If you’re a fan who’s read Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty cover to cover, binged every episode, and still finds yourself deep in TikTok theory rabbit holes, you’re not alone. As a fellow Team Conrad supporter and book loyalist, I went straight to the cast to find out just how much we should trust our book knowledge heading into the final season. Spoiler: not as much as you’d think.
“There will always be new things to expect, just with, you know, book to screen adaptations. And I think it’s better if it’s a surprise. I think that’s more fun, it’s always like a nice, fun, new thing to discover,” Lola Tung, who plays protagonist Isabel Conklin, told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
The cast made it clear that even the most dedicated readers are in for a few curveballs. Christopher Briney, who plays Conrad Fisher, put it simply: “I think we just trust that Jenny knows what she’s doing with it, because I think a direct adaptation would probably be like two episodes, you know…”
So, if you thought you could predict every twist, maybe don’t get too comfortable.
Even the actors were caught off guard by what’s coming. “There were some things that I think when I first heard that they were even going to be, you know, plot lines. I was like, whoa. This is exciting, and new and painful as well — but good storytelling,” Lola shared.
Gavin Casalegno, who plays Jeremiah Fisher, shared on how personal the final season felt: “I feel like the scenes are more… personal, simply from when [Jenny Han] was writing it, she had us in mind versus, you know, trying to cast for the different parts and things. And so I think the scenes have definitely, just in general, have gotten more personal to us.”
The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 theories
Of course, none of this has stopped the internet from going full detective. The first season three poster — Belly standing solo in front of a hydrangea bush — sparked a viral theory that she might “choose herself” and leave both Conrad and Jeremiah behind.
“Calling it now Belly isn’t ending up with anyone in the show based off the poster just released,” one fan declared on TikTok, and the theory quickly took off. Some fans are all for it, while others are (understandably) hoping for a more classic ending.
But then Prime Video released a second poster: Jeremiah kissing Belly’s cheek, Belly looking ahead, and Conrad watching from the side. Fans immediately noticed it mirrored the Sabrina (1954) movie poster — a film where the girl ends up with the guy on the left (Conrad’s spot).
“This The Summer I Turned pretty poster is literally based off of Sabrina (1954)… linus… who is on the left… is who sabrina ends the film with,” one fan pointed out on X.
For Team Conrad, that’s a pretty hopeful sign.
There’s also a camp that’s convinced the show will stick close to the books. In We’ll Always Have Summer, Belly spends some time on her own before reconnecting with Conrad. If the Sabrina-inspired poster is a real clue, maybe we’ll get that book-true ending after all.
And because it wouldn’t be a fandom without wild speculation, there’s even a theory floating around that Steven might die this season and with the cast hinting at “surprises” and “painful” new storylines, I’m stressed.
Jenny Han has warned fans to expect the unexpected, telling Entertainment Tonight in March, “There are going to be surprises. There are the things that they know and then there are things they think they know, and then there’s going to be, hopefully, things that surprise them.”
She’s said there are “definitely changes”, but also a “satisfying” ending for everyone — no matter which team you’re on.
So, even if you’re a book expert and a loyal Team Conrad fan, this season is still out to surprise you. The cast’s advice? Just let it happen. After all, according to Lola, “it’s better if it’s a surprise”.
The Summer Turned Pretty Season 3 kicks off July 16 on Prime Video.
Lead image: Supplied
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