Summary, Characters and Themes

We Did Nothing Wrong is a gripping young adult thriller by Hannah Jayne that explores the psychological fallout of a missing person case set in a tightly wound suburban high school.

The story follows Lia, a seemingly ordinary teen whose world is upended when her best friend, Diana, vanishes under suspicious circumstances. As secrets begin to surface—particularly involving Lia’s hidden kiss with Diana’s boyfriend—the boundary between guilt and complicity becomes dangerously thin.

The novel unravels a tense, emotionally fraught narrative about trust, appearances, and the weight of silence, keeping readers guessing whether Lia is a victim, a witness, or something more.

Summary

Lia is a high school junior who plays bass in a local teen band. She often feels like a side character in her own life, especially when standing beside her dazzling best friend, Diana.

Diana is popular, radiant, and fresh off a win at the Miss Teen Empire Hill pageant. But beneath their picture-perfect friendship lies a complex dynamic.

Lia has long lived in Diana’s shadow and recently crossed a line that might destroy everything: she kissed Diana’s boyfriend, Eli, a fellow bandmate.

What starts as a small act of betrayal quickly snowballs into something far more ominous. After the pageant, Diana disappears.

At first, Lia brushes it off as one of Diana’s dramatic stunts. But that illusion doesn’t last long.

Diana misses a planned meetup. Her bed is untouched, her phone goes silent, and no one can reach her.

Lia tries to pretend it’s not serious. All the while, she hides the truth about the kiss and the strange rose left for her with the note “ALWAYS WATCHING YOU.”

As Diana’s absence stretches from hours into days, the atmosphere around Empire Hill High begins to shift. Police launch an investigation, and Lia finds herself lying to both the authorities and her own mother about what she knows.

The guilt eats at her, worsened by Eli’s increasingly suspicious behavior. He insists they keep quiet, hinting that the police might unfairly target him—and by association, her.

Lia is torn between trust and suspicion as she notices strange actions from Eli. One moment, he’s sweet; the next, evasive and cold.

She sees him discard a pair of earrings that belonged to Diana. The more she sees, the harder it becomes to deny that something is very wrong.

As Lia digs deeper, she finds herself alienated from her peers and haunted by nightmares. Social media becomes a weapon, spreading rumors and turning her into a suspect in the court of public opinion.

Diana’s cryptic social posts start appearing—cold, impersonal, and unlike her usual self. Lia becomes convinced someone else is posting them.

She believes the posts are meant to suggest Diana left of her own accord. But every detail tells her the truth is far darker.

The mystery around Diana intensifies when Lia discovers a necklace belonging to her, buried near their usual hangout spot in the park.

This find cements Lia’s belief that something terrible happened. And someone wants her to stay silent.

Throughout the investigation, Lia becomes obsessed with retracing Diana’s final steps. She is desperate for answers and consumed by guilt.

A classmate named Karin emerges as a potential key to the truth. She’s a former rival of Diana’s and knows more than she initially lets on.

But Lia doesn’t know who to trust. Everyone seems to be hiding something, including herself.

Tensions explode when Diana’s body is finally found in the woods. The investigation turns toward homicide, and suspicions swirl around Eli.

His charm, which once captivated both Diana and Lia, begins to unravel under scrutiny. Inconsistencies in his story and circumstantial evidence come to light.

The pieces start falling into place. They reveal a pattern of manipulation, secrecy, and exploitation.

Lia must reckon with how her own silence—driven by shame, fear, and love—may have helped enable a tragedy she can never undo.

By the time the story reaches its conclusion, Lia is left questioning everything she thought she knew. Her relationships, her choices, and even her sense of self feel shattered.

She understands that even small decisions can spiral into life-altering consequences. And sometimes, doing nothing can be the worst choice of all.

Characters 

Lia

Lia is the central character and narrator of the novel. Her psychological unraveling forms the core of the narrative.

At the start, she is portrayed as the “good girl”—reserved, supportive, and overshadowed by her best friend, Diana. However, as the story progresses, this exterior gives way to layers of insecurity, guilt, and suppressed envy.

Lia’s kiss with Eli, Diana’s boyfriend, is the initial crack in her moral armor. But it’s the subsequent secrecy and self-doubt that truly destabilize her.

She doesn’t just lie to protect herself—she lies because she’s caught between her guilt and a desperate need for connection. Even if that connection is with someone as toxic as Eli.

The fact that she begins to question her own sanity, feels stalked, and becomes obsessed with symbols like the rose and Diana’s jewelry showcases her descent into paranoia and anxiety.

Lia is not simply passive. She is wracked by internal conflict, tortured by her silence, and gradually pushed to the edge by a toxic mixture of remorse and fear.

Her ultimate realization—that withholding truth can be as damning as action—cements her tragic arc. She is a girl transformed by one bad decision and its horrifying consequences.

Diana

Diana, though missing for the majority of the novel, exerts a powerful influence over the plot and characters. She is depicted initially as the radiant queen bee: beautiful, social, ambitious, and idolized by many.

Her win at the Miss Teen Empire Hill pageant solidifies her public image. But the private Diana appears far more complicated.

Her friendship with Lia is built on years of shared history, yet it’s strained by unspoken competition. Especially for attention and validation.

Diana’s need to be the center of everything, including her boyfriend’s world and the school’s gaze, contrasts starkly with Lia’s more understated presence.

This dynamic turns toxic, suggesting that Diana may have wielded her charm manipulatively, even toward Lia. However, her mysterious disappearance and eventual death add a tragic dimension to her character.

She becomes a symbol not only of what was lost but also of how appearances—pageants, smiles, popularity—can mask deeper fractures.

Diana’s fate casts a long shadow over the narrative. It forces the reader to consider how envy, betrayal, and secrets fester beneath the surface of even the closest relationships.

Eli

Eli is the classic bad boyfriend wrapped in the charming guise of a bandmate and teenage heartthrob. At first glance, he is magnetic and desirable—he plays in a band, dates the pageant queen, and has an air of mystery.

But over time, he is revealed to be manipulative, dishonest, and ultimately dangerous. His relationship with Lia is defined by gaslighting and emotional exploitation.

He encourages her secrecy, preys on her guilt, and uses intimacy as a weapon to ensure her silence. Eli consistently changes his story, avoids the police, and subtly threatens Lia by painting himself as a victim who could easily be misunderstood.

This behavior escalates until it is impossible to see him as anything but predatory. His eventual arrest for Diana’s murder confirms that his manipulation wasn’t just emotional—it was part of a larger, more chilling reality.

Eli’s character underscores how someone who appears caring on the surface can be hiding dark motives. And how easily romantic relationships can become entangled with power, control, and violence.

Mrs. Rosemont (Lia’s Mother)

Lia’s mother serves as a figure of strained support and traditional parental concern. Her role is limited in page time but deeply symbolic.

She represents both the adult world Lia keeps secrets from and the conscience Lia ultimately returns to. Throughout the novel, Mrs. Rosemont is portrayed as someone trying to reach her daughter through increasing worry.

Yet she’s shut out by Lia’s lies and evasions. Her presence grows more significant as Lia begins to emotionally disintegrate.

It’s to her that Lia finally confesses the truth. This marks a pivotal shift in the story.

Mrs. Rosemont may not play a central role in the mystery, but her existence reminds readers of the emotional toll of adolescence. Parents, often helpless, are left on the periphery of their children’s crises.

She becomes a quiet but necessary anchor to reality. Especially as Lia spirals further into guilt and fear.

Karin

Karin is a minor but impactful character who introduces tension and suspicion into the social landscape of the novel. As a former pageant competitor, she exists in the same glamorous yet cutthroat world as Diana.

Her sudden interest in Diana’s disappearance, veiled hints, and strategic questions suggest that she might know more than she’s saying. Although never confirmed as a major suspect, Karin functions as a red herring and a narrative device.

She highlights the backstabbing nature of pageant culture. Her presence forces Lia to reevaluate how much she really knew about Diana and the people in their orbit.

Karin contributes to the theme of masks. Those around you may not be as innocent or ignorant as they appear.

The Police Investigators

Though unnamed and often faceless, the investigators act as an institutional force pressuring Lia toward truth. Their growing interest in her inconsistencies, their interviews with classmates, and their eventual pursuit of Eli add procedural weight to the mystery.

To Lia, they are not just law enforcement—they become symbols of the looming threat of exposure. Her interactions with them are tinged with fear, guilt, and the dread of losing control over her narrative.

While they eventually arrest Eli, their constant presence throughout the novel highlights the duality of justice. It can be redemptive, but it is also relentless in uncovering what people want to stay buried.

Themes 

Guilt and Moral Responsibility

The novel closely examines the psychological burden of guilt and the distinction between feeling guilty and being accountable. Lia’s internal conflict becomes the emotional center of the narrative.

After sharing a kiss with Eli—her best friend Diana’s boyfriend—Lia is immediately consumed by guilt. This guilt is amplified when Diana disappears and is ultimately found dead.

Though Lia did not directly harm Diana, her silence, her secrets, and her emotional entanglements make her question her own complicity. The novel shows how guilt can arise not only from action but from inaction, and how failing to speak up or intervene can leave a person morally compromised.

Lia’s journey is not just about uncovering the truth behind Diana’s disappearance. It’s also about facing the moral weight of her own decisions.

Even when she realizes that Eli is manipulating her and may have harmed Diana, she hesitates to act, caught in a web of fear and regret. Her eventual choice to tell the truth and reflect on her role shows that guilt, when faced head-on, can become a path to redemption.

However, the damage done is irreversible. The story suggests that ignoring your conscience, even briefly, can lead to far-reaching consequences, especially when others are counting on you to do what’s right.

The Complexity of Female Friendships

The dynamic between Lia and Diana explores the fraught, often contradictory nature of female friendships, especially during adolescence. From the beginning, their relationship is characterized by an imbalance—Diana is the extroverted, glamorous pageant queen, while Lia is the loyal, overlooked best friend.

Beneath their outward closeness lies a foundation of jealousy, competition, and unspoken resentment. Lia admires Diana but also resents being in her shadow.

Diana’s success and confidence make Lia feel small, yet Lia feels morally superior for being the “good girl.” These undercurrents become more visible as the story progresses.

The moment Lia kisses Eli, she crosses a line that fractures their bond forever. The betrayal cuts deeper not just because of the kiss, but because it confirms that the rivalry was never as dormant as it seemed.

The novel doesn’t depict their friendship in simple terms of good and bad. Instead, it shows how admiration and envy can coexist, how loyalty can be tainted by resentment, and how even deep friendships can crumble when honesty and respect are missing.

The story acts as a cautionary tale about the consequences of failing to acknowledge and communicate the complicated feelings that exist in close relationships.

The Dangers of Manipulation and Emotional Exploitation

Eli’s character serves as a chilling example of how easily emotional manipulation can occur, particularly when someone is vulnerable. He uses charm and affection to draw Lia into his orbit, preying on her insecurity and desire for validation.

After Diana’s disappearance, he capitalizes on Lia’s fear, guilt, and confusion, convincing her to stay quiet, to trust him, to believe that he is also a victim. His behavior escalates from subtle gaslighting—like downplaying their kiss or acting suspiciously detached—to direct emotional coercion, such as begging her not to involve the police.

The narrative demonstrates how manipulation often wears the disguise of love or protection. Abusers exploit moments of crisis to control others.

Lia’s arc is as much about escaping this emotional entrapment as it is about solving the mystery. Her initial silence stems not just from fear, but from a deep sense of being emotionally entangled with someone who she now realizes never truly cared for her.

The theme highlights how manipulation doesn’t always look monstrous. Sometimes, it comes with a smile, a compliment, or a kiss.

The consequences, however, are devastating. Lia learns that trusting someone who uses you for their own protection can destroy more than just your sense of safety—it can ruin lives.

Truth, Silence, and Consequences

Another central theme in the novel is the tension between truth and silence. The story shows how the decision to withhold the truth can spiral into irreversible consequences.

From the moment Lia chooses not to tell Diana about the kiss, she begins a pattern of withholding. She hides details from the police, from her mother, and even from herself.

At first, the silence is a defense mechanism—an attempt to protect herself, Eli, and the illusion of control. But as Diana’s disappearance grows more serious, the silence becomes a prison.

Lia is increasingly haunted by what she didn’t say and what she failed to do. As more clues emerge—like Diana’s earring and necklace—Lia begins to understand that silence can be as damning as a lie.

Her eventual choice to speak up is portrayed not as a triumph, but as a necessary reckoning. It is too late to undo the damage, but not too late to stop further harm.

The story illustrates that truth may hurt. But silence—when used to avoid responsibility—can become complicit in tragedy.

Public Perception and the Role of Social Media

In a digital age where identity and perception are often shaped online, the novel explores how quickly public opinion can shift. It also shows how destructive that shift can be.

When Diana disappears, the community’s initial sympathy quickly turns into suspicion. Rumors spread on social media, painting Lia as “the other girl” and Eli as the tragic boyfriend.

The sudden appearance of cryptic posts from Diana’s social accounts adds confusion and fuels speculation. Lia is caught in a maelstrom of digital judgment, shunned by classmates, labeled by strangers, and unable to defend herself.

The novel raises unsettling questions about who controls the narrative in a crisis. It also shows how easily the truth is drowned out by gossip and misinformation.

The theme highlights how social media often acts as judge and jury. It creates scapegoats out of the misunderstood and celebrities out of the manipulative.

In Lia’s case, her silence becomes her undoing not just personally, but publicly. The community sees her as guilty long before the police do.

The novel emphasizes that in the modern world, what you do matters. But what people think you’ve done can matter even more—especially when shaped by a public that thrives on scandal and speculation.