Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your experience reading Before We Were Strangers. What were the least and most resonant parts of the novel for you, and why?

2. Compare and contrast Before We Were Strangers to Carlino’s titles Swear on This Life, Sweet Thing, Nowhere but Here, and After the Rain. What narrative and thematic overlaps do you notice between the titles?

3. How does Before We Were Strangers relate to other works of contemporary romantic fiction? Consider parallels between Carlino’s novel and novels like Elsie Silver’s Wild Side and Colleen Hoover’s Maybe Now.

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How did you respond to the revelation that Grace and Matt had a child together? How did this climactic revelation alter your impressions of the characters and the trajectory of their love story?

2. How does Grace and Matt’s relationship compare and contrast with your own romantic experiences? Which aspects of their romance were least and most believable, and why?

3. If you were Grace, would you let Matt back into your life after so many years apart? Why or why not? How does your personal experience inform your regard for Grace’s decisions?