Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel opens with a Dateline interview that frames the entire story as a piece of “autofiction.” What was your initial reaction to this device? Did it make you read the story differently from the start, knowing the narrator might be unreliable? How did this frame affect your experience when you reached the final reveal in the Epilogue?

2. The guide places this book in the domestic noir subgenre, which often exposes the dark side of family life, similar to titles like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. In what ways did you find the portrayal of suburban secrets and marital deception in You Deserve to Know similar to or different from other books you’ve read in this genre? What unique spin do you think the autofiction element adds?

3. Which of the many twists in the novel surprised you the most? Was it the revelation of Scott’s past, Lisa’s attack on Gwen, or the final confession in the Epilogue?

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

1. The friendship between Aimee, Lisa, and Gwen is full of competition, judgment, and unspoken resentment. Thinking about friendships you’ve observed or been a part of, in what ways did their dynamic feel realistic to you?

2. Aimee spends much of the novel trying to believe Scott despite mounting evidence that he is lying to her. Have you ever been in a situation where your loyalty to someone conflicted with your intuition or the facts presented to you? How did you navigate that feeling?

3. What does the book suggest about the pressures of modern “intensive mothering,” especially in affluent communities like East Bethesda? Lisa’s harsh judgment of Aimee’s parenting choices is a major source of tension between them. Do you see these kinds of social pressures play out in your own community or social circles?

4. Aimee initially trusts Cathy and believes she is harmless. What factors tend to shape your willingness or unwillingness to trust someone? Have you ever been deceived by someone?

5. Scott initially plans to abandon his family rather than face jail time, but later turns himself in. Have you ever made a difficult choice based on principles or integrity? Were those moral principles rewarded?

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

1. Gwen’s success with her book capitalizes on our culture’s appetite for true crime and personal tragedy. What commentary do you think the novel makes about the consumption of other people’s pain as entertainment? Does the autofiction frame make this commentary more or less effective?

2. What does the novel say about the promise versus the reality of suburban life in the US today? What challenges are created by small, homogenous communities where everyone knows everyone else?

3. How does the novel use modern technology, like encrypted messaging apps, doorbell cameras, and online background checks, to drive the plot? What might it be suggesting about privacy and secrecy in the digital age?

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

1. The Epilogue reveals Gwen as the ultimate unreliable narrator and the story’s true mastermind. How did this final twist change your interpretation of her character and her actions throughout the book? Looking back, did you find any subtle clues earlier in the narrative that hinted at her deception?

2. How do the children contribute to the narrative and the tone of the novel overall?

3. How do Aimee, Lisa, and Gwen function as foils for one another? What does each woman’s approach to friendship, marriage, and crisis reveal about the others?

4. The narrative alternates between the present-day investigation and flashbacks from different characters’ perspectives. How did this nonlinear structure affect your reading experience and help build suspense?

5. Author Aggie Blum Thompson is a former crime reporter. Where did you see the influence of that background in the novel’s pacing, its attention to police procedure, or its portrayal of the investigation?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you were hired as a landscape designer to create a garden for one of the main characters: Aimee, Gwen, or Lisa. What would the garden look like, and what symbolic elements would you include to reflect that character’s personality and hidden nature?

2. The conclusion of the novel alludes to Gwen writing a second novel. If this character did write a second book, what plots and themes would likely surface?

3. Imagine a version of the novel told from the perspective of a neighbor living on Nassau Court who witnessed these events unfolding. What would this protagonist have focused on and how would they have depicted the three main characters?