52 pages • 1 hour read
Mercedes RonMy Fault
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2024A 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 1-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “Noah”
Noah Morgan drives from her home in Toronto, Canada, to her new home in Los Angeles, California, with her mom Raffaella Morgan. Raffaella has just married William Leister and they’re moving in with him and his son Nick Leister. Noah begs Raffaella to let her stay home for her senior year of high school. She doesn’t want to leave her best friend Beth, her boyfriend Dan, or her volleyball team. Raffaella argues that she can’t be apart from Noah and insists she’ll love their new home.
Noah and Raffaella arrive at the Leisters’ palatial home, and William and Raffaella give Noah a tour. Throughout, Noah thinks about living with two men, remembering her father’s abuse during her childhood. She and Raffaella have been on their own for the past six years, and Noah wishes things didn’t have to change. They reach Noah’s room, which is decorated just for her. William is a wealthy lawyer and has spent a lot of money on her, which Noah doesn’t like. He and Raffaella leave her alone to settle.
Noah explores her new room, surprised by the expensive clothes in the closet. She knows what Raffaella is trying to do and wishes she could return home. She texts Beth, who encourages her to enjoy her new life. Noah takes a shower and wanders around the house, afraid she’s going to get lost. She runs into Nick in the kitchen, surprised by how attractive he is and irritated that he doesn’t know her name.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Nick”
Nick can’t help being mean to Noah. He doesn’t like Raffaella and resents William for marrying her. He tells Noah that his dog Thor doesn’t like her and that he’s going to tell Thor to attack her. William and Raffaella appear, interrupting their conversation. Nick hasn’t had a close relationship with William since his mother left years prior. Ever since, Nick hasn’t cared about women outside of sexual relationships. William and Raffaella announce that they’re all going to a family dinner. Nick and Noah protest but their parents insist.
Chapter 3 Summary: “Noah”
Noah stews about her interaction with Nick as she makes her way back to her room. Raffaella follows her and advises her to wear something nice to dinner. Noah is irritated by the new clothes and decides to wear a dress of her own. In the hall, she runs into Nick and Thor. Thor is nice to her, and Nick teases her, calling her Freckles. Downstairs, their parents suggest Noah ride with Nick. He has to go work with a friend after dinner and is driving his own car. Noah reluctantly agrees. They drive in silence to Mary Read Yacht Club.
Noah feels overwhelmed by the restaurant and menu. Then she notices how Nick interacts with the server and accuses him of using women just like every other rich person. Nick pushes back, implying that she and Raffaella are using William for his money.
Chapter 4 Summary: “Nick”
Nick is amused by how easily Noah gets upset. He can’t help noticing that she’s attractive but reminds himself she’s his 17-year-old stepsister. He goes to the bar to talk to the server, Claudia. He tells her he’s meeting Ronnie for a party at the docks later. Claudia seems annoyed because she and Nick slept together, but Nick hasn’t called her. Nick returns to the table and says he’s leaving to work on a case with his friend; Nick is in law school. Noah insists she’s leaving with him.
Chapter 5 Summary: “Noah”
Outside, Nick lights a cigarette, and he and Noah get in the car. Noah gets upset when Nick drives recklessly. Irritated, Nick pulls over, drags Noah out of the vehicle, and drives away. Noah’s phone is dead, so she can’t call Raffaella. Finally, someone her age stops and offers her a ride. He introduces himself as Zack Rogers and explains that he knows Nick. He invites Noah to the party he’s going to, saying Nick will be there too. Noah agrees.
The party is in full swing when they arrive, and Zack gives Noah a drink. She finds Nick playing beer pong with his friends, surprised by how attractive he looks. Noah confronts him and punches him in the face. When Nick learns that Zack brought her to the party, he gets upset. Noah starts to feel queasy, and she and Nick realize Zack put something in her drink.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Nick”
Nick confirms that Zack put a “date rape drug” in Noah’s cup and attacks him (48). Afterward, he races to Noah’s side to ensure she’s okay. He calls Raffaella to say Noah is with him and his friends watching a movie. Then he drives her home.
At the house, Nick helps Noah into bed. He’s surprised to discover that she has the same knot tattoo behind her ear that he has. Noah wakes up, asks him to keep the light on, and demands that he leave.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Noah”
Noah wakes up with a bad hangover. Unable to remember the whole night, she goes to Nick’s room and demands to know if he did anything to her. Nick assures her he only helped her. Noah feels uncomfortable, worried that Nick saw something in her she didn’t want to show him.
Back in her room, Noah realizes she and her boyfriend Dan were supposed to talk last night. She’s disappointed when she discovers he didn’t try to call her.
Noah runs into Nick, Raffaella, and William in the kitchen. Nick maintains that they were watching a movie with friends, making it clear he doesn’t want William to know about his social life. Noah notices that Nick has the same knot tattoo as her on his arm and lets down her hair to cover her tattoo. She goes outside for some air. The property is nice, but Noah misses her home and friends. She sits in the sun and texts Dan and Beth. When she discovers they’re together, Noah feels hurt.
Nick and his friends appear, and Noah overhears them talking about the races. Curious, she asks Nick, but he doesn’t explain.
Noah hangs out with Raffaella as she prepares for William’s business gala that evening. They have a pleasant conversation, and Noah is grateful when Raffaella hugs her.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Nick”
Nick reflects on what happened with Noah last night. He doesn’t want a repeat situation but also doesn’t want to babysit her. Tonight, Nick, his friends, and Ronnie’s gang are racing cars in the desert. After preparing for the gala, Nick runs into Noah in the hall. Noah demands that Nick give her a ride from the gala if he leaves early. She threatens to tell William about Nick’s social life if he doesn’t. Nick agrees. Before the gala, Nick goes to Anna’s house, and they have sex.
Chapter 9 Summary: “Noah”
Noah sits on her bed, trying to figure out how she can get to the races. Her dad was a NASCAR driver, and she’s loved fast cars since she was little. She meets the family downstairs, and they head to the gala.
Outside the venue, Nick arrives with Anna. Noah is overwhelmed by how extravagant the event is and excited when she sees her favorite author Johana Mavis in the crowd. Nick explains that Johana is one of William’s clients. He then introduces them and takes their picture.
When Noah checks her phone for the photos, she’s horrified to discover her friend Kay sent a picture of Dan and Beth kissing. She pulls away from Nick, who saw the photo, and races inside. At the bar, the bartender Mario pours her a drink. He reveals that he knows Nick and is attending the races. Noah insists Mario take her with him.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Nick”
Nick feels bad for Noah after seeing the photo of Dan and Beth. Inside, he finds her talking to Mario. He’s known Mario for years and worries about them talking. Noah reveals that she’s going to the races. Nick protests but Noah won’t listen to him. Irritated, Nick tells William he’s leaving.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Noah”
At her house, Mario waits for Noah to change clothes. She’s still stewing over Dan and Beth and wishes she could get revenge. Finally, she and Mario drive to the desert for the races.
Observing the scene, she wonders if Nick is a gang leader and tries to blend in amidst the crowd. Finally, a girl named Jenna Tavish is nice to her and gets her a beer. Nick arrives, and Jenna leaves Noah to join her boyfriend Lion. Nick suggests that he and Noah take photos of them kissing to send to Dan. Noah agrees and is shocked by how much she enjoys their kiss. She feels disappointed when he abruptly pulls away.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Nick”
After leaving Noah, Nick curses himself for kissing her. He’s annoyed with how attracted he is to her. Determined to win the race, he dismisses thoughts of Noah. He and Ronnie have a deal that if Nick loses, he has to give Ronnie his car and pay him. Unlike the others, Nick doesn’t need the money and just loves the thrill.
Anna appears, and Nick agrees to have sex with her before he competes. Suddenly he hears an uproar and sees Noah taking off in his Ferrari.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Noah”
After Nick leaves, Noah sends the photos of her and Nick kissing to Dan and texts Beth that their friendship is over. Then she rejoins the party. She encounters Ronnie near the cars, and he dares her to race him. She accepts the dare and beats him, but Ronnie smashes into the back of Nick’s car.
Nick races to the scene, furious. Ronnie confronts him, saying he broke the rules by letting Noah race in his place. He demands that Nick pay him and give him his car as per their deal. Nick gives in and then drives Noah home. She feels guilty for ruining things for him.
Chapters 1-13 Analysis
These opening chapters feature Noah Morgan’s arrival in California, an event that incites the novel’s primary conflicts, stakes, and thematic explorations. Noah’s move breaks the status quo of her life, forcing her out of her once-familiar reality and into the unknown. This shift goes even further when she meets Nick Leister, who introduces her to new realms of experience and new social spheres. Author Mercedes Ron uses this opening narrative event to place 17-year-old Noah in an uncomfortable setting that promises to offer new experiences and challenge her in new ways.
Noah’s move to California also introduces the novel’s explorations of the theme of the Search for Home and Belonging. When Noah arrives at her mom’s new husband’s home, she feels out of place and alone: “The whole situation [feels] surreal” to Noah who was “born in Canada” and doesn’t “want to leave” (3). While her best friend Beth urges her to enjoy living in “a mansion in California” with her new millionaire stepfather, Noah remains resistant even after arriving (3). When she and Raffaella first drive onto the Leisters’ property, Noah asserts, “My first impression on getting out was that we’d come to the most luxurious hotel in all of California. But it wasn’t a hotel, it was a house—a home, supposedly, or at least that’s what my mother wanted me to believe” (6). The reference to the hotel implies an impermanent residence, indicating Noah’s unconscious perspective of the house as a temporary dwelling. However, she immediately corrects this impression when she reminds herself that this “luxurious hotel” is her new home. Her resistance is initially inspired by her homesickness and even after she sees her perfectly decorated bedroom, Noah continues to feel uncomfortable. The house, bedroom, and walk-in closet filled with designer clothes do not feel like her life, emphasizing the extent of her dislocation. Noah’s physical and emotional discomfort upon arriving in California launches her search for home and belonging. Initially, she continues to identify Toronto as her real home, but when she discovers that her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend, she is forced to look for new ways to identify home. Dan’s betrayal upsets Noah’s sense of Toronto as home, driving an emotional wedge between her and her life and friends in Canada and inspiring her search for belonging in California.
Noah’s arrival in California also launches her and Nick’s enemies to lovers romance, developing the theme of The Relationship Between Love and Hate. Even before Noah and Nick meet, they’re skeptical of one another. Although Raffaella has nothing but positive things to say about Nick and is convinced that he and Noah will get along, Noah “doubt[s] a guy who [is] nearly twenty-two [will] really feel like showing [her] the city or letting [her] meet his friends” (5). She regards Nick as an adversary as soon as she arrives at his home and quickly discovers that Nick feels the same way about her. Nick has no interest in adopting Noah as his new sister and regards her as a nuisance and disruption of his life. Nick and Noah’s initial enmity isn’t inspired by knowledge of each other, but instead by their familial circumstances and personal backgrounds. Noah sees Nick as “an appalling prep” even before they meet (8), and her opinion of him only worsens after their first interactions. Noah sees Nick’s blatant cruelty and condescension as evidence that he is a selfish and elitist millionaire who uses women to boost his ego. Nick’s first impressions of Noah are similarly negative. He not only refuses to go out of his way to welcome Noah but also insists that he doesn’t even “give a shit what her and her mother’s names [are]” (14). He sees Noah as young, immature, and bratty and goes out of his way to make her life miserable. Their mutual resistance to their parents’ marriage and the new family dynamic incites the enmity between them.
The novel offers chapters in their alternating first-person points of view to offer insight into how Nick and Noah see one another, as well as reveal the true sources of their discontent. As these chapters continue, however, Nick and Noah’s impressions of each other begin to shift, continuing along the thread from enemies to lovers and fulfilling the trope. Interactions at the family dinner, the party, the gala, and the races complicate their tempestuous dynamic while also developing their characters. They each begin to notice how attractive the other is and their respective stream of consciousnesses reveal their interest in one another as people. Their relationship remains outwardly contentious, but their experiences together initiate changes in their feelings for one another.
