Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Questions (+ my April Book Club Pick!)

Scroll down for 12 Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Questions!

Hey friends! How are we holding up? Honestly, the only reason I know what day it is today is because a new episode of Little Fires Everywhere is on tonight… therefore, Happy Wednesday! ?

As many of you already know, Little Fires Everywhere was my March Book Club pick because I wanted to read it before the miniseries started. I found the book to be a little bit of a slow burn at first (no pun intended!), but by the end, I realized I was SO invested in all of the characters.

About Little Fires Everywhere

The story takes place in Shaker Heights, a suburb where everything has been planned as much as possible to avoid the unexpected. Elena Richardson, and her perfect family, are the embodiment of those ideals. We meet them while they are living their seemingly perfect lives… and then Mia and her teenage daughter Pearl come to town.

Mia is an artist and single mother who never stays in one place for long… the opposite of Elena. Yet their lives intertwine when Mia rents a house from the Richardsons. Pearl becomes friends with Elena’s son Moody, and soon starts spending time at the Richardson’s house, bonding with their family nearly every day.

The plot really starts to unfold when we learn that family friends of the Richardson’s are attempting to adopt a Chinese-American baby, though. Mia knows who the baby’s real mother is, and the press picks up on the case. Everyone in the town seems to have different opinions about it – including Elena and Mia. And as Elena questions Mia’s motives and tries to uncover secrets about her past, more chaos unfolds around the two of them.

Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Questions

Feel free to print these questions out and bring it to your local book club meeting (once we can all meet in person again!), share some thoughts in the comments of this post, or participate in the discussion in my Lake Shore Lady Community Group! And if you’re also local, a bunch of gals have created their own LSL Chicago Book Club! Request to join their Facebook group to find out more about their in person meetings when they start again!

Discussion Questions:

1. What did you think about the author’s decision to give away the ending at the beginning of the book? Did you like that choice or not?
2. What did you think of Izzy as a character? Why do you think she had such a hard time connecting to her family/mother? What do you think her biggest motivations were?
3. Elena and Mia are two very different women (especially in status and parenting styles) and yet they both fiercely love their children. Which mother/daughter relationship did you relate to the most?
4. The two families intertwined very quickly despite the fact that they are extremely different. What do you think attracted Pearl to Moody, Tripp, Lexie, and Elena so much? What about vice versa? And why do you think both Izzy and Lexie found comfort in spending time with Mia?
5. The adoption is a huge controversy in the book… who do you think the baby should be raised by?
6. The Richardson’s talked a lot about how you shouldn’t get pregnant if you’re not ready to take care of one – as if people like them are too responsible to ever let that happen. Do you think that is one of the reasons why Lexie uses Pearl’s name at the clinic?
7. Elena has gotten stuck between following the rules and standing up for what she believes in many times. Do you think she understands her own privilege? Do you think she’s as generous and as open minded as she thinks she is?
8. What did you think of the way Mia handled her pregnancy with Pearl? Do you think she was wrong or justified? And should she have told Pearl the truth sooner?
9. I found it interesting that Shaker Heights is a planned community to minimize the unexpected… and yet this book reveals so much chaos. Do you think the concept of the planned community was working before Mia came along?
10. What do you think happens to all of these people after the book ends?
11. In the mini series, Mia and Pearl are women of color. How do you think this changes the story?
12. What other changes have you liked/disliked so far?

my april book club pick

Since there is a LOT going on in the world right now, I thought I’d pick something really light and fun for April… so my pick is Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams! It’s described as a hilarious, heartwarming romantic comedy and it takes place in London. The book starts by revealing a missed connection post in their daily paper that our main man wrote about our leading lady. I haven’t finished yet, but it’s adorable and sweet and the perfect escape. Anyone want to read it with me and discuss next month?! Woooo!

PS. You might also like Husband Material Book Club Questions, Big Magic Book Club Questions, and How To Download Library Books to Your Kindle!