Susannah Fisher was the glue. If you’ve read the books or binged the Prime Video series, you know that Cousins Beach isn't just a location; it's a feeling she curated with sheer willpower and expensive sundresses. But there is a heavy, looming cloud over the entire story that fans constantly obsess over. People want to know the timeline. They want to know when does Susannah die in The Summer I Turned Pretty because the show handles it with a delicate, non-linear touch that can leave you a bit disoriented if you aren't paying close attention.
It's heartbreaking. Truly.
In the world of Jenny Han, Susannah’s battle with cancer isn't just a plot point; it’s the catalyst for every messy, beautiful, and devastating thing that happens to Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah. If you’re looking for a specific episode or a page number, the answer depends entirely on whether you’re watching the screen or reading the ink.
The Timeline Shift Between Season 1 and Season 2
Here is the thing. In the first season of the show, Susannah’s health is the "secret" that everyone is trying to ignore while they focus on debutante balls and beach bonfires. By the finale, the secret is out. We see her agree to a clinical trial, giving the Fisher boys a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, they’ll get more time.
But then Season 2 hits you like a tidal wave.
The show makes a bold creative choice. It doesn't start with a funeral. Instead, it starts with the aftermath. We learn very quickly that the clinical trial didn't work the way they wanted. Susannah Fisher dies between the events of Season 1 and Season 2. To be incredibly specific, her death occurs in the late spring, just as the world is starting to bloom again, which makes the loss feel even more cruel.
The show uses flashbacks to fill in the gaps. We see her final days through Belly’s eyes and the boys' memories. It’s messy. It’s painful. We see the house at Cousins Beach feeling empty even when it's full of people. If you are watching the series, Susannah is already gone by the time the first episode of Season 2, "Love Lost," begins. The "when" isn't a single moment on screen; it's a shadow that hangs over the entire season.
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How the Books Handle the Tragedy
Jenny Han’s trilogy—The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You, and We’ll Always Have Summer—follows a similar emotional arc but feels a bit more grounded in the chronological grief.
In the first book, the realization that Susannah’s cancer has returned happens at the very end. It’s a gut-punch. However, the actual death occurs in the interim period before the second book, It's Not Summer Without You, begins. The second book opens with Belly in a state of total stagnation. She’s failing classes. She’s miserable. And she’s grieving the woman who was a second mother to her.
Readers find out that Susannah passed away in May.
This timing is vital for the narrative. May is the bridge to summer. By having Susannah die in May, Han ensures that the first summer without her—the one Belly has spent her whole life waiting for—is tainted by an impossible absence. It changes the beach house from a sanctuary into a museum of things that used to be.
Why the Timing Matters for Conrad and Jeremiah
The "when" is less about a date on a calendar and more about the psychological breaking point of the Fisher brothers.
Conrad knew earlier than Jeremiah. That’s the wedge. When you look at when does Susannah die in The Summer I Turned Pretty, you have to look at the months leading up to it. Conrad spent the entirety of that final summer at Cousins carrying the weight of his mother’s diagnosis while Jeremiah was still living in the "golden" reality of their childhood.
By the time she actually passes away in the spring, Conrad has already begun to withdraw. He’s already started pushing Belly away because he’s trying to brace himself for the impact. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is the one who stayed by her side, helping her with meds and being the primary caretaker while Conrad was away at college.
This creates a massive rift.
- Conrad’s grief is internal, cold, and distancing.
- Jeremiah’s grief is external, hot, and fueled by a sense of duty.
The death happening in the spring means the boys are forced back to the beach house in the summer to deal with the logistics of her estate. This is where the plot of Season 2 (and Book 2) really kicks in. Without Susannah there to hold the lease on their happiness, the house is put up for sale. The timing of her death creates the "ticking clock" element of the story.
The Prom Night Incident
One of the most debated moments regarding the timeline is the prom. In the show, we see a flashback to Belly’s prom where Conrad is clearly "off." He’s distracted, he’s moody, and he eventually leaves early.
Fans often ask if Susannah was already dead then.
The answer is no. She was still alive, but she was very, very sick. This was the home stretch. Conrad’s behavior at the prom—which basically ended his relationship with Belly for a long time—was directly tied to the fact that his mother was actively dying at home. He couldn't play the part of the happy boyfriend because his world was collapsing in real-time.
She dies shortly after that.
The proximity of the prom to her death explains why Belly and Conrad’s breakup was so nuclear. It wasn't just a teenage spat; it was a collision of a girl wanting her "perfect moment" and a boy who was watching his mother disappear day by day.
Key Moments Leading to the End
- The Season 1 Finale: Susannah reveals her cancer is back and agrees to treatment.
- The Winter Flashbacks: We see Susannah losing her hair and the house becoming a place of sickness rather than joy.
- The Prom (Spring): Susannah is in her final weeks; Conrad is a wreck.
- Late Spring/May: Susannah Fisher passes away.
- The Funeral: A core memory for Belly, specifically because of the awkward and painful encounter with Conrad in the basement.
The Impact of the "Secret"
There’s a lot of talk online about whether the characters should have known sooner. Honestly, Susannah’s choice to keep her illness a secret for that one last "perfect summer" is one of the most controversial aspects of the story.
Some call it selfish. Others call it a final gift.
Because she waited so long to tell them, the transition from "everything is fine" to "everything is over" happened incredibly fast for Jeremiah and Belly. Conrad had the "luxury" (if you can call it that) of time to process, but it turned him into a ghost long before Susannah actually died.
If you're looking for the exact moment of her death on screen, you won't find a dramatic hospital scene in the present day of Season 2. You only find the echoes of it. The show runners chose to focus on the ripples left in the water rather than the stone hitting the surface.
What to Do With This Information
If you're currently watching the show or reading the books for the first time, keep an eye on the flowers. It sounds weird, but the production design uses the seasons to tell you exactly where Susannah is in her journey. When the hydrangeas are in full bloom, she’s the queen of the beach. When we see the dead leaves and the grey skies of the off-season, we know the end is near.
To truly understand the weight of the story, you should:
- Re-watch Season 1, Episode 8: Watch Susannah’s face when she’s with the boys. Knowing what comes in the spring makes her performance much more heartbreaking.
- Read the second book: It's Not Summer Without You provides a much deeper internal monologue from Belly about the month of May and the funeral that the show summarizes in snippets.
- Pay attention to the music: The soundtrack in Season 2 is heavily curated to reflect the stages of grief—denial, anger, and eventually, the softest hint of acceptance.
Susannah’s death isn't just a "spoiler." It's the entire point. It’s the end of childhood for everyone involved. The show asks a very difficult question: how do you keep living when the person who taught you how to live is gone? For Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah, the answer isn't found in a date or a specific moment in May, but in how they choose to treat each other once the dust settles.
The house might be sold, and the summer might be different, but Susannah’s influence is permanent. If you’re tracking the timeline, just remember that by the time the sun starts hitting the sand in Season 2, she’s already gone, leaving the rest of them to figure out how to navigate the waves alone.