Is The Summer I Turned Pretty Returning for Season 4? Here’s the Truth

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty season three.

We’ll always have summer, just not at Cousins Beach.

On September 17th, the series *The Summer I Turned Pretty* concluded after three seasons filled with romance, heartbreak, and cherished moments in that beautiful beach house. Sadly, there won’t be any more episodes for fans to enjoy.

Author Jenny Han, who also served as an executive producer and director on the show, explained that they expanded the story to 11 episodes to give it the space it needed. In a May interview with Entertainment Weekly, she added that adapting the three books into three seasons ‘feels right’.

By the end of the show, Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) had finally moved past the difficult love triangle with brothers Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) that lasted throughout the three books: *The Summer I Turned Pretty*, *It’s Not Summer Without You*, and *We’ll Always Have Summer*.

Over the course of nearly ten years, and with time passing between seasons-including a four-year jump at the start of season three and about a year between episodes-Belly had a brief, intense romance with Conrad before falling in love with and becoming engaged to Jeremiah.

The third book in the series differed from *We’ll Always Have Summer*, which ended suddenly when Jeremiah broke off their wedding because Belly still loved Conrad. It only briefly covered Belly’s decision to go to college in Spain.

The show explored Belly’s time living abroad, a major source of conflict in her complicated relationship with Jeremiah, and this season, it all took place in Paris.

Fans will be surprised by how much of the Paris scenes and the show’s ending we reveal,” Jenny shared with Entertainment Weekly in September. “It’s more than just a quick wrap-up; it’s a significant part of the story.

She explained that she kept revising her scripts while in Paris, constantly adding new details. She realized there was a lot to capture about the experience of living independently for the first time in a new country, and that was an important part of her character, Belly’s, development.

Now that *The Summer I Turned Pretty* has finished its run, here’s a look at the major differences between the TV show and the original book.

Although the show *We’ll Always Have Summer* starts with Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) wrapping up her first year of college, season three of *The Summer I Turned Pretty* is actually set during the summer after her junior year of high school.

As a longtime fan, I was so relieved to learn that Jeremiah and Belly actually dated for *four* years before his mistake with Lacie! It always felt rushed in the show, but apparently, the timeline is actually much longer than we initially thought. It makes his actions feel even more complicated, knowing they’d been together for so long.

In the very first scene of the new season, as Belly prepares to move into her college dorm, her brother Steven (Sean Kaufman) playfully covers up her full name, Isabel, on the door, writing just “Belly” instead. Later, her new college friend, Anika (Sofia Bryant), also refers to her as Belly.

However, in the book, Belly didn’t correct anyone who called her by her government name.

She explained in her book that she didn’t intentionally choose the name Isabel-it simply came about by chance. She recalls a specific moment when she was struggling with her key, looked up, and noticed the name ‘Isabel’ displayed on her door in sparkly, stick-on rhinestones.

She told her roommate, Jillian Chapel, that her name was Isabel, and that’s what everyone at Finch College began calling her.

Jenny Han’s *To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before*, which became a popular Netflix movie, was the first book in a series. Though published three years after *We’ll Always Have Summer*, the series included subtle references to the earlier book for fans to discover.

Belly had a photo on her dorm wall of her and Jeremiah dressed as characters from the movie *To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before*. The sequel to that movie, *P.S. I Still Love You*, also appeared as an answer in a crossword puzzle Conrad Fisher (Chris Briney) and Belly were doing together during Christmas.

During the first season of the show, viewers began to see Conrad dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, all while he was trying to cope with the news that his mother, Susannah Fisher (played by Rachel Blanchard), had been diagnosed with cancer again.

By the third week, the Stanford student was meeting with a therapist as he prepared to go back to Cousins Beach for a memorial dedicated to Susannah. They talked about his worries about attending, though he didn’t discuss the issues with his relationships. The important thing is that he’s going, isn’t it?

Belly found out she’d been accepted into a study abroad program in Paris for the next semester, which unfortunately meant she wouldn’t be able to live with her friend Anika in the fall. This happened before Jeremiah even asked her to marry him.

In the book, she alters her plans to move out because she gets engaged unexpectedly. Anika is understanding about it, texting Belly, “I’m not upset. It’s just disappointing we won’t be living together, but I’ll make it work.”

Although Taylor Jewel (played by Rain Spencer) and Steven’s relationship isn’t a major focus in the books, it becomes a significant subplot in the newest season of the show. Despite Taylor being in a relationship with Davis and Steven dating Mia, they’ve been secretly having an affair since reconnecting in Manhattan during spring break – the same week Jeramiah was unfaithful to Belly.

I was completely shocked when Steven, while we were driving, confessed he’d ended things with Mia hoping we could try again. It was just too much to process, and I immediately asked him to stop the car. I barely had time to get out before… well, another car slammed right into Steven as he was turning around. It was terrifying! Thankfully, after being put into a coma to help him heal, he made a full recovery, which is the biggest relief.

Although the same can’t be said for their relationship—at least at this point in the season.

Belly accepted a marriage proposal from Jeremiah, even though he had been unfaithful to her during spring break. Their relationship was notably unhealthy and overly reliant on each other.

She described his proposal in chapter 10, saying he looked at her with such determination and sincerity. She knew his face incredibly well – perhaps better than anyone, even better than she knew her own. She’d spent countless hours watching him sleep, carefully studying every feature.

She explained that she wanted to share his life, to be there for everything, both good and bad. She wanted to know the story behind every detail of his appearance, especially his face, which she deeply loved.

Throughout the story, it’s revealed that her choice is also a way of trying to convince herself she doesn’t have feelings for Conrad, a pattern mirrored in the television series.

Jeremiah’s deception ultimately led to his proposal to Belly. She confessed to Taylor that Steven’s accident made her realize life is fleeting, but it was also evident that she was intentionally overlooking her strong feelings for Conrad.

Taylor’s mother, Lucinda (played by Kristen Connolly), doesn’t feature prominently in the book. However, her financial situation becomes important in the Amazon series’ portrayal of Taylor and Steven’s complicated relationship. Steven discovers Lucinda’s hair salon is struggling financially after she contacts him, hoping to rekindle a connection with Taylor.

I’ve been following Taylor’s journey closely, and it’s been tough to watch. Even though she and Steven were no longer together, she wouldn’t accept any help from him. Instead, she teamed up with Lucinda to really focus on getting her expenses down and tackling her debts. It all makes so much sense now – this whole situation explains why she struggles to ask for support from anyone, even people she used to be close to like Steven. She really seems to prefer handling things on her own.

When Jeremiah and Belly’s relationship began, Jeremiah was still a junior at Finch and didn’t have to worry about graduating. But later, he found out he wouldn’t be finishing on schedule. This added stress was a major reason Belly originally didn’t want to study abroad in Paris the next semester.

Now that Lucinda was more involved in the show, she and Laurel’s daughter went dress shopping for the wedding and organized the bridal shower, as Laurel didn’t approve of the marriage.

Kayleigh adds complications to the story as both Adam Fisher’s secretary and the woman he has an affair with while his wife, Susannah, is battling cancer. In the novel, Jeremiah and Conrad’s father also employs a secretary, Denise Colletti, to help with wedding plans, but their relationship remains professional.

In the book, Belly’s parents, Laurel and John (played by Colin Ferguson), had a clear and separate coparenting relationship. However, the TV series took a different turn in season three: after a conference and some wine, they unexpectedly ended up having a romantic encounter, complicating things.

After Steven’s car accident in episode two, Laurel and John didn’t notice Belly’s frantic calls. This left them feeling intensely guilty about their impulsive connection with each other.

After a period of conflict, including disagreements and John missing a memorial service for Susannah, he and Belly started reconnecting. This became clear when Belly couldn’t make it home for Thanksgiving, but a video call with Laurel revealed that John and she were spending the holiday together.

Before Belly’s wedding, Taylor revealed that Conrad was the one who persuaded Laurel to attend.

In chapter 44, she shared with her best friend, as they were drifting off to sleep, that Conrad had talked her mom into attending the bridal shower. She explained that her mom had heard about it from *her* mom, and then she’d found out.

During the show, Belly suddenly understands that Conrad secretly helped her, which makes her feel even more confused while dancing. She’d recently had an edible at her bachelorette party and found herself remembering and replaying special moments they shared, all set to the song “we can’t be friends.”

Belly originally planned to study abroad in Paris but missed the application deadline when she decided to stay with Jeremiah instead. After their wedding fell through, she finally spent a year in Paris, taking classes online, meeting new people, and even had a short romance with someone named Benito.

Although the show only briefly showed Belly’s time studying abroad in Spain through a letter from Conrad, the series devoted three full episodes to her experiences in France.

For Jenny, expanding on Belly’s time away from her family was needed for the character arc.

Fans will be surprised by how much of the Paris scenes and the story’s conclusion we’re revealing,” Jenny shared with Entertainment Weekly in September. “It’s more than just a quick wrap-up; it’s a substantial part of the ending.”

She explained that she continued to revise her scripts while in Paris, constantly adding new details. “There’s a lot to learn when you’re living independently for the first time, especially in a new country,” she said, “and that experience is crucial to Belly’s development as a character.”

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2025-09-17 11:18