Warning: Spoilers for The Kissing Booth 3

Netflix's The Kissing Booth 3's ending wraps up the Kissing Booth trilogy, revealing the fates of its main characters and their relationships, particularly Elle and Noah – mostly. The film came out on Netflix in August 2021 and takes place directly following the events of the first sequel. It unfolds during the summer after Elle, Lee, and Rachel’s high school graduation, with Elle struggling to decide whether to attend Harvard with Noah Flynn, her boyfriend, or Berkeley with Lee Flynn, her best friend.

When the Flynns decide to sell the family beach house, the friends move into for the summer for one last hurrah. While there, Elle decides to go to Harvard and attempts to appease the offended Lee by completing a summer bucket list they made as children. This, along with her summer job, her father’s new girlfriend, and Marco resurfacing to try to win her heart, leads to Elle being overwhelmed and her relationships strained.

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By the end of the summer, Noah and Elle have broken up, Elle is fighting with Lee, and Lee and Rachel end their relationship as well. Elle ultimately changes her path and chooses to attend neither Berkeley nor Harvard, but USC for video game design. The Kissing Booth 3 stars returning cast members Joey King, Jacob Elordi, Joel Courtney, and Molly Ringwald.

Why Elle & Noah Don't End Up Together In The Kissing Booth 3's Main Timeline

Elle and Noah’s relationship suffers throughout the summer in The Kissing Booth 3. Elle’s bucket list activities with Lee take up most of her free time, and her decision to hang out with Marco makes Noah feel threatened and neglected. After walking away from a fight with Marco at the beach house, Noah drives off on his motorcycle and disappears. When Elle later finds him at the Hollywood sign, the symbolic place where they first made love, he breaks up with her. Elle’s Kissing Booth 2 relationship with Marco contributed to the rift with Noah, as did her busy schedule, but the main reason for the breakup is something else entirely. Noah tells Elle, “I don’t want to be one of the people who makes you put yourself last,” revealing that he knows Elle has been prioritizing others and is trying to give her a chance to focus on herself. 

The Kissing Booth 3's Time Jump: Do Elle & Noah Get Back Together?

Although the main timeline of The Kissing Booth 3 ends with Elle and Noah having broken up, it is implied that their romance isn’t over. In the film’s final scene, which takes place six years after the central summer, the former lovers run into each other at the charity fair. Noah and Elle make intense eye contact in this scene, and can’t seem to stop smiling. Noah has graduated from Harvard and is choosing between law firms in New York and LA, which means he might end up living in the same city as Elle again. They make plans to hang out the next time he is in town, and as Noah walks away, both turn to look at each other with tears of emotion welling in their eyes. A soft love song plays in the background, contributing to the romantic air of the scene. It is clear that the pair still have a strong connection. Although their future as a couple is ultimately left ambiguous, The Kissing Booth 3 ends with Elle and Noah going for a motorcycle ride together, showing that their relationship is still the focal point of the series and implying that their relationship has indeed been rekindled.

How Elle & Lee's Friendship Survives Despite Their Fallout

Throughout the first and second Kissing Booth movies, Elle and Lee have fought but managed to remain friends, and the same is true in the third film. Elle’s college decision hurts Lee’s feelings, as does her failure to show up for their final game of Dance Dance Revolution, but the pair’s shared history and love for one another allows their friendship to survive the falling out.

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Elle and Lee have known each other for many years and are bonded by memories, which is a major theme in The Kissing Booth 3. Although Rule Number 19 ("You always got to the same school as your bestie") drives the friends apart, another rule brings them back together, which is Rule Number 18, “Always be happy for your bestie’s successes.” Lee eventually accepts Elle’s decision not to attend Harvard or Berkeley and celebrates her admission to USC. Furthermore, during her fight with Lee, Elle acknowledges her friend’s financial privilege and entitled attitude for the first time in the series, issues that have long come between them. Lee recognizes his character flaws, and Elle also sets aside her pride when she finally admits she got into Berkeley. Their willingness to self-reflect and support each other allows Elle and Lee’s friendship to last through college and beyond.

Why Lee & Rachel Get Back Together

The final scene of The Kissing Booth 3 reveals that Lee and Rachel have reunited and are engaged, which is no surprise considering the reasons behind their breakup. Despite their conflicts in The Kissing Booth 2, Rachel and Lee were quite happy together when they broke up. Rachel ended things with Lee because she did not want a long-distance relationship, despite the pair still having feelings for each other. Being single when they went away to school allowed Rachel and Lee to explore themselves and develop separately before deciding if they were right for one another in the long run. The Kissing Booth 3 does not specify exactly how the couple ended up together again, but Rachel tells Lee during their split that “maybe if we’re meant to be together, we’ll find our way back to each other,” which Elle’s narration later explains is exactly what happened.

Why Noah & Lee's Parents Don't Sell The Beach House

At the end of the film, Sara Flynn decides not to sell the beach house just as she is about to sign the final papers, a major plot hole in The Kissing Booth 3. The main factor in Sara’s decision seems to be the sentimental value of the house, which is shown throughout the film in flashbacks and symbols, such as the doorway on which the kids had marked their heights. Elle gifts Sara a photograph of herself, Noah, and Lee at the beach house, which matches one they had taken as children, apparently prompting Sara to rethink the sale. However, this doesn’t make much sense, as Noah and Lee’s mother was already aware of the memories the house held when she decided to sell it. It is also difficult to believe that Sara would change her mind about selling the house after all of the effort spent to fix it up – which is also a plot hole, as the house was set to be torn down. In the end, sentiment and nostalgia won out for Sara (and arguably over the plot). 

What The Kissing Booth 3's Ending Really Means

The conclusion of The Kissing Booth 3 sees Elle end up with neither Noah nor Marco and choose neither Harvard nor Berkeley, instead pursuing her own personal goals. This element of the film highlights its protagonist’s autonomy and her ability to make her own way in the world. Elle’s continued connection with Lee shows that true friendships endure the test of time and distance. Furthermore, Lee and Rachel’s reunification, along with Elle and Noah’s possible one, shows that the main couples had to spend some time apart in order to grow as individuals and then find their way back to each other. The fact that the school is still using the kissing booth in the final scene symbolizes the characters’ enduring relationships and the lasting impact of the events of the series on their lives, while also indicating that there are future classes of teenagers whose lives could also be so affected by what happens in the kissing booth. 

Why The Kissing Booth 3's Ending is So Divisive

Fans of the Kissing Booth movies have expressed conflicting opinions on the ending of The Kissing Booth 3, mainly because it breaks up its central couple. Many believed that the romance between Elle and Noah was the most important part of the series and wanted to see the pair remain together until the end. Some viewers were also disappointed in the lack of romantic scenes between the two. However, others were happy to see Elle developing as a character and finally putting herself first. Regardless of reactions, The Kissing Booth 3 moved away from its steamy teen romance roots for a reason: to convey a message of self-reliance and growth and the importance of following your dreams.

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