Waiting for Cousins Beach feels like waiting for a crush to text back. It's exhausting. If you’ve been scouring the internet trying to figure out when do new episodes of Summer I Turned Pretty finally hit Prime Video, you’re definitely not alone in the trenches.
We’ve all been stuck in this weird limbo since the Season 2 finale aired back in August 2023. Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah have basically been frozen in time while we deal with real-life drama that isn't nearly as aesthetic. But things are finally moving. Amazon officially confirmed that Season 3 is happening, and unlike the previous eight-episode runs, we’re getting a massive 11-episode season this time around.
The 2025 Reality Check
The biggest question everyone has is the date. When? Honestly, it’s later than we all hoped.
Production was famously pushed back because of the Hollywood strikes in 2023. While fans were hoping for a 2024 summer release to keep the tradition alive, Jenny Han and the cast didn't even head back to North Carolina to start filming until the spring of 2024. Because of that massive delay, Amazon has confirmed that Season 3 won't premiere until Summer 2025.
It’s a bummer.
Waiting two years for a show about teenage summers feels like an eternity. By the time it airs, we’ll all be significantly older, and the "teen" cast will be well into their mid-twenties. Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, and Gavin Casalegno have been spotted filming around Wilmington recently, though. Seeing those grainy fan-captured TikToks of the cast at the beach is the only thing keeping the fandom sane right now.
Why the Episode Count Matters
The shift from 8 episodes to 11 is a huge deal for the pacing.
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If you've read the third book, We’ll Always Have Summer, you know it’s heavy. There is a lot of ground to cover—college life, a massive time jump, a potential wedding (no spoilers, but whew), and the ultimate resolution of the love triangle. Jenny Han, the creator and showrunner, has a tendency to expand on the books, adding characters like Skye or deepening the backstory of Susannah and Laurel.
Those extra three episodes suggest that they aren't rushing the ending. They’re letting it breathe. It also means the weekly release schedule will last nearly three months, dominating the entire summer cultural conversation in 2025.
How the Release Schedule Usually Works
Amazon Prime Video has a very specific "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to this show.
Usually, they drop the first three episodes all at once to get everyone hooked and trending on social media. After that, it’s a slow burn. One episode every Friday. This is actually better than the Netflix "binge it in a day" model because it allows the Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah debates to reach a fever pitch every single week.
When you ask when do new episodes of Summer I Turned Pretty come out, you have to look at the clock, too. Prime Video typically releases titles at 12:00 AM UTC. For those of us in the States, that usually means the episodes actually pop up on Thursday nights around 8:00 PM ET or 5:00 PM PT.
It becomes a whole event. People order pizza, get their "Team" shirts on, and cry collectively on X (formerly Twitter).
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Breaking Down the Filming Timeline
Filming began in earnest around May 2024.
Production for a show like this usually takes about four to five months, followed by several months of post-production (editing, color grading those sunset shots, and licensing the inevitable Taylor Swift tracks). If they wrapped filming in the fall of 2024, a premiere in June or July 2025 aligns perfectly with the marketing strategy of "The Summer of..."
What to Expect from the Plot (Based on Real Intel)
This season is based on the final book in the trilogy.
Belly is heading off to college. Jeremiah and Belly have been "together" for a couple of years, but things are getting complicated. Conrad has been living in California, brooding and being... well, Conrad. The tension is high because the stakes are no longer just "who am I going to the prom with?" They are "who am I going to spend the rest of my life with?"
Lola Tung has mentioned in interviews that Belly is growing up and making more independent choices. We saw a glimpse of that at the end of Season 2 when she chose Jeremiah, much to the heartbreak of the "Bonrad" stans. But the show has also deviated from the books in significant ways. For instance, the character of Steven (Belly's brother) has a much larger role and a fan-favorite relationship with Taylor that barely existed in the original novels.
We can expect:
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- More Taylor Swift "Taylor's Version" debuts.
- Flashbacks to Susannah (Rachel Blanchard is confirmed to appear).
- A deeper look at the parents' lives.
- The inevitable, heartbreaking confrontation between the brothers.
The Taylor Swift Factor
Let’s be real. Part of the reason we care about when do new episodes of Summer I Turned Pretty drop is because we want to know which Folklore or Evermore track is going to destroy our emotional stability.
Jenny Han and Taylor Swift have a symbiotic relationship at this point. "The Way I Loved You" and "August" became anthems for the show. Rumors are already swirling that Season 3 will feature tracks from The Tortured Poets Department. If "Loml" or "The Prophecy" plays during a Conrad and Belly scene, the internet might actually collapse.
Navigating the Long Wait: What to Do Now
Since we have a long road until Summer 2025, you have to find ways to fill the void.
First, re-read the books. But keep in mind that Jenny Han likes to subvert expectations. Just because something happens on page 200 of We’ll Always Have Summer doesn't mean it’ll happen the same way on screen. The show has a more modern sensibility regarding mental health and sexuality than the books, which were written over a decade ago.
Second, watch the cast's other projects. Christopher Briney was recently in the Mean Girls musical movie, and Lola Tung has been doing incredible work on Broadway in Hadestown. It’s cool to see them stretch their legs outside of the Cousins Beach bubble.
Third, stay away from "leak" accounts that don't cite sources. There are tons of fake posters and fan-made trailers on YouTube right now claiming a 2024 release. They are all fake. Trust only official Prime Video social media or Jenny Han’s personal Instagram.
Actionable Steps for Fans
- Check Prime Video Settings: Make sure your notifications are on for the series so you get the "teaser trailer" alert the second it hits.
- Follow the Crew: Cinematographers and set designers often post "wrap" photos long before the actors do. It's a great way to track progress.
- Revisit the Soundtracks: The official Spotify playlists for Season 1 and 2 are actually great barometers for the "vibe" of the upcoming episodes.
- Manage Expectations: Remember that 11 episodes means more side plots. Be prepared for some filler, but hopefully, it's the kind of filler that makes us love the characters more.
The wait is objectively annoying. But the fact that they took their time to write the scripts after the strike suggests they aren't just churning out content. They want to stick the landing. When the sun finally rises on Season 3 in 2025, it’ll likely be the biggest television event of the summer. Get your tissues ready. It’s going to be a long, emotional goodbye to the Fisher and Conklin families.