Get Lost with You Summary, Characters and Themes

Get Lost with You by Sophie Sullivan is a heartfelt contemporary romance set in the charming small town of Smile, Michigan. 

It follows Jillian Keller, a single mom and accountant, as she navigates the complexities of new love and old wounds. When Levi Bright, her childhood crush and the brother of her close friends, returns home after years away, their paths cross again in unexpected ways. With rich small-town vibes, emotional depth, and relatable characters, the novel explores themes of healing, second chances, and the courage it takes to open one’s heart again.

Summary

Jillian Keller has carefully crafted a stable life for herself and her daughter Ollie after a painful divorce. Living in Smile, Michigan, a town buzzing with community spirit and warm familiarity, Jillian’s routine is comfortable yet tinged with loneliness.

Her life takes a turn when she attends her high school reunion to support her vivacious best friend, Lainey. There, she unexpectedly runs into Levi Bright, a figure from her past who once held her heart.

Levi has returned to Smile after years of pursuing a career as a chef in the city. His return is partly motivated by family obligations, especially his ailing father, and partly by a desire to reconnect with his roots and reconsider what he truly wants in life.

The reunion sparks awkward yet electric interactions between Jillian and Levi, both guarded by past disappointments and personal fears.

As they begin to cross paths more often—whether through mutual friends, town events, or simple everyday mishaps—their initial tension slowly gives way to a tentative friendship. Jillian struggles with the scars left by her deceitful ex-husband, wary of risking her heart again.

Levi, meanwhile, wrestles with reconciling his ambitious dreams with the simplicity and warmth of Smile, and the possibility of a life with Jillian and Ollie.

The story beautifully captures the rhythm of small-town life, where neighbors gossip, relationships intertwine, and community events bring everyone together.

Levi’s reintegration into his family business and his efforts to support Jillian show his growing commitment beyond mere attraction. Jillian’s protective instincts over Ollie and her career ambitions add layers to her character, making her cautious but hopeful.

As their connection deepens, Jillian and Levi share moments of laughter, vulnerability, and quiet companionship—from awkward cooking sessions and yoga class collisions to heart-to-heart talks under the stars.

Yet, just as they begin to embrace the possibility of love, Jillian’s past resurfaces in the form of her ex-husband, Andrew, whose unexpected presence threatens the fragile trust they’ve built.

This complication forces Jillian to confront her fears and decide what kind of future she wants for herself and her daughter. The narrative explores the challenges of blending new love with past trauma, and the importance of community support in healing.

Throughout the book, the Get Lost Lodge, a local retreat, acts as a backdrop for many pivotal scenes, symbolizing both escape and the building of something new.

Family, friendship, and forgiveness weave through the story as Jillian and Levi navigate their evolving relationship amid the warmth and challenges of Smile.

As the story moves toward its conclusion, the romance blossoms alongside personal growth and renewed hope. While the tension escalates, the emotional journey emphasizes the courage it takes to trust again and the power of love to help people find their way home.

Characters

Jillian Keller

Jillian is a deeply relatable and complex protagonist. As a single mother and accountant living in the small town of Smile, Michigan, she embodies resilience and vulnerability simultaneously.

Jillian’s past—marked by a painful divorce from a deceitful ex—shapes much of her cautious approach to new relationships. She juggles the responsibilities of work and motherhood with grace, especially in caring for her daughter Ollie, which adds layers of protective instinct and emotional depth to her character.

Jillian’s growth throughout the story is evident as she moves from guarded skepticism about love toward tentative hope and openness. Her connection with Levi gradually chips away at her fears, revealing a woman who is ready to embrace happiness but mindful of the risks involved.

Her internal struggles with trust and self-worth make her a richly textured character who drives the emotional core of the narrative.

Levi Bright

Levi returns to Smile after pursuing a career as a chef elsewhere, carrying both ambition and the burden of family expectations. His character is marked by a strong desire to reconnect with his roots, especially as he deals with his father’s health and the family business.

Levi’s presence brings a sense of warmth and stability to the story, contrasting Jillian’s initial wariness. His approach to Jillian is gentle yet persistent, demonstrating emotional intelligence and patience.

Levi’s evolution is significant—from someone unsure about where he fits in to a man ready to build a future grounded in community and love. His bond with Ollie and his ability to navigate small-town dynamics reveal his loyalty and openness.

His romantic gestures, like the pergola surprise, underscore his sincerity and commitment.

Ollie

Though a child, Ollie’s role is crucial as both a motivator and emotional anchor for Jillian and Levi. She represents innocence and the hope for a stable, loving family environment.

Ollie’s gradual acceptance of Levi highlights the growing family unit’s authenticity and warmth. Her interactions, simple yet meaningful, often serve to deepen the readers’ emotional investment in the central relationship.

Lainey

Lainey is Jillian’s best friend and provides a vibrant, often humorous counterbalance to Jillian’s more serious and guarded nature. Her flamboyant personality and loyalty make her a beloved secondary character who injects energy and support into the story.

Lainey’s presence at the high school reunion, which serves as a catalyst for the story’s events, underscores her role as a catalyst for change and reconnection in Jillian’s life.

Andrew

As Jillian’s ex-husband, Andrew represents the past’s lingering shadows and unresolved emotional conflicts. His unexpected return stirs tension and fear, forcing Jillian to confront painful memories and the fragility of her new relationship.

Andrew’s character functions less as a villain and more as a symbol of the obstacles Jillian must overcome to fully embrace her present and future happiness.

Themes 

Exploration of Emotional Vulnerability as a Pathway to Healing and Self-Reclamation

Jillian’s story is steeped in the scars left by past betrayals and disappointments, yet her cautious openness to Levi represents a transformative reckoning with her guarded heart. The narrative portrays vulnerability not simply as exposing pain but as a deliberate dismantling of protective walls built from years of emotional defense.

This process is painstaking and fraught with setbacks, such as Jillian’s hesitation and moments of retreat, yet it ultimately facilitates genuine intimacy and trust. Levi’s parallel journey—returning to his roots and confronting his own uncertainties—complements this theme by highlighting that vulnerability is a mutual, reciprocal act essential for true connection.

Sullivan delves into how embracing vulnerability leads to self-reclamation: Jillian and Levi are not just healing individually but rebuilding their identities in tandem, discovering strength in the acceptance of their imperfections and histories.

Negotiation Between Personal Aspirations and Communal Roots in Small-Town Identity Formation

The book examines the tension and harmony between pursuing personal dreams and honoring one’s ties to community, especially within the microcosm of a small town like Smile, Michigan.

Levi’s return from a big-city culinary career to the intimate, interwoven social fabric of his hometown underscores a universal struggle: balancing ambition with belonging. His journey reveals how personal aspirations are not inherently at odds with communal identity but must be renegotiated through acceptance, compromise, and integration.

The novel portrays Smile not as a limiting backdrop but as a dynamic character itself—its traditions, gossip, and collective memory shaping and reflecting the protagonists’ internal conflicts.

This theme resonates deeply in Levi’s evolution, as he grapples with redefining success and fulfillment beyond career achievements, recognizing the value of legacy, family, and local connection. 

Similarly, Jillian’s life—anchored by motherhood, work, and community—embodies this negotiation, as she contemplates opening herself up to new love without sacrificing the stability she’s painstakingly built.

Through this lens, the story explores identity formation as a continual dialogue between selfhood and community, where roots ground growth.

Past Trauma and Present Trust in the Reconstruction of Intimate Relationships

Get Lost with You offers a sophisticated portrayal of how past trauma intricately shapes the possibilities and limitations of present love, especially in relationships emerging from previous heartbreak.

Jillian’s experiences with her ex-husband’s betrayal cast a long shadow that permeates her interactions with Levi, infusing their budding romance with an undercurrent of fear and caution. The narrative carefully dissects how trauma is neither erased nor forgotten but must be acknowledged and integrated into new relational frameworks.

The tension between wanting closeness and fearing vulnerability manifests in Jillian’s hesitations and Levi’s respectful patience, embodying the slow, fragile work of building trust anew.

This theme illuminates the idea that intimacy is not merely a moment of passion but a negotiated reconstruction of safety and reliability after emotional rupture. 

Sullivan portrays this reconstruction as nonlinear, with moments of progress interspersed with setbacks, reinforcing the realistic complexity of healing love.

Ultimately, the story suggests that true intimacy emerges not in spite of trauma but through the intentional, compassionate navigation of its legacy.

Intergenerational Influence and the Embodiment of Legacy as a Catalyst for Personal and Relational Transformation

Another theme is the influence of intergenerational dynamics and the way legacy—both familial and communal—serves as a catalyst for transformation.

The characters are deeply enmeshed in the histories of their families and the traditions of Smile, which shape their values, fears, and hopes.

Levi’s relationship with his father, rooted in pride and unspoken expectations, alongside Jillian’s role as a single mother determined to provide a secure future for Ollie, illustrates how generational legacies operate both as burdens and sources of strength.

The novel explores how acknowledging and reinterpreting these legacies can inspire growth and change. For instance, Levi’s work in his father’s construction business symbolizes a reconciliation with his roots, while his romantic gestures—like building the pergola—become metaphors for crafting new legacies of trust and love.

The community events, especially Founder’s Day, underscore the collective honoring of past generations while celebrating present bonds and futures.

Sullivan thus uses intergenerational ties as a thematic thread linking personal transformation to the broader continuum of family and community heritage