49 pages • 1 hour read
Christina LaurenThe True Love Experiment
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A 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 31-40Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 31 Summary: “Connor”
Connor is determined to be Fizzy’s escort, not her date. However, when she invites him to her hotel room because she needs him to button her dress, the experience is erotic for them both. Fizzy pretends to tie his tie and explains the tea ceremony and the activities her brother is doing to prove himself to his bride. Connor says he would do the same for the woman he loved, and Fizzy tells him he’s sweet.
Chapter 32 Summary: “Connor”
The wedding is enormous with 700 guests, and Connor guesses the bride’s family is wealthy. Connor meets Fizzy’s mother, Lányīng Chen, and he notices how Fizzy softens around her parents. Mrs. Chen says Connor sees Fizzy clearly, but she also alludes to Fizzy writing her “real” novel. Fizzy admits her mother thinks romance writing is a hobby to help her prepare for publishing a literary novel.
Chapter 33 Summary: “Fizzy”
Fizzy reflects that she no longer thinks weddings are romantic and that real romance is in the quieter details of a relationship, like spending time together. After the ceremony, she makes her way through the crowd to Connor and thinks of all the qualities she likes about him. She’s never felt this way for someone and thinks, “I don’t have a type. But maybe I do actually have a one” (252).
Connor is being hit on by an aggressive blonde named Ashley. When Ashley starts insulting Fizzy for being single and then derides her books, Connor stands up for Fizzy. Connor admits to Fizzy that he read her books and put aside his preconceived notions about romance novels. They dance, and Fizzy realizes she is infatuated.
Chapter 34 Summary: “Connor”
After dinner, Fizzy grabs a bottle of champagne and takes Connor to her hotel room to watch the second episode of the show. They sit on the bed. Connor is glad he put condoms in his wallet.
They watch the show and discuss it. Connor notices the chemistry Fizzy has with Isaac. Fizzy asks him who he thinks will win, and Connor says none of those men know what to do with her, but he does. He says, “You’d enjoy a man who understands that you just want a hot best friend who makes you laugh and come in equal measure” (270). Fizzy admits that he’s right. She tells him he makes her feel like the best version of herself, which is what she always gives her heroines. She kisses him, and he gives in.
Chapter 35 Summary: “Fizzy”
Fizzy enjoys the kissing and reflects, “I’ve never felt such a longing to be someone’s the way I do with Connor” (276). They have the best sex of her life, and as they talk and cuddle afterward, Fizzy feels that “[s]omething creaks open inside [her], a door to a secret room” (280). She confesses that she is crazy about him. She promises she will be able to act for the show, but she won’t fall in love with any of them because she’s falling in love with him.
Chapter 36 Summary: “Fizzy”
They fall asleep and wake up. Connor asks how the wedding was for her, and Fizzy is honest about her feelings. She knows her mom talks about her “real” novel because the world looks down on romance and she wants Fizzy’s skill to be respected.
Connor confesses that he doesn’t like or get along with his father. He also tells Fizzy that he married Nat because she got pregnant, but he was never in love. Then, to get out of the relationship, he cheated. He knows it was wrong and says he went into therapy, and Nat forgave him.
Fizzy is so upset by this news that she dresses and goes downstairs. Connor asks her to stay and talk, but she says he’s not the man she thought he was.
Chapter 37 Summary: “Connor”
Connor waits for Fizzy to come back, wondering why she acted so flighty when she’s someone who faces things head-on. When she doesn’t return in an hour, he leaves.
Chapter 38 Summary: “Fizzy”
Fizzy goes to Jess’s house to confide in her friend. She describes how she sat alone in the empty ballroom at the hotel because she didn’t want to face Connor. Jess says Fizzy should understand that Connor is more mature now. Fizzy wonders, “Who chooses to fling their heart out into the blackness of uncertainty, blindly hoping someone catches it?” (297). She confesses that if Connor hurts her, she doesn’t know if she will be able to write another love story. Jess insists that means he’s the one.
Fizzy wakes up after a dream of being with Connor and drives to his house to see him. She explains that she freaked out because infidelity is a hard limit for her, then tells him she’s in love with him. She can see that his guard is back up, and he no longer trusts her. She feels like a complete failure.
Chapter 39 Summary: “Connor”
On Monday morning, Blaine, Connor’s boss, is angry because the other reality TV show the company was doing, Smash Course, has had scandals with doping and a producer having sex with a contestant. Blaine demands to hear that Connor’s show is clean and scandal-free. Connor realizes he can’t be with Fizzy, even if he wants to.
Chapter 40 Summary: “Connor”
Connor’s friend, Ash, thinks he was right to break up with Fizzy. He thinks Connor is ready for a relationship and should try DNADuo. Ash also reveals that Connor is a social media hit. The show’s fandom calls him Daddy Prince, and viewers are voting for him. However, Connor realizes he can’t win. The show is down to four contestants—Isaac, Nick, Dax, and Evan. Connor edits episode three without watching the filming. In week four, Fizzy has her family dates with the two remaining contestants. Connor is jealous that Isaac gets to meet Mr. and Mrs. Chen. He feels possessive of Fizzy and still wants her.
Chapters 31-40 Analysis
Very often, the dramatic structure of a romance novel will bring the characters together in a satisfying way somewhere around the midpoint or in the third act of the narrative. Then, because the novel requires tension and conflict to move forward, there will be an event or revelation that drives the characters apart and makes a relationship seem impossible. This is sometimes referred to as the “third act breakup” or “dark moment.” Fizzy and Connor’s narrative follows this pattern. The meaning attached to attending a wedding together, the foreplay involving buttoning her dress—the irony being that Connor would love to undress her—and the intimacy of watching their TV show together all build the attraction and sexual tension, which culminates in sex that is explosive, intense, and changes the terms of the relationship. It is a romance genre convention that sex between the protagonists proves more pleasurable than any previous experience; it is a “first” in that way. For Fizzy, the sexual pleasure is enhanced because she likes Connor as a person and seeks a connection with him. Connor demonstrates that he understands Fizzy in a way others don’t, and several of the secondary characters remark on and amplify this idea, emphasizing that he is “the one” who is uniquely suited to appreciate and bond with her. This is reinforced when they share their feelings about their family relationships and the post-coital intimacy where they cuddle and talk.
This post-coital moment also introduces an opportunity to create conflict and tension by driving the characters apart, introducing the dark moment: Connor’s past infidelity. The author increases the intensity of this rift by making Connor’s error correlate to Fizzy’s key vulnerability, touching on the guilt she felt over being part of Rob’s cheating on his wife. Although she has admitted her progressing feelings, Fizzy is concerned about the newness of her feelings and the chance she could be hurt. What has been a defining characteristic—her impulsivity—becomes a character flaw in this situation when her retreat wounds Connor. In return, he views her flight as a betrayal of the trust he demonstrated by confiding in her, so he retreats behind the emotional guard he had earlier. This creates the conflict that will drive the narrative through Act V and make the reconciliation and resolution more satisfying.
The theme of Attitudes Toward the Romance Genre is touched on through Ashley, the blonde at the wedding who looks down on Fizzy’s work, and Fizzy’s mother’s hope that her daughter will be recognized for her skill by writing a successful literary novel. This theme offers a way for the author to defend her chosen genre and also allows Connor to champion Fizzy and demonstrate that he has revised his previous assumptions, which points to his character growth. Fizzy also comments on the genre when she describes how Connor makes her feel what she writes for her romance heroines: their beloved brings out the best part of their nature. All of these are arguments for valuing and legitimizing readers’ enjoyment of the romance genre, emphasizing the theme of The Pursuit of Joy. This section also comments on fandoms when Ash tells Connor how viewers are reacting to his presence on the show. That viewers vote for him rather than a contestant further demonstrates how consumers of romance narratives like to feel involvement, even ownership, over the stories. The mention of DNADuo brings up the question of how Connor will find his perfect match. This ends up being part of finding his way through the dark moment and reconciling with Fizzy.
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