Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What are your initial thoughts about The Sinner? How did the Epilogues affect your opinion on Sin and Elli’s relationship?

2. What were your favorite or least favorite parts of the novel? How did you react to each twist in the story, such as the reveal that Chance was working for Liam?

3. How does The Sinner compare to other works in the L.O.R.D.S. series or other works by Tessier? If you have not read other works by this author, do you think you will after The Sinner? Why or why not?

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

1. The Sinner is a rollercoaster of violence, sex, drug use, betrayal, and love. Which of these elements had the greatest effect on you as a reader? Why?

2. What groups in our world function like the Lords society? How do the hierarchies in this society reflect real-world systems of power?

3. Elli is constantly torn between the different personas Sin presents to her, the lies of the Lords society, and her love for Sin. Have you ever been unsure of a person or situation? How did you sort out the truth? How would you navigate Elli’s situation?

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

1. In the novel, Ladies are valued as a means of producing more Lords. How does this reflect contemporary issues in reproductive rights and women’s rights?

2. How does technology play a role in the narrative? How could these elements be replaced? Does The Sinner need to take place in modern society?

3. What does Elli’s experience expose about society’s view of mental health concerns? How do characters in the text affirm or subvert these concerns?

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

1. Are Tessier’s exaggerated, hypermasculine characters relatable? Are characters like Sin and Tyson realistic? What about Elli, Kira, and Laura?

2. Why is it important that Lords society begins in college? Though Tessier does not discuss Barrington University at length in The Sinner, what did you glean about the school and its students?

3. What is Tessier saying about her elite characters? Why does Tessier focus on the challenges they face, rather than the privileges they have?

4. A notable symbol in the text is the bath or bathing. What does bathing represent? When the characters bathe, what do they want to achieve in those moments?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If Tessier’s work was adapted into a live-action film or television show, who would you cast as Sin, Elli, Liam, and Tyson? What about minor characters like Kira, Corbin, or Laura?

2. Listen to the playlist Tessier provides for the novel. Do these songs fit the story? What other songs do you think capture the mood of the whole narrative or specific scenes from it?

3. Imagine that Tessier wrote a sequel about Brexton and Annaleigh’s lives. What do you imagine they are doing? What conflicts might they encounter as young Lords and Ladies?