Creator Addresses Major Book Changes Following The Series Finale

Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3, episode 11.Author and creator Jenny Han has addressed the major book changes made in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3, following the recent release of the series finale. The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3, episode 11, “At Last,” finally reveals which Fisher brother Belly (Lola Tung) ends up with, after taking some time for herself during an extended stay in Paris.

Despite a dramatic and somewhat controversial season, Belly found her place in the world in The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s series finale, happy and in a relationship with Conrad (Christopher Briney) in Cousins. This echoes what happens in Han’s final book, We’ll Always Have Summer, though there are some distinct differences between the show’s final three episodes and the book’s last few chapters.

The show essentially continued where the book left off, digging into the aftermath of Jeremiah and Belly’s failed wedding and Belly’s life abroad. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jenny Han described how she decided to make these changes, asking herself one vital question: What’s most important for the audience?

The Hollywood Reporter: You’ve talked a lot about how this season deviates from the books. How much debate was there — with Amazon, with your fellow writers — about what to change?

Jenny Han: There were certain non-negotiables for me in terms of the things I wanted to keep [from the book]. But I’ve always been open throughout the process. I ask myself, “What do I think the audience needs to see?” Episode eight [of 11] is where the book ended in a way. You didn’t read the fallout of what it looks like to break up a wedding between these two families who’ve known each other their whole lives. Seeing Belly go to Paris, seeing her growth in that time, and stepping into her own and testing herself, those things I knew I wanted [to add]. It was just a matter of how to tell that, but I always knew the shape of it.

What This Meant For The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 (And The Finale)

Credit: MovieStillsDB

Practically speaking, Han’s desire to explore more of Belly’s, Conrad’s, and Jeremiah’s (Gavin Casalegno) lives beyond the disaster of a wedding meant that The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 was longer than any previous season, after season 1 produced a mere seven episodes and season 2 consisted of eight episodes.

Presumably, this was an easy decision for Prime Video. The Summer I Turned Pretty is one of the most successful shows they’ve ever created, dominating streaming charts every week since the third season premiered in July. If anything, the show’s extended, weekly release has only allowed it to grow in popularity.

Narratively speaking, however, Han’s decision to prolong the story meant the characters and their relationships with one another were explored in much more detail. Belly’s desire to rediscover her agency, Conrad’s self-sacrificial nature, and Jeremiah’s fear of being alone all played a vital part in the show’s last episodes. Whether those new character moments worked for the audience is another question entirely.

Our Take On The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3’s Book Changes

Belly and Conrad sitting in a car and looking at each other in The Summer I Turned Pretty's season 3 finale

All in all, I appreciated Han’s commitment to telling this story in full. As we’ve watched these characters grow and change, it would have felt like a disservice to them and their developmental arcs if the show had jumped from the day of the wedding to the book’s epilogue, in which Belly reveals that she and Conrad have gotten married.

This way, at least, we got to see Belly live her life apart from Jeremiah, breaking free of their co-dependency, and we got to see Conrad and Jeremiah not bury the hatchet, per se, but at the very least, call a truce. Most importantly, audiences got to witness the emotional vulnerability between Belly and Conrad when they reunited in Paris.

They addressed their issues, they rehashed the past, and even then, they realized they were meant to be together. Given the extensive focus on Jeremiah and Belly’s relationship this season, and everything Conrad’s been through, the show definitely needed those extra episodes to provide a satisfactory ending for the show’s true central love story.

While I would have liked to have seen a nod to Belly and Conrad’s wedding or their future in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 finale – and I have a feeling that will be a sticking point for other audience members, too, as the final shot of Conrad and Belly in the series is much more ordinary – their Parisian adventure was an undeniable joy to watch.

All episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 are available to stream now on Prime Video.