55 pages • 1 hour read
Ana HuangA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The right to privacy takes many forms in the novel, whether this be online or in person or between strangers or lovers. As CEO of a cyber security company, Christian ensures that very little of his personal life is available for consumption. This applies to his nonexistent digital footprint and his sleek, sparsely furnished home. Despite having access to his apartment, Stella “kn[ows] maddeningly little about him. His penthouse [i]s a study in flawless design and luxury, but it contain[s] few to no personal effects” (8). Christian does not appreciate people invading his personal space or “touching [his] things without permission” (107). As a result, Christian is a walking mystery to many, including Stella, even as their romance develops. Similarly, though Stella is close with her best friends Ava, Bridget, and Jules, she also practices personal boundaries with them. She does not tell them about every aspect of her private life, including the strained relationship with her family and the existence of Maura. These boundaries highlight every individual’s right to privacy, even with intimate partners or close friends.
These boundaries are constantly overstepped over the course of the novel. Early on, Christian oversteps upon first learning of Stella’s stalker. He enters her apartment with the master key while she is gone to search for additional evidence that might lead him to the culprit, but when she comes home early and finds him in her apartment, she reacts with frustration, saying, “Our homes are supposed to be our safe havens, but […] [h]ow can I feel safe knowing someone could walk in here any minute” (137-38). Stella’s reaction links privacy to autonomy: Even though Christian’s intentions were pure, he recognizes that it is her right to decide how private she keeps her domestic life.
Christian’s ultimate betrayal of Stella’s privacy leads to their third-act breakup. His deep dive into her life prior to meeting her is seen as a “huge invasion of privacy” done “without [her] consent” and then kept secret from her afterward (395-96). Stella notes that while he isn’t her stalker, “he’d crossed many of the same boundaries. Stepped over many of the same lines” (396). Even if Christian’s intentions were benevolent or, at the very least, harmless, the act without her consent or knowledge invaded her privacy.
When Stella begins to wonder if her influencer career is to blame for her stalker, Christian quickly shuts this line of thinking down. He insists, “You have the right to live your life how you want without worrying about creeps who can’t curb their worst impulses” (140). This reinforces the message that someone has the right to decide their own level of privacy without repercussion. At the same time, the novel touches upon the ambiguous boundaries of personal privacy when so much information can be found about a person online or on social media. The conflict between Stella’s job as an influencer and her desire for privacy ultimately suggests that her sharing a curated version of her life on social media is compatible with keeping personal matters private.
Stella’s escape from limiting expectations involves conquering her fear of failure or rejection and overcoming her need for external validation. At first, with Stella’s social media, “[t]he lure of a million followers and what it represent[s] dangle[s] in front of [her] like a sparkling diamond” (40). Though Stella doesn’t claim to derive value from her follower count, she recognizes that it’s a way of proving to everyone, including herself, that all the effort she’s put into the account hasn’t been in vain. Stella seeks online validation to make up for the lack of success she feels in other aspects of her professional life. She also hopes that this will translate into receiving validation from her own family.
When threats of her stalker returning first pop up and she is simultaneously fired from DC Style, Stella is distraught. In addition to these external stressors, Stella is brought to her breaking point by the “deep-rooted sense that no matter how hard [she] trie[s], [she] w[ill] never live up to the expectations of those around [her]” (118). Her fear of failure keeps Stella stagnant in life. She has long since been unable to sketch her fashion designs due to fear of failure, and the procrastination is only prolonging her unhappiness and lack of success.
Despite how much Stella cares about what others think, she doesn’t care so much about Christian. At the Delamonte dinner at which Christian shows up, Stella “d[oes]n’t want [him] to witness [her] crash and burn […] Not because [she] th[inks] he’d judge [her] but because [she] [i]s afraid he wo[]n’t” (22). Christian’s unwavering support in her and admiration of her accomplishments gives Stella the confidence she needs to stand up for herself and try new things, even with the knowledge that she might fail. With this outlook on life, Stella decides that she’s “spent too many years in the passenger seat of [her] life, letting other people steer [her] to where they wanted [her] to go” (121). It is through escaping the confines of these expectations that Stella gains the motivation and confidence she needs to launch her fashion brand and pursue the career she’s always dreamed of without fear of failure or her family’s disapproval. This suggests that people will thrive once they let go of the expectations of others.
Both Stella and Christian desire control in their lives but for different reasons. Stella yearns for control to cope with her family’s expectations. Alonsos are perfect and successful; when Stella cannot reach the same levels of success in her career or approval from her parents, she seeks control by being passive to confrontation and avoiding emotional outbursts, as “the consequences always overshadow[] the temporary relief” (114). However, as she explores her growing relationship with Christian and becomes more confident in herself and her desires, Stella learns to value “[r]isk over safety” (320). Christian learns this same lesson in their joint journey.
To Christian, control offers him security and autonomy. Additionally, through keeping firm control of his emotions, Christian doesn’t open himself up to the same vulnerabilities that destroyed his parents. As he notes, “Nothing good ever came from allowing other people control over my emotions” (84). The fear and panic he feels when Stella goes missing during their first outing at the sea turtle gala is “ugly, foreign, and completely unacceptable” (84-85). His fake relationship with Stella continues to foster his real feelings for her. He begins to worry that he cannot trust himself around her. He breaks rules, becomes distracted, and entertains a constant war between desire and self-preservation.
In essence, Christian’s obsession with control is a defense mechanism against vulnerability, loss, and unpredictability. It is implicit that his motivation behind starting a cyber security company was knowing everything about everyone. His career revolves around controlling and neutralizing threats. This mindset extends into his personal life, where he views control as a means of ensuring safety and stability, especially when it comes to protecting those he cares about like Stella.
Control also allows Christian to maintain a sense of order in the world since, deep down, he fears chaos and emotional exposure. The pain he felt at his mother’s loss fuels his dedication to controlling his emotions and environment in order to protect himself from further pain. His insistence that he doesn’t believe in love isn’t due to it not existing but due to his fear of losing control. Love is chaotic and unpredictable, things that he knows from experience can end in tragedy. Though Christian’s desire for control has its merits, he soon learns that he cannot control every aspect of his life—and love, despite its chaos, is a worthy emotion to which to relinquish control.
By Ana Huang