NEED TO KNOW
- Prime Video’s The Summer season I Turned Fairly relies on the best-selling trilogy by Jenny Han
- Since season 1, there have been a number of key variations between the e-book and present
- Now within the midst of its third and closing season, Han teased there could be some “surprises” for followers of the e-book
The Summer season I Turned Fairly went from web page to display — however not every thing stayed the identical.
Based mostly on Jenny Han’s best-selling romance trilogy of the identical identify, the Prime Video adaptation first premiered in June 2021, introducing a brand new technology of followers to Isabelle “Stomach” Conklin (Lola Tung) and the remainder of the Cousins Seashore crew. The story follows Stomach as she spends her summers in Cousins Seashore and navigates an advanced love triangle between a pair of brothers, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno).
Whereas the Prime Video sequence follows the identical main plot line and re-creates some defining moments from the e-book (howdy, season 3 peach scene!), there have additionally been some adjustments alongside the way in which. Now within the midst of its third and closing season, Han, who serves as showrunner, informed Leisure Weekly in March 2025 that there could be “surprises” — particularly for individuals who are followers of her books.
“There are the issues that [fans] know after which there are issues they suppose they know, after which there’s going to be, hopefully, issues that shock them,” she mentioned.
From Susannah’s large secret to a brand new relationship, listed here are the largest variations between The Summer season I Turned Fairly e-book trilogy and the Prime Video present.
Warning: The Summer season I Turned Fairly spoilers forward!
The debutante ball
Keep in mind the drama-filled debutante ball that served because the catalyst for many of season 1’s drama? Properly, it by no means truly occurred within the books.
Early on within the TV sequence, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) will get Stomach an invite to the ball, which takes place on the Cousins Seashore Membership. It is a major plot level in season 1 because it lays the muse for Stomach’s character arc: Whereas her brother Steven (Sean Kaufman), mom Laurel (Jackie Chung) and Conrad doubt she would take part as a result of they suppose it is not her factor, Stomach proves them flawed when she says sure.
On the finish of season 1, the debutante ball is the extraordinary fruits of every thing that occurs all through the season. After Jeremiah, who’s Stomach’s escort to the ball, learns of his mom’s large secret, he leaves Stomach stranded on the dance flooring — that’s, till Conrad jumps in to avoid wasting the day.
In June 2022, Han opened as much as TheWrap concerning the determination so as to add the debutante ball, saying it was “an opportunity to actually deliver a ceremony of passage like a ceremonial ceremony of passage of rising as much as life.”
“I feel totally different cultures have many alternative methods of marking that second of between, like, girlhood and maturity,” Han mentioned. “And that’s what Deb Ball is, you’re popping out and being seen as an grownup.”
Susannah’s most cancers secret
Talking of Susannah’s large secret, it is not as underneath wraps within the e-book, as each sons appear to concentrate on her analysis from the start.
Within the present, nonetheless, Susannah insists on protecting her sons in the dead of night in hopes of getting one final regular summer time in Cousins Seashore — but it surely’s actually solely Jeremiah who does not know. Conrad finds out early on, whereas Jeremiah does not turn out to be conscious till the season 1 finale, when he takes his mother’s cellphone and appears by her emails.
Jeremiah’s sexuality
Within the present, Jeremiah is extra sexually fluid than his e-book counterpart, and kisses each girls and boys within the first season.
“My method to this adaptation was: How would I inform the story in 2022? What would that appear like? And the way would that change issues?” Han informed TV Line in June 2022 of her determination so as to add this to Jeremiah’s character arc. “I feel maybe if I used to be writing the novel at this time, I’ll have made that selection as a result of I feel that he’s at all times been a personality, to me, that’s actually relaxed with himself, actually snug in his personal pores and skin, and openminded and open to exploration.”
She continued, “I do suppose that’s extra reflective of at this time and younger folks at this time and the way in which they view sexuality being rather more of a spectrum.”
The showrunner acknowledged that, in her eyes, Jeremiah is not able to establish as bisexual, although she considers him “sexually fluid.”
“He’s a youngster who’s determining the place he falls in all that and hasn’t skilled a number of of affection but,” Han mentioned. “It’s nonetheless sort of early on in that journey.”
Stomach’s kiss and breakup with Cam Cameron
In each the present and e-book, Stomach develops a relationship with somebody apart from the Fisher brothers: Cam Cameron (David Iacono). However within the present, Cam is her first kiss, whereas within the books, it’s Jeremiah.
As for his or her breakup, within the novel, Cam ends issues with Stomach as a result of he is aware of she has her coronary heart set on one of many Fisher brothers. In the meantime, Stomach is the one to name it off within the present.
Laurel’s profession
Within the present, Stomach’s mother, Laurel, is an writer, although that was by no means talked about within the books. The profession selection is an Easter egg that ties the present to the novels, because the e-book Laurel writes within the second season is titled It is Not Summer season With out You, the identify of the second e-book in Han’s trilogy.
Aunt Julia’s try to promote the Cousins Seashore home
Season 2 revolves round Susannah’s half-sister, in any other case referred to as Aunt Julia (Kyra Sedgwick), inheriting the Cousins Seashore home and making an attempt to promote it. In actual fact, it is what brings Conrad away from Brown College and again to Cousins as he tries to cease the sale from occurring.
Nonetheless, Aunt Julia and her baby Skye (Elsie Fisher) do not exist within the books, and it is Conrad and Jeremiah’s dad, Adam (Tom Everett Scott), who’s as a substitute making an attempt to promote the home.
Conrad’s response to Jeremiah and Stomach’s kiss within the season 2 finale
Towards the tip of the season 2 finale, Stomach and Jeremiah share a passionate kiss on the Brown College campus, simply as Conrad approaches them. After the extraordinary second, Stomach and the Fisher brothers share a clumsy automobile journey collectively as Conrad teases them concerning the kiss from the backseat — although it occurred in a different way within the books.
In It’s Not Summer season With out You, Han’s second novel within the trilogy, Conrad fully ignores them the entire automobile journey after he witnesses Jeremiah and Stomach’s kiss.
In August 2023, Han informed ipromiseyoumedia that the refined change was a approach of demonstrating that Conrad is “nonetheless within the battle” for Stomach.
“He sees that [infinity] necklace and he is like, ‘I am not letting her go. I am nonetheless right here.’ In any other case, he would not have gotten within the automobile,” she mentioned. “Even with him being a jerk to each of them, he is nonetheless principally saying, ‘Have a look at me. Do not take a look at him.’ It is virtually like he’s nonetheless asking for her consideration.”
Han continued, “In a approach, it is extra energetic than we have seen him be shortly as a result of he can are inclined to shut down and go inside himself all through his grief.”
Stomach doesn’t lose her virginity to Conrad within the books
Stomach does not have intercourse with both Fisher brother within the books, although within the present, she loses her virginity to Conrad in a season 2 flashback, whereas they’re cuddled up by a fire throughout a getaway to the Cousins Seashore home.
In Might 2025, Han informed Leisure Weekly that the choice to implement a intercourse scene was actually based mostly on Stomach’s character within the present.
“Stomach selecting to have intercourse with Conrad was actually pushed by Stomach and her want and what she needed to do,” Han mentioned. “It was actually necessary to me for that second to be only a very good reminiscence for her, that could be a second in time the place she actually cherished that individual and it occurred precisely how she dreamed of and the way she needed it.”
Taylor’s relationship with Steven
Stomach’s love triangle is not the one intense connection by the sequence, as some could argue that the chemistry between Steven and Taylor’s (Rain Spencer) is a central a part of the present. However within the books, Steven is a a lot much less distinguished character — and the height of his relationship with Taylor is a secret kiss that finally ends up ruining Stomach’s birthday.
Within the present, nonetheless, the pair’s slow-burn romance picks up in season 2 and culminates with a kiss — and continues right into a season 3 on-again, off-again relationship (and a dishonest storyline).
In July 2025, Han opened as much as TheWrap about why Steven and Taylor’s relationship was one of many “most difficult components of writing the season.”
“There’s so many locations they will go, and we did have that point hole,” she mentioned. “We wrote a number of story that we by no means even see on display, simply in order that we knew what the historical past was, and we knew the place the fault traces had been … within the relationship.”
Steven’s automobile accident
Within the second episode of season 3, Steven will get right into a automobile accident after Taylor insists he pulls over and lets her out throughout a battle. He survives the automobile accident, but it surely results in the pair’s breakup as he says it serves as a “get up name” that he should not be pursuing her anymore. The automobile accident was fully new from the e-book, as Steven did not have a lot of his personal storylines within the trilogy.
Taylor’s mother’s monetary troubles
Season 3 of the present introduces a completely new storyline for Taylor’s mother, Lucinda (Kristen Connolly). After breaking apart along with her boyfriend Scott, Lucinda asks Steven to take a look at her enterprise’ books, the place he discovers she is in severe monetary bother. Consequently, Taylor offers up her internship in New York Metropolis to remain residence and assist her mother run the enterprise.
