What if the biggest heartbreak in Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty isn’t about who Belly chooses but about losing Conrad forever?
While fans are busy taking sides in the Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah debate, a new TikTok theory flips the whole ending on its head: Belly doesn’t end up with Conrad because he dies. The primary love interest? Gone. And when you look at the clues—his recurring chest pains, his obsession with eating healthy, the strange memory-like episode titles, and Jenny Han herself saying the show’s ending will be different from the books, it doesn’t sound so far-fetched. Add in the fact that actresses Lola Tung and Rain Specer admitted to being shocked in an interview when they read the finale script, and it’s no wonder fans are bracing themselves for a potential Grey’s Anatomy–level heartbreak.
The Clues Fans Can’t Ignore
Conrad’s panic attacks and chest pains have been a running theme, but fans think it’s more than just anxiety. Heart problems running in the family and pain in his palms after the choreographed dance, paired with the physical grasping of his heart, could be foreshadowing something bigger. Even the episode titles this season feel like flashbacks, almost as if we’re looking back on Conrad’s story. With every episode title starting with the word “Last,” and only the finale left, Jenny Han has already confirmed the show’s ending won’t mirror the books. Put that together, and the theory doesn’t sound so crazy.
A Baby Named Conrad?
This season introduced Conrad and Jeremiah’s dad, Adam, and his much-younger girlfriend, Kayleigh. Their interactions in the latest episodes have fans believing they are hinting at a potential baby announcement. Fans can’t help but side-eye the timing. Why bring in a new baby unless it’s connected to legacy? Some believe the child will be named after Conrad, keeping his presence alive in the family in a bittersweet way. This suggestion adds an emotional layer to the narrative, as it intertwines themes of memory and continuity while reflecting on how families seek to honor their loved ones even after their absence.
From Susannah to Conrad: A Full-Circle Tragedy
In Season 2, Susannah died, and Conrad’s potential death could reflect that painful loss from a different perspective. Susannah’s illness profoundly influenced their love story, shaping how Belly and the boys perceived romance, grief, and family. If Conrad’s illness ends in death, it wouldn’t merely haunt them; it would also serve as a lesson. His loss could compel each character to confront their regrets and ultimately learn the lessons that Susannah tried to instill in them. The biggest of all is that at the end of the day, Jeremiah and Conrad are brothers who love each other.
Conrad has always been the misunderstood one: moody, complicated, and often portrayed as selfish, when in reality, he was actually protecting everyone else. His death would alter the existence of the love triangle between Belly and the two brothers. Belly wouldn’t just lose an ex-boyfriend—she’d live with the guilt of never admitting her true feelings. Jeremiah would be forced into responsibility and finally realize that the love triangle was tearing their family apart. Everyone in the family would have to acknowledge how they failed Conrad, choosing drama over unity until it was too late.
Steven lost touch with Conrad during the four years he spent in California, a period that created a noticeable rift between them. Meanwhile, Taylor and Belly would finally come to terms with the reality that throughout all these years, they had misinterpreted Conrad’s choices and failed to appreciate the depth of his love for Belly fully. This realization would prompt them to reflect on the misunderstandings that shaped their relationships and the impact of Conrad’s decisions on their lives.
We’ve Seen This Before: TV’s Most Heartbreaking Deaths
If you survived Derek Shepherd’s death on Grey’s Anatomy, you know how devastating it is when a show kills off its central love interest. Shonda Rhimes shocked audiences by ending Meredith’s fairytale romance, and fans still haven’t recovered. That’s precisely the kind of cultural earthquake Conrad’s death would cause.
This decision in young-adult, or YA, storytelling isn’t new. Finnick’s death in The Hunger Games, Prim’s sacrifice, and Fred Weasley’s demise in Harry Potter don’t just serve as shocks but rather as painful reminders of what’s at stake. Conrad’s death would land in the same category: a heartbreaking twist that redefines the entire story.
Death in pop culture isn’t always about shock value. It teaches lessons that the living characters couldn’t learn otherwise. For Belly, Jeremiah, and even the fandom, Conrad’s death could be the ultimate turning point: about selflessness, about forgiveness, and about realizing love too late. It wouldn’t just close the love triangle—it would break it apart forever, leaving space for growth and reflection.
Final Thoughts
So, what’s worse? Belly not choosing Conrad, or never having the choice at all? If this fan theory is true, Conrad’s story might not end with a kiss or a wedding, but with a goodbye letter and a lesson. Maybe the real twist of The Summer I Turned Pretty isn’t who Belly ends up with, but what Conrad’s loss teaches everyone who is left behind.
To kill off Conrad would be one of the boldest, riskiest moves a YA adaptation could make. For some fans, it would feel like betrayal: their favorite character was stripped away right as he was finally being understood. For others, it might be the ultimate payoff—proof that the show isn’t just about romance but about what love, loss, and regret teach us.
In narratives, death always says something. It forces the living characters to grow, reevaluate, and carry the weight of someone else’s choices or sacrifice. Derek Shepherd’s death pushes Meredith to redefine herself, and Finnick Odair’s sacrifice reminds Katniss of the cost of rebellion. But here’s the dilemma: does a death like Conrad’s uplift the story by giving it depth and meaning, or devastate the fandom so much that it overshadows everything else?
YA fandoms particularly thrive on hope and wish fulfillment. Killing Conrad risks alienating the very teenagers Han says she writes for. At the same time, maybe that’s precisely what makes the ending not neat. If Han decides to go there, it wouldn’t just be about punishing Belly for indecision or punishing the fandom for their obsession with ships; it would be about showing her audience that love doesn’t always have a happily-ever-after. Instead, it leaves a mark that shapes who you become. The story doesn’t have to promise forever to feel meaningful. Its power lies in how deeply it lingers, even long after it’s gone.