The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 has taken the world by storm, pulling in 25 million viewers globally in just seven days after its July 16 premiere. This marks a 40% increase from Season 2’s first-week numbers, proving the show’s growing popularity. The final season of the beloved YA drama is now one of Prime Video’s top-performing series, ranking fifth among returning shows on the platform.
Massive Growth in Viewership
The third season’s debut outperformed Season 2 by a huge margin. While exact numbers for Season 2’s premiere week were not officially shared, estimates suggest it had around 17.9 million viewers. Compared to Season 1, the latest season has tripled its audience, showing how much the fanbase has expanded since 2022.
Amazon confirmed that The Summer I Turned Pretty is now the most-watched TV season among women aged 18-34 on Prime Video. It also ranks as the fifth most-watched returning season on the platform, behind heavy hitters like Reacher Seasons 2 and 3, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, and The Boys Season 4.
The show’s international success is another highlight, with more than half of its viewers coming from outside the U.S. Countries like the U.K., Germany, and Brazil have shown especially strong engagement.
Why Fans Love the Final Season
The series, based on Jenny Han’s bestselling books, follows Belly (Lola Tung) as she navigates love and growing up between brothers Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Season 3 brings the love triangle to a close, and fans have been eagerly waiting to see who Belly chooses.
“Seeing how The Summer I Turned Pretty has resonated with millions — how the story has sparked so many fan conversations, sent the books back on the bestseller lists, and inspired so many viewers’ reactions across social media — it’s everything I could have hoped for and more,” said Jenny Han, the show’s creator.
Lola Tung, who plays Belly, shared her thoughts on the final season:
“It was really fun to feel like it was a little bit more of a mature journey or she feels more grown up, and you can sort of tell in the decisions that she makes. But it was really fun to film and really fun to see sort of play out.”
Amazon’s Release Strategy and Fan Reactions
Unlike Season 1, which dropped all episodes at once, Seasons 2 and 3 followed a weekly release schedule. This decision was made to keep fans engaged over time, even though some were impatient to binge the whole season.
Vernon Sanders, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of TV, explained:
“This has been a strategy that we’ve rolled out with our second seasons and beyond — whether that’s with ‘The Boys’ or ‘Reacher,’ even ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 2 was weekly. And we see that the audience, even though they’re craving every episode, we’re able to engage them in a longer conversation.”
Ahead of the Season 3 premiere, Prime Video took an unusual step by warning fans to avoid toxic behavior toward the cast or each other. This came after past issues with intense fan reactions in other shows.
What’s Next for Jenny Han?
While The Summer I Turned Pretty is ending with Season 3, Jenny Han is already planning her next projects with Amazon. Though no spinoffs are expected, Han has hinted at new ideas for TV and film.
“All roads lead to Jenny there, and she’s been so focused on launching this season, and so once we’re done there, we’ll get into more conversations,” said Vernon Sanders.
New episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 drop every Wednesday on Prime Video, with the finale set for September 17.
Also read: BTS V’s Hit Song FRI(END)S Featured in The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Premiere
Credits: Sources include Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, and official Amazon press releases.
