This third book in Jenny Han’s series shifts between Belly and Conrad’s POVs,
unlike the second one, which focused on Belly and Jeremiah.
And honestly, by the time I got here, I had already seen bits and pieces of the show floating around on TikTok and IG reels, and I could tell the series gave more extended, fleshed-out scenes.
It made the story feel fuller, more complete. The book, on the other hand, felt a little rushed.
What I do love is how Jenny Han captured the angst.
The messy, heavy kind of angst that comes with being young and torn between two people who represent two different kinds of love.
Belly is in the middle of it, trying to figure out her own heart.
But if I’m being honest, Jeremiah never felt serious enough about marrying her.
The wedding prep scenes felt off as Belly had to handle most of it with Conrad, not Jeremiah.
And that, unintentionally, set the tone for what was coming.
It was like Conrad and Belly were already building something real, something ancient and rooted,
while Jeremiah was more… absent.
If Jeremiah had actually poured himself into those wedding preparations,
maybe the ending would have been different.
Maybe Belly would have chosen him.
But he didn’t.
And then Conrad’s POV came in, and suddenly, I understood him.
The kind of man he is.
Organised, composed, quiet but intentional.
He knows what he wants, even if he doesn’t always know how to express it.
He can cook, he can do chores, and he’s steady.
The kind of man who doesn’t fall in love twice.
But his inner battles, his loyalty to his mother’s wish, his responsibility to Jeremiah, and his complicated relationship with his father pulled him into silence.
He let Jeremiah have Belly, even though it broke him.
And you can feel it in his chapters.
That ache of someone who loves so deeply but steps back because he thinks it’s the right thing.
That’s Conrad.
Jeremiah, though.
The cheating in Cabo.
I still can’t wrap my head around it.
The fact that it keeps coming up, like a stain he couldn’t wash off.
And the way Belly forgave him so quickly?
I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t.
There’s something about betrayal that makes it hard to rebuild trust,
no matter how sweet the person is.
Jeremiah always came across as the golden boy, the sunshine.
But when I saw that side of him, the side that could betray Belly, it was hard to see him as the same innocent Jeremiah from book one.
And here’s where it got personal for me.
Because I realised something as I read Conrad’s POV:
I live with a Conrad.
My husband is a Conrad.
The beginning of our relationship mirrored his way of loving, non-confrontational, full of absences, quiet yearnings, missed moments.
When he did show his feelings, it felt fleeting, almost like he’d vanish again.
And I was left with the weight of waiting. But unlike Belly, I didn’t have a Jeremiah to distract me.
I wasn’t stuck in a triangle.
I knew what I wanted, and despite the ache, I chose to hold on.
If I had let go of him, I know I wouldn’t have been happy with anyone else.
So I stayed.
I waited.
And eventually, he came back.
Looking back, that’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
So… Team Jeremiah or Team Conrad?
For me, it changed over time.
I rooted for Jeremiah in the first two books.
He was light, playful, easy to love.
But by the third book, I had switched.
Conrad’s love might have been complicated, but it was deeper, more enduring.
Jeremiah would always be Belly’s best friend, her safe place.
But Conrad was her forever.
The one who burned brighter.
Stronger.
Hotter.
And I’m glad Jenny Han let them end up together.
Some stories stay with you because they mirror your own.
We’ll Always Have Summer wasn’t just Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad’s love triangle.
It reminded me of my own choices,
my own waiting, and the love I decided to keep.
And yes, by the last page, I was firmly
Team Conrad 💌.
