54 pages • 1 hour read
Elsie SilverFlawless
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Family Dynamics and Expectations
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of emotional abuse.
The novel thoroughly addresses the complexities of familial conflict, focusing on the burdens of expectations and the struggle to reconcile personal aspirations with family obligations. Family expectations shape how both Rhett and Summer view themselves and their futures. For Summer, her father’s perception of her as an employee rather than a daughter influences her identity and causes her to put pressure on herself. She feels that she must constantly prove her worth, and this dynamic profoundly affects her career trajectory and her interactions with others. As she explains, “If hiring me isn’t going to seem like pure nepotism, then I need to be fantastic at what I do” (32). Her need for validation manifests in her initial reluctance to embrace her relationship with Rhett, as she fears disappointing her father and jeopardizing her professional reputation. For his own part, Rhett internalizes the expectations that come with his career even as he chafes beneath the disapproval of the Eaton family. Thus, he experiences pressures from multiple angles, viewing his value as intrinsically tied to his performance and success while enduring his family’s opinion that the career he so highly prizes is unworthy of him. As both Rhett and Summer struggle with issues of self-worth, these internal conflicts underscore the lasting impact of family expectations on individual identity.
The weight of family looms large for Rhett, who views his career as a cornerstone of his family’s financial stability. However, Rhett’s family’s disapproval of his career creates tension between him, his father, and his two brothers as they treat him like an overgrown child. As Rhett frustratedly admits, “[T]hey’re all waiting for me to outgrow [bull riding]” (118). Rhett struggles to meet the Eatons’ spoken and unspoken expectations, and as he deals with the physical toll of his career, he also remains cornered by his self-imposed obligation to continue competing so that he can secure his family’s financial future. Harvey, Cade, and Beau’s lack of support comes from their genuine fear for Rhett’s health and well-being, but because the family fails to communicate honestly, Rhett perceives their disapproval as an outright rejection of who he is. As he says, “I’ve always been the joke in this family. The one that […] nobody takes seriously” (78). Rhett’s struggle reveals the complications of balancing personal desires with external expectations. However, once Cade clearly articulates the family’s concerns, Rhett realizes that his determination to continue his career is really fueled by his own selfish desire for glory, not his need to provide financial security for his family.
In many ways, Rhett’s struggles for family acceptance have many parallels to Summer’s, for her relationship with her father is unconventional due to her status as his employee. Additionally, because Summer is the product of Kip’s affair with their nanny, the circumstances of her birth have led to a fractured foundation in all her family relationships—through no fault of her own. Despite Kip’s efforts to treat Summer in the same way he treats Winter, Marina sees Summer as a villain and poisons Winter against her, making Summer feel like an outsider in her own family. This tension reflects the challenges of reconciling past mistakes with present relationships, and as the novel progresses, both Kip and Summer struggle to navigate their complicated history. The weight of Summer’s childhood health struggles and the secret that she carries about Rob reinforce her emotional scars and continue to affect her adult life.
However, despite the weight of the Eaton and Hamilton family dynamics, both Rhett and Summer find a source of healing in each other and learn to redefine their relationships with their respective families. Rhett’s relationship with Summer provides him with a safe space to question the necessity of sacrificing his health and happiness for the sake of his family. Similarly, Summer learns to assert her boundaries with her father, recognizing that his approval does not determine her worth. While their family expectations have always been burdensome, Rhett and Summer finally gain the power to redefine their roles and prioritize their own happiness.
The Transformative Force of Love
The novel’s epigraph states, “Sometimes, we seize the moment, and sometimes it seizes us.” Through Rhett and Summer’s romance, the author suggests that the mere possibility of love wields a transformative effect that breaks down barriers, heals old wounds, and opens the door to new opportunities. Rhett’s life has been dominated by his career, which keeps him on the road and leaves little room for putting down relational roots. This dynamic, when coupled with his rakish, womanizing persona, makes Summer think that he is not relationship material. However, as he begins to fall for Summer, he learns to lower his defenses and allows her to see his softer, more vulnerable side. Being with Summer compels Rhett to reconsider his current life patterns and contemplate building a different life outside the spotlight. Similarly, Summer struggles with issues of trust and self-doubt that arise from her complicated family dynamics and the toxicity of her past relationship with Rob. Being with Rhett therefore provides her with a safe space where she can confront these insecurities and begin to reconceptualize her identity through his admiring and supportive eyes.
For both protagonists, love becomes a healing balm for past wounds, helping Rhett and Summer to address their emotional scars and find a sense of closure. For Rhett, his relationship with Summer provides him with a reprieve from the relentless pressure of his fading career. Through her unwavering belief in him, he finds the courage to challenge his assumption that his identity is defined by bull riding, and he learns to prioritize his own well-being over his career aspirations. When he considers retiring, he sees a bright future with her ahead and no longer believes that he will become a washed-up cowboy. As Rhett asserts, “I got a taste of what it feels like to have someone show up for you, and now I’m greedy for it” (385-86). Likewise, Rhett’s love for Summer is equally transformative, allowing her to heal from the betrayal and manipulation that Rob has inflicted on her. Unlike Rob, Rhett values and respects her, and as he proves willing to love Summer unabashedly, his forthright attitude contrasts with Rob’s deceit, helping Summer rewrite her narrative of what love can and should be.
The transformative power of love becomes most evident when both characters reassess their priorities and redefine their futures. For Rhett, this means stepping back from bull riding and building a life beyond the arena: one that includes Summer and the possibility of lasting happiness. As he evolves from a man who is driven solely by his career into one who chooses love and balance, Rhett’s internal shifts illustrate the transformative potential of a meaningful relationship. As Summer says, “I want him to want me. More than he wants anything. I deserve that. He taught me that I do” (367). Summer also learns to let go of her perfectionism and fear of failure, finding joy in the present rather than being consumed by external expectations. Ultimately, Rhett and Summer discover the power of love to reshape identities, challenge assumptions, and inspire growth. Through their mutual connection, they both find each other and become their truest, most authentic selves.
The Tension Between Public Image and Private Reality
Rhett and Summer both deal with the disparity between their public personas and their private selves, and through an exhaustive process of self-examination, they eventually discover the liberating power of authenticity in the face of external pressures. As a professional athlete whose public statements must conform to his brand deals, Rhett is a public figure with a carefully cultivated image. To his fans and sponsors, he embodies a form of rugged masculinity, projecting the sense that he is fearless, tough, and unbreakable. However, beneath the surface, Rhett battles deep insecurities and struggles to overcome the physical pain brought on by years of injuries, and he also harbors a deep-seated fear of losing his sense of purpose if he steps away from the sport. He describes the increasingly unsustainable duality of his life when he states, “One is the real me, the other is for show. The problem is, not very many people know the real me anymore” (17). He uses his tough-guy persona to mask his struggle and maintain the illusion of control, and the task of reconciling his public image and his personal reality becomes increasingly difficult as he confronts the toll that his career is taking on his body and his relationships.
Through his evolving relationship with Summer, Rhett trades the external gratification of his public appearances for a healthier and more fulfilled private life. Rhett’s struggles with the pressures of fame illustrate the fact that public figures are often reduced to stereotypes that suppress their need for authenticity and connection. In Rhett’s case, the media amplifies the pressures on him as fans and sponsors alike scrutinize his every move. Similarly, Summer’s decisions are influenced by the need to manage his reputation. This external pressure creates a shared understanding between the two, for they both feel pressured to live up to the public’s idealized and unrealistic standards. Summer’s experience also emphasizes the importance of looking beyond surface-level judgments to understand the complexities of a person’s inner reality, and the more time she spends with Rhett, the more she realizes that he is not the “bad boy” that the media portrays him to be.
Although Summer isn’t a celebrity, her role at Hamilton Elite forces her to project an aura of competence, control, and confidence as she strives to meet her father’s demands and find success in the high-stakes world of sports management. However, Summer privately harbors feelings of inadequacy that stem from the emotional wounds of her past, and she fantasizes about a life in which she is free from these demands. As she states, “I momentarily let myself imagine a world in which I didn’t care what people thought. Where I didn’t constantly work to keep everyone around me appeased” (183). Summer’s journey toward self-acceptance unfolds in tandem with her growing attraction to Rhett. Her willingness to explore a relationship with him despite the risk to her career marks a turning point, and she begins to prioritize her own needs rather than seeking to maintain a polished professional image at the expense of her own happiness. The novel therefore champions the idea that true fulfillment comes not from maintaining a “flawless” exterior but from embracing the imperfect, nuanced reality of who people truly are.
