Why Did Taylor and Steven Break up in the 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'?

Prime Video turned their adaptation of The Summer I Turned Pretty into a massive success thanks to unpredictable love stories and wholesome moments. One of these love stories involves Belly's (Lola Tung) older brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman). Over time, the young man fell in love with one of his friends, Taylor (Rain Spencer). The slow-burn romance took place over several episodes of the show, with the characters eventually becoming one of the most beloved pairings found in the adaptation.

Sadly, not everything is meant to last. When the third season of the series based on Jenny Han's books started, it was quickly established that Taylor and Steven had broken up off-screen. The time jump between seasons brought several changes for the main characters of the teen drama. Why did Steven and Taylor break up in The Summer I Turned Pretty? Here's what we know about what led the couple to drift apart.

No explicit reason has been given as to why Steven and Taylor broke up in the time between the second and third seasons of The Summer I Turned Pretty. However, there are several factors pointing toward what happened to these characters while audiences didn't see them. The show revealed that Steven got a fancy corporate job at a finance firm called Breaker. Considering how Taylor was still in college, it might've been hard for the lovebirds to see each other constantly.

Even if Taylor and Steven have been apart for some time, Steven still wants to repair the romantic relationship between the two. Jenny Han's books are known for keeping audiences on the edge of their seats with romantic tension, meaning that there is a chance for Taylor and Steven to get back together if they both commit to the relationship. Steven and Taylor were seen kissing without attachments in the first moments of the third season.

Unfortunately, the Summer I Turned Pretty novels don't involve a relationship between Taylor and Steven. The characters only share a kiss, and the relationship they establish in the television series is nowhere to be found. Jenny Han writes some of the screenplays for the show, according to the Writers Guild of America. This gives the author plenty of creative freedom to make up her mind regarding what will happen to the television versions of Taylor and Steven.

While Steven and Taylor figure out what they're going to do, the third season of the adaptation returned to focus on Belly and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). The love triangle that also features Jeremiah's brother, Conrad (Christopher Briney), has been a focal point of the show since the start. By the time the third season of The Summer I Turned Pretty comes to an end on Prime Video, fans will find out if Steven and Taylor will give their relationship another chance or not.