The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Hoover, Colleen. Heart Bones. Atria Books, October 4, 2022. Kindle.

In the romance Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover, Samson Bennett assures Beyah Grim that hearts cannot really break because they do not have bones. Beyah met Samson only because she came to live with her father in Texas after her mother died of a drug overdose, but she has never met anyone who has accepted her despite her background. Even though Beyah and Samson have agreed to keep their tentative relationship in the “shallow end” Beyah falls madly in love with him. When Beyah learns the secrets that Samson has been harboring about his past, she is determined to love and support him like he has loved and supported her.

Nineteen-year-old Beyah arrives home from her job at a fast-food restaurant to discover her mother, Janean, dead of a drug overdose. The needle is still in her arm. Moments after the coroner has removed Janean’s body, Beyah’s landlord presents her with a letter of eviction. Beyah has no choice but to contact her father and ask if she can spend the summer with him. Even though Beyah has not told anyone, she has been awarded a full volleyball scholarship from Penn State. Beyah figures she can handle staying with her father until time for college to start.

When Beyah reconnects with her father, Brian Grim, she learns he has married a rich woman named Alana. Beyah and her father will be staying in Alana’s summer house on the beach. Beyah expects the summer to be painful because she has never had good experiences with wealthy people. She expects Alana’s daughter, Sara, to be rich and spoiled. However, she soon discovers the opposite is true. Beyah also learns that Samson, a man she became acquainted with on the ferry, is not who she thought he was.

When Beyah caught Samson snapping pictures of her as she stood at the rail of the ferry, she was uncomfortable with his attention. He cornered her later, handing her a twenty-dollar bill. Beyah threw the bill back at him, believing that he was trying to pay her for sex.

Samson turns out to be friends with Sara and Marcos. Since Marcos is Sara's boyfriend, it is impossible for Beyah to ignore Samson or her growing attraction to him. Samson is oddly quiet about his personal life. He claims that he will be leaving to join the Air Force at the same time that Beyah will be leaving for college. He wants to end the summer as friends but not pursue a relationship after that. He promises Beyah that he will tell the truth about himself the day before she leaves for college.

The first night that Beyah spends the night with Samson things spiral out of control when Samson is arrested. He had been living in the house next door to Beyah’s house without the owner’s permission. He is charged with breaking and entering as well as a parole violation. Additionally, there is a warrant for arson. Beyah also learns that both Samson’s parents are dead. His father, Rake, was killed during Hurricane Ike when Samson was 13 years old. Samson had been on his own since then. Beyah believes Samson committed his crimes because he had no other choice. In spite of the fact her family members have decided that Samson is no longer worthy of her, Beyah is determined to fight with him.

Samson is found guilty of his crimes and sentenced to serve six years in jail for the arson charge. Beyah goes on to college and decides to become a lawyer to help people like Samson. When Samson is released on parole four years later, Beyah is waiting for him in the parking lot. After Samson confirms that Beyah went to college as he asked her to do, he runs to her and kisses her.