This on-screen version of Belly and Conrad’s scene in The Summer I Turned Pretty takes a different path from the book

Jenny Han never wrote the intimate scene in her books of The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy; however, it still made its way into the show, with fans being ecstatic during the same. The scene plays out in Conrad's imagination. He and Belly are having dinner after they have come home from Michael's, the dinner they had just prepared together.

This is everything that he wants with her, to be around her, after spending a full day with Belly and almost giving his true feelings away during the peach scene. At the dining table, he reminisces about the last time he was this close to her. It was when he was staying over at her house in the guest bedroom. She snuck inside and was seeking his warmth.

Susannah was still very sick, with her health deteriorating with every passing second. However, he did not want to unload his burden on her because he did not want to destroy her optimistic nature. The two start kissing, and it ends with them having physical relations. 

However, this scene was never in the books, much like a variety of scenes that Jenny Han, the creator of The Summer I Turned Pretty, has altered or created entirely new. 

Why did Jenny Han put an intimate scene in The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 that was never in the books?

Jenny Han, after the release of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 5, described that she wanted the viewers to get on Conrad's good side, especially when the fanbase was divided over how badly he had hurt Belly during the prom, which led the two of them to break up.

It gives a perspective into what he was thinking at the time, with his mother about to pass away, and so many thoughts going around. However, he had never wanted to hurt her. Jenny, during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, explained her reasoning behind it all. She said, 

"To offer a little bit more of a perspective on where Conrad was at that moment, and to show that he really was trying and he had good intentions going into prom, and that he was doing his best. I'm glad that you caught the sweater. It was a moment where she was trying to connect with him and be there for hi,m and knew he was feeling down. But he really struggles with being vulnerable in front of her, and he wants to be strong and the hero for her, but that's what ends up pushing her away ultimately."

Another change that she discussed was the peach scene, which, in the books, is from Belly's point of view. However, it was seen from Conrad's point of view on the show because Jenny wanted to capture the way he sees her, in sunlight, like the love of his life.

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 episodes release weekly on Wednesdays at 3 AM Eastern Time on Amazon Prime Video.