The Summer I Turned Pretty, #3
We'll Always Have Summer
by Jenny Han
Contents
Chapter Thirty-Five
Overview
Conrad flees Cousins after seeing Belly and Jeremiah together but reconsiders and returns. At home, Mr. Fisher asks how to stop the wedding and admits fearing he’ll lose Jeremiah like he lost Conrad. Conrad reflects on their fraught father–son dynamic, his rebellion, and accepts imperfect humanity before driving back.
Summary
Conrad leaves Cousins after watching Belly and Jeremiah cuddle, driving toward Boston and debating whether to avoid returning. Practical obligations at the beach house sway him, but he stops at home first.
Near midnight, Mr. Fisher comes in from work and asks Conrad how to stop Jeremiah’s sudden wedding. Conrad suggests cutting Jeremiah off but notes the trust and Jeremiah’s resolve; he warns it would cost their father Jeremiah’s forgiveness. Mr. Fisher confesses he doesn’t want to lose Jeremiah the way he lost Conrad.
Seeing his father aged and burdened, Conrad recognizes that without Susannah, their father is struggling. The conversation ends without resolution, leaving Conrad unsettled.
Conrad then reflects on lifelong favoritism and likeness to his father, the pressure to excel, and the first cracks in his idolization when his father forgot Susannah’s birthday. Disillusionment turned to resentment and self-loathing, leading Conrad to quit shared activities—including football—to sabotage his father’s pride.
He realizes he placed his father on a pedestal and then hated him for being human. With this clarity, Conrad drives back to Cousins on Monday morning, choosing to face what awaits there.
Who Appears
- Conrad FisherNarrator; flees Cousins, advises his father on Jeremiah’s wedding, reflects on their strained history, and decides to return.
- Mr. FisherConrad’s and Jeremiah’s father; seeks advice to stop the wedding, fears losing Jeremiah, appears weary and overwhelmed.