Maggie Carson is another of the novel’s main characters and first-person narrators. Her portions of the storyline are also titled with her first name. In the narrative present, Maggie is trying to adjust to life without Ridge. She still cares for Ridge but knows that they are both better off being friends. Their six-year history, however, makes it difficult to translate their romance into platonic friendship. Maggie often texts Ridge to keep him updated on her life and relies on him when she has medical emergencies.

Maggie has been living with cystic fibrosis and diabetes since she was a little girl, although the diabetes is only alluded to a few times throughout the novel and plays a more marginal role in her storyline. Hoover puts more precedence on the complications of living with cystic fibrosis. Because the illness comes with “an expiration date on [her] life” (21), Maggie is often consumed by thoughts of death. She doesn’t expect to grow old and doesn’t plan for her future. She’s certain that she’ll never get married or have kids. After she and Ridge break up, she’s also convinced she’ll never fall in love again. Then she meets Jake Griffin—a cardiologist and skydiving instructor—to whom she’s immediately attracted. She enjoys their impromptu date and one-night stand but immediately pushes him away. Although curious about their chemistry, Maggie fears that her illness will preclude a healthy future with Jake. She tells Jake that she’s not interested in a relationship because she’d “rather feel melancholic than pathetic” (77). However, she soon changes her mind. Maggie’s feelings surrounding Jake vacillate because she’s caught between competing versions of herself. One version of her wants to embrace life and see what happens with Jake, while another version of her is timid, afraid, and hesitant to get involved in another complicated relationship.

Maggie changes over the course of the novel because of her relationships, making her a dynamic character. At the novel’s start, she is lonely, confused, and trapped. Frustrated by these emotions, she berates herself instead of giving herself grace. With the help of Ridge, Sydney, and Jake, she learns to love and accept even her more fragile side and to embrace life’s unexpectedness. She and Jake become involved and even get engaged at the novel’s end, a plot point that shows Maggie letting go of her fear to experience life more fully.

Ridge Lawson is also a main character and first-person narrator of the novel. Chapters titled with his first name and written from his first-person point of view are interspersed with the other characters’ accounts throughout the novel. Like Maggie and Sydney, Ridge is Navigating the Boundaries Between Friendship and Romance in the narrative present. He and Maggie broke up not long before the novel’s start, and he’s still learning how to maintain a friendship with Maggie (for whom he’s a primary caretaker) without compromising his dynamic with Sydney (with whom he just started a romantic relationship).

Ridge’s desire to make both Maggie and Sydney happy illustrates his empathetic nature. He doesn’t feel comfortable cutting Maggie out of his life because he honors their history together and understands that Maggie doesn’t have a family and needs support. He wants to be there for her when she has medical emergencies, but he also wants to ensure that Maggie isn’t alone. Meanwhile, Ridge wants to devote himself to Sydney. The two have an uncanny connection, defined by artistic and emotional similarities, that he’s eager to develop and sustain. He therefore works to foster healthy communication with Sydney and Maggie throughout the novel.

However, Ridge’s empathetic nature often makes him feel trapped and divided. Because he devotes so much energy to thinking about Maggie’s and Sydney’s well-being, he sometimes neglects his own wants and needs. As a deaf person, he has moments where he feels isolated and alone (particularly because all his friends are hearing people), and his relationship conflicts threaten to aggravate his alienation. Over time, however, he realizes that Sydney is thoroughly devoted to him—her willingness to learn ASL and write songs with him proves her love—and that Maggie’s occasional temper is only a symptom of her isolation.

Ridge also changes over the course of the novel because of his experiences and relationships. At the novel’s start, he’s trying to take things slowly with Sydney, but he ends up proposing to her at the novel’s end. This decision shows Ridge’s ability to let go of his fears and embrace the depth of his love for Sydney.

Jake Griffin is a secondary character. However, he also narrates the chapters titled with his first name. His first-person point of view provides perspective on the other characters’ accounts and storylines because he’s not as integrated into their friend group.

Jake is a cardiologist, skydiving instructor, and single father. He and his ex-wife Chrissy had their son Justice when they were still in high school and stayed together over the following 12 years. While Jake and Chrissy learned how to parent well together and always had an innate connection, they didn’t have the “I-want-to-spend-every-minute-of-every-day-with-you […] kind of love” that Jake wants (109). Instead, their relationship was “built on responsibility and mutual respect” (109). Roughly six months before meeting Maggie, Jake and Chrissy broke up, and Jake moved out. He doesn’t feel sad about the breakup because he and Chrissy still have a healthy dynamic and work together to make Justice’s life between them feel peaceful.

Jake falls in love with Maggie at first sight. He’s intrigued by her decision to skydive alone and even more attracted to her when they spend the night going out for dinner and having sex. Because of his immediate, intense feelings for Maggie, Jake feels hurt and confused when Maggie pushes him away and then shows back up in his life shortly thereafter.

Jake is an understanding and mature character. These traits inspire him to show Maggie grace even when her behaviors are inconsistent and disorienting. Jake is also a fun-loving character who thrives on adrenaline and excitement. When he and Maggie start seeing each other, he encourages her to let go of her fears and to enjoy life. He has a positive effect on Maggie’s character and ultimately ushers her towards renewal. He also proposes to Maggie at the novel’s end, a decision that shows his genuine love for and investment in her life. He knows Maggie is sick, but his love is greater than his fear. He refuses to let her illness preclude their future together.