The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Jenny Han Teases “Big Milestone” in Movie

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This post includes spoilers from The Summer I Turned Pretty season three finale. 

It’s not summer without The Summer I Turned Pretty. 

Fortunately, Jenny Han, the creator and showrunner, has confirmed that a film will reveal a key moment in the romance between Belly (played by Lola Tung) and Conrad (played by Chris Briney). This news came just hours after the Prime Video series, also starring Gavin Casalegno, finished airing on September 17th.

Jenny hinted on Today on September 18th that there’s another significant development coming for Belly, promising fans will continue to follow her story.

Unfortunately, fans of Team Conrad-and those who support Team Jeremiah-will have to be patient before finding out what happens on screen.

“It’s still a little soon to say,” Jenny explained, though she admitted she’s “finished a draft.”

As she put it, “We’re chugging along.”

Although the film is still in development, Jenny suggested it won’t be released next year.

As a huge fan of *The Summer I Turned Pretty*, I know we’re all still hoping for Belly and Conrad to finally tie the knot – or at least reach a major relationship milestone, even if Jenny Han decides to take the show in a different direction than the books. But the TV series *did* give us what we’ve been waiting for: Conrad and Belly finally ending up together, and it happened during a super romantic trip to Paris! It was a long journey, but so worth it.

For Chris, and many fans, the finale had been a long time coming. 

The actor, 27, confessed he didn’t expect the show’s ending to be altered. After getting the role, he immediately read the source material and understood the complete story arc for the characters. While he didn’t confirm the change until about a month before it happened, he had a strong feeling that’s how the story would ultimately unfold.

Okay, so Gavin might not have won over the girl on the show, but honestly, at 26, he’s totally winning with the *TSITP* fans! It’s amazing to see how much love he’s getting from everyone who watched, and it’s like a really sweet consolation prize for him.

Gavin shared that it’s been amazing to see how much people connect with the show’s characters and story. He said being involved in something that fans are so passionate about has been a really special experience.

As a huge fan, I was so thrilled to hear Lola hint at what’s next for her character! She couldn’t give away too many details, but she’s definitely excited about everyone returning to Cousins Beach. She mentioned they’ve known about the new movie for a while now, and it’s just so fun that it’s finally been announced – I’m already counting down the days!

With the movie coming soon, here’s a breakdown of all the differences between the TV show’s third season and the original books…

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

In the show, Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) and Belly had been dating for four years, not just two, by the time Jeremiah cheated with Lacie Barone (Lily Donoghue).

In the opening moments of the season, as Belly prepares to move into her freshman dorm, her brother Steven (Sean Kaufman) playfully covers up her given name, Isabel, on the door, writing just “Belly” instead. Later, we see her new college friend, Anika Johnson (Sofia Bryant), referring 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, spelled out in 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*, the first book in a series that Netflix later turned into a movie, came out three years after *We’ll Always Have Summer*. However, the series included subtle references to the earlier book as a nod to fans.

Belly showed her love for the *To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before* movies by displaying a photo of herself and Jeremiah dressed as the characters Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean on her dorm wall. The sequel, *P.S. I Still Love You*, even appeared as an answer in a crossword puzzle Conrad Fisher (Chris Briney) and Belly worked on together during Christmas.

During the first season of the show, viewers started 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 met with a therapist to discuss his plans to return to Cousins Beach for a memorial honoring Susannah. They talked about his worries regarding the event, though he didn’t discuss the complexities of his romantic relationships. The important thing is 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 that fall. This happened before Jeremiah even asked her to marry him.

But in the story, she alters her plans to move out because she gets engaged suddenly. Anika is understanding about it, telling Belly in a message, “I’m not upset. It’s just disappointing we won’t be roommates, but I’ll make it work.”

Although Taylor Jewel (Rain Spencer) and Steven’s relationship isn’t a major focus in the books, it becomes a significant side story in the current season. Both Taylor and Steven are currently in other relationships – Taylor is dating Davis, and Steven is with Mia – but they’ve been secretly involved with each other since reconnecting in Manhattan over spring break, which happened at the same time Jeramiah was unfaithful to Belly.

While driving, Steven confessed to Taylor that he’d ended things with Mia, hoping they could try dating again. The news was too much for Taylor, and she asked him to stop the car. As she stepped out, Steven was hit by another vehicle while turning around, putting him into a medically induced coma. Fortunately, he fully recovered.

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

Belly said yes to Jeremiah’s proposal, even though he had been unfaithful to her during spring break, highlighting a pattern of them relying on each other in an unhealthy way.

She described his proposal in chapter 10, saying he looked at her with such intense determination and sincerity. She knew his face incredibly well – perhaps better than anyone else, even better than she knew her own. She’d spent countless hours watching him sleep, gently tracing the lines of his face with her finger.

She explained that she wanted to share his life, to be present for everything, good or bad. She wanted to know the story behind every detail of his appearance, especially his face, because that was the face she cherished.

Throughout the story, it’s revealed that her choice is also a means of self-deception, helping her believe she doesn’t have feelings for Conrad-a parallel found in the television series as well.

Jeremiah’s deception ultimately led to his proposal to Belly. She confessed to Taylor that Steven’s accident made her realize life is fleeting. However, it was also obvious that she was deliberately avoiding her true feelings for Conrad.

Taylor’s mother, Lucinda (played by Kristen Connolly), doesn’t have a large presence in the original book. However, her financial struggles become important in the Amazon series, affecting Taylor and Steven’s complicated relationship. Steven discovers Lucinda’s hair salon is losing money after she tries to get him back in touch with Belly’s brother, hoping they’ll reconnect with Taylor.

Even though Taylor had ended things with Steven, she didn’t want his help anymore. Instead, she teamed up with Lucinda to reduce expenses and eliminate her debts. This difficult time also explains why Taylor struggled to ask for support from others, including Steven.

When Jeremiah and Belly’s relationship began, he was still a junior at Finch and didn’t have to worry about graduating. But later, he found out he wouldn’t graduate on time. This added stress was a key reason Belly originally didn’t want to go to Paris the next semester.

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

The show introduces Kayleigh as 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 has a secretary, Denise Colletti, who handles wedding planning, 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 work conference and some wine, they ended up having a romantic encounter, complicating things.

After Steven’s car accident in episode two, Laurel and John didn’t notice Belly’s worried calls. This left them feeling incredibly guilty about their impulsive night together.

After a period of disagreement, including some arguments 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 and a video call with Laurel revealed John and Belly were celebrating 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 persuaded her mother to attend the bridal shower. She explained that the information had come through a chain of people: from Conrad to her mother, and then to her.

During the show, Belly suddenly understands that Conrad secretly helped her, which makes her feel very confused while she’s 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. After their wedding fell through, she finally spent a year in Paris, taking classes online, making friends, and even had a brief romance with someone named Benito.

Although viewers only saw a brief mention of Belly’s study abroad trip to Spain through a letter from Conrad, the show devoted three full episodes to her time 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 show’s finale we’re revealing,” Jenny shared with Entertainment Weekly last September. “It’s more than just a quick wrap-up after the main story.

She explained that she continued to revise her scripts while in Paris, constantly realizing there was more to add. She felt it was crucial to capture the experience of being independent for the first time in a new country, as this was an important part of Belly’s character development.

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2025-09-18 18:18