Chasing Love

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your overall impressions of Chasing Love. Which were your favorite and/or least favorite aspects of the novel, and why?

2. How did your experience reading Chasing Love compare to your experience reading others of Masen’s novels? For example, what overlaps do you notice between this title and titles like The Trouble With Love and/or The Marriage Rival?

3. Compare and contrast Chasing Love with other dark romance novels like Parker J. Huntington and L. J. Shen’s My Dark Romeo and/or Brynn Weaver’s Butcher & Blackbird. Discuss thematic and narrative overlaps between the titles.

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

1. How did you respond to the scene where Charlie Mason and Lex Edwards run into each other in New York? How did their unexpected reunion alter your expectations for the characters’ romance?

2. Charlie and Lex have a dark, forbidden romance. Have you ever been part of a relationship (romantic or platonic) that required secrecy or clashed with the expectations of your community? How did you handle this conflict?

3. Charlie fears reverting to an old version of herself when Lex resurfaces in her life. Have you ever had to reinvent yourself after a difficult breakup? What was the result and was it difficult to maintain your personal growth?

4. Charlie’s life in New York is largely defined by her relationships with her colleagues and friends. Compare and contrast her vocational and social spheres to your own. Which aspects of her personal life were most and/or least relatable, and why?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Chasing Love is a dark romance novel, which incorporates elements of emotional manipulation, jealousy, revenge, and dubious consent. Explore the social and cultural implications of Charlie and Lex’s relationship. Is Masen challenging or reinforcing sexist stereotypes and abusive sexual relationships?

2. Explore how the New York City backdrop relates to Charlie’s personal growth and identity, Charlie and Lex’s relationship, and the characters’ perceptions of happiness. Consider the historical and cultural significance of this setting. Does Masen accurately represent the city on the page; why or why not?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel alternates between Charlie’s and Lex’s first-person points of view. Analyze the significance of this formal choice. How would the novel resonate differently if Masen had solely written it from Charlie’s perspective?

2. Compare and contrast Lex’s and Julian Baker’s characters. Are they foils? What is the significance of their differences and similarities? How do they impact Charlie differently?

3. Analyze the formal and structural role of the past-tense chapters. What narrative insight do these flashbacks provide? Are they effective or ineffective, and why?

4. How does Masen represent Love as a Battle for Power? How does she portray elements of agency, control, and support in romantic and sexual dynamics? Does the novel offer any other contrasting vision of love to balance the adversarial dynamic between Charlie and Lex?

5. Identify three symbols in the novel and discuss their significance to the primary characters’ storylines. For example, what role do images like Charlie’s designer shoes, Lex’s photographs, the Batman comic book, or Lex’s piano play in the overarching plot line?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were adapting Chasing Love for the screen, who would you cast in the leading roles? Which plot points would you omit, alter, or add to make the adaptation your own?

2. Imagine a different ending to the novel. How would Charlie and Lex’s story resolve differently if Charlie hadn’t seen the headline? Does Lex get a chance to explain himself? How do you imagine Charlie’s mental health concerns resolve?