40 pages • 1 hour read
Rachel Lynn SolomonToday Tonight Tomorrow
Fiction | 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 21-27Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary: “7:34 p.m.”
At the start of the chapter, the seniors receive a text relaying the Howl standings.
At the zoo, Rowan points out Carolyn Gao, Neil’s next target. She leaves before he can make a move. When they hear a group of people working with Savannah, they hide in the dark until the coast is clear. When Rowan gets up, Neil is gone. While looking around for him, she runs into Mara and learns that Kirby is out of the game. Rowan promises to make it right with the two of them after graduation.
Chapter 22 Summary: “8:28 p.m.”
The chapter begins with an old group chat between Rowan and her English classmates in which Rowan argues they should not be reading books by so many misogynistic white men.
Rowan calls Neil until he finally shows up. He tells her that he was in the bathroom. Neil offers to take Rowan to the signing, but it is too late. Neil finds Delilah’s Twitter page and discovers that she is going to an open mic at a café nearby. Neil shares that he scraped together money just to apply to NYU, further emphasizing his need for the prize money from Howl. It is raining when they make their return to the car, and Neil gives Rowan his hoodie. Seeing the books in the backseat, Rowan sees her overdue books in the backseat, and Neil suggests that they go to the library to return them quickly.
Chapter 23 Summary: “8:51 p.m.”
The first part of the chapter is an old text exchange between Rowan and Neil. In it, Neil warns her of a pop quiz in her fourth period class.
At the library, Neil teases Rowan into trying to break in only for her to discover that he has the keys. Rowan reflects on her high school experience. She shares her guide with Neil, and he assures her that she is not a failure just because she did not achieve anything on the list. She tells him about the romance novel she is writing and her main characters. When he asks, she lets him read her novel out loud.
Chapter 24 Summary: “9:20 p.m.”
An excerpt from Rowan’s romance novel precedes the chapter.
After reading her work, Neil tells Rowan that she is a good writer. They talk about their own romantic experiences before signing each other’s yearbooks. When Rowan tries to read what Neil wrote, he tells her not to read it until the next day. Neil plays a song on his phone and asks Rowan to dance with him. They hold each other close. Rowan tells Neil that the dancing would probably be nicer if she were actually into the person she was dancing with. She regrets it immediately. Rowan gets a text from Colleen at work, asking someone to close the café for her. They get into the car and head to the café.
Chapter 25 Summary: “10:09 p.m.”
The first part of the chapter shares a partial list of Neil’s favorite words.
At the café, Rowan and Neil eat some leftover pastries and do the dishes. Neil puts on his favorite band’s music and sings along. Rowan admires that he is not self-conscious about it. She realizes that they could have had fun with one another all this time instead of being competitors. When they finish up, Neil suggests they go to see Delilah at the open mic; Rowan agrees to go.
Chapter 26 Summary: “10:42 p.m.”
The chapter starts by listing six things about Neil that aren’t “actually terrible.”
Neil and Rowan arrive at Bernadette’s for the open mic. When she sees Delilah, Rowan tells her that she loves her books and is inspired by her writing. Rowan also tells Delilah that she is sharing some of her writing during the open mic. Rowan reads an excerpt from her novel, which is well-received by the audience. Afterward, she runs to Neil and hugs him. Before she leaves the venue, Delilah asks Rowan what her Twitter handle is.
Rowan and Neil get a text telling them to head to the next safe zone. They sit down on a bench and have a heart-to-heart talk. Neil tells Rowan that having her as an opponent has helped him throughout the years. As they are about to kiss, a girl from the open mic interrupts to tell Rowan that she loved her piece. Rowan and Neil walk back to her car in silence.
Chapter 27 Summary: “11:26 p.m.”
The list of Howl clues prefaces the chapter. Rowan and Neil only need to find two more.
Rowan and Neil ride in silence on the way to find the next clue. Rowan struggles to find a parking spot, making them late for the next safe zone. A junior named Logan meets them at the door and tells them that they are late and therefore disqualified. Neil tells Logan that it is his fault, as he made Rowan take a longer route. Logan lets them through.
Inside, Rowan finds Kirby and Mara and tells them everything that happened throughout the day. She also tells them that she is writing a romance novel, which they support. Rowan tells them that she is going to tell Neil that she has a crush on him and apologizes for making them feel like she left them behind.
Rowan meets Neil outside and they head to her car to find the final clues. Still wearing his hoodie, Rowan puts her hand in its pocket and pulls out a piece of paper with her name on it. Rowan discovers that she has been Neil’s target all along.
Chapters 21-27 Analysis
These chapters both resolve and extend several of the novel’s central conflicts. The most notable conflict resolution comes in the form of Rowan’s somewhat tense relationship with Kirby and Mara. Upon finding Mara at the next safe zone, Rowan promises to be a better friend and to spend quality time with them after graduation. Rowan’s genuine apology for her behavior coupled with her earnest desire to make things right with her best friends resolves this conflict in a neat, satisfying, and complete way. This resolution also highlights The Difficult Experience of Growing Up and Embracing Change and the importance of Letting Go of Fear and Embracing the Unknown, themes that reflect the trials of adolescence. Rowan takes ownership of her past mistakes, which is difficult to do, as is weathering shifts in friendship. This demonstrates significant growth—Rowan is conquering her fear of being blamed or judged. She embraces the unknown of admitting her faults and is rewarded with the promise of a renewed friendship. The overlap between these two themes occurs because both relate to the embracement of change and the unknown.
Similarly, these chapters show Rowan tackling her fear of sharing her writing, which is a significant example of Letting Go of Fear and Embracing the Unknown. Neil’s gentle insistence empowers Rowan to read the first chapter of her romance novel. This marks a major turning point for Rowan, who has spent most of her life ashamed of her passion for the romance genre. Rowan finally sharing her work despite her fear that it might not be good is a testament to her personal growth, which has certainly blossomed alongside her new friendship with Neil. Indeed, her willingness to let Neil read and critique her passion project speaks to the ways in which their relationship has developed throughout the course of a single day. Rowan allows herself to be vulnerable with Neil, someone she used to consider an enemy, which signals that they have fully shed their former status as rivals. Further, Rowan shares her work with strangers almost immediately after sharing it with Neil, demonstrating the ripple effect of her steps toward embracing both change and the unknown. Rowan meeting her favorite author and reading an excerpt from her novel at an open-mic event indicates that Neil’s support gives Rowan the confidence boost she needs to share her writing with a larger audience. This event marks a major turning point both in the narrative and in Rowan’s life, as it suggests that she is making moves toward her dreams of becoming a writer and shedding a past self.
Rowan and Neil also make progress as love interests. After nearly kissing him, Rowan can no longer deny her feelings for Neil. Her acknowledgment of these feelings empowers her to decide to tell Neil how she feels. Rowan’s decision is not only proof of her powerful and undeniable feelings for Neil, but her newfound willingness to step out of her comfort zone and go after her dreams, or embrace the unknown.
Rowan discovering that she is Neil’s target creates tension between the potential couple. This tension invites readers—especially those rooting for Rowan and Neil to get together—to make predictions about what may happen between the two as the story continues. This plot point also works to employ a classic romance trope in the form of a will-they-or-won’t-they scenario. While Rowan and Neil slowly grow closer throughout the novel, this plot twist leaves readers to consider whether the two will pursue romance in light of Neil’s betrayal.
