Your Fault

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel opens with a flash-forward to Noah and Nick’s devastating breakup. How did this choice to show the ending at the beginning shape your reading experience? Did knowing that heartbreak was inevitable make their story more tragic or perhaps more frustrating to you?

2. How does Your Fault fit with your expectations of the New Adult romance genre? For those who have read other popular books in this space, such as Colleen Hoover’s Slammed, how does Mercedes Ron’s approach to intense, forbidden love and psychological trauma compare?

3. Nick and Noah’s relationship is the heart of the story, but it’s filled with toxic cycles of jealousy and control. Did you find yourself rooting for them to succeed as a couple? What specific moments either solidified your support for them or made you wish they would go their separate ways?

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

1. Noah faces an ultimatum from her mother: give up living with Nick or lose her college tuition. This forces her to choose between a relationship and her own future independence. Think about a time you felt pulled between a personal relationship and your own ambitions. How do you relate to the pressures Noah experienced?

2. Throughout the book, Jenna acts as Noah’s loyal best friend and confidante. How does their friendship provide a different perspective on loyalty and support compared to the romantic relationships in the story? Have you ever had a friendship that served as an anchor during a turbulent time?

3. Nick’s possessiveness often stems from a deep-seated fear of abandonment, while Noah’s reactions are shaped by her traumatic past. Have you ever seen a situation where two people’s personal histories caused them to completely misinterpret each other’s intentions, despite having strong feelings for one another?

4. At the Leister Enterprises gala, Noah feels like an outsider surrounded by wealth and professional jargon. Can you recall a time when you felt out of place in a new social or professional environment? What does Noah’s experience suggest about the challenges of navigating different social classes?

5. Secrecy becomes a survival tool for Noah, who hides her meeting with Anabel and her decision to move into a dorm to avoid Nick’s anger. What do you think this says about the health of their relationship? When does keeping a secret to protect someone’s feelings cross the line into damaging deception?

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

1. The Leister family’s immense wealth and concern for public image are central to the plot. How does the novel use this world of the super-rich to explore the conflict between private lives and public perception? Where do we see similar pressures on prominent families in our contemporary culture?

2. Your Fault originated on Wattpad, a digital storytelling platform known for its serialized content and direct reader feedback. How might this origin have influenced the novel’s pacing, its use of dramatic cliffhangers, and its focus on intense emotional moments?

3. The story touches on mental health, with Noah agreeing to therapy and Nick revealing his own childhood experiences with it. What message do you think the book sends about seeking help for trauma? How does the character of Michael O’Neil, a therapist who violates his ethical duties, complicate this message?

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

1. The narrative alternates between Noah’s and Nick’s first-person perspectives. How did this dual point of view shape your understanding of their dynamic? Can you think of a specific scene where seeing it from both sides completely changed your perception of who was at fault?

2. What is the significance of the figure eight knot? How does its meaning transform from a symbol of Noah’s father’s control into a reclaimed emblem of her and Nick’s bond, and what does this shift reveal about the theme of trauma?

3. Consider how characters like the ambitious Sophia and the vengeful Briar function as foils for Noah. What do these contrasting figures reveal about Noah’s own insecurities, her deep-seated fears, and her struggle for an independent identity?

4. How does the novel use the popular “forbidden step-sibling” trope to raise the stakes for Noah and Nick? If you’ve read other works that use this trope, how does Mercedes Ron’s execution compare in its exploration of family loyalty, social judgment, and desire?

5. The guide identifies motifs of street racing and lavish parties as catalysts for chaos. In what ways do these settings serve as pressure cookers that expose the characters’ deepest insecurities and accelerate the destructive cycles in their relationship?

6. The epilogue offers a bleak conclusion, with Nick and Noah completely estranged and emotionally shattered. Why do you think the author chose to end the second book of the trilogy on such a definitive, tragic note? What might this suggest about the possibility of redemption in the final book?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you had the chance to give Noah one piece of advice at any point in the story. What would you say to her, and at which moment would you choose to say it to have the greatest positive impact on her journey?

2. Nick’s gift of a Cartier necklace and his later decision to get a tattoo of Noah’s words are powerful symbols of his love, but they also carry undertones of ownership. If you were to design a symbol to represent a healthy, balanced love between two independent individuals, what would it be and why?

3. Think about the different physical spaces in the novel, like Nick’s sleek apartment, the chaotic party scenes, or the quiet cemetery. If you were to create a “safe space” for Noah to retreat to, what would it look like, and what elements would you include to help her process her feelings and build her confidence?