As the waves crash one last time on Cousins Beach, Prime Video’s sun-kissed coming-of-age sensation The Summer I Turned Pretty has officially bid farewell to its episodic format with the third and final season’s heart-wrenching conclusion on September 17, 2025. Fans of Belly Conklin’s eternal summer of love, loss, and lobster rolls are left scrolling through tear-streaked TikToks and Reddit threads, desperately hunting for clues about Season 4. Spoiler alert: There won’t be one. But hold onto your board shorts—creator Jenny Han isn’t done with the Fisher brothers just yet. A greenlit feature film sequel, announced on finale day, promises to extend Belly’s journey beyond the trilogy’s pages, blending book fidelity with fresh, cinematic heartbreak. With Han penning and directing alongside co-showrunner Sarah Kucserka, the movie could drop as early as late 2026, offering closure (or more chaos) to the love triangle that broke a million hearts.

The series’ end came faster than a midsummer breakup, wrapping after just three seasons that mirrored Han’s bestselling YA trilogy: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Season 1, 2022), It’s Not Summer Without You (Season 2, 2023), and We’ll Always Have Summer (Season 3, 2025). Prime Video confirmed the trilogy structure in March 2025, citing the books’ neat arc as the reason for no Season 4. “Three books, three seasons—it feels right to me,” Han told Entertainment Weekly in a post-finale interview, emphasizing the story’s organic close without forced extensions. Viewership numbers backed the decision: Season 3 shattered records, amassing 70 million global viewers in 70 days—a 65% jump from Season 2—proving the show’s grip on Gen Z and millennial nostalgia. Yet, as Belly (Lola Tung) finally chooses Conrad (Christopher Briney) in the finale’s emotional Paris reunion—echoing the books but with added TV twists like extended college drama and family reconciliations—Han left the door cracked for more. “Never say never,” she teased to Variety, hinting at inspiration strikes that could resurrect the universe.

For the uninitiated (or those binge-rewatching for the third time), The Summer I Turned Pretty follows Isabel “Belly” Conklin, a teen girl whose annual Cousins Beach vacations evolve from innocent crushes to a soul-crushing love triangle with brooding Conrad and golden-boy Jeremiah Fisher. Adapted from Han’s tender exploration of first loves, grief, and female friendship, the series layers beachy escapism with raw emotional punches—think Taylor Swift needle-drops, volleyball montages, and Susannah Fisher’s (Rachel Blanchard) heartbreaking legacy of maternal warmth amid cancer’s shadow. Season 1 introduced the spark: Belly’s 15th summer awakens her feelings for the brothers, complicated by her bestie Taylor (Rain Spencer) and brother Steven’s (Sean Kaufman) own teen turmoil. The seven-episode arc, dropping June 17, 2022, hooked viewers with its To All the Boys vibes, earning a swift Season 2 renewal pre-premiere.

Season 2, premiering July 14, 2023, cranked the drama to inferno levels over eight episodes, adapting the second book’s engagement bombshell while diverging for TV flair: Belly rejects Conrad’s proposal (a book highlight) to date Jeremiah, only for Susannah’s death to fracture the family. Laurel (Jackie Chung), Belly’s mom and Susannah’s bestie, steps into the emotional void, while side plots like Steven’s modeling gig and Taylor’s college woes added levity. The finale’s gut-punch—Belly choosing Jeremiah—left #TeamConrad vs. #TeamJeremiah warring on X, with 245 million hours viewed globally. Han and Kucserka’s writing room expanded the books’ intimacy, weaving in diverse representation (like queer-coded moments for Belly’s friend Skye, played by Elsie Fisher) and cultural nods to Han’s Korean-American roots.

Season 3, the 11-episode swan song, premiered July 16, 2025, with a two-episode drop followed by weekly Wednesdays, culminating in the September 17 finale. Picking up post-Season 2 choice, it thrusts Belly into junior year at Finch University, dreaming of Cousins idyll with Jeremiah—until Conrad’s return via “core-shaking events” (think a surprise inheritance twist and Adam Fisher’s (Tom Everett Scott) midlife crisis) forces a reckoning. The synopsis teases: “On the brink of adulthood, Belly finds herself at a crossroads and must decide which brother has her heart. Summer will never be the same.” Expanded runtime allowed deeper dives: Belly’s Paris study abroad (a book epilogue blown up into full arcs), Jeremiah’s culinary dreams clashing with family expectations, and Taylor-Steven’s long-distance strain evolving into a California move. New series regulars Isabella Briggs as Denise (Jeremiah’s budding romance) and Kristen Connolly as a mysterious Fisher ally injected fresh tension, while recurrings like Sofia Bryant (as a college rival) and Lily Donoghue (Taylor’s sorority foe) spiced the ensemble. Filming wrapped in Wilmington, North Carolina, post-2023 strikes, with Han directing key episodes for that signature golden-hour glow.

The core cast—Tung’s wide-eyed Belly, Briney’s introspective Conrad, Casalegno’s sunny Jeremiah—delivered career-best turns, their lived-in chemistry making every stolen glance electric. Supporting standouts included Spencer’s sassy Taylor, Kaufman’s evolving Steven, and Chung’s steely-yet-tender Laurel, whose arc from grieving widow to empowered author mirrored Han’s themes of resilience. Blanchard’s Susannah lingered in flashbacks, her “Life’s too short not to spend it with the person that you love” voiceover bookending the finale. Trailers hyped Swift’s “Daylight” over Belly-Jeremiah college montages, but the real tearjerker? Conrad’s letter-writing campaign from afar, pulling Belly back into his orbit amid Parisian lights.

So, why no Season 4? Beyond the trilogy’s endpoint, Han prioritized narrative integrity over filler. “We didn’t want to stretch it just to stretch it,” she explained to Deadline, noting Amazon’s support for her vision. The finale ties bows—Belly and Conrad reunite at the beach house, Jeremiah finds peace in the kitchen with Denise, Steven and Taylor chase LA dreams—without cliffhangers screaming for more. Yet, Han’s farewell letter in Episode 11 whispers hope: “Maybe we’ll meet again one summer in Cousins.” Enter the movie: Greenlit September 17, 2025, this “big milestone” sequel—Han on writing/directing duties—picks up post-finale, exploring Belly’s next chapter (wedding bells? Career crossroads?) with the emotional canvas only film can provide. “There is another big milestone left in Belly’s journey, and I thought only a movie could give it its proper due,” Han stated. A first draft’s done, but Christmas 2025 is off the table—expect post-production into 2026, per Han’s E! News update.

Spin-off whispers? Han’s coy: “No plans at the moment,” she told Brit + Co, but Amazon MGM’s Vernon Sanders is all-in: “Whatever Jenny wants to do, we want to do it with her.” Fan theories swirl—a Laurel-Susannah college prequel, or a Taylor-Steven LA jaunt—but Tung’s enthusiasm (“If asked, I’m there”) fuels speculation. Han’s broader empire (To All the Boys, XO, Kitty) hints at crossovers, perhaps a Han-verse multiverse. For now, the movie’s the beacon, promising to honor the books’ epilogue while amplifying TV expansions like Belly’s bisexuality teases and the Fishers’ therapy-fueled growth.

The Summer I Turned Pretty transcended YA tropes, blending Normal People‘s ache with Outer Banks‘ beachy thrill, all under Han’s multicultural lens. Its legacy? Redefining summer as a verb—sweaty, sandy, and soul-searing. As Belly evolves from girl to woman, so do we: Grieving what ends, chasing what lingers. No Season 4, but with a film on the horizon, Cousins calls once more. Pack your SPF—Belly’s not done turning pretty yet.