Someone Like You is a 1998 young adult novel by Sarah Dessen. The novel follows 16-year-old Halley as she navigates the complexities and challenges of growing up. Halley’s best friend, Scarlett, discovers that she is pregnant after her boyfriend, Michael, dies in a motorcycle accident. Halley steps up to help her friend through this unexpected challenge. Halley also begins dating Michael’s best friend, Macon, and must decide whether she is ready to have sex with him. In the midst of these decisions, Halley’s once-close relationship with her mother grows increasingly strained as Halley decides what kind of girl she wants to be through the choices and mistakes she makes.

This guide refers to the 2004 Puffin Books paperback edition.

Content Warning: The novel and this guide contain references to underage drinking and drug use, as well as a death by vehicle accident and abusive behaviors.

Plot Summary

Fifteen-year-old Halley Cooke receives a call from her best friend, Scarlett Thomas, while away at camp. Scarlett’s boyfriend, Michael Sherwood, has been killed in a motorcycle accident. Scarlett asks Halley to come home, and Halley, already not enjoying her time at camp, agrees. Halley has always felt that Scarlett is the more exciting and interesting one in their friendship, while Halley feels that her identity is unfinished.

Halley calls her mother, Julia, a psychologist and author, and asks to come home. Eventually, her mother relents and agrees to pick her up the next day. Halley and her mother have always been close, but since they returned from a family vacation to the Grand Canyon earlier that summer, Halley feels like things have not been the same between her and her mother. She feels that they are growing distant because of Halley’s maturity and newfound interests.

The day of Michael’s funeral, Halley and Scarlett get ready together. Halley discovers a classmate and Michael’s best friend, Macon Faulkner, sleeping in Scarlett’s bed. Scarlett explains that Macon needed a place to stay the night before after getting drunk. Halley does not know Macon well aside from his bad reputation at school but finds herself attracted to him. At the funeral, various girls who briefly dated Michael in the last year sob, which makes Scarlett feel uncomfortable, as she and Michael only briefly dated and largely kept their relationship a secret. Halley recalls Scarlett and Michael’s short but serious relationship, which began after Michael began working at Milton’s Market alongside them.

The new school year begins, and Halley discovers that she and Macon have the same physical education class period. They begin flirting with one another, and it becomes clear that Macon is interested in Halley as well. While Halley’s interest in Macon grows, she becomes more distant from her parents. She stops spending Friday evenings with her parents and the Vaughns, her parents’ best friends and whose son, Noah, is Halley’s ex-boyfriend. This causes increasing tension between Halley and her mother. Macon asks Halley out for the first time in October, and she convinces Scarlett to go to the party with her. While at the party, Halley and Scarlett do not see Macon, and they leave early.

When they get back to Scarlett’s house, Halley sees Macon standing outside her bedroom window across the street, and he tells her that he was looking for her at the party. They kiss for the first time, and Halley feels herself changing into a different person. The next morning, Halley’s parents expect her to mow the lawn, and she is only able to begin the job before Macon drives by in a truck belonging to the landscape company he works for. He offers to mow the lawn for her, which frustrates her mother because it is Halley’s responsibility to mow the lawn. This is the first time that Halley’s mother meets Macon, and she feels unsure about him.

Also in October, Scarlett discovers that she is pregnant. Halley helps her process the news, and they devise a plan to tell Scarlett’s mother, Marion, who was also a young single mother. Marion insists that Scarlett schedule an abortion for that Friday. On the day of the scheduled appointment, Scarlett calls Halley at school and tells her that she cannot go through with the procedure, begging Halley to come and get her. Halley asks Macon to drive her to the clinic, where they pick Scarlett up and spend the rest of the day skipping school.

When Halley arrives home, her mother reveals that she saw Halley, Macon, and Scarlett while she was out that morning. Julia reveals that she has also called to inform Marion, which indicates to Halley that Marion now knows that Scarlett did not go through with the abortion. Julia punishes Halley, grounding her except for the next evening, which is her scheduled birthday dinner with Scarlett and the Vaughns. Marion calls Julia, and Julia goes over to Scarlett’s house to speak with her and her mother, learning about the pregnancy in the process. When she returns, she reiterates that Halley’s punishment stands but says that she understands why they skipped school. She reveals that Marion has agreed to let Scarlett go through with the pregnancy, although she is pushing for Scarlett to give the baby up for adoption. Julia expresses hurt that Halley did not tell her that Macon is her boyfriend and that she had to learn it from Scarlett’s mother.

The night of Halley’s birthday, Macon asks her to sneak out with him, and he drives her to a nearby lake. He leads her to the top of the dam, and as they kiss in the precarious spot, Halley can feel herself completely letting go of the girl she was at the beginning of the summer, fully stepping into this new version of herself.

Halley’s mother still does not approve of her relationship with Macon but becomes preoccupied with her own mother’s worsening health concerns. Their conflict comes to a head one night when Halley returns home well after curfew, having lied to her parents that she was at Scarlett’s house. Over dinner a few nights later, Halley’s mother tells her that she is forbidden from seeing Macon anymore, which only pushes Halley further away from her mother, as Halley has no plans to break up with Macon, deciding to hide their relationship instead.

When they return home from dinner, Halley’s father informs them that Grandma Halley (Julia’s mother) has suffered injuries following a fall, and Julia immediately makes plans to go to Buffalo to stay with her. While her mother is away, Halley invites Macon over one night while her father is working late. Halley invites him up to her bedroom and can tell that he wants to have sex with her, but Halley does not feel ready yet. She can tell that Macon’s patience is dwindling and knows that she will have to have sex with him soon or else risk losing Macon. Halley and her father drive to Buffalo to spend Thanksgiving with Grandma Halley. Grandma Halley does not immediately recognize Halley, and this emphasizes to Halley how much she is changing.

As the Christmas holiday approaches, Halley spends less time with Macon and can feel the distance between them growing. He gives her a silver ring as a gift on Christmas Eve while her parents are at a party, and Halley tells him that she wants to spend the night with him on New Year’s Eve, hoping that he understands what she means. Even though she has made up her mind to have sex, Halley feels uneasy about her decision. Scarlett calls across the street to Halley, and she rushes over, feeling Scarlett’s baby kick for the first time.

On New Year’s Eve, Halley lies to her mother and tells her that she is spending the night at Scarlett’s. When she goes over to Scarlett’s to get ready for the party that she and Macon plan to attend, they argue about whether Halley should have sex with Macon. Scarlett thinks that Halley should wait since Macon has not told her that he loves her. Halley leaves in anger, telling Scarlett that she cannot dispense advice because of her own mistakes.

At the party, Macon leads her to the back room. A guy, Ronnie, and their classmate, Elizabeth, greet them, and they all smoke marijuana and drink. Halley smokes for the first time and feels dizzy and disoriented. Elizabeth and Ronnie leave, and Macon tries to have sex with Halley, but she becomes sick, running out of the room and throwing up in the nearby woods. Halley asks Macon to drive her home but is angry with her, driving erratically and over the speed limit. They get into an accident, and Halley ends up in the hospital.

From the hospital, she calls Scarlett, who rushes over but reveals that Macon has not come to the hospital to check on Halley. Her parents arrive as well, relieved that Halley is okay but also angry with her for lying about her whereabouts. Later that week, Halley recuperates at home, and Macon comes by at night to see her, but Halley now understands that she deserves a better relationship than what Macon is willing to offer her. She tells him that their relationship is over. When she goes back inside, her mother is waiting, assuming that Halley has snuck out to see Macon to resume their relationship. They begin to argue, but Halley tells her mother that she has to trust her to make mistakes, which will help her learn to make better decisions. Halley’s mother listens to her, and their relationship begins to improve over the next few months.

In May, Scarlett’s due date has almost arrived, and Halley attends prom with her; her ex-boyfriend, Noah; and Scarlett’s friend Cameron. Scarlett goes into labor at prom, and Macon offers to give them a ride to the hospital. Halley becomes overwhelmed, calling her mother. Her mother comes to the hospital, and together they help Scarlett through the birthing process. Scarlett gives birth to a baby girl, whom she names Grace Halley. Following the birth, Halley walks home alone, thinking about baby Grace’s future and all the things she hopes for her. She hopes that Grace will inherit the best qualities of the people around her who love her.