Book to Screen
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’: 31 of the Biggest Book Changes in Season 3
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3.]
The Summer I Turned Pretty has finally concluded its three-season run at Prime Video, and its most recent eleven-episode chapter delivered plenty of book-to-screen changes as the show adapted Jenny Han‘s novel, We’ll Always Have Summer, the third installment from her trilogy about Belly (Lola Tung) and her complicated dynamic with the Fisher brothers, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).
While the season mostly followed Han’s book, which kicked off with Belly in college as she was deep in her relationship with Jeremiah, it ultimately ended with some big change-ups as she approached her endgame [Spoiler] with Conrady in Paris. Now that the full third season is complete, we’re reflecting on some of the biggest changes made between the book and show as we look ahead to the upcoming movie. Scroll down for a closer peek, but beware of book and show spoilers below.
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Seasons 1- 3, Streaming now, Prime Video
Conrad's Therapy Journey
One big reveal in Season 3 was that Conrad is in therapy. This wasn’t part of the books, but it’s a sign of growth for the character who has struggled with keeping his emotions bottled up over the seasons.
Steven's Work Rivalry
While Steven’s (Sean Kaufman) work life was briefly mentioned in the book, his office life was explored on a bigger level in the show, especially after the introduction of an original character, Denise (Isabella Briggs). Working under the eye of Fisher family patriarch Adam (Tom Everett Scott), Steven wasn’t exactly off to the best start with his young colleague, but eventually they became collaborators who are to set-off on a new work adventure.
Steven & Taylor's Complicated Relationship
In the books, Steven and Taylor (Rain Spencer) were never a couple, so carrying that over from Season 2, their romance seemed to have taken a sneaky turn as they cheated on their significant others with each other. The on-and-off dynamic of their relationship was definitely surprising, but it felt like a way to justify the direction of Belly and Jeremiah’s own dynamic. In the end, the pair figured their stuff out and a Staylor endgame came through by Season 3’s end.
Belly's Study Abroad Conundrum
While Belly’s study abroad journey was teased in the book, it was introduced as a bigger plot point in Season 3, seemingly serving as a dilemma for her as she considered skipping the opportunity to stay with Jeremiah. Ultimately, she did forgo her spot abroad after Jeremiah talked her out of it, which served to be a problem when she eventually traveled to France and her spot had been given away.
Jeremiah's (Non-)Graduation
While Jeremiah was portrayed as a bit of a slacker in college within the pages of Han’s book, the show took it to a bigger level by having him miss out on enough credits to graduate. This meant Jeremiah would have to complete an extra semester in order to get his diploma. His educational shortcomings did influence his and Belly’s dynamic, but by the end of the season he’d figured his future out.
Steven's Words of Reason
The show built up the sibling bond between Belly and Steven, more so than in the books, and it appeared he was the voice of reason, reminding her of Jeremiah’s faults. In other words, he’s the one who lifted the rose-colored glasses off Belly’s eyes. While Steven might be well-intentioned, his situation with Taylor made his words a little less impactful, unfortunately.
Conrad's Bond With Agnes
In the book, Conrad has a brief fling with his classmate Agnes (Zoé de Grand’Maison), and in the show, they were quite friendly, but it was made clear up front that they’re not emotionally involved. In other words, Agnes played a bigger role in the show than she did in the book, but we’re not opposed to that.
Belly's Clarity About Her Past With Conrad
While the show hadn’t shied away from sex, Han’s original book trilogy never really crossed that line, and when Belly was with Jeremiah, they never went all the way, which made his cheating that much worse. In Season 2, Belly had gotten together with Conrad at the beach house, but it seemed to be a secret. One line of dialogue from Season 3’s premiere episode revealed that Jeremiah knows that she was with his brother at some point, which hinted at some underlying tension.
Steven's Accident
Steven got into an accident after a fight with Taylor, but considering their relationship on the show is far different from the book, this predicament never came to pass in the pages of Han’s novel. The traumatic event also influenced other plots, as we elaborate below.
Conrad's Dismissal
Conrad got dismissed from the medical program he was accepted into, while it didn’t derail his schooling, it was an extra layer to his story that didn’t exist in the books. The dismissal also played as a lesson in knowing himself and his limits.
Taylor's Confrontation With Jeremiah
In the show, Taylor got iced out by Belly because she was in the same sorority as the girl Jeremiah cheated with, but in the book, things didn’t play out that way exactly. Also, Taylor’s confrontation of Jeremiah was much more intense in the show than whatever she said in reaction to his cheating in the book.
John & Laurel's Hookup
In a twist we never saw coming, Belly and Steven’s parents, Laurel (Jackie Chung) and John (Colin Ferguson), crossed paths at a literary conference, where they spent some quality time together. Considering the pair are happily divorced in the book, their twist romantic reunion shook things up in Season 3.
Jeremiah's Proposal to Belly
While Jeremiah’s proposal to Belly happened in the book and show, the motivation behind it seemed a little different onscreen, with Steven’s accident heightening emotions.
Taylor's Mom
The introduction of Taylor’s mom wasn’t too much of a deviation from the books, but the show’s focus on her storyline and struggle with finances was completely new for the show, and didn’t exist in the pages of Han’s novel. Lucinda Jewel (Kristen Connolly) definitely played a bigger role in this onscreen adaptation.
Susannah's Remembrance Board
Before Susannah’s (Rachel Blanchard) garden dedication, Belly and her mom Laurel put together a remembrance board featuring photos from the past. The moment was a sweet one, which allowed Laurel and Belly to reflect on nostalgic memories and keep Susannah’s memory alive.
Restaurant Spending
In the book, there’s an occasion where Belly’s father treated her and Jeremiah to a meal, and Belly expressed annoyance over Jeremiah ordering the most expensive thing on the menu. This element was represented during the group meal in Episode 3, where Laurel offered to treat, and Adam promptly ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, and Jeremiah followed suit. Belly in turn ordered soup, and we heard Conrad order salmon, two more reasonably priced items. While the moment wasn’t exactly the same in the show, it was clearly inspired by the book.
Belly's Parents Play a United Front
In the book, there wasn’t a lot of crossover between Belly’s mom and dad playing a united front in trying to persuade her against marriage with Jeremiah. In the show, they explored this idea by having them throw her a joint breakfast that quickly turned negative as she fought against their reasoning.
Wedding Dress Shopping
The wedding dress shopping scene Belly shared with Taylor and her mom was much more extensive in the show than the minor mention it got in the book. Hunting for a gown in a prom dress shop also added to the financial strain surrounding a wedding for college kids.
Jeremiah Admits He Doesn't Want Belly to Go to Paris
Belly’s study abroad wasn’t a central plot line from the books. It was mentioned towards the end of the story, but didn’t have any stakes in Belly and Jeremiah’s school plans. In one episode, Belly decided she didn’t want to go abroad as a newlywed, and so she made the choice to stay, but Jeremiah also admitted he didn’t want her to leave, despite initially seeming supportive of it. This was an interesting turn, which teed up the end of Belly’s story in Paris.
Jeremiah's Work Triumph
When it came to Season 3’s fifth installment, a.k.a. the Conrad POV episode, most moments were book accurate, but the biggest change occurred with Jeremiah’s work triumph. After Jeremiah was left behind at the office, he managed to notice an error in the paperwork, which impressed his dad to the point of winning over his support for moving forward with getting married to Belly. That isn’t exactly how it unfolded in the book, but it was nice to see Adam treat his youngest son with more kindness than we’d seen.
Belly's Country Club Wedding
As fans of the book already know, the country club wasn’t part of the books, so Belly being sent there to organize a big ceremony was a definite deviation from Jenny Han’s novel. In the book, Belly and Jeremiah planned to have their nuptials on the beach.
Fisher Family Suit Fitting
In the book, Jeremiah planned to wear khakis and a summer top for his wedding, unlike this show version of events, which saw the Fisher men unite to go suit shopping. The moment allowed viewers to get a closer glimpse at their dynamic, though.
Laurel's Shower Gift
After Conrad convinced Laurel to reconsider her anti-wedding stance regarding Belly and Jeremiah, she went to the wedding shower for Belly, and this does happen in the books, but the show made a slight tweak. The gift of Belly’s passport and airline gift cards was all-new and hinted at her future abroad.
Adam's Wedding Date
In the books, Adam’s secretary helped with wedding planning, like she does in the show, but there wasn’t that element of her having been his mistress. When Adam announced to Jeremiah and Conrad that he was going to take her as a date to the wedding, it was clear that Conrad’s knowledge of the matter only added a layer of tension to the situation.
The Wedding Rehearsal
In the book, Belly and Jeremiah’s wedding rehearsal doesn’t have a prominent role, but it serves as a tension-filled night leading up to the broken nuptials in the show. While it may have prolonged the impending doom for Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship, it was a fun way to keep book fans in suspense.
Belly Escapes to Paris
After Belly breaks off her engagement to Jeremiah in the book, the action jumps forward in time, but in the show Belly escapes to Paris. This twist sent book fans spiraling with uncertainty as they waited to see how her getaway unfolded. Ultimately, Belly’s time abroad wasn’t exactly aligned with the book’s events as she opted for France over Spain and wasn’t initially accepted into a school program.
Jeremiah's Culinary Pursuits
After the failed wedding in the book, Jeremiah’s presence and future are minimally mentioned. In the show we got a clearer idea of the direction his life had taken following the break-up, which included a pursuit of culinary work. That revelation was something new for readers to enjoy.
Taylor Visits Belly in Paris
While book Taylor could have visited Belly abroad in Spain, the show expanded on the idea by having her visit Belly in Paris for New Year’s Eve. It was a fun way to show off the growth of both women as they settled into adulthood onscreen.
Benito and Conrad Meet
In the book, Belly does have a fling with Benito (Fernando Cattori), but he’s a character who is mentioned in passing. The fact that Benito and Conrad met onscreen is actually a mind-blowing revelation for readers. But then again, Conrad hadn’t visited Belly when she was abroad in the book, so them crossing paths in this instance made sense.
Belly and Conrad's Steamy Moment
In the show, Belly and Conrad lean into their pent-up desire for one another when he visited Paris for her birthday, but that’s a far cry from anything mentioned in the books, which are rather tame and generally sexless. The pair’s steamy reunion set to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “Dress,” was sure to take book readers by surprise, and has been a buzzy topic ever since the finale dropped.
Belly and Conrad's Happy Ending
While viewers got to see Belly and Conrad share some happy and blissful moments in Season 3’s finale, there was one big aspect of their happy ending from the book that was missing. Their wedding, which is alluded to in the epilogue of Jenny Han’s novel was noticeably missing from the installment, but considering the announcement that there will be a movie follow-up, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for the wedding then.
