Emilie Hornby is not a die-hard fan of Valentine’s Day, but she is a romantic who believes in the existence of true love. However, she doesn’t believe in passive concepts such as “love at first sight” or “fated soulmates” but instead believes that “fate is for suckers. Love is for planners” (1). Her parents fell wildly in love at the age of 18, but that love turned into a marriage full of years of disagreements and a devastating childhood that Emilie had to endure.

Emilie is determined to learn from their mistakes. Rather than date boys who make her swoon but might turn out to be wrong for her, she only dates the boys who “hit their marks on [her] pros-and-cons sheet” (2). Following this logic, she has found the perfect boyfriend, Josh Sutton, whom she’s been dating for three months. Their anniversary happens to fall on Valentine’s Day, and she is determined to make it the perfect day, even if it means planning it down to the minute.

Emilie wakes on Valentine’s Day in a great mood. A quick look at her planner shows her to-do list for the day, including emailing her upcoming summer internship advisor, exchanging gifts with Josh, and telling him she loves him for the first time.