Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses death, alcohol abuse, addiction, and sexual assault. 

Sloan is the protagonist whose journey from grief to a rediscovery of happiness shapes the novel’s focus. Sloan begins as a character grieving the loss of her fiancé, an experience that has left her directionless and struggling to move forward. Overwhelming, complicated grief confines her at home and stifles her passion for creating art. Though she has the support of her best friend, Kristen, and Kristen’s husband, Josh, Sloan walks through life alone. Sloan’s life turns upside down when a dog jumps into her car, and she must care for it until she finds its owner. As she unexpectedly bonds with Tucker, Sloan begins to open up emotionally. Tucker offers companionship, helping Sloan lower her defenses; this leads her to Jason, Tucker’s owner, who brings a fresh perspective and a chance for romance into her life. Sloan learns to confront her grief through her relationship with Jason and embrace her capacity to love again.

Sloan’s journey out of grief isn’t linear, and at times, she is torn between loyalty to her past—particularly Brandon—and the desire for a new future.