Who Belly chose and how it all ends

This article contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 finale, “At Last.”

Like so many fans predicted (and feared), Belly (Lola Tung) really did choose herself at the end of The Summer I Turned Pretty. But thankfully, that didn’t mean she ended up alone, because she can choose herself and choose love at the same time.

The series finale took a very different path from author Jenny Han‘s third and final book in the trilogy, We’ll Always Have Summer, but despite all the changes to the source material, Belly still ended up with Conrad (Christopher Briney) — and every Team Conrad fan around the world rejoiced.

However, the TV show expanded Belly’s journey as she learned to love herself, forgive herself, and accept that she deserves love despite everything that happened in the past. So how did she finally arrive at this empowering epiphany?

After Conrad showed up on Belly’s doorstep in Paris — literally as she’s saying goodbye to Benito (Fernando Cattori) — their reunion was awkward and full of nerves on both sides, plus genuine shock from Belly. She offered to give him a tour of Paris all day, including her favorite spot to see the city from above, as they reconnected. Then she finally invited him to join her pre-birthday dinner with all her new Paris friends, where Benito grilled him about his intentions of coming to Paris.

It’s only then that Conrad — and viewers — learned that “Isabel” dumped Benito six weeks ago after deciding to not go to Mexico with him. Apparently Benito was still “salty” about it, though his friendship with Belly seemed okay enough to handle everyone laughing and joking about their relationship ending.

That meant the coast was truly clear for Conrad, and the two shared steamy looks throughout the rest of dinner. Walking home, Belly wore Conrad’s jacket and admitted she truly does think she’s the villain of the story for coming in between him and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and breaking their family apart. But Conrad assured her it wasn’t her job to keep their family together, and that they all broke it, taking equal responsibility. He also told her that Jere knew he went to Paris to be with her, and actually is okay with it — or at least as okay as he’ll ever be.

As they danced by the Seine, they actually laughed about how “unforgettable” it was the last time they danced … at her prom, as they broke up. They reminisced more about their lowest moments (including Susannah’s (Rachel Blanchard) funeral), and Belly told Conrad that his letters kept her going when she was struggling in Paris. When he asked why it took so long for her to write back, she said she had to move on and she couldn’t do that if she was still holding on to the past. Then he asked her if she did move on, and she kissed him (set to Taylor Swift’s “Dress”) in answer.

Then Belly took him home, and they finally got together in a reunion worthy of the long wait. Afterwards, she told him that she used to wish for him every birthday, and he told her, “Now you’re stuck with me forever.” But their romantic night took a sudden turn as Belly freaked out and told him that he should take the earliest train to Brussels for his conference and not change his plans for her, because she’s not changing hers for him. Conrad was confused at what changed, so Belly confronted him over what he actually thought would happen after showing up unannounced.

That’s when Conrad confessed his love for her — again — and tearfully asked if she didn’t love him anymore. Belly said she’d always loved him, but that was the problem. She was not sure if they really loved each other, or if they were just motivated by Susannah (and her death) to be together. Conrad immediately rejected that idea, promising that his love for her had nothing to do with his mom. But Belly apologized for not being as sure as Conrad.

Conrad accepted her answer, got dressed, and wished her a happy birthday as he left her apartment in tears. Belly picked up Junior Mint after Conrad left, and saw the infinity necklace around his neck, and also saw a photo of herself as a child that her mom sent her. It all led her to realize that she loved herself as the girl she’s always been, and that girl deserved love and would always love Conrad Fisher (all together now … duh!).

In a true rom-com moment, Belly rushed after Conrad and ran through the train station to find him, set to Taylor Swift’s “Out of the Woods.” When she found him on his train to Brussels, she declared her love for him as she showed him that she was wearing his infinity necklace. They kissed, and all was right in the world. The episode ended with Belly revealing in voiceover that she didn’t go back to Cousins that summer, but “eventually” she did … with Conrad. 

However, viewers didn’t get to see Belly and Conrad get married as they do in the final pages of the book. Instead, the show followed them as they drove to the Cousins beach house together and shared a sweet, happy moment looking out on the back patio. It’s no wedding or dip in the ocean post-ceremony, but it still delivered a similar happy ending for the couple.

As for the rest of the characters, they all got their own versions of a happy ending as well. After Taylor (Rain Spencer) posted Jeremiah cooking on TikTok, he became a chef influencer and hosted a successful dinner for a bunch of food influencers at the Cousins beach house. He also admitted that knowing Belly and Conrad were reuniting in Paris was “not that bad,” and he was proud of his own progress. Even Adam (Tom Everett Scott) told him that he was proud of him too — and that he should have said that more. Finally, Jeremiah kissed Denise (Isabella Briggs), who was all smiles about taking their friendship to the next level.

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Meanwhile, Steven (Sean Kaufman) and Denise’s game startup got the funding they needed, but it meant they had to move to San Francisco. That initially caused some problems for Taylor since she found out about that major life update not from Steven, but they eventually had a mature conversation full of love and respect (look how far they’ve come!) where she said she’d move with him, but not for him — a huge difference.

As for the adults, Adam revealed that Kayleigh (Emma Ishta) left him, and Laurel (Jackie Chung) and John (Colin Ferguson) are no longer together. But everyone was happy, and the entire clan (minus Belly and Conrad, who were busy reuniting in Paris) celebrated Jeremiah’s success after his big dinner.

The end credits played over photos of Belly and Conrad spending a romantic and joyous Christmas in Paris together, as well as a note from the creator herself. Read Han’s full message below:

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the love you’ve shown The Summer I Turned Pretty all these years. Whether you’ve been with Belly since the very first book or joined us with the show, I’m so grateful you’ve made Belly’s story part of your summers.  

We put our whole hearts into this show and we’re so thankful to you for coming along with us on the ride. Maybe we’ll meet again one summer in Cousins. Until then — all of my love always.”