Season 3: Love, Betrayal and the Truth

Season 3: Love, Betrayal, and the Truth

The final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty (Prime Video, 2025) has finally come. Based on Jenny Han’s bestselling trilogy, the show has been receiving love for its blend of relatable romance and nostalgic summer storytelling. Season 3 has been releasing weekly episodes since July, slowly showing both closure and surprises for fans who have been following Isabel “Belly” Conklin’s tangled love life since Season 1.

Adaptation or Reinvention?

While the season draws inspiration from We’ll Always Have Summer (2011), Han’s third and final book in the trilogy, the show changes significantly in its structure and setting. The TV version skips ahead in the characters’ lives, shifting Belly’s semester abroad from Spain (in the novel) to Paris, and introducing an entirely new plotline involving a dramatic car accident between Steven (Sean Kaufman) and Taylor (Rain Spencer).

Jenny Han, who serves as co-showrunner, has stated in interviews that she wanted the series to feel like “a reinterpretation rather than a strict retelling,” allowing space for new character arcs and unexpected twists.

Love, Loyalty, or Frustration

At the centre of the series still continues Belly (Lola Tung), whose indecision between Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) has fuelled the story’s tension. Season 3 heightens this conflict, but also rage baiting and frustrating the audience. Belly’s back-and-forth feels realistic, but is also slowing down the storyline.

Conrad emerges as the emotional anchor of the season. Briney’s portrayal of his character’s loyalty, subtle gestures, and ongoing love has resonated strongly with viewers and critics alike. With this, Jeremiah’s immaturity stands out more clearly, highlighting the imbalance in the long-running love triangle.

Moreover, this season was lacking other key dynamics, such as Belly’s sibling bond with Steven, which in the books helped ground her beyond her romantic dilemmas.

Performances That Carried the Season

Christopher Briney gives what feels like his best performance yet, capturing Conrad’s quiet heartbreak and layered emotions in a way that makes him the season’s emotional core. Lola Tung and Gavin Casalegno also shine, though at times, Belly’s constant indecision overshadows Tung’s range, leaving viewers more frustrated with the character than the actress. Sean Kaufman and Rain Spencer bring surprising depth to Steven and Taylor’s storyline, especially during the tense hospital scenes after the crash, moments that feel raw and genuinely moving.

The show’s bittersweet tone is still its heartbeat, shifting effortlessly between the warm nostalgia of the beach house and the lively yet isolating streets of Paris. And once again, the soundtrack is unforgettable. With songs from Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Olivia Rodrigo, every big moment lands with extra weight. The music doesn’t just sit in the background; it feels like another character, shaping emotions and reminding fans why the series has become such a cultural classic.

Highs and Lows

From a surprise proposal to the cancelled wedding, Season 3 doesn’t hold back on the drama. These twists bring that perfect mix of shock and relief that fans have come to expect. Still, not every moment hits the mark. Belly’s rejection of Conrad at the beach, for example, left many viewers frustrated and unsatisfied, especially after everything that had built up between them.

The love triangle is still at the centre of the story, but after three seasons, some fans feel it’s stretched to its limit. The constant back-and-forth risks losing its spark, and the tension of waiting for Belly to finally make her choice has started to make viewers frustrated and, in a way, feel “rage baited”.

Bittersweet Goodbyes

As the series reaches its end, one big question lingers: will the show stick to the book’s ending, or will it go a different way? The novels gave Belly’s story a resolution that many readers loved, but with all the changes this season has made, there’s still room for unexpected twists.

Even though the story drags at times and creates risks that not everyone looks for, the season offers enough emotional highs to keep people hooked. The performances feel authentic, the soundtrack fits every mood perfectly, and Jenny Han’s willingness to take bold swings gives the finale real weight.

For fans who love romance, The Summer I Turned Pretty remains heartfelt, occasionally maddening, but always captivating, a series that captures the messy, beautiful chaos of first love while giving audiences a story that they will not forget.