Colleen Hover's Reminders of Him is set to be pushed to the forefront on the big screen, chronicling a story of redemption, forgiveness, and romance. Based on Hover's 2022 novel of the same name, Reminders of Him follows the story of Kenna Rowan, who was sent to prison following the death of her boyfriend in a drunk-driving accident. Upon returning to her hometown, Kenna must navigate a new normal by trying to regain custody of her daughter while unexpectedly finding new love.
Directed by Vanessa Caswill with a screenplay written by Hoover and Lauren Levine, Reminders of Him stars Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Graham, and Bradley Whitford. The movie is set to premiere in theaters on March 13, 2026.
Every Major Spoiler for Reminders of Him, According to the Book
Kenna & Scotty’s Car Crash & Kenna's Prison Sentence
Reminders of Him began with a tragedy after a pair of longtime lovers, Scotty and Kenna, were involved in a drunk driving accident. While Kenna was able to survive, Scotty tragically died during the incident, with Kenna being blamed for his death. Even though it wasn’t her fault, Kenna pleaded guilty, with Kenna pointing out that she "definitely killed him with [her] inaction:"
“I may not have killed him with my actions, but I definitely killed him with my inaction.”
Kenna pleaded guilty for involuntary manslaughter, but little did she know, that she was actually pregnant with Scotty's baby. She later gave birth to their daughter, Diem, but she was given to Scotty's parents while she was in prison.
At the 0:45 mark of the trailer, Maika Monroe's Kenna can be seen being sentenced to prison, indicating that the movie will be faithful to the book.
After spending five years in prison, she decided to move back to Scotty's hometown, explaining that she'd rather be in "the town that holds all the people once connected to Scotty." However, she had been trying to get custody of Diem, but Scotty's parents didn't want to give her daughter back to her because they were still angry over her part in their son's death.
Kenna's First Meeting with Ledger
Reminders of Him also introduced Ledger Ward, a charismatic bar owner and a former NFL player who became Kenna's unexpected lover who has surprising ties to Scotty's past. At the 1:09 mark of the trailer, Kenna and Ledger's first meeting was highlighted, showing the two future lovers who will eventually uncover a secret tied to Scotty.
Sparks flew between Kenna and Ledger, and they eventually hooked up. However, Kenna lied about her true identity and she introduced herself as Nicole instead. Still thinking about Scotty, Kenna remembered that she was supposed to meet his bestfriend during the night that he told her that he loved her, but it didn't happen. Kenna soon realized that Scotty's best friend was actually Ledger, and she later pushed back because she clearly had feelings for her dead boyfriend.
Ledger eventually found out Kenna's true identity, and he confronted her on why she returned to the town in the first place. While they had an initial ugly confrontation due to Kenna's growing desperation to reach her daughter, they eventually fell in love, but it was difficult due to the animosity felt by Scotty's parents toward her.
The Landrys' Hatred Toward Kenna & Eventual Confrontation with Ledger
The Landrys (Patrick and Grace - who are Scotty's parents) had custody of Diem (Kenna and Scotty's daughter), and they were hesitant to give her back to Kenna because they were still blaming her for their son's death. What made it complicated for Kenna is the fact that Ledger spent a ton of time with Diem as her adoptive uncle.
They started fighting for custody the day they learned that Kenna was pregnant. Kenna eventually lost the custody battle before her daughter was born, mainly because there weren't many rights a mother has when she was sentenced to several years in prison.
Upon her release, Kenna's only sliver of hope was to cling on the possibility that the Landrys would forgive her, with her praying that time would heal the wounds while assuming that they would eventually realize that Diem would need her mom in her life.
The animosity toward Kenna didn't start after the accident. At the 0:27 mark of the trailer, it appeared to show the first meeting between Kenna and Scotty's parents. While the footage didn't show much of it, the book confirmed that this moment was crucial to the Landrys' hatred toward her.
Even before the incident, the Landrys seemed to hate Kenna because they never really saw her as someone who would be part of their son's future. The accident only made it worse. At the 2:03 mark of the trailer, Kenna's desperation to see her daughter took a toll because she was seen chasing Grace and Diem in the parking lot of her workplace.
While the Landrys and Ledger were close, it all changed when Patrick found out that Ledger had been secretly seeing Kenna. At the 2:09 mark of the trailer, Patrick can be seen punching Ledger, with him furious over his "betrayal."
In the book, this confrontation was fueled by hatred and disappointment since Patrick pointed out that Ledger is making them feel guilty for a choice they made for Diem and Scotty five years ago.
However, Ledger stood his ground and aligned himself with Kenna because he found out the truth about the accident. It turned out that Kenna didn't leave Scotty to die like they'd previously believed and what truly happened was truly an accident. Ledger showed the Landrys a letter that Kenna wrote, proving how much she loved Scotty and her daughter, Diem.
The Truth Behind the Accident
The official trailer for Reminders for Him provided fans with glimpses of the accident that took Scotty's life, showing the crash and how Kenna left the scene to ask for help. In the book, it was revealed that Kenna believed Scotty was dead, but she later learned that he had been alive for hours.
If only Kenna had known that Scotty was still alive, she wouldn't have not left the scene to find help. What made it worse was the fact that she had been disoriented from her own injuries, and she eventually passed out when she got home.
Ledger found out the truth after Kenna gave him all of the details that happened during the accident. After learning what happened, Ledger felt terribly about how everyone treated Kenna, pointing out that no one really acknowledged that she lost someone important that night.
Cooler heads eventually prevailed when Ledger read Kenna's letters to Scotty in front of the Landrys, pointing out that she had been hurting just as much as all of them have in the past five years. He also noted that they were slowly killingher by "continuing to drag out her pain."
The final blow was perhaps his most impactful statement: the fact that they were keeping a mother from her child was the wrong move and Scotty (if he was alive) would be so mad at them if he found out.
Grace eventually came around and forgave Kenna while also giving her the ring that Scotty was supposed to give to her before proposing for marriage. She even admitted that everything was clear and her anger got away after reading her letter to Scotty. Grace also let Kenna meet Diem for the first time, much to Kenna's happiness and overwhelming gratitude. Patrick also came around and he hugged her so tight that both of them almost cried.
Kenna and Diem's first meeting was everything a mother would ask for, and it was perfect because Diem immediately accepted her.
The book ended with a flash forward to Kenna and Ledger's future. They ended up marrying each other and they have a son, whom they named after Scotty.
Read more about the plot breakdown of Regretting You, Colleen Hoover's other live-action adaptation.
