The Summer I Turned Pretty ending explained: Who does Belly choose?

After he cheated on her, oh and just before (literally just before the wedding day), Conrad revealed that big secret – that he still loved Belly.

By the finale, Belly has removed herself entirely from the situation.

The Summer I Turned Pretty ending explained

Belly's said goodbye to both of the Fisher boys, built a life for herself in Paris and entered a new era with a daring new bob, but Conrad got on the plane to Paris. He makes his way to her apartment and patiently waits for her arrival and she turns up on a moped with her friend/lover, Benito. They kiss and he leaves, so finally, Conrad is reunited with Belly.

Once the shock subsides, they exchange awkward hugs and Conrad explains her has a conference in Brussels so thought he’d just pop by ahead of her birthday. Though Belly seems reluctant at first, she suggests they spend the day sightseeing before his train.

Anxious, she puts on lipstick but berates herself for doing so and says she’ll just spend the day with him and send him on his way. Meanwhile, back in Boston, Jeremiah is preparing to host a dinner as a new up and coming chef with Denise and Taylor’s help.

Jeremiah confesses that Conrad is in Paris to Denise and admits while the anticipation was agonising, he’s OK with it knowing there together now, as so much time has passed. As he suggests getting a new couch for their apartment, Denise reveals that she’s moving to San Francisco with Steven as they’ve been given seed funding for their project.

He’s thrilled for her, but she tells him not to tell anyone as Steven hasn’t told Taylor yet. Cue Taylor’s entrance.

She’s outraged and declares everything is ruined as the bar they were meant to host the dinner in also has a leak. Taylor argues with Denise as she’s upset about not being told about the move, before they work together to find an alternative venue and Denise suggests Jeremiah’s house in Cousins. Even though he’s in two minds about it, he agrees and they start to pack and relocate their event.

The finale flits between Boston and Paris, where Belly and Conrad soak up the sights on a big bus tour. He keeps stealing glances at her and has flashbacks to their previous summers together. They exchange awkward small talk, until Conrad says he wishes he could see Paris the way that Belly does.

She derails the conventional tour to take him to a secluded rooftop with views across all of Paris. She admits that it was only when she saw Paris from above everything started to click and Conrad likens it to the human body – in isolation, every element feels overwhelming to understand, but it makes sense as a whole.

He thinks she’ll tease him for being a nerd, instead she says "for a second you looked like 10-year-old you". The sweet tension between them grows, and Conrad starts to realise how comfortable she is in Paris. She admits it hasn’t been easy and she felt like an idiot for so long with the language barrier, but remembered what he’d said about the pacific that it was like "standing on another planet, like anything was possible". For her, that’s Paris.

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Conrad reminds her that she’s always been competitive, brave and as their mum’s called her a "feral ally cat," so Paris never stood a chance. After their candid chat, Belly invites him to the small dinner party her friends are throwing ahead of her birthday tomorrow and he agrees.

Back in Cousins, Taylor and Denise are setting up decorations, while Steven arrives and friction starts to show with Taylor, who doesn’t tell him she knows about San Francisco. Everything is slightly falling apart, but they make it work. Taylor hires his frat bros to be wait staff and sets out to buy ramekins. After she leaves, Jeremiah admits to Steven that Taylor knows about San Francisco.

Conrad is in awe of Belly’s little black dress for her birthday, as he soaks in her apartment, her books, photos and pictures of the guy she was with on the bike. He feels a touch out of place until he sees the bear he won for her at the fair.

At the dinner, everyone greets Belly in French which gives them a chance to take in the sight of the ‘legendary’ Conrad Fisher, as Benito calls him and says "we’ve heard everything about you". Her girl friends swoon over him and find his surprise arrival romantic and want Belly to end up with him. But he still feels slightly on the outside as Belly sits with Benito and talks intimately at the big table, after he gave her a gorgeous sunlight photo of her half-naked in bed.

Benito finally asks the question that everyone wants to know, why Conrad is in Paris as they debates whether Conrad is the villain in their story, but Belly says is actually her. Thankfully, the awkwardness subsides when Celine drops in that Benito is only salty as Belly dumped him six weeks ago, and Belly teases that he will always be the guy who taught her to ride a scooter. To which Conrad comes back to "I’ll always be the guy who taught you how to ride a bike".

In Cousins, Jeremiah’s dad arrives for the dinner and Denise gives him a pep talk to keep going with it, as it won’t implode as he’s worked so hard. They share a sweet moment, but Denise shuts it down so he can get back to cooking.

Belly and Conrad sit cosily at the table, as she opens gifts, and her friends tease in French that he himself is a gift. She realises he memorises everything she says. He reveals that he wanted to bring a bit of Cousins to Belly on her birthday, as she’s spent every birthday there, so he gives her a vial of sand that when he’s lonely reminds him of home. She gives him a kiss on the cheek, before making a wish while blowing out her candles on the cake.

Laurel is pleased that Jeremiah’s dad is there – even with his disgusting jokes – as she’s glad he’s trying. Laurel admits she misses everyone being together they toast to Belly. Taylor returns and argues with Steven in the kitchen, before Jeremiah throws them out. Taylor is upset that he didn’t ask her to move with him, when they’re serious now and Steven says he didn’t want to ask her to move for him when she’d already done that with Boston. She says it isn’t moving for him, but with him, and they reconcile saying it’s ‘fate’ they’re together and decide to move to San Francisco.

Belly and Conrad walk home together in the moonlight, as Belly’s birthday officially begins. He admits that he thought Belly was living in exile, but now sees the beautiful life she has in Paris. Belly says at the start she thought the loneliness was a punishment, but is happier now. Conrad reveals Jeremiah knows he’s in Paris, and Belly is relieved he’s OK with it.

At Jeremiah’s dinner, everyone loves the food and Denise taste tests the dessert for him. She tells him that he’s amazing, and a 10 and needs to stop being obsessed with his brother, before Jeremiah kisses her. Later, he pops out to make a speech and thanks everyone for coming, before his dad tells him how proud he is and has always been of him.

Belly and Conrad go down to the Seine and dance together to I Only Have Eyes for You, as they reminisce about their frightful Prom night, before Belly admits she didn’t write back to Conrad in an attempt to move on. He asks if she has moved on, before they kiss. Another Taylor Swift needle drop happens (this time with Dress) as a montage of them in a passionate frenzy kissing in the taxi home, all the way back to her apartment ensues.

Afterwards, Belly says she used to wish for him every birthday and he says well "now you’re stuck with me forever," and it unsettles her.

She asks when he’s leaving, but he says he might skip the conference and she tells him not to change his plans for her as she wouldn’t do that for him. He understands but she retreats to the bathroom and when she comes back encourages him to get the next train in an hour at 5am.

He suggests they grab breakfast first, but she shoots him down. Conrad addresses the situation and asks what’s wrong as Belly admits she doesn’t know why he’s there or what he wants. He reveals he loves her and wants to know if she loves him.

She says she does, but doesn’t know if it’s because his mum wanted them to be together, and if she hadn’t died, then maybe he wouldn’t feel like this. Belly says she wishes she could be as sure as he is about how they feel, but she isn’t. So, in tears, he gets dressed and leaves.

Belly opens a picture from her mum of her when she was younger, sticking her tongue out. She realises as much as she believed she had to change, she loved who she was, and still is that same girl, and even after her mistakes she still loves herself. She says: “I have brown hair and brown eyes and I love him.”

Taylor Swift's Out of the Woods plays as Belly gets her big romcom moment, running through the streets of Paris and getting a cab to the station to chase him down. She rushes down the platform, walks through every carriage until she finds Conrad, crying, and says: “Is this seat taken?”

Then Belly says what audiences have waited three seasons to hear: “Conrad, I choose you, of my own free will, if there are infinite worlds every version of me chooses you in every one of them.” She’s wearing the infinity necklace he gave her, they kiss and both say I love you.

The elation continues back home too as everyone celebrate Jeremiah’s successful night, as he holds hands with Denise under the table and Steven and Taylor seem more loved up than ever.

In a voiceover, Belly reveals she didn’t go back to Cousins that summer, but eventually she did. Conrad drives them back to the house, and they walk in together, as the camera pans out of them two of them in each other’s arms on the back garden.

Before the credits, there’s a sweet photo montage of their Christmas together in Paris. And the tease to end all teases, the episode ends with a handwritten note from the author Han herself who thanks fans for their love and dedication to the show, and adds: "Maybe we will meet again one summer in Cousins, until then… All my love always, Jenny." We’re already seated.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is available to stream on Prime Video.

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