1. Piper has a very hard time asking for help. Is this something you have in common with her? Do you think men or women are more prone to not asking for help?
2. Piper loves keeping lists, even if she doesn’t always cross everything off them. Do you find to-do lists and journals helpful or harmful? What are the benefits? What are the downsides?
3. Gavin struggles with drug addiction. Is there someone in your life who has dealt with this? How did it affect you?
4. What did you think of the way Piper and her family handled Gavin’s situation? Would you have done anything differently?
5. Do you think Winnie was justified in lying to Piper about her pregnancy and dropping out of college? If not, how do you think she should have handled it?
6. Are there situations where you think lying is the right thing to do? How do you decide what those are?
7. Was Piper correct when she made the decision to sell the property without talking about it with her siblings?
8. How much of Cam’s decision to help Winnie and Gavin was influenced by the death of his brother?
9. Was Cam right to keep Winnie’s secrets? If you were Piper, would you have understood?

You’re My Honey Bun Muffins Recipe

In Almost Just Friends there’s a lot of talk about comfort food. That’s probably because comfort food has gotten my family through a lot over the years. It solves problems, eases the tension after family arguments, and brings people together in the kitchen, where good things always seem to happen even on a bad day.

You should know that for me and my family, comfort does not necessarily equal healthy. ☺ It means things like mac and cheese, cinnamon and sugar toast, and anything warm from the oven that includes butter.

In the story, our main character Piper doesn’t really cook. She’s actually downright bad at it. She leaves that for her brother, Gavin, who’s aces at it. But she can pull it together when she needs to. For instance, she’s really good at boiling hotdogs to chop up and put in Gavin’s homemade mac and cheese.

But I like to think that she could bake the heck out of a good muffin. And I’d like to think that if she could, she’d bake these You’re My Honey Bun Muffins (honey banana). It’s a recipe I got from an old friend a long time ago and have made a gazillion times for those trying days when you just need something warm and comforting. Give them a try. And think of Piper when you do . . . ☺

Things You’ll Need:

12-cup muffin pan

Nonstick cooking spray

½ cup (1 stick) butter

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey

1 egg

3 or 4 ripe bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract or black walnut extract

1½ cups self-rising flour