Book to Screen
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’: Who Does Belly End Up With in the Books?
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Jenny Han’s We’ll Always Have Summer.]
The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s third season has yet to arrive, but if the show is to follow suit with the book, an endgame might be in sight for protagonist, Belly Conklin (Lola Tung), when Prime Video drops the latest chapter sometime this year.
In the meantime, we’re taking a look at everything we know surrounding Belly’s endgame based on Jenny Han‘s third and final novel from The Summer I Turned Pretty series, We’ll Always Have Summer. Below, we’re analyzing elements of the TV series that could influence the outcome based on what we know from the books. So, beware of major spoilers below if you have yet to delve into the pages of Han’s novel.
Who are the potential love interests?
Prime Video
If you haven’t tuned into Prime Video’s mega-hit, The Summer I Turned Pretty follows the story of Belly, who finds herself torn between the Fisher brothers, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Their mothers had been best friends, and their families spent the summers at the fictional town known as Cousins Beach, where Conrad and Jeremiah’s mom, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), owns a home.
Having grown up with a major crush on Conrad, Belly was always drawn to the elder Fisher brother, but on one eventful summer, she found herself exploring feelings for Jeremiah, who also happens to be one of her best friends. Ultimately, as viewers will recall, Belly and Conrad eventually try and make a relationship work, but the death of Susannah and other factors drive a wedge between them, pushing her into Jeremiah’s arms by the end of Season 2 which aired in 2023.
What happens in We’ll Always Have Summer?
Prime Video
In the third novel from Han’s series, the book opens with a time jump where Belly’s been in a relationship with Jeremiah for two years as they attend college at the same school. During a frat party, though, Belly overhears others talking about Jeremiah having had a fling with someone on spring break while they were briefly broken up.
This revelation is a major deal for Belly in the book as she and Jeremiah had chosen to remain celibate in their relationship, meaning he had sex with someone else before he and Belly even considered the possibility. Originally published in 2011, this plotline would likely need some tweaking because the show version of Belly knows Jeremiah has had different relationships with both men and women, and he was portrayed as extremely flirty in the first season particularly.
In the book, Jeremiah’s cheating leads to an ultimatum that ultimately sees him proposing to Belly, a concept that raises eyebrows and judgment from their friends and family. But while Belly struggles to receive acceptance from her mother and others surrounding the decision to move forward with a wedding to Jeremiah, she gears up for the nuptials by planning the ceremony at the beach house.
Prime Video
The catch? Conrad is also staying at the house, and it’s mostly them alone together, forcing old feelings between the two to resurface. While they never cross the line, Conrad struggles to understand Belly and Jeremiah’s decision to marry so young, and he becomes angrier when he realizes Jeremiah cheated on Belly and that she continued to plan a wedding despite knowing it.
Ultimately, Jeremiah sees that Belly can’t entirely move on from Conrad, and both he and Belly mutually agree that not going ahead with the wedding is best. In an epilogue, we learn that Belly went on to finish her college experience, traveling abroad for a portion of her schooling, during which she corresponds via letters with Conrad. When she graduates college, Conrad is there and they pick up their romance, leading to a wedding that is briefly mentioned in the novel’s final sentences.
This means, that if the show follows the book’s endgame, Team Conrad is poised for a major win.
Has the show changed what happens in the books?
Prime Video
The biggest change for Season 3 was planted in Season 2 when Belly and Conrad spend a snowy night in Cousins Beach after she sneaks out of her home. Driving up to the coastal spot, the pair hunkered down at his family’s vacation home for a night filled with hot cocoa, a snowy beach frolic, and a very big relationship milestone as they consummated their romance.
When Season 2 aired, Briney told TV Insider, “It does change things, and I think it modernizes it in some ways. I think it addresses a more contemporary audience, if you will,” adding that it “heightens the stakes, that’s for sure.”
The idea that Belly and Jeremiah wouldn’t have sex during their two-year relationship seems less likely in today’s world, but considering she’d already had that experience with Conrad, would she be more hesitant about exploring that level with Jeremiah out of fear? It certainly seems possible. Plus, would the show push to have a character sleep with two brothers when the book version of Belly doesn’t? It’s something to ponder.
As for the love scene from Season 2, Tung told TV Insider, “What came out of it was just this really beautiful scene and a moment where you get to see a really sweet side of their relationship amidst all of the drama… it was really interesting to see that change and to have that moment for the two characters.”
With the intimacy changes on screen, that could also determine whether or not Belly and Jeremiah even entertain the concept of marriage. Perhaps the show will have a different angle in mind 14 years post-book. Only time will tell for certain.
Will the show return for Season 4?
It’s unclear if The Summer I Turned Pretty would return for additional seasons, but should the show continues its one-book-per-season pattern, we’d say it’s unlikely to be back for Season 4. But, just because Season 3 could define Belly’s endgame, that doesn’t mean these characters’ stories have to end as they take on new challenges into adulthood. Let us know what you hope to see in the comments section, and stay tuned for more updates on The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 in the weeks ahead.
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Season 3 Premiere, 2025, Prime Video
