Katherine and Michael fall in love quickly and earnestly, promising each other “Forever” (79), and through their relationship, the novel explores the challenges of first love. While Katherine and Michael’s relationship is meaningful to both, they learn that first love does not always necessarily mean last love.

As Katherine’s relationship with Michael becomes increasingly serious, her parents try to encourage her to remember that “you’re too young to make lifetime decisions. [...] You have to consider the future” (81). Katherine’s parents are open about their own experiences with first love and early dating as a way to show Katherine that just because she loves Michael now, it does not mean that she has to settle down with him. In the throes of first love, Katherine initially rejects her parents’ views about first love, sex, and relationships, but these conversations provide an important foundation for her as she navigates her first love. 

First love poses challenges for Katherine because she feels that now she has promised Michael “forever,” she cannot break that promise, even as her feelings naturally shift and evolve. Katherine begins to question her relationship with Michael only when she goes to New Hampshire for the summer to work at a camp.