Jeremiah's flirtatious personality is ever present in the books and the show, but the biggest difference in the TV version is his sexual identity. In the book, we only see him date girls and his sexuality never comes up. On the show, he is more open about expressing it and hooks up with both girls and guys. In the second episode, the self-proclaimed equal-opportunity flirt identifies guys and girls at the country club whom he's kissed.
Han spoke to TVLine about wanting to update certain characteristics of the story (which was written in 2009) to reflect teenagers in 2022. "I think perhaps if I was writing the novel today, I may have made that choice because I think that he's always been a character, to me, that is really at ease with himself, really comfortable in his own skin, and openminded and open to exploration," she said. "I do think that's more reflective of today and young people today and the way they view sexuality being much more of a spectrum."
