Book Club Discussion Questions

Feisty Family Values

1. What makes Regina so nasty?
2. Do you think the voice in Regina’s head is really her mother?
3. Why do you think Liddy broke Tad’s arm?
4. Is there anything redeemable about Liddy before she dies?
5. When was the pivotal point for Annabelle, where she found the courage to stand up for herself?
6. Why do you think Joe is so afraid of death and cancer in particular?
7. Do you think Tillie is the right one for Joe, or would Regina or Annabelle be a better match?
8. If you were Tillie could you forgive Regina for keeping secrets from her?
9. What do you think will happen to Annabelle and kids?
10. Do you think Regina and Sam will marry?
11. Is the Riverside setting vivid? Do you get a true sense of place from the book?
12. What do you think is the central theme(s) in the book?

Patchwork Family

1. Was Annabelle's heart attack a blessing in disguise? How has her illness and the results impacted all the family members?
2. When Megan is hit by Miles' car, Peggy struggles with her feelings about him. Would you be able about to trust him behind the wheel again?
3. Have you ever had an accident where someone else was hurt in the process?
4. If you had been frightened and abused like Tad would you be able to forgive those that inflicted the pain?
5. Why do you think Regina is so reluctant to marry Sam?
6. Do you think Tom has truly changed?
7. If someone in your family acted like Tom in the past, would you be able to love and forgive them now?
8. What do you think are the central themes is this story? (Besides, families are messy and stuff happens.)

Feisty Family and Friends

1. How would you handle it if you had a life threatening illness that wouldn't go away? Would you try every treatment, no matter how experimental? Or would you enjoy your last days to the fullest?
2. Regina's loss of her first pet, Sugar Bear, was a devastating blow. How do you handle the short lives of our fur babies?
3. Rescuing Journey and her puppies brought more than just chaos into Regina and Sam's lives. Did this arrival work for you as a reader?
4. Peggy's Pantry has been successful over the years, regardless of the young age of it's owner. Now that nature has taken it from Peggy and the others that work there, will this be a new opportunity to change things or would you start something new?
5. Do you remember your first love? Megan is feeling it for the first time and while it is exciting, there's more to it than new love. What did you think about how Tony handled Carla?
6. What would you have done if you were Megan?
7. Peggy realizes that she's smarter than she gave herself credit for and contemplates a different path. Do agree with the risk she is taking or should she stick with the path she knows?
8. What do you think is the over arching theme of this story?

Your Every Move

1. Amanda is young and naive. How would you feel if your parents decided to move away and leave you?
2. What role has Aunt Faye taken in Amanda's life?
3. Andrew has lived next door to Faye for years and watched Amanda grow up. He and his cousin Mitch played with her when she was young. Now that they are young adults how do you think their relationships have changed? And are those changes for the better?
4. Sarah and Amanda have been BFF's since they were small. Even so there is some jealously between the friends on several levels, not just boys. Where to you see the girls at cross purposes and were you surprised how their relationship changed over the course of the story?
5. Amanda falls deeply in love with Mitch, how do you think he feels about her?
6. When Amanda is attacked do you think Andrew was justified in his reaction to Mitch?
7. Did Mitch do the right thing by leaving?
8. There are several young men in Amanda's life. Were you sure who the stalker was or did your opinion change as the story went along? Were you surprised?
9. What would you do if you found someone lurking in the shadows everywhere you went?
10. When Amanda's baby is born she finds a renewed strength and optimism. She wants to continue school and with the help of Aunt Faye, Andrew and Sarah she does. What would you do if nasty notes began to appear?
11. Did the betrayal come as a shock?
12. Do you think there is a future of Amanda, Mitch and little BJ?