Who Does Belly End Up With – Books vs Show Endings

The Summer I Turned Pretty has kept viewers and readers debating for years: who does Belly end up with? The answer differs dramatically between Jenny Han’s beloved book trilogy and the Prime Video adaptation. While Conrad serves as Belly’s endgame in the original novels, the television series takes the story in a notably different direction, particularly in its third season.

Whether you’re coming from the books or the show, understanding these differences requires tracing both versions carefully. The relationship dynamics between Belly Conklin, Conrad Fisher, and Jeremiah Fisher form the emotional core of the entire story, and the divergence in endings has sparked intense discussion among fans since the show premiered.

Does Belly End Up with Conrad or Jeremiah?

The most direct answer depends entirely on which version of the story you’re following. In Jenny Han’s original trilogy, Belly ends up with Conrad—her first love and the brother she always dreamed of being with. In the Prime Video adaptation, particularly in season 3, Belly ultimately chooses Jeremiah, though the path to that decision proves far more complicated than in the books.

The show has consistently built romantic tension between Belly and Conrad in its early seasons, making the season 3 pivot toward Jeremiah a significant surprise for audiences who expected the adaptation to follow the books more closely. Jenny Han, who serves as showrunner for the adaptation, has been transparent about diverging from her source material in key ways.

• Belly and Conrad are endgame in all three books of the trilogy
• The show diverges most significantly in season 3 with Belly choosing Jeremiah
• Jeremiah’s character undergoes substantial changes in the television adaptation
• Conrad and Belly reconnect romantically in season 3 before ultimately separating
• The show introduces a four-year time jump versus two years in the books
• Author Jenny Han has explained high school love’s significance in interviews

Belly’s Choice in the Books

Jenny Han’s original trilogy concludes with Belly choosing Conrad as her forever person. The three books—It’s Not Summer Without You, We’ll Always Have Summer, and the first installment—trace Belly’s journey from adolescence to adulthood as she navigates her feelings for both Fisher brothers.

Jenny Han has spoken extensively about the significance of this ending. In a 2022 interview, she explained her reasoning: “There’s something so potent and powerful about being really young, never having been bruised by love before, and going into it so wholeheartedly without fear.” This philosophy shaped how she crafted Belly’s ultimate choice in the books.

The book’s conclusion unfolds with relative openness. While Belly studies abroad in Spain, Conrad sends her letters—his preferred method of communication throughout the series due to his more reserved nature. Their reunion happens at Belly’s Finch graduation, where the two finally commit to each other fully.

Why Conrad in the Original Story

Conrad represents the challenging but ultimately rewarding love story Han wanted to tell. He’s brooding, complicated, and often emotionally unavailable—qualities that make his eventual opening up to Belly more meaningful. The books argue that true love sometimes requires patience and the willingness to weather difficult periods together.

The Wedding and Series Conclusion

In the third book, Belly and Conrad’s relationship culminates in their wedding. The ceremony brings together the extended Fisher family and marks the satisfying conclusion to the love triangle that has defined the series. This ending satisfied readers who had invested deeply in the Conrad-Belly story across all three installments.

The Show’s Ending So Far (Seasons 1-2)

The Prime Video adaptation initially follows the books’ trajectory quite closely. Seasons 1 and 2 establish Belly’s complicated feelings for Conrad while developing Jeremiah as a genuine romantic option. Lola Tung’s portrayal of Belly has earned praise for bringing nuance to the character’s internal conflict.

Season 2 concludes with Belly choosing Conrad—a choice that aligned with what readers expected based on the books. This alignment suggested the show would follow the source material’s ending, making season 3’s dramatic pivot all the more surprising when it arrived.

Season 3’s Dramatic Departure

Season 3 introduces the most significant changes to the source material. The four-year time jump places Belly as a junior at Finch University while Jeremiah is a senior. This expanded timeline allows for character development that diverges substantially from the books.

In this season, Jeremiah proposes to Belly and she accepts—creating a fundamentally different conclusion than what readers know from the trilogy. The showrunners argue this change reflects the evolved nature of the story in a television format, where different character choices become necessary for dramatic purposes.

Conrad’s Season 3 Arc

Conrad returns from Stanford and visits Belly in Paris for her birthday in season 3. The two reconnect romantically, spending meaningful time together and eventually sharing an intimate encounter on a train. This storyline echoes their book romance but doesn’t lead to the same conclusion. Despite this rekindling, Belly ultimately chooses to stay with Jeremiah.

Belly’s Relationship Timeline

Understanding how Belly arrives at her final choice requires tracing her relationships chronologically across both versions. The divergent timelines in books versus show contribute significantly to the different outcomes.

1. Book 1 (2010): The love triangle begins as Belly spends another summer at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah
2. Season 1 (2022): The Prime Video adaptation introduces the prom drama and establishes romantic tension between Belly and Conrad
3. Book 3 (2011): Belly and Conrad’s wedding marks the triumphant conclusion to the trilogy
4. Season 2 (2024): Belly chooses Conrad after the beach house drama, aligning with early book events
5. Season 3 (2025): The four-year time jump leads to Jeremiah’s proposal and Belly’s acceptance

The timeline compression versus expansion plays a crucial role in character development. In the books, Belly’s choice happens when she’s a college freshman with Jeremiah finishing his sophomore year. The show’s four-year gap means these characters have grown into different people by the time the critical decision arrives.

What Remains Clear and What Doesn’t

For readers and viewers seeking certainty about the story’s conclusion, some aspects remain definitively established while others continue generating questions.

Jenny Han has been forthright about her reasoning for the changes, emphasizing that a television adaptation requires different storytelling choices than a book series. Her interviews consistently reinforce that the divergence was intentional, not a departure made lightly.

The Broader Context of Belly’s Choice

The Summer I Turned Pretty uses Belly’s romantic dilemma to explore themes that resonate beyond typical young adult romance. Han examines how first loves shape our understanding of relationships, how family dynamics influence partner selection, and how maturity affects romantic decision-making.

The books champion the idea that sometimes the most rewarding relationships require patience and persistence. Conrad’s emotional walls make him difficult to love, but the trilogy argues this difficulty makes the eventual success more meaningful. The television adaptation takes a different view, suggesting that sometimes the easier path—choosing someone less complicated—might be right for certain life moments.

Both versions acknowledge that romantic love isn’t simple. Belly’s journey involves real growth, genuine heartbreak, and difficult decisions with lasting consequences. Whether one agrees with the show’s choice to diverge from the books, the adaptation has generated meaningful conversation about how stories evolve across different media.

Author’s Perspective and Quotes

Jenny Han has offered multiple explanations for why the show diverges from her books, though she maintains deep affection for the original story. Her reasoning typically focuses on the unique demands of television storytelling versus novel writing.

“There’s something so potent and powerful about being really young, never having been bruised by love before, and going into it so wholeheartedly without fear.”

— Jenny Han, 2022 interview

Han has also confirmed that the show’s ending would intentionally differ from the books, keeping audiences uncertain about which brother Belly would ultimately choose. This transparency about creative choices has been consistent since before the show premiered, managing expectations for readers approaching the adaptation.

In interviews covering the season 3 release, Han explained that the show needed to find its own conclusion rather than simply replicating the books. The character’s growth over three television seasons naturally led to different outcomes than those written for younger versions of the same characters in 2011.

Key Takeaways

Belly’s ultimate choice depends entirely on which version of The Summer I Turned Pretty you’re experiencing. The books offer a clear, satisfying conclusion with Conrad, while the Prime Video adaptation takes Belly in a dramatically different direction with Jeremiah in season 3. These differences reflect intentional creative choices rather than inconsistencies, with Jenny Han actively shaping the television story to suit its medium. Fans of the books and newcomers to the franchise alike should approach both versions with openness to different narrative possibilities.

For those exploring similar relationship dramas in television adaptations, Emmerdale Spoilers offers comparable analysis of romantic storylines across different shows.