In Every Life

What happens when a husband's dying wish is for his wife to find a new love . . . before he's even gone?

Harper is living a life she never expected. After a failed attempt at making it as an artist in New York while falling for and losing her first love, her dreams crumbled in the span of a week. A decade later, Harper is happily living a simpler life as an art teacher in Chattanooga with her beloved new husband, Ben.

When Ben is diagnosed with late-stage cancer, their whole world shifts. Despite the bad news, Ben comes up with one final wish for his wife: he wants Harper to find a new partner before he dies. When the New York Times sends a journalist to do a feature story about Ben's life, Harper comes face to face with Liam Hale, the man she fell madly in love with all those years ago and never saw again.

Suddenly, Harper is faced with all of those old what-ifs:

What if Harper had ended up with Liam instead of Ben?

What if she'd pursued life as an artist instead of teaching?

What if it had all turned out differently?

After making a wish, Harper wakes up to find herself in a parallel universe . . . where her what-ifs become a reality.

Is the grass really greener, or is she standing right where she should be--no matter the cost?

These book club questions are from the publisher, HarperCollins Publishers.

Book club questions for In Every Life by Rea Frey

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

When Ben presents his Master Plan, Harper immediately dismisses it. If you were in the same position, how would you respond?

In one life, Ben is healthy, and in the other, he isn’t. Why do you think that is? Circumstances? A different environment?

Do you believe in parallel timelines? Why or why not?

For Harper, her biggest fear when she is younger is not living up to her potential and settling for an ordinary life. She wants to be an artist and live in New York, but her life swerves in another direction. Does she settle by becoming a teacher and letting her dreams die? Or does she make the right decision?

Harper comes face-to-face with the one man who “got away.” Have you ever had a big what-if when it comes to love?

If you were in Harper’s position, how would you have handled Liam showing up? Is it a sign or a test?

Do you think it’s possible to heal yourself without medical intervention, even if given a terminal diagnosis? Why or why not?

Have you ever given up a passion to follow a more stable path? Did you regret that choice?

Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone who was still living?

Have you ever felt like you were waiting for your “real” life to begin?

Do you believe that our minds have the ability to heal our bodies? Why or why not?

In the book, Harper has made excuses why she hasn’t followed her passions. Can you relate? Why or why not?

Harper is very torn between staying loyal to Ben and admitting that still has unresolved feelings for Liam. Do you think she handled that inner conflict well? Were there times you were uncomfortable with her choices, or did you empathize with her struggle?

If you could spend time in your “grass is greener” life, what would that look like? Where would you live? What would you be doing? Describe it.

At the end of the book, Ben makes a comment that maybe his unborn child is the “new” person Harper was meant to love. Do you agree? Is it her child, or is it Liam?

In the end, what do you think Harper learned? How did she change?

In Every Life Book Club Questions PDF

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