“The ‘Classics’ sign is in Grandpa Marv’s handwriting—Bea never took down any of the signs her late husband wrote, even as the writing became faded. And now that both of them are gone, Cassie won’t touch them, even though the paper is starting to disintegrate.”

Cassie’s grandparents Marv and Bea act as role models for her future: She believes that they have a perfect relationship, and is proud of their ability to maintain a successful bookstore. In this passage, the image of the disintegrating paper with Marv’s handwriting reflects Cassie’s desire to maintain her grandparents’ traditions and her unwillingness to accept the fact that she is unable to fully do so.

“I always thought there was a distinct line between me and The Homeless. They did drugs. They were alcoholics. They had mental illnesses. I drank responsibly, said no to drugs, and was sane (more or less). But now, with my rent due in two weeks and absolutely no way to pay it, I realize the line isn’t as distinct as I’d once thought.”

The Disempowering Effects of Wealth Inequality is an important theme in the novel. The Ex’s breakup with Joel puts her in a difficult position, as she can no longer afford to live on her own without his financial support. Her capitalization of the phrase “The Homeless” implies that she sees unhoused people as a monolithic group, all dealing with the same problems, including mental health and substance use disorders—ironic given that she is actively stalking her ex-boyfriend.

“Nineteen-year-old Bea let out an anguished cry. The book was irretrievable on the train tracks. Not only that, but it was her favorite book. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. The greatest love story of all time, in Bea’s opinion.”

The novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë appears throughout the book as a recurring motif related to the themes of love and obsession. Protagonist Cassie Donovan sees the book as both the origin of her grandparents’ love story and an example of enduring love. Given the novel’s interested in haunting, it also serves to foreshadow the fact that Cassie is being stalked.

“Then it started to become a dangerous habit. Every time an attractive man would approach her, she’d think back to Harry and all the other unsatisfying and often miserable relationships she’d had. And she’d shake her head no. She preferred to focus on her business and enjoy having fun with her friends.”

Cassie’s history of difficult relationships makes her wary of embarking on a new relationship with Joel, despite his credentials as a wealthy and charming doctor. Ironically, when Cassie eventually decides she can trust Joel, she finds that he is unwilling to trust her.

“She takes a step back, her entire body shaking. Who would do something like that? And why? It’s not like she has any enemies. Unless…No. Not that. Nobody knows about that.”

In the final pages of the novel, it is revealed that Cassie Donovan has continued her grandfather’s practice of producing and selling forgeries of old books. This passage is one of the few clues given that Cassie is committing illegal acts. The drama and secrecy surrounding Cassie adds depth to her character and suspense to the narrative, in keeping with the conventions of the thriller genre.

“I’ve nicknamed her Olive because I haven’t yet figured out her name, but I’ve found out many other things about her. She owns a business that, based on the number of customers I see coming in and out, isn’t doing very well.”

While stalking Joel’s new girlfriend, the Ex gives her the nickname “Olive” based on her olive-toned skin. The novel implies that “Olive” is Cassie; this passage supports that idea based on the fact that, like Cassie, Olive has a failing business. The similarities between Cassie and the actual new girl, Francesca, suggest that Joel has a very specific type.

“He’s really freaked out by his friends showing up. Is he ashamed of her? Ashamed that he’s dating a girl ten years younger than him? One who doesn’t look like she’s walked out of the pages of Vogue for a day at the zoo?”

After their awkward encounter with Joel’s friends at the Zoo, Cassie worries that Joel is ashamed of her looks or embarrassed by her age. It is later revealed that Joel and Anna dated for many years, making it likely that Joel’s awkward reaction is based in the fact that his new girlfriend is meeting an ex-girlfriend.

“Francesca—the faceless but beautiful woman who occupied Joel’s heart before she did. Francesca, who is a great cook and better liked by his friends. Francesca, who is perfect.”

Although she is actively being stalked by Joel’s ex-girlfriend Anna, Cassie becomes obsessed with another ex-girlfriend, who she believes is the one stalking her. Cassie’s obsession with Francesca is rooted in her belief that Francesca is perfect, and that Joel and his friends would prefer Joel date her instead.

“Holy crap, he’s lying. He knows better than anyone where Francesca’s restaurant is, and it’s clear he’s come here to see her. But she can’t accuse him. Because if she did, he’d discover she knows where the restaurant is. And her cover would be blown as well.”

Cassie’s obsession with Joel’s ex-girlfriend creates a deep divide between them, as Cassie and Joel begin to lie to each other about what they know about Francesca. This passage suggests that their lies form a vicious cycle that prohibits them from ever being honest with each other. The phrase “her cover would be blown”—jokingly borrowed from the world of espionage—suggests the novel’s debt to the spy thriller genre. Obsessed with secrets, the characters conduct their romantic lives like spies in a John Le Carré novel.

“Her shoulders sag in relief. He’s not here to take her away. He just wants to buy some reading material for his kid. But she can’t shake the feeling that one of these days, the policeman will be coming here with a warrant for her arrest.”

Throughout the novel, Cassie drops hints about illegal activity that is keeping her bookstore afloat. As the evidence that she is being stalked increases, Cassie becomes more paranoid that her illegal forgery business will be discovered. Cassie’s paranoia is an unintended consequence of Anna’s stalking.

“She gets it. She knows Joel and I aren’t engaged. She knows everything I told her is a lie. She’s not excited to see me again. All she feels is sorry for me.”

In a chance meeting with one of Joel’s friends, the Ex claims to have opened an Italian restaurant. This detail is a piece of misdirection designed to persuade the reader that the Ex is Francesca, who Cassie knows owned a restaurant. However, this passage—in which the Ex admits that she lied to Joel’s friend—is a subtle hint that she is also lying about owning a restaurant and may not be Francesca.

“She doesn’t say what she’s thinking, which is that it always makes her uncomfortable to pass Maureen every morning. She doesn’t like the way Maureen looks at her and occasionally laughs at her. Surely it’s mental illness or possibly drugs, but it still makes Cassie uncomfortable.”

Cassie’s discomfort with Maureen, the unhoused woman who spends most of her time in an alley next to Bookland, is an important part of her character. Her inability to see Maureen as a full and independent person prevents her from recognizing that Maureen is aiding and abetting the vandalism of her home and Bookland.

“All Cassie has heard for the last several months is how wonderful Francesca was. Anna is the first person who had a negative word to say about her.”

In the final chapters of the novel, it is revealed that “the Ex” (implied to be Francesca) is actually Anna, and the “new girl” she is stalking (implied to be Cassie) is actually Francesca. This passage is one of the only hints in the novel that Anna had problems with Francesca.

“What Cassie sees pass between Anna and Con at that moment reminds her of the love she used to see between her grandparents. […] They’re always staring at each other like they’re the only two people in the world. They have a Wuthering Heights sort of love.”

This passage reflects Cassie’s obsession with Wuthering Heights, which she sees as the most romantic love story of all time, and which she uses as a barometer for all romantic relationships in her life, notwithstanding the almost relentless suffering its main characters endure. Her rosy view of Anna and Con’s relationship serves to distract readers from the fact that Anna is secretly still obsessed with Joel.

“Even if he denies it, he wants to get married. He wants to have a baby. […] Is she ready for that? And is Joel the man she wants to do those things with? She likes Joel a lot. Hell, she loves him. Kind of.”

In the second half of the novel, Cassie begins to have doubts about Joel, even as their relationship becomes more serious. This passage suggests that the difference in their ages may be more significant than she initially suspected. While he is ready to start a family, she is unsure whether she wants to take those steps.

“A horrible silence descends on the table. Cassie has no clue what foie gras is. She can’t even begin to guess. It could be absolutely anything from fruit to snails to some other mystery animal she’s never heard of that lives only in France.”

Cassie is insecure not just about the age difference between herself and Joel, but also about the difference in wealth and social status. In this scene, Lydia attempts to bully Cassie, highlighting Cassie’s purported lack of sophistication by questioning her about the origins of foie gras, a French delicacy associated with expensive tastes.

“Easygoing, fun-loving Pete will not stay married to a woman like Lydia. Their marriage will dissolve and they’ll share Violet. She feels sorry for Pete, even if it means she won’t have to endure another awkward dinner like this one.”

In the second half of the novel, Lydia’s characterization changes as it is revealed that her life is not as perfect as Cassie first believed. This passage suggests that the problems in Lydia’s marriage to Pete are entirely her fault: The description of Pete as fun-loving suggests that it is Lydia’s fault that the dinner is awkward.

“She likes the idea of books having a good home too. That’s why she wonders what will happen to the books in the store if Bookland were to close. The bookcases might get sold, but the books probably wouldn’t—that’s the whole problem. So what would happen to them? Would they end up in a dumpster somewhere?”

This passage attempts to justify Cassie’s illegal behavior by suggesting that she has an emotional connection to the books in Bookland’s inventory and wants them to go to good homes. The irony of this passage is that, despite her emotional connection to these books, Cassie is also forging antique books, preserving the books in her store by devaluing other books.

“He’s been carrying that pen around just in case because he was worried about this exact situation […] He saved her life. It’s the most romantic thing she can imagine. It’s more romantic than Wuthering Heights. It’s more romantic than Marv and Bea.”

Throughout the novel, Cassie compares her relationship with Joel to the novel Wuthering Heights and to her grandparents’ love story. In saving her life, Joel has elevated their relationship to that level. However, it is likely that Joel’s concern over her allergies is related to the death of his ex-girlfriend Francesca.

“It explains why Joel always looks so sad and distant whenever Francesca’s name comes up. He isn’t still in love with her—he blames himself for her death. And maybe he’s a little bit still in love with her too.”

In the final chapters of the novel, it is revealed that Francesca is dead and Lydia is the one who has been stalking Cassie. Despite this, Francesca’s ghost still haunts the novel. This passage suggests that Cassie, and not Joel, is the one obsessed with Francesca.

“Francesca, aka Olive, stares at me, her eyes unkind. She doesn’t smile. She never smiles, as far as I’ve seen. When I look at her, she radiates evil. I know that sounds crazy, but she does.”

After it is revealed that Francesca is dead and the “The Ex” storyline is happening in a different timeline than “The New Girl” storyline, Francesca’s depiction changes dramatically. In this passage, it is unclear whether the description of Francesca as unkind and radiating evil is accurate, or whether Anna’s dislike for Francesca makes her an unreliable narrator.

“He didn’t know Francesca was pregnant. He only found out after the autopsy. He might have been able to deal with feeling like he caused her suicide, but the baby pushed him over the edge. It took him several months before he could go back to work again, to the job he loved.”

The lasting pain of bad breakups is an important theme in the novel. Although most of the focus is on how bad breakups affect women, this passage suggests that Joel is also deeply disturbed by the ending of his most recent relationship. The fact that Joel nearly lost his job echoes Lydia’s troubles at work as she endures her divorce from Pete.

“That’s the most important decision a woman can make, you know—who she chooses for her husband. And I couldn’t imagine a better man for her. He was with someone else back then, and I had a sit-down with him—convinced him he could do better. He listened to me. […] I thought I was helping Francesca.”

Nearly all of the women in the novel center their lives around men. In this passage, Lydia—who is in the midst of deciding whether to divorce her husband—argues that the most important choice a woman can make is whom she marries. By placing this declaration in the voice of Lydia—the novel’s antagonist, who relentlessly bullies Cassie—the novel uses irony to undermine this patriarchal worldview.