40 pages • 1 hour read
Rachel Lynn SolomonToday Tonight Tomorrow
Rachel Lynn SolomonFiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 28-35Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 28 Summary: “12:05 a.m.”
Rowan confronts Neil about hiding the fact that she has been his target all along. Neil tries to explain himself, but Rowan refuses to listen to his explanations. Neil is genuine in his apology, telling Rowan that he has enjoyed getting to know her better throughout the day. Rowan is hurt and reminds Neil they almost kissed. Neil refers to the moment as a mistake. They get into an argument, and Neil tells Rowan she is sabotaging herself.
Chapter 29 Summary: “12:27 a.m.”
The chapter opens with the current Howl standings.
At Pike Place Market, Rowan calls her parents and tells them she is writing a romance novel. They express their love and support. After the call, Rowan rides the Ferris wheel and thinks about her day. She realizes that, in one single day, she has experienced Seattle in ways she never has before. She witnesses a couple nearby getting engaged. She remembers that her yearbook is in her bag and pulls it out.
Chapter 30 Summary: “12:43 a.m.”
The first part of the chapter is Neil’s yearbook message to Rowan. In his message, he tells her he is in love with her.
Rowan is in awe of Neil’s love confession. She gets off the Ferris wheel and goes to look for him.
Rowan finds Neil at the Museum of the Mysteries and asks to talk. She apologizes for the things she said to him before they split up, and Neil does the same. She steps forward to kiss Neil.
Chapter 31 Summary: “1:21 a.m.”
In the current Howl standings, Neil and Rowan are tied for first place.
Neil and Rowan kiss for some time. They run into Brady, who is now tied with them. He races back to school for the prize money.
Chapter 32 Summary: “2:04 a.m.”
The chapter opens with an email from Rowan to her parents that contains the first chapters of her book.
Rowan and Neil race back to school to win Howl. They manage to defeat Brady just in time. The juniors reveal that they also planned a party for the seniors, and Neil delights in his favorite band, Free Puppies, playing a show. Rowan and Neil hold hands and dance together.
Chapter 33 Summary: “2:49 a.m.”
The start of the chapter lists Neil’s favorite Free Puppies songs.
Neil and Rowan drive to Kerry Park after the concert. They talk, reflect on their day, and kiss. Rowan tells him she is in love with him.
Chapter 34 Summary: “3:28 a.m.”
The chapter begins with Rowan’s “Guide to College Success.”
Neil and Rowan go back to Rowan’s house. Neil reveals that he has never had sex, and he and Rowan have sex for the first time.
Chapter 35 Summary: “5:31 a.m.”
The first part of the chapter is a good morning text from Rowan to Neil.
In the morning, Neil sneaks out of Rowan’s house before her parents wake up. Rowan realizes that the love she always yearned for feels different than she thought it would.
Chapters 28-35 Analysis
The final chapters tie together loose ends and resolve any remaining conflicts.
Rowan and Neil’s argument in the wake of Rowan discovering that she has been Neil’s target works to create tension between them. This degree of tension has not existed between these two characters for much of the novel, given that they have been working as a team throughout Howl. Their argument establishes that, despite the fact that they have grown close to one another in the last several hours, they are still learning to trust and communicate with each other. The relationship’s flaws are made evident by the fact that Rowan and Neil do their best to tear each other down during their argument. Rowan and Neil insulting each other—namely, pointing out the other’s flaws—is a callback to another era of their relationship. Early in the novel, Rowan and Neil spoke in threatening or generally negative terms to one another; reverting to this pattern despite all the progress they made throughout the day suggests they are both hurting and will need to work to rectify their mistakes, past and present.
Despite her struggles with Neil, this section shows Rowan opening up to her parents about her passion for romance novels. Rowan sharing her intention to be a writer is a testament to how far she has come since the beginning of the novel, as she was deeply secretive of her interest in romance novels, thus demonstrating the theme of Letting Go of Fear and Embracing the Unknown. Rowan lets go of the fear of being disapproved of, which also overlaps with the theme of The Pressure to Live Up to Others’ Expectations. In overcoming her fear and telling her parents where her true passions lie, Rowan is released of this pressure.
Perhaps the most important aspect of these chapters is the clear establishment of Rowan and Neil’s love for each other. Though readers have been encouraged to assume so throughout most of the novel because of the growing vulnerability between the two, these chapters lay bare the fact that these romantic feelings are reciprocated. Rowan reading Neil’s message to her in her yearbook marks a major turning point for her in particular; this event makes Rowan realize that there is no reason not to tell Neil about her own feelings. This event empowers her to let go of her fears and live her truth by admitting to herself and Neil that she loves him rather than letting the opportunity pass her by. With the reunion of Rowan and Neil—their first kiss, engaging in PDA in front of their peers, and having sex for the first time—readers who have been rooting for this couple are given a satisfying conclusion. This ending also offers the biggest example of Letting Go of Fear and Embracing the Unknown. Rowan’s decision to forgive Neil and openly reciprocate his romantic feelings required a leap of faith, or letting go. While this could be scary, Rowan embraces the unknown and finds love.
In addition, the narrative comes full circle when Rowan writes a new guide that plays off of the guide she wrote as a freshman. This time, the guide is about how to have a successful college life rather than a successful high school life, and Rowan does not place unrealistic expectations upon herself, which encapsulates her growth and newfound understanding of herself.
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