Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1 & Stranger Things: One Way or Another!There are still four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 left, but it’s the show’s latest book that solves a lingering Nancy Wheeler mystery. Caitlin Schneiderhan’s Stranger Things: One Way or Another serves as a Nancy-centric spinoff, set between seasons 4 and 5 within Stranger Things’ timeline. More specifically, the story focuses on a dangerous Hawkins conspiracy about two months after Vecna’s “earthquake.”
Stranger Things season 5 reveals what happened to Hawkins in the 18 months after Vecna opened the rifts throughout the town. One Way or Another, however, is closer to the immediate aftermath, as the book takes place about two months after Stranger Things season 4’s ending. It also fills some gaps in the story, including Nancy’s arc.
Stranger Things’ Nancy Spinoff Book Reveals Why She Didn’t Leave Hawkins To Go To College
Nancy in Stranger Things season 5Image via Netflix
Despite everything that the Hawkins group has been through, Nancy still has the goal of leaving the small Indiana town to pursue a journalism career. Her dream was to go to Emerson College in Boston, something that became a complicated subject between her and Jonathan in season 4. Interestingly, Nancy is still living in Hawkins by the events of season 5. Considering the season begins in early November 1987, Nancy would have been in college if all had gone as planned.
While Stranger Things season 5’s Volume 1 doesn’t explain what came of Nancy’s college plans, One Way or Another reveals why she’s still in Hawkins even after being accepted into her dream school. As explained in the book, Nancy decides to put her education and career plans on hold because she knows the fight against Vecna isn’t over yet.
With only a few months having passed, the entire town is still reeling from the “earthquake.” On a more personal level, the threat is still out there, which means her family and friends are still in danger. Season 5 confirms that Hopper led dozens of “crawls” to find Vecna, but Nancy, Robin, Jonathan, and Steve also carried out their own searches, according to the book. Without any kind of closure, Nancy understandably feels as if she has no real choice but to stay.
College Plans Are Still A Major Source Of Tension Between Nancy & Jonathan Before The Events Of Stranger Things Season 5
Charlie Heaton’s Jonathon and Natalia Dyer’s Nancy looking worried at something while in the Upside Down in Stranger Things season 5
In addition to Nancy, Robin and Jonathan also graduate from high school in the period between Stranger Things seasons 4 and 5. Whereas Robin finds a gig at the local Hawkins radio station as the replacement DJ, Jonathan’s future remains up in the air. One Way or Another adds more insight into the ongoing tension between Nancy and Jonathan while also following up on the secrecy regarding Jonathan’s college plans.
In the book, Jonathan finally tells Nancy that he’s not going to Boston with her in the fall. Instead, he’s staying in Hawkins to be with Joyce and Will, who still need a place to live after returning from California. Nancy is rightfully upset that Jonathan waited to share his decision, and she still wonders to herself if he ever had plans to go with her before everything with Vecna happened.
Nancy and Jonathan’s decisions to stay in Hawkins might not be surprising given what happened to Hawkins, but it’s Nancy who faces the bigger challenges regarding her choice. She struggles to explain the decision to her mom, Karen, who worries that her daughter is staying for Jonathan, which is similar to what Karen did with Ted.
Jonathan has the benefit of Joyce being clued into everything, while Nancy is forced to keep everything a secret until Karen and Ted are attacked by a Demogorgon. Granted, Nancy still has hopes of eventually leaving, but based on the fact that Stranger Things season 5 is set in the fall of 1987, we know that she’s still forced to put her future on hold.
Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 5 is now available on Netflix. Volume 2 will be released on December 25, followed by the series finale on December 31.
Release Date
November 26, 2025
Network
Netflix
Episodes
8