Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What expectations did the foreboding prologue set up for you as a reader, and how did the rest of the story meet or subvert them?

2. We Fell Apart is set in the same universe as E. Lockhart’s earlier novel, We Were Liars. For those who have read both, in what ways did this story feel like a familiar Sinclair family tragedy, and where did it carve out its own unique identity?

3. In what ways did the final revelation about Kingsley’s dementia and imprisonment reframe your understanding of the various people living at Hidden Beach?

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

1. Matilda, Meer, Tatum, and Brock form a powerful found family to cope with the failures of their biological ones. In your experience, what makes these kinds of chosen bonds so essential?

2. Matilda processes her world through the logic and language of video games. Do you have a particular hobby, art form, or interest that helps you make sense of complex situations or emotions?

3. Both Kingsley and Brock create new identities to escape their pasts. In what parts of your own life do you feel you present different versions of yourself?

4. June eventually confesses to feeling like a “housewife princess,” trapped in a life she once thought was liberating. Think about a time when something you once idealized turned out to be more complicated or confining than you expected.

5. What did you think of Matilda’s decision to destroy Kingsley’s cruel note to Meer? Would you have made the same choice to protect a loved one from a painful truth, even if it meant destroying something valuable?

6. At the end of the novel, Matilda realizes that Saar has actually been the parental figure she craved all along. Have you ever failed to recognize that you already have something you thought you were missing in this way?

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

1. The novel critically examines the myth of the artistic genius, where bad behavior is excused in the name of art. Do you see this happening in the world today? Does it seem more or less prevalent than in the past?

2. What does the story of the Sinclair family suggest about the secrets that wealth and privilege can conceal? Is the story’s depiction of purchased secrecy realistic?

3. What might June’s story reveal about the vulnerabilities that can exist for partners in unconventional or non-marital relationships? Given what you know about the real world, do conventional, legal marriages offer more security?

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

1.  Lockhart uses several classic Gothic tropes in this novel. Would it be appropriate to describe the novel’s overall atmosphere as “Gothic”? Why or why not?

2.  How does the romance between Matilda and Tatum add to the novel’s tension and suspense? How does it contribute to the story’s overall meaning?

3. The story ends with no resolution to what actually happened to Kingsley in his final moments. How does this ambiguity either support or detract from the novel’s overall meaning?

4. How does the recurring motif of writing on skin with Sharpies function in the story? How do the things the characters write and draw on one another’s bodies solidify their individual and group identities?    

5. Tatum and Meer represent very different responses to life at Hidden Beach. How does the dynamic between these two characters drive the story’s central tensions?

6. The story is told entirely from Matilda’s perspective. What effect does being locked inside her point of view have on the reader’s experience of the mystery and the gradual uncovering of secrets?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Matilda designs the video game Chandelier to process her experiences. If you were to add a “boss level” to this game, which character would the final boss be based on, and what would the player need to do to “win”?

2. If you discovered a lost sketchbook from another character, whose would it be and what would it contain?

3. What do you imagine will happen to the friendship among Matilda, Tatum, Meer, and Brock in future decades?