Wild Card

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your initial reaction to the “grumpy/sunshine” dynamic between Bash and Gwen during their fateful airport meeting? Did you find their immediate connection believable, and how did it set the tone for the rest of their story?

2. The novel begins with a nonlinear timeline, showing us the airport meeting before jumping forward eight months to reveal the misunderstanding. How did this structure affect your experience of their second-chance romance? Did knowing about their initial connection from the start make you more invested in their journey?

3. Wild Card is the final book in the Rose Hill series and part of Elsie Silver’s larger interconnected universe. For those who’ve read other books in her world, like the Chestnut Springs series, how did Bash and Gwen’s story feel as a conclusion? If this was your first Elsie Silver novel, did you find the community of Rose Hill welcoming and easy to step into?

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

1. Gwen’s optimism is a conscious choice, a way of “making lemonade” out of difficult situations. Think about a time you faced an unexpected challenge or setback. Do you tend to approach things with Gwen’s determined positivity, or do you relate more to Bash’s initial cynicism?

2. Bash finds a powerful sense of belonging with his “Dads’ Night Out” bowling team. What does the novel suggest about the importance of a “found family”? Have you ever had a group of friends who felt more like family, and what makes those bonds so strong?

3. Gwen has to navigate her father’s criticism of her body and her career path as a yoga instructor. Thinking about how you’ve handled external judgment or expectations in your own life, what strengths do you think Gwen draws on to stay true to herself?

4. Bash’s journey to build a relationship with his adult son, Tripp, is filled with awkwardness and misunderstanding. What challenges does the novel highlight in forging family connections later in life? What moments in their evolving relationship felt particularly authentic or difficult to you?

5. Clyde plays the role of a meddling but well-intentioned matchmaker, deliberately pushing Bash and Gwen together. Have you ever played matchmaker for friends, or had someone try to set you up? What do you think are the potential rewards and risks of interfering in other people’s love lives?

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

1. How effectively do you think the novel addresses themes of weight stigma and fatphobia through Gwen, a yoga instructor who doesn’t fit the industry’s stereotypical image? Does Bash’s unwavering acceptance of Gwen’s body contribute to the novel’s rejection of body negativity?

2. How did the high-stakes world of wildland firefighting in British Columbia shape your understanding of Bash’s character? In what ways did this real-world, dangerous profession and the looming threat of wildfires add an effective layer of tension to the romance?

3. The supportive and emotionally open friendships within the “Dads’ Night Out” group offer a specific vision of male community. In what ways does this portrayal challenge or subvert common stereotypes about male friendships in popular culture?

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

1. The “lemons and limes” motif begins as a marker of Bash’s and Gwen’s opposing philosophies. How did you see this motif transform throughout the novel? At what point did it stop being about their differences and start representing their unique partnership?

2. How does Clyde’s role as a “benevolent meddler” impact the theme of Asserting Agency in the Face of Chance in the story? Do you see his actions as a form of fate, or as an expression of the found family’s will to create its own happiness?

3. Consider the climactic wildfire scene. How does this external crisis resolve the characters’ internal conflicts, particularly the tensions between Bash, Gwen, and Tripp? In what ways does the fire act as a purifying or clarifying force for their relationships?

4. The novel contrasts Bash’s fraught biological family with his loyal chosen family. For readers familiar with Elsie Silver’s other series, such as Chestnut Springs, how does the theme of The Value of Chosen Family in this book compare to how it’s explored in her other works?

5. What is the significance of Bash’s private plane, the “Wild Card”? How does the author use it to symbolize Bash’s journey from a man defined by solitary duty to one who embraces shared adventure and love?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Gwen uses yoga not just for physical wellness but for emotional grounding. Design a three-part yoga series inspired by Bash’s character arc. What would you name each session, and what would be the core intention or focus for each one?

2. Your task is to create a welcome basket for someone moving to Rose Hill, with three items that capture the spirit of the town as depicted in Wild Card. What items would you choose, and what would each one symbolize about the community and the story?

3. Pretend you’re the town’s event planner, and you’ve been asked to design a community festival for Rose Hill. Based on the characters and settings in the book, what would be the theme of your festival, and what three key activities or booths would you include to celebrate the spirit of Bash and Gwen’s story?