And finally, thank you to all my girlfriends. My insides. My support networks. My pillars of wisdom. My walks around the park. My senders of eight-minute-long voice notes. My mirrors. The funniest, most brilliant, bravest women in the world. Rachel, Emily, Emma, Lisa, Becky, LorLor, Ruth, Sara, Tanya, Lucy, Katie, Krystal, Alywyn, Sam, Nina, Claire, Sophie, Louie, Alexia, Christi and everyone else who has brought nothing but pure joy and solidarity into my life. I adore you all, forever.

Discussion Questions

1. Knowing what you do by the end of the book, was Jessica a good friend to Fern? Was Fern a good friend to Jessica? Can you be a good friend while keeping your own secrets?
2. How do the friendships portrayed among the boys in the book operate differently from the friendships among the girls? Is that difference true to life? Why do you think that is?
3. How has culture shifted since the early 2000s, when Fern and Jessica were in high school? Are the things accepted as normal then called out more now? If so, how?
4. Friendships among girls and women are often portrayed as complicated and fraught. In your own experience, what challenges are presented by friendships among young women, and are those challenges resolved as you grow into adulthood?
5. Fern and Jessica each go through long processes of recognizing and addressing the traumas they experienced in their youths. Is it normal to see the events of the past differently through the lens of age and experience? Are there stories from your own past that you see differently now than you did when they occurred?
6. When we meet Fern, she’s working toward becoming a therapist, while still dealing with her own issues. Do you think she’ll be an effective therapist? Why or why not?

Booklist

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