Hadley, the novel’s protagonist, is a young woman who is undergoing a period of personal growth and transition. She is 17, and her fears and internal challenges mark her as a relatively typical teenager. Although she is reasonably responsible, she dislikes feeling pressured or confined, and she often becomes angry at her parents for the perceived injustices of their personal life choices. Her pettier qualities are also revealed indirectly, such as when the narrator reveals that Hadley’s lingering anger at her father cause her to hate her father’s fiancée as well, despite Charlotte’s kindness.

Hadley is both a round and dynamic character, for she experiences complex emotions and undergoes a significant change in perspective by the end of the novel. When she becomes enamored of Oliver even though she isn’t looking for a boyfriend or even expecting to have a nice time on her trip, she begins to understand how unpredictable life can be. She does not go looking for love, but it finds her anyway, and she cannot deny her feelings even though she is sure that others will think her behavior is ridiculous. Before she experiences this unpredictability for herself, she is angry with her father for falling in love with someone else, but once Hadley recognizes love’s unpredictability, her anger and blame dissipate in the wake of her newfound understanding.