The Summer I Turned Pretty Book vs Show
Like most women, I was completely consumed by the Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty. What is technically marketed as a teen romance somehow managed to turn a huge number of grown women completely feral – myself very much included.
Whilst I’d always been a fan of the show, Season 3 had me absolutely obsessed. Watching the new episodes and gossiping with friends was my new Wednesday evening ritual.
So after the first two episodes aired, I immediately bought the books the series is based on by Jenny Han, desperate to find out the ending and which brother she’d end up with.
You can imagine my dismay, then, when the very next day I read an interview with Jenny Han in which she revealed that the ending of the show is different to that in the book! Doh.
The books were quick, easy reads, and I flew through them in no time. But I was surprised to find that the books differ fairly significantly from the show.
If I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t recommend the books to people who have only seen the show.
There are so many differences between the two, and in my opinion, the television adaptation doesn’t just diverge from the source material – it improves on it.
Significantly.
Here are the most notable differences between The Summer I Turned Pretty books and The Summer I Turned Pretty series.
I’ll start with the tone of the series overall, then key character differences, and then changes made to the plot from seasons 1 to 3.
The tone is totally different
The most immediate difference between the books and the show is the tone. The novels are unmistakably written for a young YA audience.
They’re sweet, gentle, and often feel quite juvenile, particularly in Belly’s internal monologue. That makes sense given when they were written, and how old Belly is in the books, but it does mean they read very differently from the series.
The show deliberately ages everything up. The characters feel more emotionally complex, the conflicts are heavier, and the romantic and sexual tension is dialled way up.
It’s a significant departure from the softer, more innocent books, but it works extremely well. The story feels richer and more compelling as a result.
One of the clearest examples of this tonal shift is how the show handles sex and intimacy.
In the books, Belly remains a virgin throughout the entire trilogy.
The show makes a very different choice…
Belly not only has sex, but she has sex with both Fisher brothers.
While I personally prefer the more mature tone overall, this change does fundamentally alter how her love triangle reads.
Flitting between two brothers emotionally is one thing; being in serious, physical relationships with both is quite another.
I found that element a little difficult to grapple with, but it’s also undeniable that it’s part of what makes the show so addictive.
Key character changes
Perhaps the biggest improvement the show makes is in its characterisation.
Conrad
Conrad in the books is, frankly, difficult to like.
He’s avoidant, emotionally closed off, and often infuriating.
A real jerk, basically.
The series reframes him as a teenager struggling under the weight of his mother’s illness, which makes his behaviour far more understandable.
His mental health is clearly in bits, and he often has panic attacks.
As the show progresses, he actively works on himself, goes to therapy, is emotionally vulnerable and is generally much more mature.
As a result, show-Conrad is not just more bearable, but genuinely desirable.
The yearning!
Belly
The books are written from Belly’s POV, and she feels incredibly young and immature.
I appreciate that the books are targeted at a younger audience, but Belly is childish, naive, and barely has any personality beyond being obsessed with Conrad.
Also, Belly’s ethnicity is never explicitly mentioned in the books, but in the series, she is half Korean, half American.
As someone who is half Asian, half British myself, I loved this change, and it totally makes sense given Jenny Han is Korean American.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah is also notably different. And actually, I think I preferred Jeremiah in the books (Lacie debacle aside), whilst I was firmly Team Connie when watching the show.
Jeremiah actually seems like a fairly solid guy for most of the books, and I felt sorry for him at times because it is so clear that Belly is, and always has been, in love with Conrad.
In the books, he still has an inferiority complex when it comes to Conrad, but it’s much less strong than in the show, where I think he comes off as really vengeful and insecure.
He literally aims a firework at Belly and Conrad to stop them from kissing in the show, which is pretty messed up.
Also, the show explicitly presents him as bisexual, something that’s never addressed in the books.
Taylor
Taylor undergoes an even bigger transformation. In the books, she’s immature, bratty, and far more interested in Jeremiah than Steven. Eek!
The show gives her depth, loyalty, and a meaningful emotional arc, making her one of the strongest supporting characters.
Steven
Steven, meanwhile, barely registers in the novels. Steven is off touring colleges in book 1, so he isn’t really part of the story and doesn’t hang around to work at the Country Club.
The series turns him into a fully realised character with ambition, flaws, and growth, rather than a background annoyance.
Denise
Finally, Denise, who plays a key emotional role in the show, doesn’t exist in the books at all, another example of how the adaptation enriches the story world.
Beyond these core characters, some other characters who don’t exist in the books include Shayla, Cleveland, Aunt Julia and more.
Key changes in TSITP season one
Season one introduces several major plot points that simply don’t exist in the books.
Debutante ball
The debutante ball, for example, is entirely invented for the series. It becomes a central emotional moment on screen – it’s when Jere finds out about Susannah’s illness, and Cory steps in to save Belly’s dance. This plot thread gives the whole season a sense of structure and climax that the first book lacks.
Susannah’s cancer
Susannah’s cancer diagnosis is also handled very differently.
In the show, her illness is kept secret for much of the season and becomes a major source of tension between the adults and the teenagers.
In the books, Conrad and Jeremiah are aware of their mother’s diagnosis from the very beginning.
This single change has a huge knock-on effect, particularly when it comes to Conrad’s behaviour.
The show frames his moodiness and withdrawal as the response of a teenage boy carrying an unbearable secret, which makes him far easier to empathise with.
Cam Cameron
Belly’s relationship with Cam Cameron also plays out differently. In both versions, he represents a romantic distraction away from the Fisher brothers, but the details shift.
In the show, Cam is Belly’s first kiss, and it’s Belly who ultimately ends the relationship. In the books, Jeremiah is her first kiss, and Cam breaks things off because he knows Belly’s heart belongs elsewhere.
It’s a small change, but quite an important one given how significant first kisses can be. It also gives Belly more agency and maturity on screen.
Key changes in TSITP season 2
Season two continues to diverge from the books in meaningful ways.
Sale of Cousins beach house
In the show, the potential sale of the Cousins Beach house is driven by Aunt Julia, Susannah’s sister, which pulls the teenagers back together and forces them to confront both their grief and their relationships.
In the books, it’s Adam (Conrad and Jeremiah’s father) who is trying to sell the house.
The show’s version feels more emotionally layered and less transactional, especially given the strained family dynamics already in play.
Hot cocoa scene
This is also the point where the show fully commits to a more ‘adult’ interpretation of the story.
There are no sex scenes at all in the books, which means no fireplace moments, no intimacy-heavy late-night conversations, and, crucially, no infamous hot cocoa scene.
I’m very glad the show made the choices it did here, as these moments add depth that the books never quite reach.
Key changes in TSITP season 3
Season three is where the show moves furthest away from its source material.
Several major storylines are completely invented, including Taylor’s mother’s financial difficulties and Steven’s car accident.
These additions give the supporting characters much more weight and prevent the season from revolving solely around Belly’s romantic indecision.
Steven and Taylor
Steven and Taylor’s relationship is another area where the show dramatically expands on the books. In the novels, their romantic involvement barely exists beyond a single kiss in the first book.
In the series, their relationship becomes messy, intense, and emotionally charged, complete with breakups, reconciliations, and cheating on other partners.
It’s chaotic, but it also makes both characters feel far more real.
Belly’s bachelorette party
Belly’s bachelorette night is another moment that highlights how differently the show approaches emotional consequences.
In the books, after Conrad admits he still loves her, Belly returns to Jeremiah, gets into bed with him, and tells him she loves him.
In the series, an emotionally wrecked Belly crawls into bed with Taylor instead, crying as Taylor Swift plays, before knocking on Jeremiah’s wall (a symbol from their childhood).
This scene is pretty gut-wrenching and builds the anticipation for what choice Belly will make in the end.
Everyone (eventually) becomes much more mature
The emotional maturity of the Fisher brothers is also far more pronounced in the show.
The heart-to-heart between Conrad and Jeremiah at their mother’s grave doesn’t happen in the books at all, yet it’s one of the most affecting scenes in the series.
It reinforces how much more emotionally articulate and self-aware the show allows them to be.
Paris…
And then there’s Paris.
The entire Paris arc is created for the show – and it’s one of its best additions.
I especially loved this sequence because, as a fellow half-Asian girl who once lived in Paris, I too briefly believed I could reinvent myself as effortlessly chic simply by cutting my hair into a bob.
In the books, Belly studies abroad only after calling off her wedding to Jeremiah; she goes to Spain rather than Paris, and Conrad communicates with her only through letters.
Conrad and Belly don’t reunite until her college graduation. So no Parisian makeover, no bob haircut, no Conrad following her across Europe.
The show’s Paris storyline feels grown-up, romantic, and a deserving emotional climax we’d all been waiting for, so I’m very glad it exists.
The ending
The ending also diverges significantly.
The third book concludes with Belly and Conrad getting engaged, something that hasn’t happened in the series yet.
With a film already confirmed, it’s clear the show is simply stretching the story out rather than abandoning that endgame.
And I can’t wait to see more of Belly and Conrad on the big screen!
Final Thoughts
There are countless smaller differences between the books and the series, but these are the ones that stood out most to me.
The books are fine as nostalgic, easy YA reads, but the Amazon adaptation elevates the story in almost every way.
If you loved the show, I’d approach the books with curiosity rather than expectation.
And if you’re choosing between the two?
I’m firmly, unapologetically Team Show.
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