Over 3 seasons of a mix of chaos, a confusing love story, and friendship, The Summer I Turned Pretty (TSITP) fans have finally received the happy ending they wanted. After 10 weeks of anticipation, episode 11 was released on Amazon Prime, which brought a range of emotions, and unexpected endings. Akshara Ramaswamy, an IB Junior and avid fan, says, “I do think three seasons were worth the wait because of the required character development along with a complex timeline.” Over the 3 seasons which aired from 2022-2025, main character Isabella Conklin, or most familiarly known as “Belly,” forms a love triangle between two brothers Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher.
Jenny Han, the mind behind this series, as well as the author of the books, has also directed popular shows like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (TATBILB) and XO Kitty which have also touched the hearts of many tween/teen girls. Ramaswamy also mentions: “I did expect this ending because I read the books prior to watching the series.” There have been many similarities between the book series and the show, but there were some minor differences that fans have noticed. Denise, a character in the show, was briefly mentioned in the book trilogy, as Adam’s assistant, but a major character in the show. Throughout the ending episodes of season 3, Jeremiah and Denise develop feelings for each other, which surprised a lot of the audience. However, many expected the happy ending between Taylor and Steven, after many episodes of fighting and hesitation. Han announced that on September 17th, there will be a movie in conclusion to the finale to wrap up Belly’s journey. Fans are also anticipating a wedding between newly reunited Belly and Conrad at the summer house.
Some also think the ending was a bit rushed and could’ve had better pacing. Sophomore Ciara Missick, expected the ending between Jere, Belly, and Conrad because “Jeremiah’s a good person, but he’s also a manchild.” However, the release of the new film will continue anticipation and conclude the rest of the story. Missick also expresses: “I think the finale for some people was confusing, because the situation of Belly loving Conrad or Jeremiah was a bit rushed.”
Overall, Season 3 was an interesting way to conclude the 3 years of choosing either “Team Conrad” or “Team Jere.” The majority of the audience got their happy ending between Isabella and Conrad, regardless if they were team Jeremiah in the past. Jeremiah also in fact did get his happy ending with Denise and enjoyed his dark chocolate, mirror glazed cake with raspberry coulis filling in the end. The cake became an iconic symbol of Belly and Jere’s past relationship and an iconic inside joke for the fanbase.