Reminders of Him: Complete Book Guide

Spoiler Note: This guide contains detailed discussion of the entire plot, including the ending. If you haven’t finished reading, proceed with caution.

Quick Facts

Short Summary

After serving five years in prison for a tragic accident that killed her boyfriend Scotty, Kenna Rowan returns to the small Colorado town where everything fell apart. Her only goal is to reconnect with her four-year-old daughter, Diem, who has been raised by Scotty’s parents, Grace and Patrick Landry. The community wants nothing to do with her. The one person who begins to see beyond Kenna’s past is Ledger Ward, the local bar owner and Scotty’s best friend. As Kenna and Ledger grow closer, they risk alienating everyone they care about, including Diem. Colleen Hoover’s novel explores themes of redemption, forgiveness, and a mother’s relentless love as Kenna fights to reclaim her life and family.

Full Summary

Part One: Return to a Hostile Town

Kenna Rowan steps out of prison after five years and returns to the Colorado town where her life shattered. On her way in, she stops at the roadside memorial for Scotty, the boyfriend who died in the accident she caused. She steals a wooden cross from the site, believing his mother Grace placed it there and knowing Scotty hated such memorials. Kenna pleads guilty to the accident, feeling entirely responsible, even though Scotty was alive when she left the scene.

She rents a run-down studio at Paradise Apartments from an eccentric landlady named Ruth, who insists Kenna take a kitten in exchange for covering the electricity deposit. Alone in her sparse apartment, Kenna thinks about Diem—her daughter, now four years old, whom she has never held.

Ledger’s World

Ledger Ward, Scotty’s best friend, runs the local bar. He spends time with Diem, playing dress-up and caring for her while her grandparents work. His own parents, Benji and Robin, show up drunk and unannounced, a pattern that frustrates him. Ledger’s life revolves around Diem and the bar, and he has long believed the worst about Kenna—that she is remorseless, that she abandoned Scotty to die.

One evening, a sad, mysterious woman enters the bar. She orders coffee, then wine she does not drink. Ledger secretly replaces the wine with soda. She leaves, but he follows her outside and asks her to return at 11 p.m. She does, and they kiss passionately before she pulls away, crying. She gives the false name Nicole. The moment their lips meet, the past collides with the present: Kenna realizes this is the best friend Scotty once spoke of.

A Mother’s Fight

Kenna struggles to find work. After being turned down at six interviews, she lands a part-time bagger position at a grocery store, helped by a kind shift manager named Amy. She uses her middle name to conceal her record. At the store, she encounters Ledger, who now knows who she is. He orders her to leave town and denies her right to Diem. Kenna sobs, curses him, and leaves, but the interaction plants doubt in Ledger’s mind.

Despite his anger, Ledger cannot shake his attraction to Kenna. He speaks about her to Roman, his friend and sober employee, who urges empathy. Ledger checks on her at her apartment, where he finds her playing with sparklers with a neighbor, Lady Diana. Their conversation is tense, but Ledger’s certainty begins to crack.

Kenna receives a restraining order, filed by Grace and Patrick with help from the local police. She is served publicly at the grocery store, humiliated. Ledger picks her up afterward and offers small comforts—ice cream, a ride, a safe place to talk. He shows her videos of Diem on his phone. Kenna watches for an hour, laughing and crying. She admits she never held Diem after giving birth because she was sent straight back to prison.

The Letters to Scotty

Throughout the novel, Kenna writes letters to Scotty. She has written over three hundred over five years. The letters serve as her confessional, a way to process her grief, guilt, and gradual healing. Ledger discovers the letters and, after reading one, understands the depth of her remorse. The letter describes the night of the accident in full: she drank, she drove, she crashed. She thought Scotty was dead and ran for help but became lost, attempted suicide, and collapsed at home. She learned later that Scotty had been alive, that he crawled for help and died from blood loss. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years, only discovering she was pregnant afterward.

The Fracture and the Fight

Ledger helps Kenna find work at his bar’s kitchen under the alias Nicole. Their relationship grows more intimate, but the secret puts everyone at risk. Patrick discovers the truth when he sees Ledger’s truck at Kenna’s apartment in the early morning. A physical fight erupts: Patrick punches Ledger twice, and Diem witnesses the violence. Ledger leaves, bleeding, to stay with Roman.

The blowup forces a crisis. Kenna decides to leave town to end the pain of being separated from Diem. She asks Ledger for money; he gives it to her angrily, then returns for a final kiss. He promises to tell Diem how much her mother loved her. Kenna asks him not to hate the Landrys.

Ledger’s Stand

Ledger refuses to give up. He takes the printed letter from Kenna’s apartment and goes to the Landry house. He waits on their patio, refusing to leave until they speak with him. He argues that Kenna’s worst moment should not define her, that she has suffered for five years, and that Scotty would be angry with them for keeping mother and daughter apart. He leaves the letter with Grace and walks away.

Grace reads the letter. The next day, she visits Kenna’s apartment alone. She gives Kenna the antique ring Scotty bought before his death, a tangible symbol of forgiveness. Grace invites Kenna to dinner to meet Diem.

Reunion and Healing

Kenna and Ledger go together to the Landry house. Diem accepts Kenna immediately, calling her “my mother.” Grace and Kenna reconcile. Grace says, “We move forward together.” Kenna finally forgives herself, believing she is not a bad person.

During the family dinner, Diem moves naturally from Ledger’s lap to Kenna’s. Patrick tells Ledger he trusts his judgment. Later, Kenna, Ledger, and Diem visit the roadside memorial together. Kenna and Diem plant the cross in the ground, a symbolic act of closure.

Epilogue

Kenna writes a final letter to Scotty, explaining that she writes less often because she is no longer lonely. Diem is now seven, living primarily with her grandparents but seeing Kenna daily. Kenna spends two nights a week with Ledger. The family has fully accepted her. The letter reveals that Kenna has given birth to a son, whom she named Scotty, honoring the legacy of the man she lost.

Main Characters

• Kenna Rowan: A mother released from prison after five years. She returns to town hoping to reunite with her daughter Diem. She carries deep guilt over the accident that killed her boyfriend Scotty.
• Ledger Ward: Local bar owner and Scotty’s best friend. He initially hates Kenna but gradually becomes her ally and love interest, risking his relationship with Scotty’s family.
• Diem Landry: The four-year-old daughter of Kenna and Scotty. She is raised by her grandparents Grace and Patrick. She has a vivid imagination and an innocent view of her absent mother.
• Grace Landry: Scotty’s mother and Diem’s guardian. She initially obstructs Kenna’s reunion but later forgives Kenna after reading her letter.
• Patrick Landry: Scotty’s father who physically confronts Ledger upon learning of his relationship with Kenna. He eventually trusts Ledger’s judgment and accepts Kenna into the family.
• Roman: A recovering opioid addict and Ledger’s sober friend who works at the bar. He becomes an early supporter of Kenna.

Key Themes

• Redemption: Kenna seeks forgiveness for her role in Scotty’s death and fights to rebuild her life after prison, culminating in being accepted by Scotty’s family and reuniting with Diem.
• Motherhood: The story centers on Kenna’s desperate love for her daughter and the lengths she goes to reclaim her maternal role despite legal and emotional barriers.
• Grief and Guilt: Both Kenna and the Landrys grapple with unresolved grief over Scotty’s death. Kenna’s guilt nearly prevents her from forming new bonds or forgiving herself.
• Forgiveness: Characters must forgive Kenna for the accident and also forgive themselves. Grace and Patrick eventually let go of their anger, and Kenna learns to forgive herself.
• Second Chances: Kenna receives multiple second chances—from Ledger, from Roman, from Grace—and uses them to rebuild trust, find love, and create a new family with Diem.

Symbols

• Wooden Cross: Kenna steals a cross from Scotty’s roadside memorial at the novel’s opening and later returns it with Diem, symbolizing her journey from guilt to acceptance.
• Letters to Scotty: Kenna writes over three hundred unsent letters to her deceased boyfriend. They serve as a confessional tool for her grief, guilt, and gradual healing.
• Orange Truck: Ledger’s orange truck triggers Kenna’s memory of meeting Scotty and later becomes a recurring setting for turning points in their relationship.
• Antique Ring: Scotty bought an antique ring for Kenna before his death. Grace gives it to Kenna at the climax as a tangible symbol of forgiveness and acceptance.

Ending Explained

The ending of Reminders of Him brings emotional closure through several key events. Grace reads Kenna’s letter and forgives her, giving her the antique ring Scotty bought. Kenna joins the Landrys for a family dinner, where Diem immediately accepts her. Kenna forgives herself at last. In the epilogue, set two years later, Kenna has given birth to a son named Scotty and is fully integrated into the family, seeing Diem daily and staying with Ledger twice a week. The novel closes with hope, healing, and the restoration of family bonds.

For a deeper analysis, see the ending explained page.

Chapter-by-Chapter Overview

Common Questions and Answers

1. What is Reminders of Him about? It is a contemporary romance novel about a mother, Kenna Rowan, who returns to her hometown after five years in prison for a tragic accident that killed her boyfriend. She fights to reunite with her young daughter, Diem, while navigating hostility from the community and finding unexpected love with Ledger Ward, her deceased boyfriend’s best friend.

2. Does Kenna reunite with her daughter Diem? Yes. After Grace Landry reads Kenna’s letter and forgives her, Kenna is welcomed into the family. Diem immediately accepts her, and by the epilogue, Kenna sees her daughter daily.

3. Why did Kenna go to prison? Kenna pleaded guilty to causing the car accident that killed her boyfriend Scotty. She was impaired, crashed into a ditch, believed Scotty was dead, and fled for help. He was alive and died from blood loss while she was gone.

4. Do Kenna and Ledger end up together? Yes. Despite the conflict with the Landrys, Kenna and Ledger build a life together. In the epilogue, they share a home, and Kenna has given birth to their son, named Scotty.

5. What happened the night Scotty died? Kenna and Scotty were at a party, then at a lake. Kenna drove impaired and crashed the car. Scotty’s arm was crushed. Kenna thought he was dead, ran for help, became lost, attempted suicide, and collapsed at home. Scotty crawled for help but died from blood loss.

6. Why do Grace and Patrick initially hate Kenna? They blame her for their son’s death. They believe she abandoned him, left him to die alone, and showed no remorse in court.

7. What is the significance of the letters to Scotty? Kenna writes over three hundred unsent letters to Scotty over five years. They serve as a confessional tool for her grief and guilt. When Grace reads one, it changes her mind about Kenna. The letters symbolize Kenna’s emotional journey from guilt to acceptance.

8. Does the book have a happy ending? Yes. The novel ends with hope and healing. Kenna is forgiven by the Landrys, reunited with Diem, and in a loving relationship with Ledger. She has a newborn son named Scotty, and the family is whole.

Explore Further

For deeper dives into the story, visit these pages:

• Chapter-by-Chapter Summaries
• Character Analysis: Kenna Rowan
• Character Analysis: Ledger Ward
• Character Analysis: Diem Landry
• Character Analysis: Grace Landry
• Character Analysis: Patrick Landry
• Character Analysis: Roman
• Theme: Redemption
• Theme: Motherhood
• Theme: Grief and Guilt
• Theme: Forgiveness
• Theme: Second Chances
• Symbol: Wooden Cross
• Symbol: Letters to Scotty
• Symbol: Orange Truck
• Symbol: Antique Ring
• Ending Explained
• Questions and Answers
• Essay Prompts
• Quiz