Is Benito Belly's new love interest? The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3's new character, explained

In The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, which is available on Prime Video, Isabel "Belly" Conklin is on a journey of heartbreak and self-discovery in Paris. The arrival of Benito, a charming new arrival, sends fans into a flurry of discussions about whether he will be Belly's next love or just a brief gust of intense excitement. There is definitely chemistry that jumps off the screen, but while Benito may not be Belly's forever flame, he helps her discover her independence. 

Based on Jenny Han's best-selling book trilogy, The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 launched on Prime Video in July 2025 and has made a bold leap from Cousins Beach to the romantic cobblestones of Paris. The series returns with showrunner Sarah Kucserka and the creator Jenny Han and resumes four years later, where Belly, played by Lola Tung, left off at the end of Season 2. 

In Season 3, after Belly calls her marriage off with Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), she goes to Europe in an attempt to piece together the broken shards of her chaotic love triangle between Jeremiah and his brother Conrad (Christopher Briney), and to find herself. This 11-episode season is full of raw emotion - love, loss, and self-discovery.

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3: Benito ignites Belly’s transformation

With each new episode of the series, new European settings and characters are introduced, expanding the show’s narrative scope but also staying true to its coming-of-age sensibilities. In terms of her story arc to date, Belly's Parisian story is inherently much bigger in the series than it is in the novels. When Benito arrives in the narrative at Episode 9, "Last Call," the dynamics of Belly's Parisian affair shift considerably. Belly, who has lost her bag, tries to find it and ends up tracking it down to a bar, but cannot get in without the password. She then meets Gemma outside the bar and saves her from a drunk guy bothering her. Gemma brings Belly into the bar and introduces her friends - Celine and Benito. Although we can see the chemistry, Belly and Benito start as friends, serving a larger purpose in Belly's life than just romantic..

Belly's new friend, Benito, is played by Mexican actor Fernando Cattori, a breath of fresh air in Season 3. In Episode 10, “Last Year,” they share some flirty romantic moments on Christmas Eve with a motorcycle ride through Paris and end up making love at the New Year's Eve party. The romance is restrained throughout this Parisian adventure, and Belly's self-discovery is prioritised over a new romantic story.

In Jenny Han's We’ll Always Have Summer, Benito is a minor character mentioned briefly in the letters belonging to Conrad, and is just a guy Belly meets abroad. The series takes him from a minor character to a character who supports Belly's newfound confidence. Originally from Mexico City, Cattori has starred in Netflix's Untamed Royals and also With You in the Future. Cattori's chemistry with Tung feels effortless, but their story doesn't assume the focus of the love triangle.

Benito reaches the height of his role in Episode 10 when he invites Belly to his grandmother's birthday party in Mexico, to which she agrees. Her postcard to Conrad in the finale suggests there's still a piece of Belly's heart that belongs to her past loves. Some fans on X see Benito as the guy who brings Belly into her own, and they want a spin-off with Benito, while others see him as a plot device to stress Belly's growth. No matter what, Benito's presence, to challenge Belly to play, would be bold, thus making him a critical, but also temporary, role in her path. 

Fans can watch the chemistry between Benito and Belly in The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, which is available to stream on Prime Video.

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