Note: This article contains spoilers about the show The Summer I Turned Pretty.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is a popular romance series about a teenage girl, Belly Conklin, who is in a love triangle between two brothers, Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher. The three-book series was first released in 2009 and was completed in 2012. The show premiered in 2022 and gained immediate popularity.

Currently, suspense is building as the third and final season’s episodes come out to complete the television series. Although both the book series and show are produced by the same author, Jenny Han, there are many differences when comparing the books to the show. I think the cliche that “books are better than movies,” does not apply here. I prefer the show because of new relationships, characters, divergent plot lines, and the media.

The two relationships that significantly differ from the books are Steven and Taylor, and Cam and Skye. Skye, being an entirely new character in the show, made the overall plot more complicated and interesting. Rather than using an inner dialogue as books do, the show brings out emotions and depth by bringing in new characters. Seeing how the characters interact with introduced roles helps develop a better understanding of who they are and how they act.

Specifically, Taylor and Steven have a different relationship in the books than the show. When reading the books, the two are minimal; they share one kiss, and it ends there. However, the two’s romance in the show is a complicated relationship, developed through all three seasons. The continual connection leads to a deeper understanding of both characters not only to Belly, but also to others with different relationships- while creating an entirely new plotline as well. This aspect also provides more drama and couples, giving the show more entertainment for viewers.

On the other hand, Cam and Skye were a couple that was not particularly supported by the public. When Berkley students got the opportunity to share their opinions, they did not hold back. Junior Brigette Krauscoff mentions the pair, calling them “ridiculous. She explains, “They are both great characters, but putting them together seemed unnecessary, just to couple up all of the main characters without any depth or thought behind it.” This opinion is widely agreed with by viewers watching the show, because the characters are only shown talking a few times, limiting the growth or development in the relationship between the two.

Circling into Skye’s role in the show, they are a non-binary character who is the Fisher brothers’ cousin. Both Skye and their mother come into town for the summer, as Skye’s mother wants to sell the family house after Susanna’s death, which puts Skye in a difficult role between their mother and the Fisher boys. There is a lot of controversy over the character because their personality was quite socially awkward and quiet, but also defensive. Although Skye’s character was largely criticized, many noticed the representation of the LGBTQ+ community. Similarly, Jeremiah’s character in the show was bisexual. Krauscoff’s view continues, “I think the newly added inclusivity in the show is great. The books were written pretty recently, but diversity wasn’t as accepted and normalized as it is now. I think that adding the representation helped viewers feel more included without changing the original plot of the books.” The additional characters’ identities add a modern aspect to the show, allowing people who can relate to the characters’ situations to see themselves in the roles, providing a connection with a more vast audience than the book and providing support for the LGBTQ+ community. In summary, new characters and relationships provide more emotions and unexpected plot twists that are more thrilling than in the books.

Additionally, there are many new plotlines in the show that differ from the books. Freshman Jovi Stilger, who has read both the books and is currently watching the show, explained. “The show has hooked me more as an audience. The first book and the first season of the show were very different, specifically because of the debutante ball, but I liked how they did the first season more than the first book.” In season one of The Summer I Turned Pretty, the season is based around a debutante ball, an event when a young woman comes of age. At the ball, she is individually recognized for her successes and personal growth. Each girl chooses an escort for the event, and Belly chooses Jeremiah after finding out that Conrad only asked to be her escort because his mother, Susanna, asked him to. At the ball, however, Conrad does the court dance with Belly instead of Jeremiah, as Jeremiah takes his mother’s phone and finds out about Susanna’s cancer. This is another alternative plotline, as in the first book, Jeremiah and Conrad both know from the start about their mothers’ cancer, adding insight into Conrad’s character.

Throughout season one, the audience did not necessarily like Conrad, specifically how he acted towards Belly. It isn’t until it’s revealed that he has been coping with the fact that his mother has cancer and isn’t going to do treatment, and he’s coping alone.

All of these aspects add a different perspective to the characters and a new event to look forward to, especially for readers. Instead of getting an exact replica of the books, they get a unique point of view from the show. Another specific scene that was mentioned by sophomore Vivien Rittenbery, “In the show, you don’t hear Belly’s inner monologue as often as in the books. Specifically, during the beach scene in the third season, where Conrad confesses his love for Belly, Belly gets upset. Rather than hearing her inner monologue in the books that mention her feelings of mourning the loss of their relationship and explain her reasoning, you only see where she shuts Conrad down, telling him she doesn’t love him and leaving him on the beach.” Despite having the same scene in both the show and the book, the show created a notably different perspective. In the books, Belly is the main narrator, providing less insight into the Fisher brothers’ feelings. During this scene in the books, it is from Belly’s viewpoint, giving the readers her thoughts throughout the situation. In the show, we only see what Belly and Conrad said to each other, leading to different interpretations of the position they were both in; we see more of how Conrad feels by the hurtful things that Belly said. Belly, after Conrad tells Belly he loves her, invalidates his feelings, saying, “You’re only saying this because I’m marrying Jeremiah… You and I were never anything.” In the books, Belly’s immense internal conflict is shown through the narration, providing context for what she said to Conrad that night was false, and she felt full of regret. By only showing how the scene played out, rather than the perspective of either character, showed the harsh reality of Belly’s words and the effect it had on Conrad. Given these scenes, it conveys that the show and books are more different than they seem and have additional drama and storylines than the books to create more entertaining episodes.

The media also plays a large role in the appeal of the show over the books. From TikTok edits to opinionated posts, the show has gained lots of internet attention. Rittenbery discussed why she favors the show over the books saying, “I prefer the show because of the social aspect of TikTok, and the ability to talk to more people about the show. There is a wide audience of people who have read the books previously and watch the show because of that, while other people who don’t necessarily enjoy reading will watch the series and share their new opinions.” Posts about the show, whether good or bad, encourage audiences to watch it. The attention brings more people to the show, while the books never get that level of recognition. Additionally, the show is also more engaging due to the fact that an episode comes out every Wednesday. This provides the audience more suspense and time to discuss the recent episode before the next one comes out, making people hooked and creating a need to keep watching. Stilger communicates her opinion with, “I also think the media played a role in my preference, because I have seen lots of opinions and things about the show online, and from these opinions, it made me think differently about characters as I realize Belly is the problem in most relationships.” Stilger speaks about her experience with the media and how seeing other opinions altered her own. This presents how the media can change people’s point of view, and as people share how they feel about characters and what they say, it can affect other people’s opinions too, as they notice different parts of the story. Lastly, the aspect of social media also has lots of humor that people are constantly posting and pointing out. These can lead to trends that mock the show, causing viewers to connect through those aspects and share, making others want to feel included in the jokes and more people watching it. Overall, the media creates a family of fans that can connect easily and influence people to engage and share their thoughts and ideas, causing a larger audience and more recognition for the books.

Finally, The Summer I Turned Pretty show has enjoyable aspects with points of entertainment, engagement, and more modern ideas than the books. Overall, I think that the show is preferable over the books.