The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3: Everything We Know So Far

Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty doesn’t just continue the love triangle. Instead, it closes the entire story. Consequently, every scene feels like it carries extra weight—especially when the series returns to Cousins Beach for its final chapter.

Prime Video released Season 3 as the third and final season, which launched on July 16, 2025, with a two-episode premiere. Moreover, the season runs for 11 episodes total, with new episodes arriving weekly on Wednesdays through the September 17, 2025, finale. Because the show uses weekly releases, the fandom gets time to argue, process, and spiral between episodes—just like the characters do.

More importantly, Season 3 adapts the final book in Jenny Han’s trilogy, We’ll Always Have Summer. However, the show never follows the page word-for-word, so longtime readers should expect familiar milestones with fresh turns. Therefore, if you want a spoiler-light, publish-ready guide to Season 3—release details, cast, plot setup, and what the final season tries to say—you’re in the right place.

Where Season 2 Left Belly, Conrad, And Jeremiah

Season 2 ended with Belly making a choice that felt definitive in the moment. She picked Jeremiah. Meanwhile, Conrad stepped back, swallowed his feelings, and watched her walk away.

That ending mattered for two reasons. First, it shifted the power dynamic: Belly moved from being pursued to being committed. Second, it raised a bigger question: can the “safe” choice stay safe when the past refuses to stay quiet?

Season 3 builds directly on that tension. However, it doesn’t treat Belly’s decision like a finish line. Instead, it treats it like the start of adulthood, where choices come with consequences, and no one gets a clean reset.

Season 3 Release Schedule And Episode Count

Season 3 uses an expanded format compared to earlier seasons.

• Premiere date: July 16, 2025
• Launch format: two episodes on premiere day
• Total episodes: 11
• Release cadence: weekly, every Wednesday
• Finale date: September 17, 2025

Because the season stretches across summer into early fall, it creates a long goodbye. Additionally, the longer run gives the show room to explore college life, family strain, and relationship fallout without rushing key turning points.

What Season 3 Is About

Season 3 takes place after Belly’s junior year of college, and it pushes the story beyond teenage longing. As the characters grow up, they face adult-scale questions: commitment, identity, and what “home” even means now.

Belly enters the season in a serious relationship with Jeremiah. Therefore, the story shifts from will-they/wo n’t-they to can-they-last. Moreover, the show adds pressure through life transitions—careers, distance, expectations, and the weight of family history.

At the same time, Conrad doesn’t vanish. Instead, his presence hangs over everything, whether he appears on screen or not. Consequently, Season 3 becomes less about who Belly likes today and more about who Belly chooses to become.

The Emotional Core Of The Final Season

The final season works best when it focuses on emotional themes rather than plot twists. So, here are the ideas Season 3 keeps returning to.

Growing up doesn’t solve your old patterns

Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah have matured, yet they still carry their old wounds. Therefore, Season 3 shows how adulthood can sharpen unresolved issues rather than smooth them out.

Love triangles aren’t really triangles

On the surface, the story seems to be about Belly choosing between two brothers. However, the deeper conflict often sits inside each character: pride versus vulnerability, comfort versus truth, and fear versus honesty.

Cousins Beach represents memory and grief

Cousins isn’t just a location. Instead, it acts like a container for the past—especially the years shaped by Susannah’s presence. Consequently, every return to Cousins forces the characters to face what they’ve lost and what they still want.

The Cast You’ll See In Season 3

Season 3 brings back the core ensemble while introducing new faces tied to the characters’ expanding lives.

Returning leads

• Lola Tung as Belly Conklin
• Christopher Briney as Conrad Fisher
• Gavin Casalegno as Jeremiah Fisher

Additionally, the series continues to feature key supporting characters who ground the love triangle in family and friendship.

The supporting cast that shapes the season

Steven, Taylor, Laurel, and other familiar characters remain essential because they represent reality checks. Moreover, they also carry their own arcs, which helps the season feel like a true ensemble rather than a single-plot romance.

New characters and why they matter

Season 3 introduces new people connected to college life, work, and family. As a result, Belly’s world expands beyond the beach, and the love triangle stops being the only source of pressure. New characters also create contrast: they show who the leads could become if they move on—or who they might lose if they don’t.

How Season 3 Connects To We’ll Always Have Summer

Jenny Han structured the trilogy so each book captures a different stage of growing up. Therefore, Season 3 naturally pulls from the final novel’s biggest beats, including the way Belly’s relationship evolves and the way Conrad re-enters the emotional equation.

However, the show makes its own choices. For example, it can adjust timelines, merge smaller storylines, and shift certain reveals for maximum screen impact. Additionally, a TV adaptation often needs more external conflict, because internal monologue doesn’t translate directly.

So, if you read the books, expect recognition—but also expect surprise. And if you haven’t read them, you can still follow the emotional logic easily, because the show builds every turning point from character behavior rather than trivia.

What’s Different About Season 3 Compared To Seasons 1 And 2

Season 1 felt like a sunlit memory. Season 2 felt like a breakup album with beach scenes. Season 3, however, feels like a decision.

Here’s how the tone shifts.

The stakes move from “feelings” to “futures”

In earlier seasons, the biggest question involved who Belly would choose. Now, the question becomes: what does that choice cost, and who pays the bill?

The pacing slows down in the right moments

Because Season 3 has 11 episodes, it can sit in discomfort longer. Consequently, arguments don’t resolve instantly, and characters can’t escape their mistakes in a montage.

The story explores adulthood without losing the beach vibe

Even as college, jobs, and distance appear, Cousins still anchors the emotional storyline. Therefore, the show maintains its signature nostalgia while allowing the characters to grow into messier, more realistic versions of themselves.

What Fans Should Pay Attention To While Watching

If you want a deeper viewing experience, focus on patterns rather than ships.

Watch how Belly handles conflict

Belly often tries to keep everyone happy. However, adulthood punishes people-pleasing because real commitments require clear boundaries. Therefore, each argument reveals whether Belly chooses honesty or comfort.

Watch the brothers’ relationship, not just their romance arcs

Conrad and Jeremiah don’t exist only as romantic options. They exist as brothers shaped by shared grief and competing coping styles. Consequently, their scenes often carry the most emotional complexity.

Watch Laurel and the adult layer of the story

Laurel’s presence matters because she sees the whole picture. Moreover, she understands that teenage love can feel permanent while still changing. Therefore, adult characters help the show keep perspective, especially when the younger characters spiral.

The Soundtrack And Why It Still Matters

Music remains a major part of The Summer I Turned Pretty’s identity. The show uses songs to lock scenes into memory, and it often uses lyrical themes to underline what characters can’t say out loud.

Season 3 continues that approach. Moreover, because this season closes the story, the soundtrack choices tend to feel more final, more reflective, and more “end credits” than ever.

So, if you want to predict emotional peaks, pay attention to the needle drops. They rarely show up by accident.

Common Questions About Season 3

• Is Season 3 the final season?

Yes. The show positions Season 3 as the series’ final chapter.

• How many episodes are in Season 3?

Season 3 has 11 episodes.

• When did Season 3 release?

The season premiered on July 16, 2025, with two episodes, and it ran weekly through September 17, 2025.

• Is Season 3 based on the books?

Yes. It draws heavily from the third book, We’ll Always Have Summer, although the show can still adjust details.

• Will the show pick a clear endgame?

The series builds toward closure. Therefore, viewers should expect a definitive emotional conclusion rather than an open-ended tease.

Final Thoughts

Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty succeeds when it treats romance as a coming-of-age language, not as the whole story. Belly’s choice matters, yet her growth matters more. Meanwhile, Conrad and Jeremiah don’t just compete for her heart—they also struggle to become the men they want to be.

Because this is the final season, it carries a special kind of tension: every moment feels like it might be the last time we see these characters. Consequently, the show leans into nostalgia while still demanding change. That balance can hurt, yet it can also feel honest.

Ultimately, Season 3 offers one last summer at Cousins Beach. However, it also offers something bigger: a final answer to what the beach meant, what Susannah’s memory shaped, and what love looks like when you stop being a kid.