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Chapters 1-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “Hannah/Garrett”
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content and rape.
At Briar University, Hannah Wells excels in her philosophical ethics class, earning an A on her midterm in a class where most students—including many athletes—are struggling under the new instructor, Professor Tolbert. The course was supposed to be an easy grade, but Tolbert’s high expectations have drastically increased the course’s difficulty.
Due to the widespread failing grades on the midterm, Tolbert offers a makeup exam to anyone who received a C-minus or lower. For those who retake the exam, their two grades will be averaged. If they do worse the second time, the first grade will stand. Garrett Graham is a star hockey player who is headed toward a professional career, but he has failed the midterm. This latest grade puts him in danger of being benched due to a dip in his GPA. When he discovers Hannah’s high grade, he desperately begs her to tutor him. However, Hannah, a music major, is too busy with an upcoming showcase (music competition) and doesn’t have the time.
Meanwhile, Hannah has a one-sided crush on Justin Kohl, a football player in the class. Though they haven’t spoken to each other, a brief exchange of smiles gives her a glimmer of hope that she might be ready to pursue a romance for the first time in over a year.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Garrett”
Garrett returns home from a study session with the teaching assistant for philosophical ethics, only to find his roommates—Logan, Tucker, and Dean—drunkenly teasing him about a surprise waiting upstairs. When he heads to his room, he discovers Kendall, a previous fling, waiting for him in skimpy lingerie. After they have sex, Kendall expresses sudden interest in pursuing a relationship, but Garrett is taken aback; he has always been upfront about his no-strings-attached policy. Though Kendall initially struggles with his rejection, the two ultimately agree to stop seeing each other.
Garrett rejoins his roommates downstairs, and the conversation shifts to hockey. With challenging games against St. Anthony and Eastwood on the horizon, Garrett feels mounting pressure to keep his grades high enough to remain eligible to play. As team captain, he knows that he can’t afford to be benched. Determined not to let his academic struggles derail his hockey season, Garrett once again plans to convince Hannah Wells to tutor him in philosophy.
Chapter 3 Summary: “Hannah”
Hannah attends a rehearsal for her upcoming musical performance, and her duet partner, Cass, suggests changing the key of their song. His motive is self-serving; he aims to highlight his voice over hers. However, the altered arrangement sounds terrible, and they are forced to revert to the original version.
After rehearsal, Hannah returns to her dorm, where her roommate and close friend, Allie Hayes, reminds her of her promise to be more social this year. Allie suggests attending a Sigma frat party on Wednesday night. Hannah is hesitant due to her lingering trauma over having been raped at a party five years ago, but she remembers that Allie always shows unwavering support. (Allie never drinks, she refuses to take beverages from others, and she ensures that Hannah is never left alone in social settings.) Encouraged by this reassurance and by the chance to see her crush, Justin, Hannah reluctantly agrees to go to the party.
Meanwhile, Garrett continues his relentless campaign to convince Hannah to tutor him, even obtaining her number and texting her. He also sends a picture of himself, shirtless, in an attempt to sway her, but Hannah is unimpressed and firmly declines yet again.
Chapter 4 Summary: “Hannah/Garrett”
Hannah works her waitressing shift at Della’s diner in Hastings, Massachusetts—a small town five minutes away from Briar University. During her shift, Garrett shows up and occupies one of her booths, still set on convincing her to tutor him. As a last-ditch effort, Garrett offers a proposition: He will help raise her social standing and suggests that fake dating him could make her more popular. Hannah finds the idea laughable, as she has no interest in popularity, and she firmly rejects him once more.
Chapter 5 Summary: “Hannah”
Hannah attends a frat party with Allie, who stays by her side instead of hanging out with her boyfriend, Sean. Feeling guilty, Hannah convinces Allie to spend time with Sean. Hannah is immediately approached by Jimmy, a fellow student. They bond over a shared dislike for Garrett, with Jimmy criticizing Garrett’s inflated ego and revealing that Garrett’s father is Phil Graham, a legendary hockey player.
When Garrett spots Hannah and attempts to approach her, she escapes onto the dance floor with Jimmy. Later, Hannah collides with Justin. He recognizes her and invites her to watch one of his football games. Hannah searches for Allie but is intercepted by Garrett, who comments that Justin has a “type”—cheerleaders and sorority girls. Hannah interprets this as an insult. Embarrassed and annoyed, she texts Allie and decides to leave the party.
Garrett follows her outside to apologize, explaining that his comment wasn’t meant to insult her but to highlight Justin’s focus on social status. He again offers to fake date her to boost her popularity, but she declines. When he insists on driving her home, Hannah hesitates. Garrett takes a selfie with her phone and tells her to text her contacts so that they know who she’s with. Reassured, Hannah accepts the ride.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Garrett”
During the drive home, Garrett presses Hannah about her interest in Justin, curious to know what drew her to him. Although Hannah avoids giving specifics, she admits that she likes Justin but feels too nervous to make a move. Garrett suggests that showing Justin she is “unavailable” might spark his interest. He proposes that they attend the team quarterback’s birthday party together next Saturday and pretend to be dating. Garrett believes that this will make Justin notice Hannah and prompt him to ask her out. They also discuss the makeup test for philosophical ethics, which is scheduled for the following Friday. Garrett persuades Hannah to tutor him at his house, beginning the next evening.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Hannah”
Hannah arrives at Garrett’s townhouse at 8:15 pm for their first tutoring session. She is greeted by Dean, who mistakes her diner uniform for an exotic dancer’s costume. Hannah briefly meets Logan and Tucker, and Garrett introduces her using the nickname he has made up for her: “Wellsy.”
They head to Garrett’s bedroom to begin the tutoring session. However, Garrett is continuously distracted by text messages. When Hannah confiscates his phone, she finds out that a girl has been persistently sexting him despite his half-hearted attempts to tell her that he is busy. Fed up with these interruptions, Hannah texts the girl back herself, introducing herself as Garrett’s tutor and telling the girl to stop texting until the session is over.
Before leaving, Hannah uses the bathroom and returns to find Garrett browsing through the music on her phone. He is intrigued by her eclectic taste but cannot resist mocking her for her library of One Direction songs. Hannah defends her choice, insisting that they have excellent harmonies, though Garrett remains unconvinced.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Hannah”
After another frustrating rehearsal with Cass, Hannah heads to Garrett’s place for the next tutoring session. When he realizes that she is in a terrible mood, Garrett demands to know what is bothering her. Hannah explains that Cass has been arguing about their duet arrangement and now wants to add a choir. Garrett asks her to perform both versions and confirms that Cass’s version is inferior. Impressed by Hannah’s talent, Garrett asks her to play him something else. She performs one of her own songs, “Stand By Me,” which Garrett loves. He suggests that she should back out of the duet and perform solo, but Hannah refuses. She is committed to doing the duet for Mary Jane (MJ), who wrote the song that she and Cass are performing.
When Hannah returns home, she and Garrett share a playful, flirtatious text exchange, and when Allie catches Hannah smiling at her phone, she mistakenly assumes that she is texting Justin. Hannah corrects her. When Allie asks if she and Garrett are friends, Hannah acknowledges that perhaps they are now.
Chapters 1-8 Analysis
While the tension-filled first scene between Hannah Wells and Garrett Graham is not quite an “enemies-to-lovers” scenario, it is clear from the outset that these two characters are polar opposites, and the novel’s premise therefore makes use of the “opposites-attract” trope that fuels the plots of many romance novels. Unlike Garrett’s sports-focused agenda, Hannah’s musical interests render her a more earnest student who is grounded in academic pursuits. Her serious demeanor is also driven by her past traumatic experience of sexual assault, and she now finds her own extracurricular activities hindered by a fear of placing herself at risk. These emotional scars illustrate The Importance of Reclaiming Confidence and Personal Power in the aftermath of traumatic experiences, and at the beginning of the novel, she is determined to overcome her issues and plunge back into the dating pool. Her romantic interest in Justin Kohl is a manifestation of this deeper personal goal. However, her hesitation to participate in rowdier social gatherings like frat parties shows that she has kept her emotional walls up, and it is clear that her primary refuge can be found in academics and music.
Hannah’s avoidance of social interactions stands in stark contrast to Garrett’s outgoing personality. As a popular hockey player and team captain, Garrett initially exudes an aura of arrogance, but despite his privileged attitude, the author imbues him with additional depth and complexity from the start. Although Hannah believes that Garrett fits the stereotype of academically indifferent athletes whose high grades are largely unearned, the chapters from Garrett’s perspective reveal that he is a determined individual who cares deeply about his academics and has a real passion for history. While he might be failing philosophical ethics and struggling in another class, he earns As in the rest of his courses, and he proactively seeks to improve his lower grades.
These early chapters establish Garrett and Hannah as foils for one another, and this dynamic takes center stage in their more heated interactions, when Garrett’s social status and cocky, athletic persona clash with Hannah’s quieter, more serious demeanor. She initially views him as a member of the arrogant, privileged crowd that she generally avoids, and as he persistently challenges her boundaries in his attempts to gain her tutoring services, his pushiness serves as a point of tension. Although Garrett’s overtures push Hannah to the edge of discomfort at first, his interest in her eventually becomes the catalyst for her healing journey as she struggles to overcome The Impact of Past Trauma on Daily Life.
During the two protagonists’ interactions, a blended undercurrent of humor, flirtation, and occasional emotional vulnerability creates a compassionate yet quirky tone that persists throughout the novel. Garrett’s joking and teasing, especially his insistence on giving Hannah the nickname of “Wellsy,” suggests a playful side to his character that emerges as he gets to know her better. His taste for casual banter contrasts with Hannah’s initial reluctance to engage with him, but this dynamic also foreshadows the slow breakdown of her emotional walls as she learns to trust him and confide in him. The humor that dominates their interactions also provides a beneficial balance between the offhand tone of romantic comedies and the more somber tone necessary for addressing weighty themes such as The Systemic Issues Surrounding Abuse. Ultimately, these early chapters use a balanced blend of humor and emotional tension to lay the groundwork for a slow-burning romance between Garrett and Hannah. Their relationship begins as a clash of personalities, but as they begin to peel back each other’s layers, they start to find common ground.
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