Reckless

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did you respond to the plot      point that Winter Hamilton was pregnant with Theo Silva’s child? How did this      event satisfy or subvert your expectations of the characters’ love story?

2. How did your experience reading Reckless disappoint or satisfy your expectations of the Chestnut Springs series? How did the novel compare to the series’ preceding three titles, Flawless, Heartless, and Powerless?

3. Compare and contrast Reckless to other works of contemporary romantic fiction. What thematic and/or narrative parallels do you notice between Silver’s title and titles like Lucy Score’s Things We Never Got Over and/or Annabel Monaghan’s Nora Goes Off Script?

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

1. Have you ever had to wrestle with others’ expectations of you versus your own personal desires? What happened?

2. Winter leaves a bad relationship and finds herself in a better relationship. How do her romantic experiences compare and contrast with your own? Have you ever been wary of finding love again after a negative romantic experience?

3. Winter works hard to repair her relationship with her sister Summer Hamilton when she moves to Chestnut Springs. Which aspects their sisterhood resonate most keenly with your own familial dynamics? Discuss how and why.

4. Winter and Theo both have distinct relationships with the Chestnut Springs community. How do their experiences in the town and with the townspeople compare to your own hometown culture? Which aspects of their Chestnut Springs life were least and most believable?

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

1. What perspectives does the novel offer about the challenges and opportunities of ranching communities in the United States? Discuss cultural and economic examples as well as social.

2. Winter decides to move forward with her pregnancy despite Theo’s initial disinterest in supporting her. Explore the social and cultural implications of Winter’s choice. How does Silver use Winter’s experience of single motherhood to convey the complications of maternity? Does Silver do a disservice to representing Winter’s version of femininity and motherhood? Discuss why or why not.

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

1. The novel alternates between Winter’s and Theo’s first-person points of view. Analyze the narrative, tonal, and thematic effects of this point-of-view choice. How would the characters’ romance resonate differently if told from an alternate perspective?

2. Compare and contrast Theo’s character with Rob Valentine’s character. Why does Winter get involved with each man and how does each man impact her differently? Who is a more believable character, and why?

3. Explore how the Chestnut Springs setting impacts the novel’s overarching mood and atmosphere. Does this macro setting impact the characters, and in what ways? How could Silver have used the setting more deftly to deepen Winter’s and Theo’s stories?

4. Identify three      symbols in the novel not already listed in this guide and discuss their significance. For example, what do Theo’s dog, Wishing Well Ranch,      or Winter’s childhood dollhouse represent and how do they relate to the novel’s themes?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were Winter’s best friend, what advice would you give her after she gets pregnant following a one-night stand? Would you advise making the same choices as she does in the book?

2. If you were adapting Reckless into a film, who would you cast in the leading roles? Which plot points would you alter, add, or omit to make the adaptation your own?