Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of cursing, sexual content, illness, and death.

“I still can’t wrap my head around last night. The concert he orchestrated with Brennan and Warren. The songs he wrote for me. That we were finally able to tell each other how we really felt without guilt being attached to those feelings. Maybe that’s where this new sense of peace comes from—the absence of all the guilt I’ve always felt in his presence.”

Sydney Blake’s first-person point of view immerses the reader in her emotional experience. Sydney is actively processing what she and Ridge Lawson have been through over the past year—an internal activity that conveys her self-reflective nature. Her meditations on her and Ridge’s reunion also introduce the novel’s theme of the Importance of Communication in Relationships. She and Ridge are establishing their new romance on the basis of open communication—particularly via songwriting and sharing.

“Jake’s words kept repeating in my head as I was pushing against the wind. This is living! He’s right. This is the most I’ve ever lived, and I want to do it again. We’ve only been on the ground for all of a minute. Jake’s landing was impeccable, but I’m still harnessed to him and we’re sitting on the ground, my feet out in front of me as I try to catch my breath. I appreciate that he’s given me a quiet moment to soak it all in.”

Maggie Carson’s skydiving experience introduces the novel’s theme of The Value of Self-Love and Self-Discovery. Often constrained by her health concerns, Maggie longs for newness, excitement, and freedom. Meeting and jumping with Jake opens her to a new realm of experience and reinvigorates her engagement with life. Her body language in this scene—both during and after the jump—evokes notions of relaxation and ease, reiterating Maggie’s self-empowerment.

“It’s not like [Sydney] showed up with evil intentions and tried to steal him from me. She and I actually got along, and I know they both tried to do the right thing. I’m not sure we’ll ever get to a point where we’ll all hang out as friends. That would be too weird. But I can be happy that Ridge is happy.”

Maggie’s internal monologue accomplishes multiple literary effects. Maggie is lucidly reflecting on her, Ridge, and Sydney’s complicated dynamic but isn’t holding any bitterness toward Ridge or Sydney. This shows Maggie’s capacity for empathy and forgiveness. The latter lines of the passage also use