Discussion Questions

Everything We Give

  • Everything We Left Behind ends with Lacy Saunders giving James her business card with the request to pass it along. Did you suspect the card was intended for Ian? Were you surprised that James gave the card to Ian? What do you think about he way James introduced himself to Ian?
  • How do you think Ian handled the news about Aimee kissing James when James first returned to California earlier in the summer? How do you think Ian handled James’s return the second time around and Aimee going to visit with him? Are you satisfied with the way Aimee and James said good-bye and the reasons why?
  • Ian first mentions his desire to find his mom, Sarah, in Everything We Keep. What did you think had happened to her when you read about her disappearance in the first book? What are your thoughts about Ian’s reluctance to search for her in recent years?
  • What do you think of Lacy’s role in Ian’s life, first when she helped Stu find him, and again when she helped Sara track down Clancy? Were you surprised at Lacy’s connection to the Collins family?
  • What do you think of Reese Thorne? Should Ian have confided in Aimee the details of his relationship with Reese?
  • Discuss Ian’s childhood. Are you amazed by Ian’s resilience and ability to love? What thoughts went through your head as you read his backstory?
  • Discuss the similarities and differences between Ian’s and Aimee’s journeys of confronting their traumas, letting go, and moving forward. How did they help each other?
  • Many themes are presented in this novel: longing, maturity, sacrifice, secrets, family, letting go, and love in all its forms. Which theme resonated the most with you? The least?
  • In the end, Stu reveals he’s kept Sarah hidden from Ian at her request. Did his actions surprise you? Sarah gave up her chance of being a mother to Ian. Was she right to leave him?
  • Ian finally follows his dad’s orders and doesn’t contact his mom. But he does spend a day watching her from across the street. What emotions did you experience while reading this scene? Should Ian have contacted his mother, or was he right to keep his distance? How would you have handled yourself in a similar situation?
  • The Everything series ends with James living in Hawaii with Natalya and his sons, a possible relationship developing between Thomas and Nadia, and Sarah Collins showing up at Ian’s National Geographic celebration. What do you think happens next for these characters?