The Summer I Turned Pretty: The Differences Between Season 2 of the Series and the Book
The long-awaited second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty is back! This season follows the plot of It's Not Summer Without You, with a few noteworthy differences.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is back for a second season. All episodes are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
There are eight episodes for the second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, each episode spanning about 50 minutes, to cover the length of the book. Despite that, the writers of the show did change a few aspects of the book in the series. They also gave more time for some characters and subplots to shine.
The plot of season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty follows the plot of the second book in the Summer I Turned Pretty series, It’s Not Summer Without You, written by Jenny Han.
If you haven’t read It’s Not Summer Without You, check out my review of the book here!
Disclaimer: This post contains spoilers for those who have not yet watched season 2 or read the book.
From left: Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Lola Tung, David Iacono, Rain Spencer, Sean Kaufman and Elsie Fisher for season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty. (Source: Prime Video)
Episode 1: Love Lost
There’s no graduation for Steven in the book.
In episode 1, we see Steven graduating from high school and giving his valedictorian speech. He doesn’t graduate in the book. In fact, there’s barely any mention of him in the books.
Therefore, there is also no graduation gift from Susannah in the book.
Davis, Taylor's boyfriend, is replaced by Milo, a new character in the series.
In the book, Taylor has a boyfriend called Ben Davis. Everyone called him Davis and he’s “really cute; he had dimples and green eyes like sea glass”.
However, Taylor has found a new beau for the series, Milo, who’s a rockstar and appears much cooler than Davis.
Belly ordered a pizza for Laurel, instead of making her a sandwich.
A minor difference but a difference nonetheless: Before Belly and Steven leave for the graduation party in episode 1, Belly tells Laurel, “I ordered you a pizza, okay, so please eat it.”
In the book, Belly had made a sandwich for her. “I went over to the fridge and pulled out stuff for a turkey sandwich. Mustard, cheese, white bread. […] ‘It’s for my mom,’ I said. I made the sandwich, put it on a plate, covered it with plastic wrap, and left it on the counter where she’d see it.”
Making a sandwich for your mother just seems more thoughtful to me than making a call for pizza. But food's food.
Steven didn't go to the party with Taylor and Belly.
In episode 1, Steven and Belly go to the party with Taylor and Milo.
However, in the book, Belly went with Taylor and Davis.
Belly’s argument with Steven was with Taylor.
At the party, Belly gets into an argument with Steven. It starts off lighthearted about Steven spilling a drink on Belly’s top but it later turns into Steven blaming Belly for making things awkward between him and the Fishers.
Since Steven is not there for Belly to pick a fight with in the book, Belly gets into an argument with Taylor. Taylor has been trying to help Belly get over her sulky mood by matchmaking her with Cory Wheeler, a boy in their grade. Belly wasn’t happy with it and took a hit on Taylor’s pet cat. Taylor then related Belly’s cranky behaviour to losing Susannah and Conrad, which ultimately made her even more unhappy.
Jeremiah called Belly first.
At the end of episode 1, Belly calls Jeremiah after looking at photos of her and Conrad.
However, in the book, Jeremiah calls Belly first, at which he asks her for help to look for Conrad.
Episode 2: Love Scene
Belly had met up with Jeremiah at Conrad’s school.
At the beginning of episode 2, Belly is taking the bus. She later ends up on Conrad’s campus where she meets up with Jeremiah.
In the book, she makes an elaborate scheme to leave her car at Taylor’s house. She also met Jeremiah there where they’d drive together to Conrad's school.
Conrad had a somewhat different roommate.
Eric Trusky, Conrad’s roommate, doesn’t know who Belly is in the book.
However, when Belly meets him in the show, Eric says “Oh, yeah, you’re Belly. Yo… when you guys broke up, my man fell into a depression,” clearly signalling that Conrad must have mentioned her to him before.
Belly found the necklace on the table, instead of in the drawer.
When Belly and Jeremiah went to Conrad's dorm room to look for him, Belly looked through Conrad's items for a clue of where he might have gone. In one of the drawers, she found a Tiffany box with an infinity necklace inside. She took the necklace and put it on.
In the show, Belly looked through the things on Conrad’s table and she found an infinity necklace under his book and laptop. She took his laptop and left the necklace and book on the desk.
Jeremiah and Belly were on decent terms.
Gavin Casalegno as Jeremiah Fisher and Lola Tung as Belly Conklin in the second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty. (Source: Prime Video)
Although Jeremiah was angry with Belly for leaving him in the dark when his mother passed away, they still made small talk on their drive to Conrad’s school.
However, in the series, Jeremiah was giving her the cold shoulder, later falling apart after experiencing a flat tyre.
Jeremiah’s car did not break down
On the way to Cousins, Jeremiah’s car broke down. They stopped at the side of the road before Jeremiah scolded Belly for not being there for him the past summer.
His car doesn't break down in the book.
Conrad and Belly only kissed on their solo trip to Cousins.
In the series, it’s implied that they did more than kiss when they didn’t in the book.
Episode 3: Love Sick
Steven didn't comfort Belly when she had just broken up with Conrad.
After Belly breaks up with Conrad in episode 3, she walks back into the school where Steven gives her a comforting embrace. They look at Conrad’s car as he drives away.
Steven doesn’t comfort Belly until the next morning in the book.
“The next morning, Steven came to my room and sat at my desk. He’d just gotten home. He was still wearing his tux. “I’m asleep,” I told him, rolling over.
“No, you’re not.” He paused. “Conrad’s not worth it, okay?”
Aunt Julia is a new character in the show.
Aunt Julia, Susannah’s half-sister, is a new character. She has had some unresolved conflicts with Susannah, including the ownership of the beach house.
Mr Fisher was the one who wanted to sell the house.
After Susannah’s passing, the ownership of the house automatically transferred to Aunt Julia as they both owned part of the house.
Since the house was still Susannah’s in the book and she didn't have a half-sister to give it to, Mr Fisher was the one in charge of the Cousins house. Ultimately, it was his decision to sell off the house.
“It’s not his house to sell. It’s my mother’s house, actually.”
No romance subplot between Steven and Taylor.
Sean Kaufman as Steven Conklin and Rain Spencer as Taylor Jewel in The Summer I Turned Pretty. (Source: Prime Video)
Besides the Belly and Conrad-Jeremiah love triangle, there is also a romance subplot between Steven and Taylor which doesn’t happen in the book.
Belly's outfit to Susannah's funeral was different.
Belly didn't wear her glasses and her hair the same way in the book.
I wore my old glasses to the funeral, the ones with the red plastic frames. [...] They made me dizzy, but I didn't care. Susannah always liked me in those glasses. She said I looked like the smartest girl in the room, the kind of girl who was going somewhere and knew exactly how she was going to get there. I wore my hair halfway up, because that was the way she liked it.
In episode 3, Belly wore her hair halfway up but opted out of the funky glasses.
Conrad didn't sing at Susannah's funeral in the book.
The funeral was a sombre moment for the family. Only the preacher said a few words about Susannah.
In the series, Conrad sang a song on the guitar that Susannah “always asked me to play for her”.
Taylor and Steven don't surprise Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad at Cousins.
At the end of episode 3, Taylor and Steven surprise Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad at the beach house, which they don't do in the book.
Episode 4: Love Game
Skye is a new character.
Skye is Aunt Julia’s child, half-cousin of Conrad and Jeremiah.
The gang did not go to the boardwalk.
After the air-conditioning in the beach house spoils, Aunt Julia demands everyone to leave the house so that she can call a repairman to fix it. Conrad, Belly, Jeremiah, Skye, Steven and Taylor decide to go to the boardwalk, where they play games and eat ice cream.
They don't go to the boardwalk in the book. Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah spent a lot of their time surfing and swimming.
Cam Cameron is back in season 2.
At the boardwalk, the gang walk into a rock-climbing wall where Steven eagerly approaches the wall to attempt a climb. Cam Cameron comes running in with a harness. He’s working at the boardwalk, where he later becomes the personal tour guide for the six of them.
Cam Cameron's time ended in the first book and he sadly does not make a surprise appearance in It’s Not Summer Without You.
Cleveland and Laurel's relationship.
Laurel's romance with Cleveland doesn't happen in the book. Since the chapters are from Belly and Jeremiah's point-of-view, the readers don't experience much more other than what happens to the two of them.
Their things were not ransacked from them.
After coming home from the boardwalk, they walk into an empty house, all traces of the house being Susannah’s are gone. While they were at the boardwalk, Aunt Julia had called the movers to move all of Susannah's furniture into a storage unit.
In the book, nothing happens to their belongings.
After their things get ransacked, the seven of them decide to sleep at the clubhouse where the debutante ball happened in season 1. But since they still have their furniture in the book, they sleep soundly in Susannah's house.
Episode 5: Love Fool
The truth or dare dare was given by Jeremiah instead of Skye.
After the gang settles down at the golf course, they play a game of truth or dare. Things get a little awkward when Skye dares Belly to kiss Jeremiah.
In the book, truth or dare was being played by Conrad, Jeremiah and Belly so the dare was given by Jeremiah for Belly.
"Hey, Belly," he said. "Truth or dare." [...]
"I dare you to kiss me, old-school style. I've learned a lot since the last time."
Nothing about Belly's volleyball camp.
One of the main subplots of the second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty is Belly’s volleyball camp. Something happened in the last volleyball season that caused her to have a falling out with the volleyball team and her coach. Now that it’s the new season, Taylor is eager for Belly to come back to the team.
There is no mention of Belly’s love for volleyball or the volleyball camp in It’s Not Summer Without You.
Episode 6: Love Fest
Jeremiah was the one who bought the beer for their party.
In episode 6, Conrad, Jeremiah and Belly drive down to the store to get drinks for their party. (It’s also where the creator, writer and executive producer of the show, Jenny Han, makes a surprise cameo!)
The boys try to persuade the cashier to let them buy booze—Conrad handing him a fake ID while Jeremiah is immediately shown the sign on purchasing alcohol for minors—but to no avail. Alas, Belly goes in and truthfully tells the cashier about their situation, inviting him to the party as well. It works. She comes out with two Slurpees and the young boy hauling a few crates of beer behind her.
In the book, Jeremiah goes to the store by himself and purchases it for the rest of the time. He didn’t go through any difficulty.
I hoisted up two cases of beer and handed them over. "We're having a party."
Belly asked for Conrad's forgiveness about what happened at the funeral at the beach, instead of at the supermarket.
Chris Briney as Conrad Fisher and Lola Tung as Belly Conklin in The Summer I Turned Pretty. (Source: Prime Video)
After getting the booze, Conrad, Jeremiah and Belly go to the supermarket to get props and decorations for their party. Conrad meets Belly in one of the aisles. As the tension between them looms, Belly asks Conrad for his forgiveness for what she said to him at Susannah’s funeral.
In the book, Belly talks to Conrad about it at the beach, when she was drunk and going to jump into the freezing ocean.
"Just wait a second, please. I need to tell you something. I'm really sorry for the way I acted that day." [...] "At... at the funeral, I was awful to you. I was horrible, and I'm so ashamed of how I acted. It wasn't how I wanted things to go, not at all. I really, really wanted to be there for you. That's why I came to find you."
Belly didn't want Taylor to come to the party at Cousins.
The party wouldn’t have been a memorable one without Taylor and Steven’s iconic duo dance to Party in the USA. However, she wasn’t supposed to come to the party in the books. At least, Belly didn't want her there.
"A party?" she squealed. "I wanna come!" [...]
"What about Cory's party?" I said. "I heard his brother's condo has a Jacuzzi. You love Jacuzzis." [...] "By the time you get here, everybody would be gone. You should probably just go to Cory's." [...]
"Do you like not want me to come?"
"I didn't say that," I said.
"You basically did."
Belly was very adamant about Taylor not coming to their party in Cousins. She kept making excuses for why Taylor shouldn’t go, implying that she didn’t want Taylor there because she wanted the Fisher boys to herself.
Belly didn't have a speech in the book.
After the party, at the beach, Belly drunkenly goes to the ocean. Conrad pulls her out before she can do anything stupid and they have an argument about their relationship. She told Conrad that she would’ve fought for him and their relationship if she knew that he still cared about her.
This did not happen in the book.
Laurel had answered her phone when Belly called her for help.
After Belly settles down, she drunkenly calls her mother for help. Laurel doesn’t answer her phone and Belly’s brought to her mother’s voicemail.
However, in the book, Laurel answered her phone when Belly called her for help. She proceeded to drive to Cousins in the middle of the night, arriving at the house in the morning.
Episode 7: Love Affair
The house was clean by the time the first visitor of Laurel's plan had arrived.
By the time Mr Fisher came to the house for Laurel’s meeting in the book, the house had already been cleaned.
However, it wasn’t clean in the show and, in this case, Aunt Julia, came back to a messy and vandalised house. It also wasn't clean later on when Mr Fisher was the second person to arrive as there was graffiti on the walls.
The song they were singing on the way to Conrad's school was different.
On the trip from Cousins to Conrads’ university, Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad were listening to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.
In the show, they listened to Tom Petty’s Free Fallin.
Belly and Jeremiah didn't go to Finch University while waiting for Conrad.
In the book, Belly and Jeremiah had gone to eat and talk about the funeral and losing Susannah.
When Conrad left to take his exam, Jeremiah and I bought turkey and avocado sandwiches on whole wheat bread and we ate them out on the lawn.
On the other hand, while they were waiting for Conrad to be done with his exam, Belly and Jeremiah visited Finch University, the university they both wanted to go to. They take a tour of the school, exploring the campus, dormitories and sports court.
Belly bought a Brown sweater.
In the book, Belly buys a Brown sweater.
Instead of going straight to the car, I stopped at the student store. I bought a soda and a hoodie that said BROWN in block letters. Even though it wasn't cold, I put it on.
However, in the series, Belly is already wearing a Brown sweater that was given to her by Conrad earlier on in the car. Instead, when she is at Finch with Jeremiah, she buys a grey Finch College hoodie.
Belly and Jeremiah's kiss happened differently.
First off, they kissed much later. Although it was not specified in the show, Belly and Jeremiah only kissed when Conrad had left to go for his second exam. By the time Conrad was done, the sky "was starting to get dark".
Besides being too eager to have a make-out session on Conrad’s car, they also originally kiss in the car instead of on top of it. Therefore, when Conrad came back, he saw them from the dashboard window.
It felt like a world outside of that car, that moment, didn't exist. It was just us.
Lastly, since the kiss happened after Conrad's first exam, they managed to ask him how he did on the test before the mood turned sour.
Jeremiah said, "Does it look like good news to you? It looks like good news to me."
It did to me, too.
Conrad strode up to us, his eyes gleaming. "I killed it," he said triumphantly. First time I'd seen him smile, really smile—joyful, carefree—since Susannah died. He and Jeremiah high-fived so hard the clap rang out in the air. And then Conrad smiled at me, and whirled me around so fast I almost tripped.
In the show, only Laurel and Steven called to give him their support.
Episode 8: Love Triangle
Jeremiah asked Belly to go after Conrad.
In the book, Belly went off her own free will and Jeremiah didn't ask her to do so.
Jeremiah and I stared at each other in silent horror. And then my hand was on the door handle and I was on my feet. I didn't look back.
I ran after him and called his name, but Conrad didn't turn around. I grabbed his arm and he finally looked at me, and there was so much hate in his eyes I winced.
Conrad kept the necklace.
Before Conrad and Belly leave the motel, Conrad gives the infinity necklace to Belly saying, “You should take it. It's still yours.”
However, in the book, Conrad keeps the necklace, only giving it back to her in the third book, We'll Always Have Summer.
He stared at me, and then he leaned forward and touched the necklace around my neck. The one I'd been hiding under my shirt all day.
"If you like Jeremiah, why are you wearing my necklace?"
I wet my lips. "I found it when we were packing up your dorm room. It doesn't mean anything." [...]
"Then give it back." He held his hand out, and I saw that it was shaking.
Conrad didn't take the bus back.
Christopher Briney as Conrad Fisher. (Source: Prime Video)
After their night in the motel, Conrad tells Belly that he'll be going back to Cousins with a friend.
"Hey," he said. "A friend of mine is coming to get me." [...] "It's easier this way. He'll take me back to Cousins so I can get my car, and J can take you home."
In the show, Conrad takes the bus back to Cousins to clean the house up, while Jeremiah drove Conrad's car to send Belly home.
A few other miscellaneous differences.
Nona was not in the show.
Nona, Susannah's hospice nurse, was not mentioned in the series, She had taken care of Susannah when she was sick.
No mention of Jeremiah's ex-girlfriend, Mara.
Jeremiah had an ex-girlfriend, Mara. She was not brought up in the show.
Season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty was quite different to It's Not Summer Without You. Many side characters had more time to shine, causing a few plot points to change along the way. Overall, I still enjoyed the second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty and am looking forward to the third season! I'm curious to know how they'll fit such an epic ending to the trilogy, or if they'll change it up entirely.
Have you watched the season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty? What were your thoughts on this season? Are you Team Jeremiah or Team Conrad?
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