Why won't there be a season 4 of The Summer I Turned Pretty?
Jenny Han has detailed why ending the show now "feels right", despite all of its success.
The Summer I Turned Pretty has reached its much-anticipated finale, settling weeks of speculation over how the story of Belly and her love interests will conclude.
Showrunner Jenny Han, who also penned the novels on which the show is based, had previously teased an ending that would surprise even readers of her bestselling books, leaving plenty of room for fan theories.
The Summer I Turned Pretty has grown into one of Prime Video's most popular original shows, attracting legions of loyal viewers with its surprising twists and moving moments.
But all good things must come to an end, with Han speaking out on exactly why her hit series won't be returning for a fourth season – despite more than enough support to do so, in theory.
Here's what the celebrated writer had to say about this tough goodbye.
Why won't there be The Summer I Turned Pretty season 4?
The Summer I Turned Pretty will not be returning for a fourth season as the series has run out of source material from the novels by Jenny Han.
The author told press in recent interviews that, despite the coming-of-age drama's runaway success, Prime Video didn't pressure her to extend the story further than she felt was necessary.
"Three books, three seasons: it feels right to me," she told Entertainment Weekly.
In a chat with LA Times, she elaborated: "Doing what I think is best for the story has always been my north star, and the story to me fit for these three seasons.
"I appreciate that [Prime Video execs] respected that. To be able to say when, to be able to call it, is rare when something is doing well and making people money. But I have to be true to myself and what I think is best for the story."
Of course, The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 appears to be ending the show on a high note, generating a huge amount of online chatter around the show's love triangle – and who lead character Belly (Lola Tung) might end up with.
In light of this continued and growing interest, Han conceded that she would "never say never" to the prospect of a prequel, sequel or spin-off series at some point in the future.
"I'm definitely open to doing more stories in the universe," she told LA Times. "It's just that I want to figure out what the story is that I feel so compelled to tell it that I'm willing to spend the next few years throwing my whole body into it."
For now, fans of Han can get another fix of her young romance stories from Netflix's XO, Kitty, which spins out of her To All The Boys... film series and has recently been renewed for a third season.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is available to stream on Prime Video.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
