The Summer I Turned Pretty ended with Belly finally making her choice — but the series finale omitted a crucial book scene in a controversial shakeup.
During the last episode, which aired on Wednesday, September 17, Conrad’s (Christopher Briney) visit to see Belly (Lola Tung) in Paris resulted in them spending the day together. As they reconnected, flashbacks of their scenes together throughout the series played out on screen. Conrad and Belly eventually end up having sex on her birthday, but things quickly fall apart.
Belly started to question whether she and Conrad were meant to be together or if he just thought he loved her because his mom wanted him to. The pair appeared to be done as Conrad headed for the train out of Paris — until Belly realized she couldn’t lose him and chased after him.
The moment built up to a love confession and a flash-forward to Belly and Conrad returning to Cousins Beach together — now as a couple. The only issue? The Summer I Turned Pretty wrapped up with that final shot of Belly and Conrad together at the house, which isn’t really how Jenny Han‘s book ends.
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According to the final book in Han’s trilogy, We’ll Always Have Summer, the epilogue should have taken place in the future on Belly’s actual wedding day. She would have started reading the letter left for her by the Fisher brothers’ mom, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), and then it would be revealed that Belly was getting married to Conrad. The newlyweds would then take a detour before their reception to head to the beach at Cousins, setting the scene for the parting shot as they took a dip in the ocean.
“This is our start. This is the moment it becomes real. We are married. We are infinite,” read the final lines in Han’s novel. “Me and Conrad. The first boy I ever slow danced with, ever cried over. Ever loved.”
The Prime Video series, however, didn’t incorporate any of that into the finale, which was one of many changes made throughout season 3 as Han adapted her own work.
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the entire finale — including where each character ended up and how it differed from the book:
Belly
Following a surprise reunion with Conrad, Belly spent the day with him ahead of her birthday. They explored Paris together before she invited him to a gathering with her friends. They then shared a romantic moment before returning to her apartment, but Belly later questioned Conrad’s feelings for her. She quickly squashed her doubts, and they ended the season together.
In a flash-forward, Belly returned to Cousins with Conrad.
Conrad
A surprise trip to Paris led to Conrad discovering a new version of Belly in Paris. As the exes reconnected, they both seemed interested in rekindling their romance. But despite sleeping together that same night, Belly was still apprehensive that Conrad only loved her because he was encouraged to as a child. Conrad then left her apartment heartbroken, but that didn’t last long — Belly caught up with him and they figured things out together.
Jeremiah
Back in Cousins, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) was seen preparing for the next chapter of his life. He was thriving as an up-and-coming chef while still living with Denise (Isabella Briggs). Jeremiah and Denise kissed before the finale wrapped up, but their future remained more unclear since she was planning to move to California for her job. Jeremiah also got to a better place with his father after returning to the beach house and facing his past so he could move on in the present.
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Steven
Most of the finale was spent on Steven (Sean Kaufman) figuring out his next steps after having to move to San Francisco for work. Steven told Taylor (Rain Spencer) that he wanted her to come with him but didn’t want to scare her off. Together, Steven and Taylor decided they would make the move as they committed to their future.
Taylor
After initially being worried when Steven didn’t tell her about moving away from Boston, Taylor was able to have a conversation with her boyfriend. This paved the way for Steven and Taylor to make it clear they were serious about being together.
