Every Change The Summer I Turned Pretty Finale Made From The Book
We were robbed.
Spoiler warning: This post contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3. The Summer I Turned Pretty may be over, but there’s still plenty to discuss. The final episode of Season 3 put an end to the love triangle once and for all, with Belly and Conrad confessing their love to each other. The show plot technically followed the book’s — in the novels, Team Conrad also comes out on top — but there were still plenty of changes made to the finale.
Jenny Han, the author and showrunner, was open about shifting things around for the television series. “I always knew how I wanted to end the books,” Han told Elite Daily in July. “But with the show, I went into it with an open mind. I wanted to approach it with fresh eyes and just see what sort of magic happened on screen.”
Team Jeremiah fans may have been disappointed that Han did not go completely off-script and give Belly and Jeremiah their happily-ever-after, but although the author didn’t pull a complete 180 from her novels, she still made quite a few notable changes to the ending.
Here’s a full breakdown of all the ~magic~ that happened in the Season 3 finale — plus, all the ways Han updated the story’s closing moments for the TV show.
Belly & Conrad Reunite Abroad
In the books, Belly spent her junior year of college studying in Spain, where she reconnected with Conrad through letters. But they did not actually see each other again — or get back together — until he attended her stateside college graduation a year later.
The show changed this, having Belly and Conrad reunite for her birthday while she was still abroad. Plus, it’s unclear if Belly actually graduated from college. Episode 10 revealed she was taking some classes online, but that was it.
Jeremiah Does Not Go Back To School
The timeline in the books is slightly different (Belly and Jeremiah were both going into their junior year of college when they got engaged.) So, after their breakup, Jeremiah headed back to school and lived in his fraternity house. The show changed this — while the status of Jeremiah’s degree was still ambiguous, he stayed in Boston and started working in restaurants as a chef.
Steven & Taylor Have Relationship Drama
In the novels, Steven and Taylor were never as heavily featured as they were in the show. They also never had any romantic relationship in the book, so the finale drama over Steven moving to San Francisco (and keeping it from Taylor) never happened.
Jeremiah & Denise’s Friendship Turns Romantic
After Jeremiah and Belly broke up in the books, his storyline faded away. At the end of the novel, he was mentioned in passing — Belly saw him with his wedding date and waved — but no other details about his love life were revealed.
The show gave more clarity on where Jeremiah ended up, exploring his growing career as a chef and new romance with Denise.
Adam & Jeremiah Find Common Ground
A huge point of contention in the show was Adam and Jeremiah’s strained relationship. The finale showed some growth on that front, with Adam (finally) showing up for his son and telling him how proud he was. This evolution never happened in the books, in which Adam remained a one-dimensional, emotionally distant character.
Belly & Conrad Spend The Night Together
In the finale, Belly and Conrad spent the day together in Paris, and they got intimate later that night. Unlike the show, the novels did not feature any sex scenes. Although Belly and Conrad did get back together by the end, readers only got a glimpse of their wedding — no hookups.
Belly & Conrad Have A Romantic Reunion At The Train Station
The books did not reveal many details about Belly and Conrad’s reunion — just that she saw him at graduation. The show, however, gave fans new insight into how the couple got back together, and it was not that simple.
After Belly and Conrad hooked up, he quipped that she was stuck with him “forever,” worrying Belly. They seemed to be on different pages, and Belly questioned if he would even love her if Susannah had not passed away. The conversation ended with Conrad leaving Belly’s apartment and heading to the train station. But then Belly realized that she did not want to let him go. “I have brown hair and brown eyes, and I will always love Conrad Fisher,” she said to herself before running after him.
In a classic rom-com move, Belly chased him through the train station, followed him onto the train, and eventually reunited with him, all while wearing the infinity necklace he got her.
Belly & Conrad Do Not Get Married
After their Paris reunion, audiences got to see Belly and Conrad returning to Cousins as a couple. The book also ended with a trip to the ocean, but under very different circumstances. In the novel, Belly and Conrad jump into the water after getting married. The show ended without the two making that commitment to each other.
Belly Does Not Read Susannah’s Wedding Day Letter
Belly and Conrad did not get married in the show, so audiences never got to see the letter Susannah wrote to Belly for her wedding day.
In the books, Susannah wrote, “I picture you marrying a man who is solid and strong, a man with kind eyes. I am sure your young man is completely wonderful, even if he doesn’t have the last name Fisher! Ha.” In the novel, Belly reflected on how Conrad matched up to Susannah’s description — down to the last name.
Belly & Conrad Do Not Have A House Together
The ending of the books also revealed that Belly and Conrad had a home together. Belly shared that a family portrait “is hanging up in our living room.” It’s possible that Belly and Conrad started living together in the show, too, but it was not explicitly stated or shown.
Belly & Conrad Spend Christmas In Paris
The show ended with a peek at a scrapbook of Belly and Conrad’s Christmas in Paris. This was another moment that was never featured in the books, but it implied that Belly stayed in Paris — for at least another six months — after getting back together with Conrad. In the books, she was only abroad for her junior year of college.
Belly Does Not Reunite With Her Family
The books end with Belly and Conrad’s wedding. Laurel (her mom) helped pick out her wedding dress, and Jeremiah attended with a date. While the last few chapters did not go into too much detail about the current status of their family, it seemed like there was no bad blood. However, the show did not give any update on Belly and Conrad’s relationships with their families. When they returned to Cousins, they were alone and the house was empty.
