You Belong Here

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What is your overall opinion of You Belong Here? What did you think of the mystery and the resolution?

2. What specific parts of You Belong Here did you like? What aspects did you find less compelling?

3. Have you read any other books by this author, and how does it compare to You Belong Here? One relevant title is Daughter of Mine (2024), which also focuses on a mother and daughter, with the daughter vulnerable to the mother’s past.

4. Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects (2006) is another applicable novel to read alongside You Belong Here. What do Camille and her mother have in common with Delilah and Beckett or Beckett and Doc? What do the resolutions share?

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

1. Was there a scene or character that caused a notable emotional response? Why or why not?

2. How does the story and its themes make you think about history’s role in the present? What does it say about the value of telling the truth?

3. If you were in Doc’s situation, would you have helped Adalyn? If you were Beckett, what would you have done after the dropped phone call? More so, if you were Becket, would you have gone along with Adalyn’s plan?

4. How does the book depict academia and small towns? Does it reinforce or subvert common beliefs about them?

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

1. How does the presentation of Wyatt College and the dark academia genre reflect current debates around elite schools? Do people and the media present prestigious colleges as “dark,” unsafe places?

2. What’s important about the setting? What do the Blue Ridge Mountains have to do with the howling?

3. How does The Subjective Nature of Justice connect with common tropes about fairness? Is there objective justice in today’s world or do people treat justice like the characters in the book?

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

1. Why does Miranda go back and forth in time? How would the story change if she told it chronologically? Would it be more or less interesting?

2. Miranda’s novel features many characters. What characters did you relate to the most? Were there any characters that you actively disliked?

3. Miranda often utilizes mysterious noises throughout the story to heighten the tension. How do these sounds symbolize the unresolved past? Similarly, how does the howling represent the inherent darkness of Wyatt College?

4. Of the three key themes, which is the most important? That is, what theme mainly propels Beckett’s story? How so?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Many popular contemporary novels feature playlists—songs that go along with the book. Miranda doesn’t include a playlist, so compile songs that link to her story.

2. If you had the chance to turn You Belong Here into a TV show or movie, which format would you choose and why? What other popular films or shows might it be comparable to?

3. Imagine a sequel to You Belong Here. What happens when Beckett gets out of jail? How does Delilah’s college experience unfold? Does it remain bonded to dark academia?