1. Cassie and Zoe are very close in age but could not be more different women. Music, though, is their common ground; it’s what brings them together --- and ultimately drives them apart. Compare and contrast these two characters. How do they help each other? How do they hurt each other? What do they learn from each other?

2. Zoe misleads Cassie about a crucial truth about Russell, a deception that contributes to Cassie’s guilt and estrangement from society. Do you think what Zoe did is forgivable? How would you react if you were in Cassie’s shoes? What do you think the future holds for these sisters?

3. The novel is set primarily in rural Alaska and suburban Pennsylvania/New Jersey. In what ways do these locations contribute to the story? How do they frame the main characters’ respective worlds --- both internally and externally? How do you think their stories might differ if the settings were not as drastically disparate?

4. Janice’s perspective allows us to see a different side of the sisters’ home life from when they were growing up. In what ways does this viewpoint provide a deeper understanding of the women Zoe and Cassie ultimately become --- and how they treat one another? Do you think a mother’s attitude toward her child can have a lasting impact? Do you sympathize with Janice’s attitudes and actions when she was a young mother?

5. Do you think Zoe’s parenting style reflects Janice’s parenting style? Discuss the different models of motherhood in the book and the various mother-daughter relationships.

6. Cherry is a passionate and driven teenager who lies to her mother and stepfather to get what she wants. Do you find her actions understandable? Do you think the traumas she experienced at home had an impact on the path she ultimately followed? What are your hopes for Cherry’s future?

7. The novel explores fame and the impact it has on an individual. Discuss the ways in which fame changed Zoe and Cassie’s lives. What was gained, and what was lost? How does the model of fame portrayed in their 2000s narrative compare to what Cherry experiences in the present-day narrative? Has it gotten any easier for a woman to be famous as a performer?

8. The 2000s is often referred to as the Golden Age of Pop Music. What did you learn about the music industry during this period? What surprised you? After reading the Griffin Sisters’ journey as pop stars, would you characterize this period of time as a “Golden” age? Why or why not?

9. Forgiveness is a major theme in the book. In what ways are the characters able to resolve their conflicts --- both internally and externally? In what ways are they unable to move on from past transgressions?

10. A large portion of the novel is set in the early 2000s, portraying an American culture and society of the recent past. In what ways have our society’s view of women and body image evolved in the past 20 years? In what ways have they stayed the same? Were you shocked by any of the dialogue or viewpoints that the author represented to maintain authenticity for 2000s culture?