Caitlin’s books deal with complex topics and gray areas that are perfect for discussing with a friend or your book club. If you’re interested in having her join your book club, please reach out. Caitlin regularly meets with book club groups and would love to join yours!

Discussion Questions for The Perfect Plan:

1. Fabiola’s decision to help Liz start a family seems selfless on the surface. What might have motivated her beyond friendship? Do you think her decision was entirely altruistic, or were there underlying personal reasons?

2. The story navigates some deeply morally ambiguous territory. How did you feel about the decisions Fabiola made? Even if you didn’t agree with her choices, did her journey and reasoning resonate with you in any way?

3. Fabiola has spent her life being “good”—as a daughter, wife, mother, and friend. What does the novel suggest about the pressure to live up to others’ expectations? Can being “good” come at a personal cost?

4. Fabiola’s role as a mother to her three children intersects with her role as a surrogate. How did her actions affect her identity as a mother? What message did this send to her teenage daughter?

5. The novel examines different types of love—romantic, platonic, maternal. Which did you think was the primary motivator for Fabiola? What about for her own mother? Do these different types of love ever compete with one another or can they co-exist?

6. What does the book suggest about the nature of betrayal? Is it possible for all parties involved to find forgiveness, or are some betrayals too deep to heal?

7. What does the book explore about the nature of family? How do the bonds of chosen family compare to those of biological family. Can chosen family ever feel more significant? In what ways?

Discussion Questions for Things We Never Say:

1. Each of the three women harbors a significant secret. Which secret did you find most compelling or relatable, and why? How did their secrets shape their relationships and decisions? What role did loneliness play in their decision to keep–or not–their secrets?

2. The bond between Anna, Maggie, and Rhea grows throughout the story. What role does friendship play in helping them confront their struggles? Have you ever experienced a friendship that provided similar support in a difficult time?

3. Do you think there is a world in which the three women would have become friends had they not been thrown together in a stressful, high stakes situation? What does your answer say about the process of making friends as an adult?

4. The book highlights the pressure to maintain a perfect facade in both marriage and motherhood. How do societal expectations contribute to the characters’ struggles? How relevant do you think these pressures are in modern life?

5. The book delves into how secrets impact not only marriages but also the relationships between parents and children. Which family dynamic resonated most with you? Why?

6. Is keeping secrets from your partner ever OK? Where do you draw the line?

7. How does the title Things We Never Say reflect the characters’ struggles and growth?

Discussion Questions for Such a Good Family:

1. The novel is told through multiple points-of-view, taking us into the heads of Lorrie, Eden, Jules, Summer, Knox, and Archie. Which character did you relate to most? Did any of them cause mixed emotions? Why do you think that was?

2. Both Lorrie and Eden face impossible choices when it comes to protecting their children. What would you have done in their shoes?

3. Summer feels love for Knox despite how he treated her before the assault, and even – to a point – after. It takes her some time to view what happened as rape. Why do you think this is? What did her emotional journey evoke in you?

4. Knox’s awareness of the line he has crossed with Summer comes slowly. Why do you think this is? What is to blame for his actions? How do you feel about what happened to him as a result?

5. One of the book’s themes is the complexity and power of female friendship. How did Lorrie and Eden’s friendship resonate with you? What about the loneliness that Jules feels trying to break into a new community?

6. The story initially presents what could seem like a black and white situation: a teenage sexual assault. Did things still feel black white to you at the end? If not, how did your perception of what happened change? 

7. Of course, the two sets of parents’ reactions to what happens between Knox and Summer are dramatic, but in different ways. What was your reaction to them?