59 pages • 1-hour read
First-Time Caller
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Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of antigay bias.
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. Which aspects of Aiden and Lucie’s emotional struggles and eventual romance were most compelling to you, and why?
2. If you have read Lovelight Farms, or any of the other novels in B. K. Borison’s first contemporary romance series, how do the themes and characters in that series compare to those of the Heartstrings universe?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. Do you consider yourself more of a romantic or a realist? What experiences have shaped your attitude?
2. Do the family dynamics in this novel mirror experiences from your own life? If you are a parent, did Lucie’s anxieties about Maya feel relatable to you? Did you relate to Aiden’s struggle to let his parents into his life?
3. Consider Aiden’s relationship with Jackson and Lucie’s relationships with Grayson, Mateo, and Patty. Is there someone in your own life you’ve often turned to for romantic advice? What makes someone a good confidant?
4. Do you have any good luck charms, similar to Aiden’s necklace? What is your overall stance on fate, luck, and belief?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. How does Borison’s homage to Sleepless in Seattle touch on contemporary concerns while remaining true to the structure of the original? For instance, how do the characters’ struggles with dating and relationships reflect contemporary concerns about relationships, isolation, and gender roles?
2. Consider the role of setting in this novel. Is it possible to imagine the work taking place in a different city?
3. Consider the depiction of Grayson, Mateo, and their relationship. How does the inclusion of these characters challenge or uphold stereotypes surrounding LGBTQ+ individuals?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. How do the radio show transcripts, as well as Aiden and Lucie’s interactions with listeners broadly, add to the romance plot or deepen key themes, such as the importance of connection?
2. Is Aiden fundamentally sympathetic despite his cynicism and isolation? How did the chapters from his point of view shape your ability to relate to him?
3. Why do you think Borison titled the work First-Time Caller? How did your understanding of the title’s significance evolve over the course of the novel?
4. How does Aiden’s changing relationship with talismans and tokens reflect his broader emotional journey?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. If this book were adapted into a movie, whom would you cast as Lucie, Aiden, and Maya, and why?
2. Write an epilogue from Maya’s point of view. What does her perspective add to the novel’s ultimate conclusions about love and fate?
3. Create two playlists based on this book, one from Aiden’s point of view and one from Lucie’s. Afterward, discuss why you chose the songs that you did.
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