Whether you’re team Conrad or team Jeremiah, one thing’s for sure: fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty are pumped that Season 3 is finally airing on Prime Video. The first two episodes of the final season were released on July 16, and it’s already obvious that TSITP Season 3 will differ from the book this season is based on, Jenny Han’s We’ll Always Have Summer. Spoiler alert: Spoilers for TSITP Season 3 and We’ll Always Have Summer follow.
There are some major plot points in The Summer I Turned Pretty that have survived the adaptation from book to series, including the fact that Belly and Jeremiah attend Finch University together, and that while at a frat party, Belly finds out Jeremiah cheated on her with a girl named Lacie while the two were on a spring break trip together in Cabo. (Yikes.) Another huge moment that fans saw in Episode 2 — and in the book — was Belly forgiving Jeremiah for his cheating, and Jere proposing to Belly after they made up. She said yes, just like she did in the books. (Another yikes.) While these arcs take place in both the show and in the book, there are so many differences already between TSITP Season 3 and the final book. Here are some of those differences.
The TSITP Timeline Jumped AN EXTRA YEAR
In We’ll Always Have Summer, readers pick back up with Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad at the end of Belly’s freshman year in college, and Belly and Jeremiah have been dating for two years. In the show, Season 3 picks up three years later. Jeremiah is a senior (though viewers learn he’ll need to return to Finch in the fall because he needs to make up missed credits), and Belly is finishing her junior year. She’s considering studying abroad in Paris the fall of her senior year. This is another difference from the books, where Belly studies abroad in Spain.
Steven’s Car Accident (& His Relationship With Taylor)
Fans of the books will know that Steven doesn’t have as big of a character arc in the book series. In fact, the only women he interacts with in the books are Belly and their mom, Laurel. Steven’s car accident in Episode 2 is entirely specific to the show and never happens in the book. And Steven’s relationship with Taylor, which has been ongoing since Season 2 (or Season 1, if you include their kiss at that house party), also only takes place in the show.
Jeremiah Cheated On Belly Twice
In Episode 2, Belly asks Jeremiah to tell her how many times he cheated on her. Jeremiah hesitates and then responds, “Twice.” This is a small change from the books — where he cheated once — but it means a lot more. Han, who wrote the books and also executive produces the TV series, may have wanted to make it clearer that Jeremiah didn’t just make a dumb mistake once. He slept with Lacie twice, so for him, a clear decision was made.
Jeremiah’s Proposal
Considering Steven never got into a car accident in the book, Jeremiah’s proposal was also pretty different than the books. In the series, the proposal happens outside the hospital Steven is admitted to. (Why, Jeremiah? Just why?) In the show, Jeremiah also doesn’t go down on one knee and has no ring. In the books, Jeremiah goes to Belly’s dorm room and, after having a pretty short conversation, Jeremiah gets down on one knee and pulls out a ring. And again, in both the series and the book, Belly says yes. (Have I said “Yikes” yet?)
Conrad’s Career
While Conrad does pursue a pre-med track in the books, and it’s mentioned he works part-time at a lab in the third novel, TSITP Season 3 has already gone a little deeper into where he’s at in his budding career. In the first two episodes of the TV series, Conrad is accepted into a first-year medical clinic program for the summer. But after Steven is hurt in his accident, Conrad is fired when he can’t get his head in the game.
As the upcoming episodes of the final season, viewers will get to see if there’s more to be said about Conrad’s career, and if there are any other major changes made from the books.