The Summer I Turned Pretty: Who Does Belly End Up With In The Books?

The Amazon Prime series "The Summer I Turned Pretty" is based on the book trilogy of the same name. Written by Jenny Han, who is part of the show's team as a showrunner, executive producer, and writer, the young adult books follow Belly Conklin, a high school student coming to terms with life through love and loss. She spends her summers at a beach home with her family, her mother's friend Susannah, and Susannah's sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. As in many teen series, Belly struggles with romantic feelings for both of the two brothers, which creates a love triangle in addition to the grief that arises when a death causes them all to develop a different outlook on life.

Like any adaptation, changes have been made to the story as it's moved from the page to the screen, but so far, Belly's relationships have remained faithful to what readers know. The teen has been in love with Conrad her whole life, but when a new summer begins, things change when both brothers express an interest in her. As yet another summer comes around, her view changes, and so does which brother she wants to be with.

While audiences have watched Belly with both Conrad and Jeremiah, who will Belly end up with forever? Here is everything you need to know about which Fisher brother Belly ultimately chooses in the books, and the ways that journey has changed in the Amazon Prime adaptation.

Isabel "Belly" Conklin (Lola Tung) grows up with Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno). They summer together at the Fisher's house at Cousins Beach because their mothers are friends, an annual vacation that Belly looks forward to every year. Typically, the summer involves her brother Steven (Sean Kaufman) and the Fisher brothers doing things on their own and leaving Belly out, but that all changes when she turns sixteen years old. Her appearance has changed, and she has a new goal of letting go of her childhood crush on Conrad.

In the show, Conrad and Jeremiah both appear to have a more romantic interest in Belly, based on their behavior. Jeremiah is a bit more upfront about it, and the two eventually kiss in a pool, while Conrad is more reserved and standoffish. The eldest of the two brothers, he chooses to show his feelings by crashing Belly's dates with Cam (David Iacono), another teen she meets at a beach party early on in her vacation. It isn't until the end of the summer, when Conrad and Belly sit on the beach and talk, that something deeper blossoms between them. He finally opens up emotionally instead of continuing to be the distant person he was all summer. Conrad also helps Belly during the debutante ball when Jeremiah disappears, reinforcing to Belly that he will always be there for her, even when she tries to let him go.

There is no debutante ball in the books, so that can't be used to help Belly realize who she wants to be with. Rather, Conrad is quite possessive of Belly throughout the summer, demonstrated through actions like not letting her leave a bonfire to hang out with Cam. This is in contrast to the seemingly unaffected Conrad introduced in the television show, though he is also a bit callous to Belly at times, especially when he thinks she slept with Jeremiah. Jeremiah, however, is more upfront about his romantic interest in Belly despite how she perceives Conrad's behavior, and, as in the show, she chooses Conrad after Susannah's (Rachel Blanchard) cancer diagnosis is revealed.

By the end of the summer, Belly and Conrad's relationship has shifted from friendly to romantic. Over the course of his first semester at college, the two speak on the phone regularly, talking about anything and everything. This cements the new dynamic between them, but the show makes what they are much more clear than the books do.

In the Prime Video series, audiences watch the teens' relationship through flashbacks. Conrad asks Jeremiah for permission to be with Belly, knowing how they both feel about her. Belly doesn't know at the time that Conrad spoke with his brother and is happy to be with him, though she seems to recognize the impact their signs of affection have on Jeremiah. The two hold hands at the Thanksgiving dinner table, showing their happiness to their families, and he surprises her by driving down around Christmas. The two spend the night at the summer beach home, the implication being that they sleep together for the first time. They seem happy and in love, until the spring comes.

In the second book of the trilogy, "It's Not Summer Without You," it isn't clear whether Conrad and Belly consider themselves a couple. There are still phone calls like those we see in the series, along with the holiday trip to the summer house, but their relationship isn't as black and white as it is in the adaptation. Some of that may be because some chapters are told from Jeremiah's point of view, but, ultimately, there just aren't as many obvious signs that Belly and Conrad consider themselves to be in a relationship as we're given in the show. Also, unlike in the series, Conrad's college roommate has no clue who Belly is, which speaks to Conrad keeping her, and possibly what they could be, to himself.

Despite seemingly turning a corner with their romantic relationship, when Susannah's health takes a turn for the worse, Conrad becomes closed off again. While the end of his and Belly's relationship comes at prom night in both the book trilogy and the show, it plays out differently in each medium.

In the adaptation, Conrad's emotional shift culminates in a less-than-stellar prom night for Belly. He doesn't seem that into the evening, even forgetting Belly's corsage, but that could be written off as him already doing the prom thing before. As she excitedly talks about the afterparty they can go to, Conrad admits he would rather drive straight back to school, even though it will be late in the evening, a declaration that causes Belly to storm outside. Conrad follows, and they break up in a bittersweet scene, leaving Steven to comfort Belly and try to salvage the night. Susannah dies shortly after prom, and the next time Conrad and Belly see each other is at her funeral. It's clear that both are hurting, but while Conrad admits to wanting Belly to comfort him as he feels a panic attack coming on, they argue instead, resulting in a scene at the reception that upsets Belly's mother, Laurel (Jackie Chung).

In the books, Conrad doesn't even want to go to prom with Belly and initially declines her invitation. However, when she tells him there are other guys that want to take her, he agrees. It isn't a great night, likely due to how Conrad felt forced into attending, and results in the two ending whatever is between them. But Conrad doesn't want to upset Susannah, who is excited that he is taking Belly to prom. When he gets home, he tells his mother that he had a great time. This chapter is told from Jeremiah's point of view, and it's clear to the younger Fisher that Conrad is lying about how the night went.

While Susannah's death is one of the causes of Belly and Conrad's breakup, it also indirectly leads to her and Jeremiah reconnecting. Though the two aren't talking as often as before, when Conrad goes missing and is about to miss a final exam, Jeremiah calls Belly to enlist her help to track his brother down at the summer house.

The second season of the series makes it clear that, after Belly chose Conrad despite kissing Jeremiah first, the younger Fisher brother put some distance between himself and the couple because he was hurt. He and Belly aren't as close as before, but that doesn't stop him from reaching out when he needs help finding Conrad, even if he doesn't initially want her going to Cousins Beach with him. There is clearly tension during the car ride to the house, but they're able to talk it out and get back on good terms. After finding Conrad, and while they try to prevent the Fisher family from selling the summer home, Belly and Jeremiah continue to bond and have romantic moments, culminating in a heated kiss as they wait for Conrad to finish his final at the end of the season. While Jeremiah gives her space that evening, she chooses him, and he drives her back home.

In the second book, Jeremiah and Belly's distance is rooted more in Susannah's death than it is in her choosing Conrad the summer before. They are still friendly, but Belly struggles after Susannah dies and isn't there for Jeremiah. He doesn't hold this against her, asking her right away if she will come with him to Cousins Beach to find Conrad. The two still kiss while waiting for Conrad during his final, and Belly chooses Jeremiah the next morning.

In the third book of the trilogy, "We'll Always Have Summer," much of the story is rooted in Belly and Jeremiah's wedding planning. The two have been together through Belly's senior year of high school and first year of college, but during spring break, Jeremiah slept with someone else. He and Belly were broken up at the time, something that only lasted for the break before they reunited, but it creates a rift between the two. To make up for it and prove that Belly is the only person for him, he buys a ring and proposes.

Belly's mother, Laurel, is firmly against the engagement and kicks her out of their home over the summer. As a result, Belly heads to the summer beach house and lives there while planning the wedding. However, Conrad causes difficulties in his brother's and Belly's relationship. When he learns that Jeremiah cheated on Belly, he demands to know why she is marrying his brother and admits that he never stopped caring for her, causing confusion for everyone right before the wedding day.

Belly is honest with Jeremiah about the conversation, causing him to fight his brother. Conrad leaves, and Jeremiah goes to Belly, telling her she has to love only him. When she shares that a part of her will always love Conrad even though she loves Jeremiah more, it isn't enough for him, and the wedding is called off. Jeremiah admits he always knew this would be the outcome and states that Conrad will eventually let Belly down. While they are both upset, Jeremiah and Belly remain friends, and there don't seem to be hard feelings between them in the book's epilogue.

Once Belly and Jeremiah call off their engagement on the day of the wedding, she and Conrad turn a corner. After two years of not seeing each other or having brief, chilly interactions, they unexpectedly reunite on Christmas during Belly's first year of college. This is the start of Belly realizing that, while she thought her feelings for Conrad were gone, she was simply pushing them aside. Conrad's declaration before Belly's almost-wedding to Jeremiah continues to set the stage for them, but it isn't until Belly's junior year of college, when she's studying abroad in Spain, that the next act of their relationship begins.

Conrad writes and mails letters to her once a month while she's overseas. Along with his first letter, he sends Junior Mint, a stuffed polar bear that was in Belly's freshman dorm room but didn't make the cut for her trip to Europe. With the next letter, he sends a bag of Sour Patch Kids, since Lauren told him that Belly got lost in Spain while trying to find some. In the third, he jokes about the Spanish boy she met, Benito, and that he rides around the streets on a scooter. The next arrives after Thanksgiving and comments on her hair as it appeared in some photos her mother shared at the holiday dinner. His fifth letter highlights Christmas and how he really wants to hear from her. It's at this point that she finally writes him back.

While they continue to exchange letters, the two don't see each other until Belly's college graduation. Shortly after this, they get together again and are married when she's 23 years old. Despite how their initial relationship ended, and everything in between, the book series ends with Belly marrying Conrad, the first boy she ever loved.