READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. Why on earth would Jenny Harris want to marry a guy like Dean? Do you know good women who fall in love with bad men? Or is Dean not as bad as he seems? Why do women stay with men like Dean, anyway?

2. Jenny has three men in her life: Dean, Gardner, and her dad. In
what ways are these guys alike or not alike? Do they echo one another
in particular ways? Do you find that the men in your life resemble
one another in important ways?

3. What do you think of Meredith’s actions after the baby is born?
Have you ever lost a friendship because of a monumental change in
your life?

4. Jenny’s birth plan turns out to be pretty worthless—in more ways
than one. Giving birth and becoming a mom were nothing like she
expected them to be. If you’re a mom, was that true for you? What
was the biggest surprise about motherhood? If you’re not a mom,
has there been something in your life that was nothing at all like
what you’d expected?

5. Were you rooting for Jenny’s dad as he pursued her mom? He certainly
left her in a horrible way all those years before. Do you think
he’s changed now and become a better man? Has he become a better
dad?

6. Does becoming a mom help Jenny herself grow up? In what ways
does motherhood enrich women’s lives? In what ways does it hold
women back?

7. Jenny starts an antiques business within a year of Maxie’s birth.
Do you think Jenny would have opened up her shop if Dean hadn’t
left—if everything in her life had gone as planned?

8. Jenny’s mom is a sassy lady. Should she have tried to talk some
sense into Jenny about Dean earlier? Was it harsh of Jenny’s mother
to stay away after Dean came back? Was her tough-love policy too
tough?

9. One Bright Side reader commented that “all new mothers are single
moms in a way.” Do you agree?

10. Jenny likes Gardner, but she sets him up on a date with Meredith,
anyway—or tries to, at least. Have you ever tried to do the right
thing and given up something—or someone—that you really wanted
for yourself ?

11. Jenny is not at her best for much of the book, to put it mildly.
She’s not taking care of herself at all—and she looks terrible by her
own admission. What does it say about Gardner that he’s drawn to
her anyway?

12. Gardner’s wife left him in a pretty brutal fashion. What kind of
impact did his divorce have on him?

13. Jenny is both lucky and unlucky that she has people willing to
help support her financially after Dean walks out. What are the pros
and cons of taking help from Dean’s mother? Is staying home all it’s
cracked up to be? Why do you think Jenny’s dad offers to help her
out, even though he believes people should pull themselves up by
their own bootstraps?

14. Who is your favorite character? Why?

15. How would you categorize this book? Is it chick lit? How do
you define that term?

16. Have you ever had a disaster that turned out to be a good thing
in the end?