49 pages • 1 hour read
L. J. ShenBeautiful Graves
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 1, Chapters 7-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1, Chapter 7 Summary
Dom takes Ever to a pottery studio for their date. She learns that his last name is Graves, and he learns her full name, Everlynne Bellatrix Lawson. Afterward, he brings her to the Pickering Wharf Marina and sets up a charcuterie board picnic. When he asks about her mom’s death, Ever sidesteps the topic and instead tells him a few more details about her family. She talks about her 20-year-old brother, Renn, who goes to college but loves traveling, partying, and surfing. In return, Dom tells her about his own family, including his younger brother, Seph, who lives in the same apartment building that he does and works as a longshoreman, loading and unloading ships. Although Ever is not entirely infatuated with Dom, she is drawn to his motivation and sense of direction in life—things that she lacks in her own.
Part 1, Chapter 8 Summary
Ever’s date with Dom becomes amorous but does not progress to sex. After their date, Ever returns to her apartment and discovers Nora and Colt having sex on the couch. They are excited to see that she is mussed from her date with Dom, as they believe that this is evidence of progress in her social life.
The next morning, Ever receives a call from Renn and asks about the birthday package that she sent him, which was filled with gifts. He pesters her about visiting during Thanksgiving instead of Christmas, and she refuses again. In his annoyance, Renn asserts that material gifts mean nothing when she isn’t willing to visit in person when she’s needed.
One day, during a work shift when it is storming badly and there are no tourists, Dom surprises Ever with flowers and a box of chocolates. When her boss gives her the day off, Dom invites her back to his place.
Part 1, Chapter 9 Summary
Over the next four weeks, Dom and Ever begin dating but do not yet make the leap to having sex. They go to various zoos, harbors, and museums, and they also take a day trip to New York. On the weekend before Thanksgiving, Dom invites Ever on a weekend getaway. They travel to Cape Cod and stay at an inn that Dom mentions is a favorite for the Graves family. They enjoy dinner and ice cream and then go skinny dipping in the ocean at night before having sex on the beach. They also go whale watching, mini-golfing, and scuba diving over the weekend before returning home. During the trip, Dom admits that he loves Ever. Although she is unable to return the sentiment at this point, she admits to having strong feelings for him.
Part 1, Chapter 10 Summary
On the day before Thanksgiving, Nora goes to visit her family, leaving Loki and Ever alone in the apartment. Ever receives a text from Pippa, who wishes her a happy Thanksgiving, but she does not reply. After wishing her father and brother a happy Thanksgiving, Ever receives a knock at her front door. Dom surprises her with a Thanksgiving dinner.
A few days later, Ever stays the night at Dom’s place. When Dom departs for an early shift, he leaves Ever a note telling her the apartment number of his brother, Seph, because he has fresh scones to share. Ever visits the apartment and is called inside while Seph is in the shower. She waits patiently for him to emerge, but when he seems to be taking forever, she calls out, asking if he’d like her to fix him some coffee. Seph mistakes her for his most recent fling and calls out from the shower to demand that she leave. Believing that Seph is aware of who she is, Ever grows offended by his rudeness and leaves immediately. Later, when Dom asks her how her meeting with Seph went, she lies and says that it went well.
On a double date night with Colt and Nora, Dom invites Ever to his family’s Christmas gathering. When she admits that she promised her father that she would come home for Christmas, Dom is disappointed. Afterward, he explains that the misunderstanding is his fault. He admits that when he was 22, his cancer came back, and his girlfriend at the time, Emily, bailed on Christmas and broke up with him. Ever since this incident, his mom has been hesitant to ask him if he is bringing any other partners over for the holidays. Not wanting to make a bad impression on Mrs. Graves, Ever decides to cancel her Christmas plans with her family and attend Dom’s gathering instead.
Part 1, Chapter 11 Summary
In the apartment, Ever overhears Colt and Nora talking. Colt pesters Nora about moving in with him, but she is still hesitant to do so until she knows that Ever is doing well. Nora tells Colt, “[Ever] doesn’t have any friends here. She barely leaves the house when it’s not for work. She’s lonely. She’s sad. She’s lost” (124). From the context of the conversation, Ever gathers that they’re hoping that her relationship with Dom will progress quickly. If this happens, Nora will have her opportunity to move in with Colt.
Part 1, Chapter 12 Summary
Dom and Ever drive to Dover on Christmas Eve morning to meet his family. Ever finally admits that she never actually met Seph, much to Dom’s surprise. His mother, Gemma, is happy to meet Ever, and though his father is more reserved, they get along as well. When Ever meets Dom’s brother, Seph, she is shocked to discover that Seph is Joe.
Despite their mutual shock, Ever and Joe pretend that this is the first time they have met. Flashbacks of their final moments together suddenly assault Ever. She remembers flirtatiously sending text messages with Joe, after which her mother died. In her grief, Ever threw her phone into the Pacific Ocean, and she and Joe never spoke again.
Now, when Dom and Ever settle into his childhood bedroom for the night, Dom jokes about having sex where Seph can hear them—as a way to pay him back for all the times that Dom had to listen to it in the past. Ever is unable to handle the idea of sleeping with Joe’s brother while in such close proximity to Joe, so she changes the subject.
Part 1, Chapter 13 Summary
The next morning, Ever wakes up earlier than Dom. After realizing that Joe is outside smoking, she joins him for a chat. When she asks about his writing, Joe admits that he no longer writes. When he returns the question, it becomes obvious that he knows that she has also given up on her dreams of becoming an artist.
When Joe asks why she didn’t attend Berkley like she planned, she admits that her mom died a few days after she returned from Spain. She explains what happened at the train station, detailing how her mother was hit by the train after saving Ever, who fell after becoming distracted by Joe’s texts. Ever begins crying, and Joe gives her a comforting hug. Ever apologizes for losing contact. Despite how much Joe was hurt to have been abandoned without explanation, he now accepts her apology, and they agree not to tell Dom about their past together.
Part 1, Chapters 7-13 Analysis
This section of the novel accelerates a range of conflicts, and even the more peripheral characters, such as Nora and Colt, contribute key information and reveal the extent of the stagnation that has occurred in Ever’s life. Although Ever previously believed that her actions only affected her, Nora and Colt’s sense of frustration and entrapment indicates the widespread ripple effects of Ever’s decisions. For example, when Colt insists that Nora move in with him, Nora decides to postpone this important step in her own relationship for Ever’s sake, and it is clear that Ever’s struggles are imposing added tension and pressure on the other important people in her life. Nora and Colt know that if Ever’s new romance fails, their own plans may be postponed even further.
While the scene with Nora and Colt provides essential context, this second section of the novel primarily explores the romantic development between Dom and Ever while simultaneously grappling with the sudden reappearance of Joe into Ever’s life. Shen’s use of intimate sensory descriptions—such as the idyllic Cape Cod getaway and the emotion-laden moments during Thanksgiving and Christmas—maps out the characters’ emotional journey as Dom and Ever’s romantic connection dramatically deepens. Throughout this process, Ever’s character arc remains central as she navigates The Complexities of Grief and finds herself haunted by self-sabotage due to her lingering guilt over her mother’s death. As she continues to insist on Running From Guilt and Shame, her compulsive avoidance of her family damages her relationships with her father and brother, and she uses Dom’s Christmas invitation as an excuse to avoid facing the unresolved tension that her behavior patterns have caused over the last six years. Ironically, this avoidance only exacerbates her problems, perpetuating her isolation and highlighting her fear of confronting painful emotions.
However, Dom’s presence in her life is beneficial in many ways, and he gradually helps her to work on Embracing Life and Releasing Fear instead of holding onto it. While there are some aspects of her life that require more work, Dom’s innate enthusiasm encourages Ever to adopt a more active, outgoing lifestyle, and his strong, centered personality becomes a foil to Ever’s lingering insecurities and emotional wounds. Notably, his steady presence and thoughtful gestures emphasize his role as a potential anchor in her life, and when he plans meaningful dates and introduces Ever to his family, his positive influence encourages Ever to step out of her comfort zone and embrace life.
While these events represent a definite improvement in Ever’s outlook, Shen also delivers key reminders that Dom will not be the one to provide Ever with the requisite “happily ever after”; despite the positive impact that he has on Ever’s life, she cannot bring herself to be as candid with him as she is with Joe. For example, whenever Dom asks her about personal details from her life or her past, Ever either lies or changes the subject, refusing to share her deepest thoughts and feelings as she once did with Joe. Ever simply cannot bring herself to show Dom who she really is, as when she avoids telling him the details surrounding her mom’s death. As a result, the love triangle between Ever, Dom, and Joe becomes far more than a plot device; it also serves as a vehicle for exploring deeper emotional truths. Although Dom’s love for Ever is straightforward and nurturing, it lacks the fiery passion that she experienced with Joe, and this dichotomy forces Ever to question what she truly desires.
In addition to the love triangle, Shen also employs the forbidden romance trope, as in order to stay loyal to Dom, whom Ever has come to regard with affection, she must deny her lingering feelings for Joe, even when he seems intent on reciprocating them. As Joe shows his jealousy and attempts to regain emotional intimacy and physical proximity to Ever, these problematic dynamics foreshadow the difficulties that Ever will have in her attempts to maintain those boundaries. Notably, within the first two chapters of Joe’s reappearance in Ever’s life, she reveals the darkest events of the past six years to him, showing him a much greater degree of trust than she has ever shown Dom. Thus, Shen indicates that Joe poses a significant threat to the success of Ever’s current relationship, even if Dom were to survive.
