The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Biggest Book Changes

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

It’s not summer for Belly Conklin without her love triangle.

With episodes one and two of season three of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” now released, Lola Tung’s character, a student at Finch University, finds herself in a familiar predicament – torn between brothers Conrad Fisher (played by Chris Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (portrayed by Gavin Casalegno) once more.

Similar to the concluding novel in Jenny Han’s trilogy, titled “We’ll Always Have Summer,” the character Belly, who selected the youngest Fisher brother at the end of the second season and book, finds herself grappling with the harshness of getting engaged to Jeremiah following her discovery that he was unfaithful while on a spring break trip.

It’s not beneficial that Conrad, who she was involved with before dating his younger brother, still exerts control over her. In essence, as Belly’s mother Laurel Park (Jackie Chung) put it in season one, “Conrad is like the sun, and when he appears, the stars fade away.

In the final chapter of the Prime series, which concludes after three captivating seasons, viewers might find themselves taken aback by certain alterations. For one, the narrative takes a slight leap forward; instead of Belly completing her first year at Finch as depicted in the book, she is now finishing up her junior year.

In the course of the trilogy, character Steven Conklin, also known as Sean Kaufman, delves into his complex, off-again, on-again romance with Taylor Jewel, a close friend of Belly’s, whose name is Rain Spencer in this context.

Despite this, Jenny remains optimistic that viewers will appreciate the elements they decided to preserve and modify as they say goodbye to Cousins Beach. To be precise, she thinks the final episode offers a very fulfilling conclusion, considering it’s a television show.

In a recent interview with TheWrap, the author expressed that as a storyteller, three emotions are crucial: feeling good, feeling proud, and being excited about their work. Essentially, they believe in crafting the finest narrative possible and standing by it wholeheartedly.

She emphasized, “I’m always thinking about my book fans.”

The Summer I Turned Pretty is released on Prime Video every Wednesday until Sept. 17.

To see all the biggest changes that TSIP made in season three, keep reading.

Nevertheless, Jenny remains optimistic that viewers will appreciate what was retained and altered as Cousins Beach takes its leave, with her feeling confident that the finale offers a particularly fulfilling conclusion, given it’s a TV show.

In a recent interview with TheWrap, the author shared, “As a storyteller, I need to have a sense of satisfaction, pride, and excitement about what I create. I simply write the story I believe is the best, and I wholeheartedly support it.

She emphasized, “I’m always thinking about my book fans.”

The Summer I Turned Pretty is released on Prime Video every Wednesday until Sept. 17.

To see all the biggest changes that TSIP made in season three, keep reading.

In the opening scene of “We’ll Always Have Summer,” we find Belly Conklin (played by Lola Tung) wrapping up her freshman year at Finch University. However, it’s important to note that the events of season three in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” occur towards the end of her junior year instead.

In other words, when Gavin Casalegno’s character, Jeremiah Fisher, engages in infidelity with Lily Donoghue’s character, Lacie Barone, it is important to clarify that they had actually been together for four years within the series, not just two.

Before Isabel enters her dorm room for her freshman year – a scene shown in the first five minutes of the season opener – her brother Steven Conklin (Sean Kaufman) hastily wrote “Belly” over her name, “Isabel”, on the door. Later on, her college friend Anika Johnson (Sofia Bryant) refers to her as Belly in various subsequent scenes.

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

She mentioned that ‘Isabel’ wasn’t her intended name; it simply came to be. In the book, she recalled stumbling with her key, looking at the door, and seeing ‘Isabel’, written in rhinestones.

Later on, she went by the name Isabel when addressing her roommate, Jillian Chapel, and from then on, that was the name everyone in Finch recognized her by.

Jenny Han’s novel “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” which kickstarted its own trilogy and was later transformed for Netflix, was published three years after “We’ll Always Have Summer.” However, the series subtly acknowledged its predecessor through tiny Easter eggs scattered throughout.

For example, there was a picture of Belly and Jeremiah dressed as Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean Covey on her dorm room wall. The crossword puzzle that Conrad Fisher (Chris Briney) was solving with Belly during Christmas in the novel’s sequel, “P.S. I Still Love You,” served as a clue.

The initial season of the TV show delved into Conrad’s battles with mental health issues, such as anxiety attacks, amidst his efforts to remain composed following the revelation that his and Jeremiah’s mother, Susannah Fisher (played by Rachel Blanchard), had been diagnosed with cancer once more.

After three sessions with a therapist, the Stanford University student decided to go back to Cousins Beach for a tribute to Susannah. During these discussions with his doctor, they discussed his worries about attending the event, but he didn’t reveal any details about his intricate love triangle situation. However, at least he made the decision to show up, right?

In the show, Belly discovers that her name has been moved from the standby list for studying overseas in Paris during the next semester. Consequently, she won’t be able to share a dorm with Anika in the fall. At this stage, Jeremiah hadn’t made his proposal yet.

In the book, my plans for boarding changed due to an unforeseen engagement. Yet, Anika gets it when I explain to her, “I’m not angry, you know? It’s disappointing that we won’t share a living space anymore, but I’ll find a way to make it work.

In contrast to the books, where the relationship between Taylor Jewel (Rain Spencer) and Steven remains unexplored, their tumultuous romance takes a supporting role in the most recent season. Despite Taylor currently dating frat boy Davis and Steven being involved with Mia, they had been engaged in an affair since reconnecting in Manhattan during spring break – coincidentally, the same week Jeramiah was caught cheating on Belly.

While on a drive with Taylor, I shared the news about ending things with Mia to give our relationship another chance. Overwhelmed by this revelation, Taylor urgently requested that I pull over. Upon exiting the vehicle, a sudden accident occurred as I was making a U-turn, leaving me in a medically induced coma. Fortunately, I fully recovered from this ordeal.

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

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2025-07-20 15:17