With The Summer I Turned Pretty concluding its third season on Sept. 17, fans are wondering if there’s more story to tell for Belly Conklin. Luckily, author Jenny Han has the answer.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty season three.
We’ll always have summer, just not at Cousins Beach.
After three seasons of love, loss and memories in that picturesque summer house, The Summer I Turned Pretty came to an end on Sept. 17. Unfortunately for fans, the series won’t be returning.
“We needed more canvas for the story, so that’s how we ended up with 11 episodes,” author Jenny Han—who worked as an executive producer and director on the series—said of the final installment in a May chat with Entertainment Weekly. “But yeah, three books, three seasons. It feels right to me.”
By the series finale, Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) was, thankfully, no longer on the other end of a very complicated love triangle with brothers Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin CasalegnoThe Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer.
Taking place over almost a decade—with a four-year time jump during the season three premiere and an approximately year skip during the 10th episode—Belly found herself in a short but passionate relationship with Conrad before she dated and got engaged to Jeremiah.
The third installment took a different approach from We’ll Always Have Summer, which abruptly ended after the younger Fisher brother called off their wedding due to Belly’s unwavering feelings for Conrad, and only included a few pages about her ultimate decision to study abroad in Spain.
The series, however, delved deeper into Belly’s life abroad—which was a massive point of contention in her codependent relationship with Jeremiah—and this time, in Paris.
“There is so much that is going to surprise fans about how much we’re showing of Belly in Paris and the whole ending,” Jenny told Entertainment Weekly
“I kept adding more and more to the last scripts the longer I was in Paris, because I kept thinking of more that needed to be included,” she admitted. “There’s just so much to living on your own, for the first time, in a foreign place, and that’s important for Belly as she’s growing up.”
As the sun officially sets on The Summer I Turned Pretty, keep reading for the biggest differences between the show and the book.
A Bigger Time Jump
While We’ll Always Have Summer begins with Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) finishing up her freshman year at Finch University, season three of The Summer I Turned Pretty actually takes place at the end of her junior year.
That means, by the time Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) cheats on Belly with Lacie Barone (Lily Donoghue), they had been dating for four years in the series, not two.
No Rebrand For Belly Conklin
Before Belly opens her dorm room ahead of her freshman year—a flashback that takes place in the first five minutes of the season premiere—her brother Steven Conklin (Sean Kaufman) quickly scribbled “Belly” over her full name, “Isabel,” on the door. In subsequent scenes, her college friend Anika Johnson (Sofia Bryant) calls her Belly.
However, in the book, Belly didn’t correct anyone who called her by her government name.
“I didn’t plan to start going by Isabel. It just happened,” she said in the book. “I remember the way I fumbled with my key and how I looked up at the door and saw it. ‘Isabel,’ it was in glue-on rhinestones.”
Then, she introduced herself as Isabel to her roommate Jillian Chapel and moving forward, it’s what everyone at Finch called her.
An Homage to Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean Covey
Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Beforelater adapted for Netflix— might’ve been published three years after We’ll Always Have Summer, but the series was sure to pay homage with small Easter eggs.
For instance, Belly had a photo of her and Jeremiah dressed up as Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean Covey on her dorm wall. The novel’s sequel, P.S. I Still Love You, was also a hint in the crossword puzzle Conrad Fisher (Chris Briney) was doing with Belly during Christmas.
Conrad Is Looking Within
The TV series began exploring Conrad’s mental health struggles, including anxiety attacks, during the first season while he tried to keep it together after learning that his and Jeremiah’s mom Susannah Fisher (Rachel Blanchard) was diagnosed with cancer again.
By the third, the Stanford University student was seen sitting with a therapist before he planned his return to Cousins Beach for a dedication in Susannah’s honor. During his session, he and his doctor explored his concerns around attending the event, although he doesn’t delve into his complicated love triangle. At least he’s there, right?
Bonjour Paris!
In the series, Belly learns that she was taken off the waitlist to study abroad in Paris the following semester, which means she can’t room with Anika in the fall. (Jeremiah hadn’t even proposed at this point.)
However, in the book, she changes her boarding plans because of her unexpected engagement. Anika still understands as she tells Belly in the text, “I’m not mad. I mean, yeah, it sucks that we won’t be living together, but I’ll figure something out.”
Steven and Taylor’s Romance
While Taylor Jewel (Rain Spencer) and Steven’s relationship isn’t explored in any of the books, their on-and-off romance becomes a secondary storyline in the latest season. Although Taylor is dating frat boy Davis and Steven is dating Mia, the pair had been having an affair since reuniting in Manhattan during spring break (the same week Jeramiah cheated on Belly).
After Steven tells Taylor, while they’re driving, that he broke up with Mia so they could try to rekindle their relationship, an overwhelmed Taylor demands that he pull over. When she gets out, Steven is T-boned by another car while making a U-turn, which puts him in a medically induced coma. Don’t worry, though, he makes a full recovery.
Although the same can’t be said for their relationship—at least at this point in the season.
Steven’s Car Accident Is the Catalyst For Belly and Jeremiah’s Engagement
In the book, Belly agreed to marry Jeremiah—who proposed after cheating on Belly during spring break—while describing what was a very codependent relationship.
“He looked at me so determinedly, so earnestly,” she explained of the proposal in chapter 10. “I knew his face well, maybe better than anybody now … Maybe I knew his face even better than my own—the hours I’d spent staring at it while he slept, tracing my finger along his cheekbone.”
“I don’t want to see a mark on his face one day and not know how it got there,” she continued. “I wanted to be with him. His face was the one I loved.”
As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that her decision is also partly a way to convince herself that she does not love Conrad—which also happens in the series.
In the show, it was still Jeremiah cheating that pushed him to propose to Belly. But she later admitted to Taylor that Steven’s car accident reminded her that life is too short. However, it’s still clear that her decision was also to ignore her deep feelings for the older Fisher brother.
Lucinda’s Failing Business
Taylor’s mom Lucinda (Kristen Connolly) isn’t mentioned much in the book. However, her finances do play a significant role in Taylor and Steven’s on-and-off romance in the Amazon series. After Lucinda reached out to Belly’s older brother in hopes of reconnecting him and Taylor, he learned that her hair salon was bleeding cash.
Although Taylor refused any more help from Steven—whom she had broken up with at this point—she worked with Lucinda to cut down her overhead costs and pay off her debt. The complicated situation also sheds light on why Taylor felt an inability to lean on others, like Steven, for support.
Jeremiah Isn’t Turning His Tassel
Since Jeremiah was only in his junior year at Finch during the book, he didn’t have the added pressure of graduation during his relationship with Belly. However, in the series, he learned that he won’t be graduating on time. The additional layer was the reason Belly initially decided against going to Paris the following semester.
Lucinda Steps In For Laurel During Wedding Prep
With Lucinda taking on a bigger role in the series, it was the mother-daughter duo who took Belly dress shopping and planned her bridal shower, since Laurel disapproved of the wedding.
Adam Fisher’s Mistress Plans Belly and Jeremiah’s Wedding
Adding another messy romance, Kayleigh is both Adam Fisher’s secretary in the series and the woman he cheats with while his wife Susannah is undergoing chemotherapy. In the book Jeremiah and Conrad’s dad still has a secretary, named Denise Colletti, who’s tasked with planning the wedding. But their relationship is strictly business.
Laurel Park and John Conklin Re-explore Their Love Story
While Belly’s parents Laurel and John (Colin Ferguson) maintained a strictly coparenting dynamic in the novel, things got messy between the pair during season three after a literary conference and a few glasses of wine led to them hopping into bed.
Laurel and John ultimately missed Belly’s distraught phone calls after Steven had gotten into his car accident in episode two, leaving them with a deep sense of guilt for the spontaneous hookup.
However, after some back-and-forth—which included a few arguments and John not attending Susannah’s garden memorial service—the duo began spending more time together. In fact, as Belly misses Thanksgiving, a FaceTime call with Laurel showed that she and John are spending the holiday together.
Belly Learns That Conrad Talked to Laurel On Her Own
In the novel, before Belly’s wedding, Taylor admitted that it was Conrad who had convinced Laurel to take part in the celebration.
“Conrad went to see your mom,” she told her best friend as they were almost asleep in chapter 44. “He convinced her to come to the bridal shower. She told my mom and my mom told me…”
Meanwhile, in the series, Belly realizes on her own that Conrad had intervened, leaving her feeling especially conflicted on the dance floor. In fact, after taking an edible at her bachelorette party, she replayed a compilation of intimate moments between them to the song “we can’t be friends” on the dance floor.
Belly’s Year in Paris
In the series, Belly didn’t get to study abroad in Paris since she missed her deadline after agreeing to skip the experience for Jeremiah. However, after their wedding is called off, she spent a year in the City of Love, where she took online classes, made new friends and had a fling with a guy named Benito.
While readers only had a glimpse of Belly’s study abroad experience—which was in Spain—through Conrad’s letter, the series dedicated three episodes to her time in France.
For Jenny, expanding on Belly’s time away from her family was needed for the character arc.
“There is so much that is going to surprise fans about how much we’re showing of Belly in Paris and the whole ending,” Jenny told Entertainment Weekly
“I kept adding more and more to the last scripts the longer I was in Paris, because I kept thinking of more that needed to be included,” she admitted. “There’s just so much to living on your own, for the first time, in a foreign place, and that’s important for Belly as she’s growing up.”
Source: www.eonline.com