Book Clubbin’: 7 Discussion Questions for ‘It Starts with Us’ by Colleen Hoover

Posted on November 24, 2022 by Kylie Conner

Our Book Clubbin’ blog feature is back and this time we’re diving into the super-hyped and highly anticipated sequel to It Ends with Us – It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover.

In this latest listen from Hoover, we pick up where we left off in It Ends with Us where Lily runs into her childhood love, Atlas, as she settles into a co-parenting routine with Ryle. Even though Atlas and Lily think the timing could be right this time around, Ryle is still very much involved in her and her daughter’s lives. Switching between Lily and Atlas’ perspectives, It Starts with Us reveals more about Atlas’s past and follows Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband.

Colleen Hoover is back with another emotional listen that is sure to have you reaching for the tissues, so if you’re on the CoHo train and have also picked up It Starts with Us for your book club this month, then keep reading for our discussion questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!—————

1) What is your interpretation of the title It Starts with Us?

2) Do you think that this listen focused too much on new characters rather than Atlas and Lily’s relationship?

3) Lily wrote letters to Ellen in It Ends with Us. Do you think the letters to Ellen were necessary to highlight in this sequel?

4) Do you think Marshall made the right decision to stay with Allysa after she had cheated on him?

5) Did Ryle’s portrayal in It Starts with Us change your opinion of him at all?

6) How did It Starts with Us live up to what you expected for this highly anticipated sequel?

7) Do you think that Lily, Atlas, and Ryle could all make co-parenting together work in the future?

Looking for Book Recommendations?

• Here are the audiobooks our members have been loving, along with our staff picks that we’ve been championing.

• Looking to share your love of books? Our handy Book Clubbin’ questions make it super easy to start a book club. Or, Netflix n’ buddy-read with this year’s book-to-screen adaptations (just be prepared for the perennial debate: is the book better than the movie/show?).

• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.

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Book Clubbin’: 8 Discussion Questions for ‘The Paris Apartment’ by Lucy Foley

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Kylie Conner

Our Book Clubbin’ blog feature is back and this time we’re getting immersed in a highly anticipated listen from the bestselling author of The Hunting Party and The Guest List. We’re chatting about The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.

In this latest listen from Foley, we follow Jess as she leaves her job and travels to Paris where she plans to stay with her brother, Ben, while she figures out what’s next. When she arrives, Ben is nowhere to be found. She begins looking into his disappearance and as she uncovers more about her brother, the apartment he lives in, and its residents she is sent on a frenzied path to discovery of the truth.

The Paris Apartment is a dark and twisty mystery/thriller listen that will keep you guessing until the very end. If you and your book club are getting lost in The Paris Apartment this month, then keep keep reading for our discussion questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!—————

1) Did you feel like you were racing to the end of this listen or was it more of a slow burn?

2) Discuss the importance of wealth throughout this story. How does Jess compare to the other residents of the apartment building?

3) Did you notice any other prevalent themes throughout this listen?

4) Even though this listen is set in the bustling city of Paris, the apartment still feels very isolated. How do you think that contributes to the story?

5) Would you have preferred to have the story told solely told from Jess’ perspective?

6) Which character/neighbor were you most suspicious of before the final twist was revealed?

7) How do you think Jess and Ben’s relationship changed after this experience? What about the other characters?

8) If you’ve read The Guest List or The Hunting Party by Foley, how do you think The Paris Apartment differs from those listens?

Looking for Book Recommendations?

• Here are the audiobooks our members have been loving, along with our staff picks that we’ve been championing.

• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.

Book Clubbin’: 10 Discussion Questions for ‘The Hush’ by Sara Foster

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Lena Yang

Our Book Clubbin’ blog feature has returned and this time we’re diving into a pulse-pounding new thriller from the bestselling author of You Don’t Know Me. Learn all about this gripping listen in the special shoutout video below from author Sara Foster!

Keep reading for our discussion questions. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!—————

1) Which character in The Hush did you relate to the most and why?

2) How do the female characters fit into your ideas and definitions of feminism?

3) The author envisages a world just a few steps away from our own. How do you feel about the world she portrays? How does or doesn’t it intersect with your own ideas about where the world might be in five or ten years? Were there any real-life parallels in this near-future world that stood out to you?

4) What do you think of Emma and Lainey’s relationship? How does it compare to your idea of a typical mother-daughter relationship?

5) Discuss the attitudes of those who work in Whitehaven Hospital, the way the expectant mothers are treated, and the different ways the nurses try to support the mothers. Where do your sympathies lie?

6) The three generations of women who are central to the story — Geraldine, Emma, and Lainey — are all mothers and daughters. How do you think their experience of being a daughter has shaped (or will shape) their ideas of motherhood?

7) Novels about women’s disparate identities and experiences are very popular right now. Discuss how The Hush compares and contrasts to other books that explore similar themes.

8) In the scenes at Horcombe House the author has included lots of fairytale symbolism. Did you spot any, and why do you think the author chose to put them here?

9) “The system that supports you can also be used to control you,” says Geraldine to Emma as they work to get Lainey back. What do you think of Geraldine’s worldview as presented in the novel? How do you think it compares to Emma and Lainey’s ideas about the world?

10) What do you imagine happens after the endpoint of the novel? How did it leave you feeling about the future for this group of women?

Looking for Book Recommendations?

• Here are the audiobooks our members have been loving, along with our staff picks that we’ve been championing.

• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.

Book Clubbin’: 8 Discussion Questions for ‘It Ends With Us’ by Colleen Hoover

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Kylie Conner

It’s that time again! Our Book Clubbin’ feature is back to bring you some conversation sparking questions for your next book club meeting. Whether you and your friends have planned a full night to chat this month’s pick through, or you’ve got a virtual meeting in your calendar, these questions will keep the conversation going!

This time around we’ve chosen It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. If you haven’t heard of Colleen Hoover yet, then chances are, you’re not as deep into #BookTok as we are over here (guilty!). Hoover’s titles have been blowing up on TikTok over the last year, and have also seen some time climbing the New York Times bestsellers list.

In It Ends With Us, we follow Lily, who didn’t have the easiest time growing up, but now she has moved out on her own and started her own business. Then, she meets the handsome neurosurgeon, Ryle, who seems too good to be true. Ryle’s fear of commitment worries Lily more and more as she continues to fall for him and in the meantime, she’s started reminiscing about Atlas—her first love and a link to her past.

If your book club has decided to see what all the hype is about and have chosen It Ends With Us for your next read, then you’re in luck! Keep reading for our discussion questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!—————

1) What did you think about the format of Lily reading her letters to Ellen DeGeneres?

2) Lily grew up witnessing an abusive relationship, how do you think this affected her relationships in the future?

3) Why do you think Lily continued to help Atlas when they were kids despite the judgement from her family and friends?

4) How did Lily’s relationship with Atlas differ than her relationship with Ryle? How did each help her grow as a person?

5) After reconnecting with Atlas, why do you think Lily agrees to marry Ryle despite the anger he’s displayed?

6) Did Hoover portray Ryle in a way that made you empathize with him despite his actions?

7) What would you have done if you were in Lily’s situation? Do you agree with the decision she made?

8) Why do you think Hoover titled this book, It Ends With Us?

Looking for Book Recommendations?

• Here are the audiobooks our members have been loving, along with our staff picks that we’ve been championing.

• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.

Book Clubbin’: 8 Discussion Questions for ‘Apples Never Fall’ by Liane Moriarty

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Kylie Conner

We’re back with our Book Clubbin’ blog feature where we provide you with some questions that you can take to your next book club meeting and spark some great conversations. Whether your book club is meeting virtually or in-person, these discussion questions are sure to get the conversation going!

Today’s pick is the latest release from Liane Moriarty, author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers. Since both of those titles were widely popular and were adapted into completely addictive TV series (I would know, I’ve binge-watched them both), we just had to jump into Apples Never Fall.

In Apples Never Fall, Stan and Joy Delaney have just sold their tennis academy, all of their children are grown and moved out, and Stan and Joy are ready to start the next chapter of their lives. Then, one night, a stranger shows up on their doorstep covered in blood. The Delaney’s offer her their assistance. Shortly after this, both the stranger and Joy go missing and are presumed to have been killed. Stan is the main suspect. The Delaney’s four children are divided on what they believe happened—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.

If your book club is picking up Apples Never Fall this month and you’re in need of some discussion questions, we’ve got you covered! Keep reading for our discussion questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!—————

1) Would you have offered shelter to Savannah as Joy and Stan did when she showed up on their doorstep?

2) Do you think Stan and the four kids appreciated Joy before she went missing?

3) Why do you think there was such a divide between the kids who believed their father’s innocence and those that did not?

4) Moriarty has said that the mystery part of this book was inspired by the true crime podcasts she’d been listening to. Do you think Joy’s disappearance felt more real because of this?

5) The timeline in the past is told from the perspectives of different family members. Which family member’s point of view did you enjoy listening to the most?

6) According to Stan, none of his kids had what it took to go all the way in tennis. How do you think tennis played a part in the relationship between the Delaney family?

7) Do you wish that Moriarty had spent more time on the mystery aspect of this listen rather than the family dynamics?

8) If Apples Never Fall is made into a TV series like Moriarty’s other books, who do you think each family member would be cast as?

Looking for Book Recommendations?

• Here are the audiobooks our members have been loving, along with our staff picks that we’ve been championing.

• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.

Book Clubbin’: 10 Discussion Questions for ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ by Laura Dave

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Kylie Conner

Welcome back to our Book Clubbin’ feature where we set you up with some book discussion questions to either ponder on your own or to take to your next book club. As certain areas begin to open up and you can visit with friends again, now is the perfect time to plan your next book club. If not, Zoom book clubs are still all the rage. Plus, then your long distance friends can join in on the conversation.

This month we decided to dive into Reese Witherspoon’s recent Hello Sunshine Book Club pick, The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave!

Before Owen Michaels disappears, he leaves a note for his wife, Hannah, that simply says: Protect her. Hannah knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. As Hannah’s confusion and panic rise, the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, and a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

If you’ve recently read or listened to The Last Thing He Told Me and could not put it down (trust us, we couldn’t either), then we’ve got some book club questions to spark some great discussions! Keep reading for our discussion questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!————

1) Why do you think Owen hid his past from Hannah and Bailey?

2) Owen could have left any message for Hannah, why do you think he chose, “Protect her?”

3) We find out that Hannah’s mother left her when she was a child. How does her relationship with her mother compare to Bailey’s?

4) Did you have any suspicions for why Owen disappeared? Were you surprised by the reveal?

5) Owen left some clues about his past, do you think that he wanted Hannah and Bailey to investigate and uncover why he had to disappear?

6) What did you think of Hannah and Bailey’s relationship? Was it an authentic depiction of a step-mom and step-daughter relationship?

7) Considering Owen and his disappearance are both a huge part of this book, did you feel satisfied only getting glimpses of what he was like through flashbacks?

8) Do you believe it was fair of Owen to leave Hannah to care for his daughter by herself without ever discussing this with her?

9) Do you think Hannah made the right decision when she chose for her and Bailey to not to go into witness protection with Owen?

10) Do you think there will every be an opportunity for Owen to reunite with Hannah and Bailey?

Looking for Book Recommendations?

• Here are the audiobooks our members have been loving, along with our staff picks that we’ve been championing.

• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.