Jenny Han’s ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty‘ books already have a huge fan base, but the Amazon Prime series only made the story more popular.
But, just like most adaptations, the TV show doesn’t follow the books word-for-word. While the show retains the central theme, it makes several changes to the source material. In some parts, there are new additions, while in others, there are brand-new storylines.
We have listed below ten of the most notable differences that are not the same in the books and the show, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’.
Susannah’s Cancer Secret
In the books, we see that both Conrad and Jeremiah know about their mom’s cancer from the start. But the show goes in a different direction, and Conrad finds out early. But Susannah keeps Jeremiah in the dark, and he only learns the truth at the end of season one when he sees her emails. But undoubtedly, we loved seeing the emotions it brought out onscreen.
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Financial Struggles Of Taylor’s Mom
In the books, Taylor’s family life barely comes up. However, the show brings in a whole new storyline. In Season 3 of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty‘, we see her mom, Lucinda, struggling with money after a breakup. It’s only when Steven looks at her books and finds out things are bad. And, it’s because of this that Taylor has to give up her New York internship to stay home and help.
Cam Cameron And Belly’s Breakup
Both in the book and in the series, we see Belly having a short romance with Cam. But the details we get are different. In the books, Jeremiah is actually Belly’s first kiss. But in the show, we see Cam. Their breakup also changes, and in the book, Cam ends things because he knows Belly loves one of the Fisher brothers, but in the show, Belly is the one who calls it off.
Intimacy Between Belly And Conrad
In the books of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty‘, we never see Belly sleeping with either Conrad or Jeremiah. But the show takes things a lot further. In a season two flashback, we see Conrad and Belle spending the night together at Cousin’s Beach, and of her own will. We get to see Belly becoming mature and independent, unlike in the book.
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Steven’s Car Accident
In the books, Steven remains more of a background figure without major drama of his own. He doesn’t even get many storylines. The show gives him one of his own when he crashes his car in season three after a fight with Taylor. Though he’s fine afterwards, the accident makes him rethink his relationship with her. In some way, this arc makes his character stronger in the show.
Grave Talk Between Conrad And Jeremiah
As we already know, both brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah, have complicated feelings about Belly in both versions of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty‘. After Belly and Jeremiah’s wedding is called off in the books, Conrad disappears for three years before reaching out again. But the show handles things very differently. At their mother’s grave, the brothers finally talk. Jeremiah admits he won’t be “okay” with it but still gives Conrad permission to be with Belly. We miss the whole thing in the books, though.
Laurel’s Career As An Author
In the books, we hardly get a glimpse of Laurel’s career and never ever hear anything regarding it. But the show makes her a writer, and we loved every bit of it. What’s surprising is that one of Laurel’s novels shares its title with It’s Not Summer Without You, the second book in Jenny Han’s trilogy. In some way or another, it brings the fictional world and the real world together.
The Relationship Between Steven And Taylor
In the books, Steven and Taylor’s connection hardly moves forward. They only share one kiss, which ends up ruining Belly’s birthday. But the show doesn’t stop there. In the show, we see their romance growing slowly across the seasons with ups and downs, a cheating plot, and even the car accident fallout. As much as we loved watching it, Jenny Han has herself confessed how hard it was for her to write this storyline for the show.
A Time Jump To College Years
While the books slowly move through Belly’s teenage years, the show skips ahead. We see Season 3 beginning with Belly’s college, but then it quickly jumps to her junior year, with Jeremiah in his senior year. During this time, a lot happens off-screen. We get to know about Belly quitting volleyball after an injury and finding a love for sports psychology, Jeremiah enjoys frat life but falls behind in classes, and Steven graduates early and starts working. At the same time, Conrad continues studying medicine at Stanford.
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New Characters’ Introduction
It’s natural for ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty‘ book readers to meet characters like Annika or Agnes in their college years. Instead, the show brings in fresh faces like Taylor’s boyfriend Davis, Steven’s unseen girlfriend Mia, and Denise, Steven’s co-worker. Bringing these new characters gives the supporting cast more storylines and keeps things interesting for viewers who have already read the books.
Even though the heart of The Summer I Turned Pretty remains the same in both versions, the show isn’t afraid to add new twists, whether that’s changing relationships, jumping ahead in time, or introducing new characters we never met in the books. And, we loved all of it!
