The Summer I Turned Pretty Movie Has Fans Theorizing About A Time Jump

Viewers have spent the summer — and, really, the past three seasons — theorizing about Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah’s love triangle in The Summer I Turned Pretty. And even though it was resolved in the romantic series finale, the surprise announcement of one last chapter means the sleuthing won’t slow down anytime soon.

One particular point of speculation: When will The Summer I Turned Pretty movie take place? While Jenny Han — author of the original books and creator of the TV series — hasn’t shared plot specifics yet, fans have latched onto several compelling clues about the movie’s potential timeline.

Expect A Time Jump

As several fans observed, Belly sports an impressive bun during her and Conrad’s return to Cousins in the TSITP finale, which is not super feasible with a new bob. Plus, her voiceover makes it clear that some time has passed since her rom-com-worthy love confession in Paris. “I didn’t go back that summer,” she says. “But eventually, I did.”

One Redditor theorized that “eventually” could mean as many as two to four years, noting that Belly and Conrad are both still in school. Another suggested that Cousins was not Belly’s first stop after Paris, and that she might have first spent time in California (where Conrad, Steven, and Taylor would now be living).

Belly’s Future Is Bright

Whatever the length of the time jump, it would work as a structural representation of Belly’s independence — a sweet reminder that even though Conrad is back in her life, he is not her whole life. Her dreamy existence in Paris and post-grad plans don’t have to be cut short for the sake of rekindled romance.

Han would seem to agree. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the movie — which she’s writing alongside co-showrunner Sarah Kucserka — she said she was glad it wasn’t coming out right on the heels of the series. “I honestly like having a little more time because I think there’s something very special in the way that we’ve seen these characters grow up on screen,” she said. “Lola was just 18 on Season 1. I think the closer we can get them to true adulthood, to me, it feels like the most poignant and beautiful way to tell the story.”

Similarly, she told Teen Vogue that she wants “to see that maturity in the characters and not feel like it’s immediately after.”

If you’ve read Han’s TSITP trilogy — and spoilers ahead if you haven’t! — you know that Belly marries Conrad when she’s 23 years old and recently graduated from college. But it seems that on screen, Han is excited to let her characters grow a little more before taking that next step. For example, when Belly arrives at Cousins with Conrad, she’s not wearing a ring. Even a year (at least) after the finale, these two aren’t in any rush.

That isn’t to say the TSITP movie will forego a #Bonrad wedding, of course. In her announcement about the film, Han teased “another big milestone” for Belly, which certainly could mean “I do.” But based on all the hints, it seems that Belly and Conrad will have the chance to mature as people — and a couple — first, in a different way from the source material.