The final season of the hit Prime Video teen drama series The Summer I Turned Pretty will be here before we know it. We'll be spending one last summer debating Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah as the love triangle with Belly at the center reaches its ultimate conclusion. The super-sized season will answer all of our burning questions, including who Belly ultimately chooses, if anyone.
Leading up to the season 3 premiere on Prime Video in July, fans have been wondering whether creator and showrunner Jenny Han will change the story's ending from that in her books. Just like in the books, season 3 picks up two years after the season 2 finale, which found Belly and and Jeremiah getting together. They've been together for those two years, but as book fans know, that's not where the story ends. There's still a lot to unravel in this love triangle before we leave Cousins Beach!
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Han confirms that The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 will contain changes from the books. Obviously, she didn't share any spoilers or reveal what has been changed, such as who Belly ends up with, but it's a concrete warning for book fans to manage their expectations. The three central cast members back her up, too. Here's Han's official warning:
"There are definitely changes. There are surprises. And there are things that aren't exactly like the books." —Jenny Han
Lola Tung, Gavin Casalengo, and Christopher Briney also teased that the final season will have some changes from the book that fans might not be expecting without explicitly elaborating. However, we did receive a preview of the season's opening scene from Briney and Han, which features Conrad alone in a coffeeshop. Han wouldn't share the context of the scene since it would reveal spoilers, but Briney confirmed that the scene's content isn't featured in We'll Always Have Summer.
Han explained her reasoning for changing parts of the story she put on the page over a decade ago as an attempt to make the television adaptation a unique and entertaining experience for everyone. Those who read the book can be as equally surprised and captivated by the story and character choices as those who are encountering the story for the first time. It's a way to make the viewing experience level for every watcher, while also honoring the story.
"A lot of people, literally, are just watching the show and they're seeing it for the first time. But you also want to serve the people who have been fans for 15 years, who are excited about certain things. But you can't make everyone happy. I wish I could make everyone happy. But I have to please myself first, as a storyteller, to feel proud of the thing that I'm making." —Jenny Han
No matter how familiar you are with what's going to happen in season 3, the cast and creator shared another overall tease about the final season that has us pretty scared. The Summer I Turned Pretty has always been a show that can not only tug on our heartstrings but rip our heart clean out thanks to it's emotional storylines and explorations of loss and grief. But we should get prepared to feel all the feelings when the love triangle gets resolved and we might not get what we want.
Continuing her warning to fans, Han revealed that some viewers will likely feel "devastated and heartbroken" after watching season 3. It's the mark of a well-written television love triangle because someone's heart will be broken, and that has ripple effects. Here's what Han shared about crafting the final season's culmination of the love triangle:
"A successful love triangle is one where, no matter what happens, people are going to be devastated and heartbroken. 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." —Jenny Han
As Tung elaborated on Han's thought, if any of us viewers leave the season feeling heartbroken, the show did its job in making us feel something. But honestly, it's not all doom and gloom, devastation and heartbreak. We're sure to have one last super-fun summer in Cousins Beach with these amazing characters we have gotten to know for three seasons. There will be tears, there will be changes, there will be heartbreak, but there will also be a lot of great memories in season 3!
The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 premieres Wednesday, July 16 on Prime Video.