Does Susannah Die In The Summer I Turned Pretty? Let's Consult The Books
Warning: A major spoiler follows.
Warning: Spoilers for Season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty and Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty follow. The Summer I Turned Pretty, the swoony new YA romance series on Prime Video, is full of sweet, carefree summer moments, like first kisses and parties on the beach. But there’s also a shadow of sadness that hangs over the series. While Belly and the boys are experiencing their teenage dreams come true, the boys' mom, Susannah, holds onto some devastating news about her health that has audiences worried she won’t survive in Season 2. Here’s what you need to know about whether or not Susannah dies in The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Throughout the first season, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) keeps secret the fact that her cancer has come out of remission, and her prospects of survival do not look good. By the Season 1 finale, the secret comes out to Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad, and after pleading from her sons, Susannah agrees to participate in an experimental treatment for her cancer. That ending provides a little hope for Susannah’s future, but fans of the Jenny Han book series the show is based on know there is likely still trouble ahead. The second book in the series, It’s Not Summer Without You, begins the summer after Susannah’s death. So even if the show keeps Susannah around for a bit longer than the books do, it’s likely she’ll still pass away eventually.
Han, who serves as the co-showrunner on the TV series, has warned fans that Season 2 will follow the second book “pretty closely.” She told Distractify, “I'll say that it will [follow], pretty closely, but there might be some twists and turns that people might not expect.” She went on to say, “It won't be the exact, but it's inevitable, though," seeming to hint that Susannah’s death is pretty integral to the story.
No matter what happens to Susannah, Han has made sure she’s central to the plot and to all of the other characters’ journeys. She told Variety, “Susannah is like one of the most important characters in the first season. I think every single person is in her orbit in a way and they’re all there because of her and she’s very beloved by all of them.”
Season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty is streaming on Prime Video now.
