Contemporary fiction · Book club
Reminders of Him book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
Kenna Rowan is released from prison after serving five years for a drunk driving accident that killed her boyfriend Scotty.
Colleen Hoover · 2022 · 5h 15m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 12 questions
- 1.
Kenna made a catastrophic choice under the influence and killed someone. The novel asks us to sympathize with her. Did it succeed for you, and what made the difference?
- 2.
The Landry family's resistance to Kenna is completely understandable. At what point, if any, did you start thinking they were being unfair?
- 3.
Ledger spends much of the novel deceiving both the Landrys and Kenna in different ways. Is he the moral center of the book or its most compromised character?
- 4.
The letters Kenna writes to Scotty — who is dead — are one structural device among several. Did they work as a narrative choice, or did they feel like a workaround?
- 5.
What does the novel say about the relationship between punishment and atonement? Is five years in prison proportionate to what Kenna did?
- 6.
Diem is raised by grandparents who love her and are doing right by her. Does Kenna's desire to be in her daughter's life serve Diem or Kenna?
- 7.
The romance between Kenna and Ledger requires him to betray Scotty's family's trust. Does the novel earn that betrayal or ask you to accept it too easily?
- 8.
Compare the ending of this novel to It Ends with Us — both involve Hoover opting for a hopeful resolution over a realistic one. Which landing do you find more convincing?
- 9.
Kenna never fully regains the Landrys' forgiveness by the end. Is that more honest than a full reconciliation would have been?
- 10.
The book was Hoover's bestselling title in 2022. What do you think it gave readers that other books in the category didn't?
- 11.
If Scotty had survived the accident, how would the novel's moral landscape change?
- 12.
The community around Kenna functions almost as a jury. Who in the book do you think is the most reliable judge of what she deserves?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for Reminders of Him?
Here are 12 book club questions for Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on redemption, grief and loss, motherhood.
How long should a book club discussion of Reminders of Him last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in Reminders of Him?
Redemption, Grief and loss, Motherhood, Second chances, Forgiveness. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like Reminders of Him or questions for other book club picks.
