Omg, this huge romance in The Summer I Turned Pretty isn’t really a thing in the books

A really important romance in The Summer I Turned Pretty TV show didn’t really happen in Jenny Han’s books, and I’m shook.

Loads of the show has been devoted to Taylor and Steven’s relationship. But their bond played out totally differently in The Summer I Turned Pretty book series.

Wait, how are the books different from the films?

So, right back in season one, Taylor and Steven kissed for the first time. Belly catches them, and is pretty annoyed at Taylor. However, their friendship recovers fairly quickly. Steven and Taylor take ages to admit they love each other, then break up, then cheat on their new partners with each other, then still deny they like each other… the chaos carries on and on.

I remain hopeful
(Credit: Prime Video)

This all panned out way differently in the books. In the OG The Summer I Turned Pretty novel, Taylor flirts with pretty much every boy in sight, including Conrad and Jeremiah. Honestly, how incestuous can this friend group get? She does kiss Steven. Belly and Taylor have a massive falling out over this. There are some strong slut-shaming undertones. (Belly’s attitude to dating was modernised for the TV show.)

Steven and Taylor don’t show any romantic interest in each other after that. Steven barely ever mentions Taylor again.

Who do Steven and Taylor end up with in The Summer I Turned Pretty?

In book two, we learn Steven is back with his ex-girlfriend.  Steven doesn’t feature nearly as much in the books as he does in the show. He mostly appears in flashbacks, and his love life doesn’t come into the plot.

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Their clothes colour co-ordinate. See, it’s meant to be
(Credit: Prime Video)

Belly is still annoyed with Taylor, though. She doesn’t want Taylor to come back to Cousins Beach, in case she dares flirt with Conrad and Jeremiah again. They have a massive fight in a shopping centre. In the third book, Bely and Taylor end up at the same college, and rebuild their friendship. Although the book version of Belly constantly judges Taylor for being “boy crazy”, we don’t see much of her relationships with any particular boys.

So, as Steven and Taylor’s storyline in the TV show has already deviated from the books, we have no clue whether Steven and Taylor will end up together in the series finale. Fingers crossed, things will finally work out.

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