward to their future works.

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A Summer They Never Outgrew

A love story wrapped in longing. Never Ending Summer is soft, painful and impossible to forget. Zhou Wan and Lu Xi Xiao’s romance begins in a fragile summer of hope, only to be torn apart by life, misunderstandings and wounds that never fully healed. Years later, when they meet again, every glance feels heavy with what was lost and every silence carries the echo of a love that never truly ended.

It’s the kind of drama that aches quietly, then stays with you long after it’s over. Zhou Wan and Lu Xi Xiao’s chemistry is tender and heartbreaking and the mystery surrounding their past adds even more depth to their emotional journey.

An 8.5/10 for a story about first love, second chances and the kind of feelings time can never completely erase.

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Some summers never really end

What I loved most about this drama is that it never feels like just another second-chance romance. It begins with two young people carrying completely different burdens, and watching them slowly become each other’s safe place during one unforgettable summer was incredibly rewarding. Their relationship grows naturally through shared struggles and quiet support, making it easy to understand why their separation hurts so much. I also appreciated that the story doesn’t rush to bring them back together. Instead, it lets time, misunderstandings, and unresolved pain shape who they become before fate reunites them ten years later. Seeing them navigate old wounds while uncovering the truth behind the past added another layer to the romance, making it feel more mature than a typical reunion story. The chemistry between the leads was wonderful and carried both the lighter and more emotional scenes effortlessly. If I had one complaint, it’s that I wanted even more time with them after they finally found their way back to each other.

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As long as you say you love me~

Never Ending Summer, led by BaoShangAn and Zhou KeYu, is a drama that I never expected I would like. But genuinely, I really enjoyed watching it, even though towards the end, the plot didn't make much sense to me. I guess I enjoyed it so much because I hadn't watched a drama in such a long time. I also really enjoyed their chemistry, and honestly, it was the only thing that kept the entire story together for me.

To be honest, towards the end, it kind of started crashing, and some parts just didn't feel right because I felt like they were rushing the ending. I felt that they could have shown the 2026 era a bit more and cut down the 2016 era instead. Because, to be honest, I liked the 2026 era, or rather the more mature versions of both of them. In fact, I loved the mature versions of all the characters. I really liked how they handled situations and how much more mature they were compared to 10 years ago. So, I felt that they could have shown the older versions a bit more and cut down the younger ones.

For the younger timeline, I think the first 10 episodes were amazing. I really, really enjoyed them. But after that, once they started dating, or once both of them started falling in love, it kind of got boring. On the other hand, I found the 2026 era much more beautiful and meaningful. Even when they were dating again or when they moved in together, those moments were really beautiful. I loved how they were thinking through everything and handling their relationship in a more mature way.

I also loved all the outfits in this drama because I really liked the styling. Especially after the 10-year time skip, when they were older and around 28, the outfits were so good. ZW outfits, especially her off-shoulder tops, were absolutely top-notch.
Last but not least, I think the part where she is trying to solve the case was kind of misplaced. The plot became all over the place. I don't know how the mother got her redemption arc because we barely saw her again. I think we only saw her once after the 10-year time skip, and then suddenly she turned out to be a spy. What kind of plot was that? We didn't even get any hints leading up to it. It was probably the biggest plot twist, but it just didn't feel right. I honestly felt like it was poorly written, or at least poorly executed.

The chemistry between the leads was the only thing saving the drama. Even the side characters were really good. The factory arc, however, felt unnecessary at that point. We only got the 2026 timeline around Episode 19, which meant there were only about 10 episodes left. Most of those episodes focused on their redemption arc and how they had been missing each other. Then the factory arc came in, and I don't think they had enough time to execute it properly. Also special mention for the songs, istg they were so good at most of the times. The song placements were so peak, it just makes you feel the emotion.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching it, and I think it's a pretty good drama, probably rewatch it someday later!

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"Even if the world sees you as a bad person, someone will still love you for who you are."

There are some dramas that are just so good in the most unexpected ways. Never-ending Summer is one of those dramas for me. On paper, it has all the tropes I hate, especially the “almost step-siblings” trope. However, despite having its frustrating moments, this drama has become my ultimate comfort watch, mainly the reason being Lu Xixiao.

Lu Xi Xiao is easily one of my favourite male leads ever. He's an artist, a problem child, a rebellious teen, a clumsy lover, an adult who is not fully an adult, and most importantly, emotionally vulnerable(something romance male leads are scared to be).

He appears confident and nonchalant on the surface, and no one, except Zhou Wan, understood his insecurities, his fears, and loved him despite all his flaws. They become eachother's safe place, as she, too, had to put on a facade of maturity, and he is the only one she could be childish with.

• “I can't pretend anymore. I am only 18”. Lu Xixiao is the only person she can admit this to, and his reply to her confession of being tired of pretending is the reason she gets so scared when he gets harmed later in the show, infront of her, and eventually, leaves him.

• “I've never been really that interested in this world. I never had much hope for the future. Everything just felt kind of boring. But, now that, you’re with me, when I think about the future, I actually find it exciting. I never make promises, or talk about ‘forever’ with anyone, but this time, I really want to say this to you: Zhou Wan, lets spend every summer together from now on”. Despite getting abandoned by both his parents, LXX felt safe enough around ZW to propose something like this, as she healed him, yet she also abandons him, and tells him to forget her, but how could he— when she was the closest thing resembling to a family to him?

I love how ‘Never-ending Summer’ doesn't paint one character as a messiah, and the other as evil incarnate. Both LXX and ZW are flawed characters who hurt eachother, and I wouldn't say their relationship is healthy. It borders on codependency, but what could you expect from two grieving people who have been abandoned? Despite everything they've gone through, their bond is genuinely beautiful. You can tell they both love eachother. Their vacation arc, where they were free from their ‘family’, showed how perfect they're together when the adults in their life don't mess with them.

Talking about the adults in this drama, they're the most infuriating part. None of the adults are responsible, or mature, or rational in the slightest bit. It frustrated me a lot.

Another thing that was frustrating was the second male lead— Jiang Yan. His inferiority complex towards LXX is due to his parents(there are moments where I felt like the reason he still lingers around ZW after getting rejected is cause of he wants to have something LXX has). He resents LXX for getting everything that was supposed to be ‘his’, but that resentment is so misplaced. He crashes out on his mother (understandably so), and LXX, but he works for his father's company. He wants the approval of his father, and he resents the wrong person for not getting it.

Anyways, the casting is perfect. Whoever decided to cast ZKY and BSE in a drama together deserves a raise. Their chemistry is exceptional, and they fit the character so perfectly. ZKY really brought LXX to life. I think it'd be hard for me to watch other ZKY dramas without getting reminded of LXX. I wasn't a fan of BSE’s acting in G2G, but she's great here.

Another thing that I adore about this drama is the OST. Its comforting, and befitting of the show's overall aesthetic. I have them on repeat. Especially ‘When The Milky Way Falls’ by Zhou Ke Yu, and the Sunset Counter one (i am listening to it rn).

Overall, ‘Never-ending Summer’ is a comforting watch. It tackles a lot of heavy topics, like suicide, emotional abuse by family, abandonment issues with care(tho, there's a scene where the ml and fl help a suicidal person, and i hated every bit of it). The main characters with estranged families are relatable, and the romance between the leads feel genuine. The editing might seem a bit weird at times, but the aesthetic of this drama is so beautiful. Its one of those dramas that'd make you fall in love with summer.

^^Bonus(yeah there's more):

• “She actually just stepped out of time. She returned to earth’s most primitive components— atoms, molecules. In the future, she will slowly return to you in another form. When it rains heavily, or the wind blows hard in the future, she can be the big tree that shelters you from the wind and rain. When winter comes, she can also be the sweater that keeps you warm”. Lu Xixiao says this to Zhou Wan after her grandma dies, and its such a beautiful way to view death. Instead of saying something clichéd, he answers in a way that is so him. ZW's mother keeps saying Lu Xixiao is just like his father, but I think he's more like his mother— artistic, sensitive, loving, and obviously, miserable :(

If you decide to watch this drama after reading my long review(tbh this is more of a character analysis), I'd tell you to focus more on the characters, rather than the overall story. Its a very clichéd plot, but the characters make it unique. Also, LXX is adorable<3

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it had potential to be good one but somehow in mid lost its main thing. Cast was good, had watched them before, no problem with the cast but story got messy, made no sense, and eventally chemistry died out.
Had so much expectations, was literally waiting, counting days for this drama but it didnt deliverd what it was supposed to , angst, grovelling, longing, emotionally captivating.
had rushed falling in love no midway, felt like forced. it was going there but suddenly they are in love which was rushed.
transition from school going to adult was rushed didnot have development,
they had like 29 episode drama, so much time to develop properly but....
For me The First Frost is the gold standard in this type of genre/story.... so this NES was lacking in so much...

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