Take the 'Not in Love' Quiz – Test Your Knowledge

Quiz Questions

20 questions spanning plot, character motivation, themes, and big-picture synthesis. Question format is noted after each number.

Q1 (Multiple Choice – Plot) How do Rue Siebert and Eli Killgore first meet?

A) At a Kline all-hands meeting
B) At a hockey charity fundraiser
C) Through a dating app anonymous hookup at a hotel bar
D) At a university conference

Q2 (Multiple Choice – Plot) What is Rue's immediate reaction when she sees Eli at the all-hands assembly as a Harkness representative?

A) She faints from shock
B) She recognizes him as the man she hooked up with the night before
C) She ignores him completely
D) She confronts him publicly

Q3 (Short Answer – Plot) Why does Rue go to Eli's hotel room in Chapter 11?

Q4 (Multiple Choice – Plot) At the charity fundraiser, how do Rue and Eli pretend to meet?

A) As old skating acquaintances
B) As former college classmates
C) As first-time strangers introduced by Dave Lenchantin
D) As business rivals

Q5 (Multiple Choice – Plot) What item does Rue find in Eli's glove compartment that reveals Florence's deception?

A) A signed patent transfer form
B) A legal deposition of Florence Kline
C) A love letter from another woman
D) A confidential Harkness financial report

Q6 (Short Answer – Plot) What does Rue learn from lawyer Nyota about her microbial-coating patent contract?

Q7 (Multiple Choice – Plot) How does Eli secure Rue's full ownership of the patent?

A) By buying it outright with his own money
B) By threatening Florence with a lawsuit
C) By trading Harkness's 60% equity and board control
D) By persuading Florence to voluntarily give it up

Q8 (Multiple Choice – Plot) When Eli confesses his love for Rue in the conference room (Chapter 36), what is her immediate response?

A) She says “I love you” back
B) She is silent and he leaves without a verbal reply
C) She rejects him angrily
D) She asks for time to think

Q9 (Short Answer – Character Motivation) Why does Rue maintain a “no repeats” rule with hookups?

Q10 (Multiple Choice – Character Motivation) What initially motivates Eli to join Hark’s plan to acquire Kline?

A) A desire for wealth and power
B) Revenge against Florence for stealing his and his friends’ technology
C) A genuine belief in Kline’s biofuel mission
D) Pressure from his sister Maya

Q11 (Short Answer – Character Motivation) Why does Rue often skip breakfast, as hinted in Chapter 7?

Q12 (Multiple Choice – Character Motivation) Why does Tisha warn Rue about continuing her affair with Eli?

A) She is jealous of Rue’s happiness
B) She fears the affair could help Eli’s associates steal Florence’s life work
C) She thinks Eli is a bad person
D) She wants to protect Rue from heartbreak

Q13 (Short Answer – Character Motivation) What makes Rue finally decide to seek out Eli after learning the truth about Florence?

Q14 (Multiple Choice – Theme/Symbol) In the novel, the cabin inherited from Rue’s father primarily symbolizes:

A) A vacation retreat
B) Family conflict and unresolved baggage
C) Rue’s desire for solitude
D) A financial asset to be sold

Q15 (Short Answer – Theme/Symbol) The title “Not in Love” is ironic because:

Q16 (Multiple Choice – Theme/Symbol) For Rue, figure skating represents:

A) A competitive career path
B) Escape and a sense of control
C) A social activity she enjoys
D) A family tradition

Q17 (Multiple Choice – Theme/Symbol) The recurring motif of telling personal “stories” (Eli’s “currency”) emphasizes:

A) Entertainment and bargaining power
B) Vulnerability and trust between the characters
C) Creative writing as a profession
D) Legal negotiation tactics

Q18 (Short Answer – Synthesis) How does “Not in Love” complicate the typical “enemies-to-lovers” trope?

Q19 (Short Answer – Synthesis) What does Rue’s arc reveal about the nature of personal growth? (Hint: consider the epilogue)

Q20 (Short Answer – Synthesis) Why is it significant that Eli proposes to Rue at the cabin, one year later, with a ring he bought nearly a year before?

Answer Key

A1. C) Through a dating app anonymous hookup at a hotel bar. (Chapters 2–3 describe Rue meeting Eli via the app and their first encounter at the bar.)

A2. B) She recognizes him as the man she hooked up with the night before. (Chapter 4 depicts Rue’s shock during the all-hands meeting when she sees Eli among the Harkness team.)

A3. To settle their forbidden attraction “once and for all” with a one-time sexual encounter. (Chapter 10 ends with Eli proposing they meet at his hotel; Chapter 11 confirms the agreement to work the tension out of their system.)

A4. C) As first-time strangers introduced by Dave Lenchantin. (Chapter 17: at the hockey fundraising event, Dave introduces them as if they have never met.)

A5. B) A legal deposition of Florence Kline. (Chapter 25: Rue finds the deposition in Eli’s glove box, which shows Florence was questioned under oath about her prior knowledge of Eli.)

A6. That the contract was never board-ratified and is therefore void. (Chapter 35–36: Nyota informs Rue that Florence lacked board ratification, making the contract unenforceable.)

A7. C) By trading Harkness’s 60% equity and board control. (Chapters 37–38: Eli negotiates a deal where Rue keeps the patent while Harkness gets equity and board seats; Rue resigns because of the trade.)

A8. B) She is silent and he leaves without a verbal reply. (Chapter 36: Eli confesses his love; Rue is shocked and cannot speak; he nods and leaves.)

A9. To avoid emotional attachment and protect herself from vulnerability. (Throughout the novel, Rue avoids repeats because she equates them with deeper emotional risk, rooted in her trust issues.)

A10. B) Revenge against Florence for stealing his and his friends’ technology. (Chapter 30: Eli confesses that Florence stole their biofuel tech, forcing them out of the UT program; Harkness was founded partly as revenge.)

A11. Food insecurity anxiety from her childhood. (Chapter 7: Rue’s distress about food is tied to her past scarcity; Chapter 28 reveals she stole food as a child.)

A12. B) She fears the affair could help Eli’s associates steal Florence’s life work. (Chapter 15: Tisha confronts Rue, warning that a physical relationship with Eli could endanger Florence’s company since his team might still steal the patent.)

A13. She realizes she reciprocates Eli’s love and decides to trust him despite her fear of disappointing him. (Chapters 38–39: Minami advises Rue to call Eli if hesitation is fear, not disinterest; Rue admits her love and goes to the ice rink to reconcile.)

A14. B) Family conflict and unresolved baggage. (The cabin dispute with her brother Vincent represents their estranged father’s death and Rue’s painful family history, as developed in Chapters 3, 26, and resolved in the Epilogue.)

A15. Because throughout the novel the protagonists are actually falling in love, despite repeatedly claiming the opposite (e.g., Rue’s “no repeats” and Eli’s insistence that their connection is only physical).

A16. B) Escape and a sense of control. (Figure skating provided Rue with an outlet from her difficult home life; she found discipline and freedom on the ice, as mentioned in Chapters 10, 17, and 28.)

A17. B) Vulnerability and trust between the characters. (Eli asks for a story as “currency” for intimacy; Rue’s worst story leads to their emotional breakthrough, seen in Chapters 18, 28, and 36.)

A18. It grounds the conflict in real ethical stakes and structural power imbalances, not just misunderstandings or banter. Rue and Eli have genuine professional and moral reasons to distrust each other (corporate acquisition, patent theft), making their eventual trust more earned and complex.

A19. Rue does not fundamentally change her personality or habits; instead she learns to accept love and trust, as reflected in the Epilogue where she says she hasn’t changed but has built a life that includes Eli, his sister, and his dog. Growth here is about finding belonging, not transformation.

A20. The cabin setting resolves the family conflict (the inheritance dispute with Vincent) and symbolizes Rue‗s acceptance of her past. Eli buying the ring nearly a year before shows his long-standing commitment. The proposal confirms their future together is built on honesty, shared history, and mutual acceptance.

Check out more about the book on the main book page, browse common questions and answers, or read the ending explained.