‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Creator Jenny Han Teases ‘Changes’ and ‘Surprises’ in Season 3

Jenny Han, the creator of The Summer I Turned Pretty, is making it known that the upcoming season will differ from the beloved book series.

On Wednesday, July 16, the hit coming-of-age television show — based on Han’s book trilogy — will return for the final season on Prime Video. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on Tuesday, May 20, the 44-year-old author revealed the season 3 storyline will not perfectly follow the third novel, We’ll Always Have Summer.

“There are definitely changes,” she told the outlet. “There are surprises. And there are things that aren’t exactly like the books.”

The screenwriter explained she wants to keep viewers who read the books on their toes, noting, “A true show-watching experience where they find themselves with bated breath being like, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ That’s an experience worth protecting. Whether they want me to or not.”

However, the showrunner admitted she can’t please everyone in her quest to conclude the romantic drama.

“A lot of people, literally, are just watching the show and they’re seeing it for the first time. But you also want to serve the people who have been fans for 15 years, who are excited about certain things. But you can’t make everyone happy,” Han told the publication. “I wish I could make everyone happy. But I have to please myself first, as a storyteller, to feel proud of the thing that I’m making.”

Cast members Lola Tung, who plays the lead character Isabel “Belly” Conklin, and Gavin Casalegno, who portrays love interest Jeremiah Fisher, said they enjoy seeing fan theories for season 3.

“But you don’t know,” Casalegno quipped. Tung added, “You have no clue.”

Han did not address whether the changes she was talking about had to do with who Belly’s ultimate love interest is. The show follows an infamous love triangle between Belly, Jeremiah and his older brother Conrad Fisher (portrayed by Christopher Briney).

“A successful love triangle is one where, no matter what happens, people are going to be devastated and heartbroken,” Han remarked. “Because if the answer feels really clear and easy, then there’s no real conflict. No matter what you do, someone’s going to be hurt by it.”

For now, readers and nonreaders alike must wait until summer to find out how the series officially wraps up.