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Reminders of Him

Reminders of Him

DramaRomance
Published
2022
Language
English

Synopsis

After five years in prison for a tragic accident that killed her boyfriend, Kenna Rowan returns to the small town where he grew up, desperate to reconnect with the daughter she had to leave behind. The child is being raised by her late boyfriend's family, the Landrys, who want nothing to do with the woman they hold responsible for his death. The only person willing to give Kenna any chance is Ledger Ward — a local bar owner, her daughter's godfather, and her boyfriend's closest friend. As Kenna and Ledger grow closer against every instinct and every loyalty, they must decide whether healing is possible when grief and guilt stand between them and the people they love most. A number-one New York Times bestseller (January 2022), adapted into a Universal Pictures film released in March 2026.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

EmotionalRomantic

Genres

Drama Romance Contemporary Literature Contemporary Romance Women's Fiction

About the author

C
Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover was born on December 11, 1979, in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and grew up in nearby Saltillo. She earned a degree in social work from Texas A&M University–Commerce in 2004 and worked in social work, latterly as a counselor for the federal WIC nutrition program. She began her first novel, Slammed, on a borrowed laptop in 2011, originally intending it as a Christmas gift for her mother, and self-published it in 2012; its word-of-mouth success led to a publishing deal with Atria Books....

Characters

Kenna RowanProtagonist

A woman released from prison seeking to reconnect with the daughter she left behind.

Ledger WardProtagonist

A local bar owner and the deceased's closest friend, the only one willing to give Kenna a chance.

Patrick LandrySupporting

Scotty's father, who raises Diem alongside his wife and opposes any contact between Diem and Kenna.

Grace LandrySupporting

Scotty's mother; her grief over her son's death drives much of the Landry family's resistance to Kenna.

DiemSupporting

Kenna's young daughter, raised by her late boyfriend's parents.

All characters in Reminders of Him

Frequently asked questions

  • Is there a film adaptation of this book?

    A feature film adaptation directed by Vanessa Caswill was released in 2026, featuring Maika Monroe and Rudy Pankow in lead roles.

  • What crime did Kenna commit that led to her imprisonment?

    Kenna was convicted after a drunk-driving accident that killed her boyfriend, Scotty Landry. She served five years in prison and is paroled at the story's opening, returning to the town where his family — now raising their daughter — still lives.

  • Why can't Kenna simply demand to see her daughter?

    While Kenna has parental rights in theory, the Landry family has physical custody of Diem and holds enormous social influence in the small town. Kenna's criminal record and the Landrys' grief create barriers that cannot be resolved through legal claims alone. The novel takes the practical and emotional difficulty of this situation seriously.

  • Is Ledger supposed to be helping Kenna?

    No — Ledger is Scotty's best friend and Diem's godfather, which makes his sympathy for Kenna a genuine betrayal of the Landry family's trust. The novel treats his internal conflict as real weight rather than a device to be quickly resolved.

  • Did Reminders of Him reach number one on the bestseller lists?

    It debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list in January 2022 and remained a long-running bestseller. It became one of Hoover's highest-selling standalone novels.

  • Does the novel explore whether forgiveness is owed or earned?

    Hoover has discussed in interviews that the novel asks whether forgiveness is something owed or something that must be earned — and more specifically, whether Kenna deserves self-forgiveness before anyone else's. The Landrys' refusal functions less as a verdict and more as a mirror.

  • Does Reminders of Him connect to any of Colleen Hoover's other novels?

    No — it is a standalone novel with no shared characters or setting with her other works.

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