# The Summer I Turned Pretty (trilogy)

**The Summer I Turned Pretty** is a young adult romance trilogy by the American author [Jenny Han](https://www.edgepedia.org/jenny-han), published by [Simon & Schuster](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-and-schuster) between 2009 and 2011, that follows Isabel "Belly" Conklin through her summers at Cousins Beach and her love triangle with the brothers Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher<sup>[1](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/summer-i-turned-pretty-film-in-the-works/)</sup>. The trilogy consists of *The Summer I Turned Pretty* (2009), *It's Not Summer Without You* (2010), and *We'll Always Have Summer* (2011)<sup>[1](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/summer-i-turned-pretty-film-in-the-works/)</sup>. It was adapted into a Prime Video television series that ran for three seasons from 2022 to 2025, with a concluding film announced after the series finale<sup>[2](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/prime-video-reveals-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-movie-hours-after-series-finale)</sup>.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | Jenny Han, also known for the To All the Boys I've Loved Before series<sup>[3](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Summer-I-Turned-Pretty-Trilogy-%28Boxed-Set%29/Jenny-Han/The-Summer-I-Turned-Pretty/9781665973731)</sup> |
| Volumes | *The Summer I Turned Pretty* (2009), *It's Not Summer Without You* (2010), *We'll Always Have Summer* (2011)<sup>[1](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/summer-i-turned-pretty-film-in-the-works/)</sup> |
| Premise | Belly, a girl on the cusp of 16, navigates a love triangle between brothers Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher during summers at Cousins Beach<sup>[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-07-06/summer-i-turned-pretty-jenny-han-to-all-the-boys-xo-kitty)</sup> |
| Sales | Han's Simon & Schuster titles have sold 8 million copies, 4.5 million of which are Summer books<sup>[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-07-06/summer-i-turned-pretty-jenny-han-to-all-the-boys-xo-kitty)</sup> |
| Adaptation | Prime Video series, three seasons (2022–2025); season 3 reached 70 million viewers in 70 days, up 65% from season 2<sup>[5](https://www.jennyhan.com/home)</sup> |
| Continuation | A film conclusion was announced hours after the series finale, directed by Han and co-written with Sarah Kucserka<sup>[2](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/prime-video-reveals-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-movie-hours-after-series-finale)</sup> |

## The books

The trilogy centers on Belly, who has spent every summer with her family at the Fisher family's beach house in the fictional town of Cousins Beach. She has long harbored a crush on Conrad Fisher, the elder of the two brothers, while Jeremiah, the younger, also becomes a romantic interest<sup>[6](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781416968238)</sup>. The first book introduces Cam, a boy also spending the summer at the beach who becomes Belly's first boyfriend<sup>[6](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781416968238)</sup>.

Han originally planned to follow a girl's life in summers, from ages 12 to 18, in a single book, but the concept became unwieldy and she asked her editor, Emily Meehan, for two more books so the story could be richer<sup>[7](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/1936-q-a-with-jenny-han.html)</sup>. Flashbacks of past summers are interspersed through the narrative, a structural choice Han discussed in a 2009 interview<sup>[6](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781416968238)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/1936-q-a-with-jenny-han.html)</sup>.

The third book, *We'll Always Have Summer*, concludes the series with Belly's final choice between Jeremiah and Conrad<sup>[8](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Well-Always-Have-Summer/Jenny-Han/The-Summer-I-Turned-Pretty/9798347122707)</sup>.

## The television adaptation

Amazon Prime Video ordered a series adaptation with Han as executive producer and co-showrunner, alongside Gabrielle Stanton; Han also wrote the pilot<sup>[9](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/89605-tv-alert-the-summer-i-turned-pretty.html)</sup>. The seven-episode first season premiered on June 17, 2022, and a second season was greenlit before the premiere<sup>[9](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/89605-tv-alert-the-summer-i-turned-pretty.html)</sup>. The series stars [Lola Tung](https://www.edgepedia.org/lola-tung) as Belly, Christopher Briney as Conrad, and [Gavin Casalegno](https://www.edgepedia.org/gavin-casalegno) as Jeremiah<sup>[9](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/89605-tv-alert-the-summer-i-turned-pretty.html)</sup>.

The third and final season, an expanded 11-episode run, aired in 2025 and reached 70 million viewers in 70 days, a 65 percent increase over season 2<sup>[5](https://www.jennyhan.com/home)</sup>. Hours after the series finale, Prime Video announced a concluding film, to be directed by Han and co-written with Sarah Kucserka, with Tung and Briney confirmed to return<sup>[2](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/prime-video-reveals-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-movie-hours-after-series-finale)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/summer-i-turned-pretty-film-in-the-works/)</sup>.

## Books versus the show

The adaptation changes several plot points. The television series adds a formal debutante ball in season 1 that never occurs in the book, portrays Jeremiah as sexually fluid, introduces Conrad's infinity necklace as a significant gift from the start (the books mention it only in the sequel), expands Belly's friendship with Taylor and brother Steven's role, and has Susannah keep her cancer secret from most characters, whereas in the book both families know<sup>[10](https://en.as.com/entertainment/good-adaptation-how-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-books-differ-from-the-tv-show-n/)</sup>. The series also clearly advances Belly and Conrad's romance in season 1, while the books leave her love triangle more ambiguous<sup>[10](https://en.as.com/entertainment/good-adaptation-how-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-books-differ-from-the-tv-show-n/)</sup>.

For the final three episodes of season 3, Han departed from her book *We'll Always Have Summer*, sending Belly from Cousins to Paris, territory fans had not seen before<sup>[11](https://www.thewrap.com/the-summer-i-turned-pretty-ratings-tiktok-gen-z-taylor-swift/)</sup>.

## Music and reception

Han wrote the second and third books while listening to [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift)'s album *Fearless*, and fans had long asked for a Swift song in any adaptation<sup>[12](https://time.com/6187609/jenny-han-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-interview/)</sup>. Swift debuted a snippet of "This Love (Taylor's Version)" in the show's teaser trailer<sup>[12](https://time.com/6187609/jenny-han-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-interview/)</sup>.

The series found an audience beyond its teenage target demographic, drawing middle-aged viewers and becoming a social media phenomenon, with fans divided into "Team Conrad" and "Team Jeremiah" camps<sup>[13](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/2025/08/21/summer-i-turned-pretty-fans-popularity-appeal/)</sup>. The weekly release schedule, a departure from the binge model, enabled gradual viewership growth toward the finale<sup>[11](https://www.thewrap.com/the-summer-i-turned-pretty-ratings-tiktok-gen-z-taylor-swift/)</sup>.

## References

1. [Summer I Turned Pretty Film in the Works, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/summer-i-turned-pretty-film-in-the-works/)
2. [Prime Video reveals 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' movie hours after series finale, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/prime-video/prime-video-reveals-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-movie-hours-after-series-finale)
3. [The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy (Boxed Set), Simon & Schuster](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Summer-I-Turned-Pretty-Trilogy-%28Boxed-Set%29/Jenny-Han/The-Summer-I-Turned-Pretty/9781665973731)
4. [How author Jenny Han built a YA empire, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-07-06/summer-i-turned-pretty-jenny-han-to-all-the-boys-xo-kitty)
5. [Jenny Han official site](https://www.jennyhan.com/home)
6. [The Summer I Turned Pretty review, Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781416968238)
7. [Q & A with Jenny Han, Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/1936-q-a-with-jenny-han.html)
8. [We'll Always Have Summer, Simon & Schuster](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Well-Always-Have-Summer/Jenny-Han/The-Summer-I-Turned-Pretty/9798347122707)
9. [TV Alert: 'The Summer I Turned Pretty', Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/89605-tv-alert-the-summer-i-turned-pretty.html)
10. [How 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' books differ from the TV show, AS USA](https://en.as.com/entertainment/good-adaptation-how-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-books-differ-from-the-tv-show-n/)
11. [How The Summer I Turned Pretty Harnessed TikTok to Become a Ratings Hit, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/the-summer-i-turned-pretty-ratings-tiktok-gen-z-taylor-swift/)
12. [Jenny Han Knows The Summer I Turned Pretty Will Get You in Your Feelings, TIME](https://time.com/6187609/jenny-han-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-interview/)
13. [Why is everyone watching 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'?, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/2025/08/21/summer-i-turned-pretty-fans-popularity-appeal/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Prose fiction › Novel series and sagas › Romance, historical, and family-saga series*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license
