What Is the Book Reminders of Him About? Plot Summary

Colleen Hoover has a gift for placing characters in impossible situations and then watching them earn—or lose—what matters most. Reminders of Him, published in 2022, takes that formula to its darkest extreme: a young mother released from prison after killing the man she loved while driving drunk, desperate to reconnect with a daughter she barely knows. The book earned a 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Nomination for Best Romance, proving that readers weren’t just drawn to the tragedy—they were pulled into the hope that follows it.

Author: Colleen Hoover · Publication Year: 2022 · Protagonist: Kenna Rowan · Prison Sentence Served: 5 years · Child’s Age: 4 years old

What is the plot of Reminders of Him?

The novel opens at the site where everything changed: a country road where Kenna Rowan, then 21, crashed the convertible she was driving while intoxicated, killing her boyfriend Scotty Landry. She was pregnant at the time—she learned this only after entering prison. After serving five years for involuntary manslaughter, Kenna returns to her small town at age 26 with one goal: to know her daughter (The Bibliofile).

Kenna Rowan’s return to town

Kenna initially hides under the alias “Nicole” to avoid recognition in a town where her reputation precedes her. She moves into an apartment complex where she befriends Lucy, a teenage girl with Down syndrome who prefers to be called “Lady Diana.” Finding housing and employment proves difficult as locals recognize her past, and the weight of “the girl who killed Scotty Landry” follows her everywhere.

Struggle for custody

Diem—short for “Carpe Diem”—is being raised by Scotty’s parents, Patrick and Grace Landry. The Landrys are resistant to Kenna due to grief and anger over their son’s death. Kenna faces an uphill battle in the courts and in the court of public opinion within her own community. She writes letters titled “Dear Scotty” expressing her feelings and processing her guilt (The Bibliofile Recap).

Romance with Ledger

Ledger Ward, Scotty’s best friend, runs a local bar. He’s a retired football player who has been helping raise Diem alongside the Landrys. Ledger had never met Kenna before her return and initially reacts with hostility upon learning her identity. Over time, he becomes sympathetic to her situation, and the two develop a connection that complicates his loyalty to the grieving Landry family (Flowering Pages).

The core conflict hinges on whether redemption is possible after an irreversible mistake—and whether those left behind are obligated to grant it.

What was the tragic mistake in Reminders of Him?

Kenna and Scotty had been dating for six months before the accident. On a country road in a convertible with the top down, Kenna’s blood alcohol level led to a crash that killed Scotty. He remained alive for six hours after the crash, and Kenna—disoriented from her own injuries—attempted to seek help on foot. She pleaded guilty partly because she was pregnant and believed she deserved punishment (BookVibe).

The car accident details

The accident occurred on a country road in a convertible with the top down. Kenna was injured in the crash and disoriented, attempting to seek help on foot while Scotty remained alive inside the vehicle. The combination of alcohol, speed, and an open convertible created the circumstances that would define Kenna’s—and her daughter’s—lives (The Bibliofile).

Legal consequences

Kenna was charged with involuntary manslaughter. She served five years of a prison sentence, during which she gave birth to Diem in the early months. Diem was taken by Child Protective Services and placed with Scotty’s parents, the Landrys, who have raised her since (She Reads Romance Books).

The implication: Kenna’s story forces readers to reckon with the permanence of choices made in a single moment—and the (long, drawn-out) consequences for people who had no say in the matter.

Is Reminders of Him a love story?

Yes—though not in the traditional sense. Reminders of Him is classified as contemporary romance, but it centers a love story complicated by grief, guilt, and competing loyalties. The romantic storyline takes a back seat to themes of morality and forgiveness, as one reviewer noted (This Chick Reads).

Romance elements

Kenna and Ledger’s relationship develops slowly and awkwardly—he knows she killed his best friend, and she carries the weight of that knowledge. The tension between growing attraction and loyalty to the deceased creates an emotional dynamic distinct from Hoover’s lighter works. Readers describe the book as a “tearjerker romance”—expect tears alongside the chemistry (The Bibliofile).

Forgiveness theme

The novel explores forgiveness not as absolution but as acceptance. Kenna must forgive herself; Ledger must decide whether to extend grace to the woman who destroyed his best friend; the Landrys must navigate grief while considering the woman responsible for their son’s death. Love, in this context, is less about passion and more about whether people can choose to see each other clearly (This Chick Reads).

The pattern: Hoover writes romance, but Reminders of Him asks whether love can exist alongside accountability—or whether accountability is actually love’s prerequisite.

What is the main message of Reminders of Him?

The novel argues that forgiveness for the unforgivable is possible—but not automatic, and not without cost. It’s about hope, new beginnings, and the struggle to move forward without erasing the past (This Chick Reads).

Forgiveness and second chances

Kenna represents the possibility of rehabilitation. She served her time, genuinely grieves what she did, and wants only to know the daughter she never raised. The book doesn’t excuse her actions—it asks whether the person she became after punishment deserves a path back into the world she damaged. Second chances, the novel suggests, require both the person seeking change and those affected by the original harm to do difficult emotional work (This Chick Reads).

Family and grief

Diem is the living reminder of both Kenna’s worst moment and her strongest motivation. The Landrys’ grief is valid and portrayed sympathetically—their resistance to Kenna isn’t villainy but love for the son they lost. The book refuses to flatten either side into clear-cut heroes and villains (She Reads Romance Books).

What this means: Hoover uses the romance genre to explore questions that don’t have clean answers. Readers who want tidy resolutions may struggle; those willing to sit with ambiguity will find the emotional payoff more resonant.

What is the twist in Reminders of Him?

Without spoiling the ending, the novel resolves both the custody question and Kenna and Ledger’s relationship. The emotional resolution pulls at readers’ heartstrings, delivering what many describe as a satisfying but bittersweet conclusion that doesn’t erase the weight of what came before (She Reads Romance Books).

Ending revelations

The final chapters bring clarity to Diem’s future and Kenna’s place in it. The Landrys’ stance evolves—not to full acceptance but to a negotiated peace that acknowledges both their loss and Kenna’s genuine desire to be present. The novel avoids both the “everything is forgiven” and “nothing changes” extremes.

Emotional resolution

Readers report the ending lands as earned rather than easy. Kenna doesn’t get a clean slate—she lives with consequences, but those consequences include being in her daughter’s life. The romance with Ledger finds footing without erasing Scotty’s memory from the narrative (Flowering Pages).

The catch: Reminders of Him gives readers hope, but it earns that hope through pain. The resolution works precisely because nothing is fully fixed—only people choose to keep moving forward together.

“Reminders of Him is a heartbreaking yet hopeful story of second chances, love in its many forms, and the struggle to move forward without erasing the past.”

— This Chick Reads (Book Reviewer)

“After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter.”

— She Reads Romance Books (Book Reviewer)

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Frequently asked questions

For readers who finished Reminders of Him and are hungry for more, Colleen Hoover’s catalog offers similar emotional intensity—though few match the particular gravity of this story. Those seeking a narrative about accountability, grief, and the slow work of rebuilding will find Reminders of Him worth the tears.