'The Summer I Turned Pretty': 8 Explosive Twists That Diverge From the Books!

Fans brace for heightened drama as The Summer I Turned Pretty veers away from some of the most iconic moments from Jenny Han's beloved book series — particularly regarding Belly's (Lola Tung) intense love triangle with Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).

Cheating scandals, unexpected proposals and viral mishaps (think Belly's infamous engagement ring) keep viewers glued to their screens and ignite passionate discussions online.

Han assures the audience that the final episodes will deliver surprises until the very end. While the series pays homage to cherished book scenes and emotional flashbacks, it also throws in new elements that spark debates among fans.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Han said there are "surprises" and "things that aren't exactly like the books," but she promised to offer a "satisfying ending" for everyone.

"A successful love triangle is one where, no matter what happens, people are going to be devastated and heartbroken," Han teased. "Because if the answer feels really clear and easy, then there's no real conflict. No matter what you do, someone's going to be hurt by it."

During Season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) pushes Belly to join the debutante ball at Cousins Beach Club. The book, however, never mentioned the plot.

Reflecting on her decision to add the debutante ball, Han said it was "a chance to really bring a rite of passage like a ceremonial rite of passage of growing up to life."

She told TheWrap in June 2022, "I think different cultures have many different ways of marking that moment of between, like, girlhood and adulthood. And that's what Deb Ball is, you're coming out and being seen as an adult."

While Han's book was filled with flashbacks about Belly's childhood, the Prime Video series does not include such vivid memories regarding the lead character's past.

Despite the slow-burning romance between Steven (Sean Kaufmann) and Taylor (Rain Spencer) in the series, the former receives fewer mentions in the books.

The show explores their romance further, which is reportedly one of "the most challenging parts of writing the season."

"There's so many places they can go, and we did have that time gap," Han told TheWrap. "We wrote a lot of story that we never even see on screen, just so that we knew what the history was, and we knew where the fault lines were ... in the relationship."

In the second episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, Steven expands his storyline when the character gets into a car accident — something new from the book.

While Jeremiah showed interest in girls in the books, the Prime Video series portrays him as more sexually fluid by showing him flirting with both guys and girls in Season 1.

"I think it's so cool that Jenny is just sensitive to that [topic]. And I think that she really tries to incorporate today's world into the series," Casalegno told Us Weeklyin June 2023. "So it's heartwarming because I feel like more people can relate [to the character]."

Han also told TVLine the character "is a young person who's figuring out where he falls in all that and hasn't experienced a lot of love yet."

The Summer I Turned Pretty books never mentioned Laurel's (Jackie Chung) career, but she is an author in the show.

In the books, Belly maintains her V-card and does not have sexual intercourse with either Conrad or Jeremiah. However, a Season 2 flashback confirms she loses her virginity to Conrad during a getaway to the Cousins Beach House.

"Belly choosing to have s-- with Conrad was really driven by Belly and her desire and what she wanted to do," Han said of the intimate scene in a May interview with Entertainment Weekly. "It was really important to me for that moment to be just a very nice memory for her, that is a moment in time where she really loved that person and it happened exactly how she dreamed of and how she wanted it."