Chapter 17 Summary and Analysis – This Summer Will Be Different
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Lucy becomes the owner of In Bloom on New Year’s Eve. She cannot yet leave the shop for a full summer trip, so Bridget convinces her to visit Prince Edward Island over the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend in early October—a year and a half after Lucy’s first encounter with Felix. Lucy packs carefully, torn between wanting to see Felix again and committing to not repeat their night together. Felix’s flight is canceled, so he never arrives. Bridget and Lucy attend a party at Zach’s house. There, Lucy meets Joy—Felix’s ex-fiancée and Bridget’s former best friend. Bridget is deeply shaken by seeing Joy, who acts friendly and compliments Lucy’s floral work. Bridget gets drunk and passes out; Joy helps Lucy get Bridget home. The encounter forces Lucy to see Joy as a real person, not the villain of Bridget’s stories.
Key Events
- Lucy officially takes over In Bloom at a New Year’s Eve party hosted with Stacy.
- Lucy and Bridget fly to PEI for the Thanksgiving weekend; Felix’s flight is canceled.
- Lucy stays in Felix’s old room and fights memories of their last encounter.
- At Zach’s party, Lucy and Bridget encounter Joy for the first time since the breakup.
- Bridget becomes visibly upset; Joy tries to connect but Bridget struggles.
- Joy compliments Lucy’s wedding arrangement with kale and herbs, surprising Lucy.
- Bridget drinks heavily and falls asleep on Zach’s bed; Joy helps get her to the car.
- Lucy realizes Joy is not the one-dimensional villain Bridget painted.
Character Development
- Lucy: She demonstrates growth in self-control by resisting fantasies about Felix, yet she is still drawn to him. Meeting Joy challenges her loyalty to Bridget and forces her to see nuance in a story she had accepted as black-and-white.
- Bridget: The encounter with Joy exposes a raw wound. Bridget’s drinking and inability to speak reveal that she has never processed the loss of her friendship with Joy. Her pain is real, but her version of events may be incomplete.
- Joy: Evidenced as warm, self-aware, and genuinely interested in Lucy’s work. She does not react with hostility and seems open to reconnecting with Bridget, despite the history.
- Zach: Acts as a neutral host, but his continued friendship with Joy suggests he sees her differently than Bridget does.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Perception vs. Reality: Lucy’s long-held image of Joy as a villain is shattered by a single conversation. The chapter underscores how stories we inherit from loved ones can distort the truth.
- Friendship and Betrayal: The parallel breakups—Joy with Felix and Joy with Bridget—illustrate how romantic loss can poison a friendship. Bridget’s inability to move past the hurt shows that loyalty sometimes comes at the cost of forgiveness.
- Memory and Place: Returning to Felix’s room triggers vivid sensory memories (the bed, the steam, his voice). PEI’s autumn beauty serves as a contrast to the emotional awkwardness inside.
- Autumn as Transition: The October setting mirrors a season of change for Lucy: new ownership of the shop, an evolving view of Felix, and a cracked narrative about Joy.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 17 deepens the backstory of Bridget and Joy, revealing that Bridget’s hostility stems from a broken friendship that predates Lucy’s involvement. It plants seeds for potential reconciliation and complicates Lucy’s moral landscape. By showing Joy as a kind, talented person, the chapter prepares the reader—and Lucy—to question whether Bridget’s version of events is entirely accurate. This revision of the past is essential for the emotional resolution later in the novel.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Lucy’s internal monologue emphasize her determination not to sleep with Felix again, even though his flight is canceled?
Lucy is trying to assert control over her emotions and avoid repeating a mistake that complicated her first visit. The inner struggle shows that she is still attracted to Felix, but she wants to believe she can resist him. The canceled flight removes the temptation, which she initially interprets as relief, revealing her conflicted feelings.
2. How does the arrival of Joy challenge Bridget’s established role as the “good friend” in Lucy’s origin story?
Bridget has long described Joy as a villain who broke both Felix’s and her own heart. Yet Joy is polite, complimentary, and clearly wants to reconnect. Lucy sees that Bridget’s pain is real, but Joy is not malicious. This forces Lucy to reconsider whether Bridget’s narrative is trustworthy, complicating their friendship.
3. What does the detail about Lucy’s kale-and-herb wedding bouquet reveal about Joy?
Joy follows Lucy’s work on Instagram and remembers a specific post. This shows that Joy is observant, genuinely interested in Lucy’s career, and has been keeping tabs from afar. It also implies that Joy may have maintained a connection to Felix’s world through social media, hinting that she is not as detached as Bridget assumes.