‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ premiere recap: Time jump, betrayal & tragedy

“The Summer I Turned Pretty” premiered two episodes to start its final season on Wednesday, July 16 on Amazon Prime. Episodes will drop for the 11-episode season well into September, so sit back and relax as we break down the premiere.

Spoilers ahead: You’ve been warned! Stop here if you haven’t had the chance to catch the two-episode premiere.

TSITP Season 3 Episode 1

Season 3 picks up exactly where Season 2 left off. If you’re having trouble remembering those plot lines, check out our full recap of the first two seasons.

Belly is off to Finch College (a fictional college, filmed at UNC-Chapel Hill) where her loving boyfriend Jeremiah Fisher attends school. Belly is moving into her dorm where the narrative then shifts, as time flashes forward three years. Belly is now in her junior year and Jeremiah is graduating, yet they are still going strong.

“We’re gonna be doing this for the rest of our lives,” Jeremiah says, as he and Belly talk about staying strong as they’re away from each other.

Let’s see if it stays that way.

Where’s Conrad?

You may have noticed we haven’t yet mentioned the eldest Fisher brother. Where’s Conrad?

Conrad Fisher is doing just fine. He’s currently at Stanford University, making strides in his major and going to therapy.

The boys are overdue for a reunion, as they’re preparing to return to Cousins Beach (filmed along the North Carolina coast) that summer for their mom’s dedication ceremony. Conrad ends up getting this summer job of a lifetime, and now he’s unsure if he’ll be able to attend the event.

Taylor & Steven

Belly isn’t the only one enjoying college life. While we don’t see the duo as much, Taylor (Belly’s best friend) is also at Finch making her own mark.

Taylor and Steven (Belly’s brother) are broken up at the start of the episode, but we later find them kissing outside Belly’s dorm right before the time skip.

Taylor is now in a relationship with a guy named Davis, and Steven is dating a girl named Mia. Still they both keep pulling back to each other.

Is Belly going to Paris?

Belly is trying to navigate what life will be like without having Jeremiah at school with her next year.

Her doubts seem to cease when she finds out she got into the study abroad program in Paris next semester. She runs to tell Jeremiah, only to find out that he will unfortunately not be graduating and will be stuck in college for another semester.

He feels hopeful because that means he gets to spend time with Belly, and she feels reluctant in telling him the good news fearing it will make things worse.

Jeremiah and Lacey hook up

Belly ends up telling Jeremiah about her good news at a party. He could not be happier, and he eases her mind telling her to follow her dreams. He supports her fully and for a few moments, everything seems perfect. But that doesn’t last long.

Belly overhears Lacey (one of Taylor’s sorority sisters) talking about her hookup with Jeremiah in Cabo. This happened while Jeremiah and Belly were on “a break.”

Belly immediately confronts Jeremiah. He admits to it, and Belly is heartbroken.

“Whatever we were it’s done, we lost it and we can’t get it back,” Belly says, in tears, to Jeremiah outside of the party.

That’s how the first episode ends.

TSITP Season 3 Episode 2

When Episode 2 begins, Belly is hiding in her room and not speaking to anyone.

She’s having flashbacks of the fight they had before Cabo, and their supposed “break” or “break up.” They had not spoken that whole week, but reconciled when they came back. Still, Jeremiah never told her what happened.

Back to the present, Jeremiah tries to apologize. He says he really thought they were broken up, but that doesn’t excuse the fact he hurt her.

All these secrets remind Belly of a secret of her own.

Belly and Conrad last Christmas

Belly thinks back to spending time in Cousins last Christmas with Conrad.

Belly was in Cousins alone, and Conrad’s flight got delayed on the way to see his family, prompting him to stop in Cousins. They share a few moments all friendly, nothing more — though you can’t help but feel like something still lingers between them.

She does not tell Jeremiah that Conrad was with her.

Steven’s car crash

Back to the present, Steven breaks up with his girlfriend in an attempt to finally be with Taylor. He goes to pick her up, and they start arguing, so he lets her out of the car. When he pulls off, he gets into an accident. He goes to the hospital, and Taylor, Belly and Jeremiah are all there with him.

Belly cannot reach her parents, leaving her to fill out Steven’s paperwork. Between confusing medical terms and unclear updates from the doctor, Taylor makes a call to Conrad, who asks his boss at his summer job for help.

The head of neurology then gives Belly and Taylor updates on Steven’s condition, learning he’ll be alright. They have Conrad to thank for that, as his boss made the call. At the hospital, Jeremiah stays away from Belly, but remains just close enough so he’s there if she needs him.

Taylor makes a confession at Steven’s bedside while he is sedated, saying that she wants to be with him.

In the chaos, Conrad mislabels a blood sample at work, and he’s fired from his job.

Belly and Jeremiah get engaged

Belly finally faces Jeremiah. She says that life is too short, and though she does not trust him, she forgives him. They share a kiss, and Jeremiah takes it one step further to prove his commitment to Belly.

He asks her to marry him, and she says yes.

That’s where the second episode ends.

TSITP episode release dates

Watch Season 3 of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” on Prime Video with one episode releasing weekly on Wednesdays at 3 a.m.

This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 2:48 PM with the headline "‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ premiere recap: Time jump, betrayal & tragedy."