The Summer I Turned Pretty: 5 major differences between the show and the book

Summer had fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty swooning for the release of the new season, and as assured, it has lived up to the expectations with the continuation of the soft romance. Belly finds herself back at Cousin's Beach, where things look much different after Sussanah's demise.

While Season 3 of the show has been announced, the creator, Jenny Han, will be bringing back the idyllic beach and the endearing performances. However, in the ongoing second season, the story picks up with an exception: the summer house is up for sale. Given that the author of the book and the creator of the series are the same person, the question of digression in the series remains in the minds of fans.

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Five ways The Summer I Turned Pretty deviated from the Jenny Han books

1) Diversity in the cast

When compared to the trilogy, The Summer I Turned Pretty series has far more diverse casting in addition to Taylor Swift's soundtrack. The books have never stated Isabel Conklin's or Belly's ethnicity but have hinted towards a white girl, as depicted by the illustration on the 2009 book cover. However, she is Korean on her mother's side in the show.

Jenny Han spoke to Cinemablend, saying that she wanted the show to be a reflection of the times we are in and represent talent from different backgrounds.

"We get to have like an Asian American family on the show. And then, we also have a new character Cleveland, who is Filipino. So it's really exciting I think. And I think it feels really natural to the show, to the characters, and the story."

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2) Books are from Belly's point of view

The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy has been limited to Belly's point of view due to restrictions that come in when the story is for a novel. However, the Prime Video series makes use of time and expands on the story with slices from the lives of the supporting characters.

The viewers get a better understanding of Conrad and his moods as we see him struggling with his mother's cancer and his relationship with Belly and his father. Similarly, the show tells the story of Laurel Park, Belly's mom, and her affair with Cleveland Castillo, the author.

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3) There was no debutante ball in the books

Season 1 ended with the debutante ball and the events that led up to it, but there was no such ball in the book. While Susannah asks Conrad to take Belly to dance, Jeremiah makes the move first but ends up leaving Belly alone at the ball after hearing of his mother's illness.

Conrad takes his place as Belly's dance partner.

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4) Jeremiah's sexuality

Jeremiah is known to have dated girls only in the books. However, the second episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty depicts his sexual fluidity as he points out people he had kissed at the Country Club.

Speaking on the topic, Han revealed to TVLine,

"I think perhaps if I was writing the novel today, I may have made that choice because I think that he's always been a character, to me, that is really at ease with himself, really comfortable in his own skin, and open-minded, and open to exploration."

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5) Belly and Taylor's expanded friendship

The Summer I Turned Pretty books depict Taylor to have rather negative energy around Belly. She visits Cousins Beach, kisses Steven and Jeremiah, and ends up in an awkward situation with Belly, which stays for the longest time.

She has little role to play in the book as compared to the show, where she is seen making out with Steven, leading to an altercation with Belly. The two have a conversation and make it up to become better friends throughout the show.

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The second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty was released on Amazon Prime Video on July 14, 2023, and has been dropping episodes every Friday.