If This Is the ‘Secondary’ Couple… Then What Was the Point? Don’t Tell Me This Was Just a Detour...
Disclaimer 1 : Yes, I’ve read the books—once when they were first released, and again after Season 1 aired. But in this post, I’ll mostly be referring to the show.
Disclaimer 2 : I like both Jeremiah and Conrad. This isn’t an “anti” anything post. I’ll only be speaking about how I personally feel regarding their individual relationships with Belly.
We all know how the show is going to end. Jenny Han most likely won’t change the final outcome—it’s almost a given. Sure, some details have been altered from the books (and honestly, I think those changes matter), but we all know where this is heading. One way or another, Belly is going to end up with Conrad.
And you know what? I understand why some people are Team Conrad. I really do.
But at what point are we supposed to accept that Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship is just the “secondary” one in this story?
Let’s be real: In the show, Belly and Jeremiah have been together for four years. They’ve grown together, built something lasting, spent nearly all of college side by side. Their connection is real. The chemistry is there. The love is there. And yes—I do believe Belly is in love with Jeremiah, just as he’s in love with her. You won’t change my mind on that.
So how exactly are the writers going to flip that into a story where Belly suddenly realizes it’s always been Conrad? This isn’t some fleeting summer fling. It’s a years-long relationship that’s weathered its share of storms. It’s deep, enduring, and built over time. I’m genuinely struggling to see how the writers will manage to undo all of that in a way that feels natural and earned—especially considering we’re already three episodes into the final season. There aren’t that many episodes left to show that kind of transformation with the depth it deserves.
Of course, Belly will always carry something for Conrad. He was her first love, her first everything. That kind of bond leaves a mark.
But she once said, “First loves are important. But they’re not as important as lasts.” She said that about Jeremiah—not Conrad.
In four years, Belly and Jeremiah have built something substantial. They’ve learned who they are together, as a couple. They’ve shared experiences she never got to have with Conrad during their six-month relationship.
As for Belly and Conrad? Personally, I’ve never really believed in their relationship. Something’s always felt… off. That spark everyone else seems to see? I don’t. If anything, I’ve always felt like Belly holds herself back when she’s with him—as if she’s constantly walking on eggshells, trying to fit into his world rather than just being herself. That little extra something just isn’t there for me.
Yes, Conrad will always be her first love, her childhood crush. That will never change. But where’s the magic? Whether it’s the chemistry between the actors or something in the writing, I don’t know—but their scenes never hit me the way Belly and Jeremiah’s do. Conrad feels like her past. Jeremiah feels like her present—and her future. I know that’s not the direction the story will take, but if the writers want me to believe that Belly is truly meant to be with Conrad, then they’re going to have to show me. They’re going to have to make me feel it. Because so far? I’ve never felt it. Not in Season 1. Not in Season 2.
Again, this is just my personal take. And I understand that Team Conrad fans may feel totally differently. I just wish there were more openness to understanding why some of us feel more watching Belly and Jeremiah together.
So, dear writers—if you want me to believe in Belly and Conrad’s story, you’re going to have to give me magic. Because right now, the real love story of the series, the one that’s moved me from the very beginning, is the one between Belly and Jeremiah.
And now, you’ll have to convince me that four years of love and shared growth with Jeremiah somehow mean less than six months with Conrad. That what Belly and Jer built together is less real, less true, less powerful.
Because right now? I’m not buying it. And I’m not seeing it on screen, either.
Honestly? I’m not sure how you’ll pull it off.
Because you can’t spend seasons showing us a relationship like Belly and Jeremiah’s—nurturing it, deepening it—and then try to frame it as the second-choice romance. It just doesn’t add up.
That said, I remain very skeptical about what’s coming next, and how you plan to make it work… You can’t build a love like that just to call it second best. So unless you show me magic, I’ll keep believing the real story was always Belly and Jeremiah.
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