One Perfect Couple

Lyla and Nico’s relationship is set up as loving but slightly flawed from the moment we meet them. While Lyla loves his eternal optimism, she’s beginning to worry about their long-term prospects. Between all their differences, what do you think each of them sees in the other?

Lyla is a scientist, a methodical researcher, and tends to take things slowly rather than diving in. Nico sees the reality show as a huge opportunity. Why do you think she changes her mind over the course of the first few chapters? What might convince someone to join a show like One Perfect Couple?

Nico’s career hasn’t really taken off the way he’d hoped it would, and Lyla is struggling as she faces the reality of an uphill battle in academia. Both of them see the show as the reset and refresh they needed. Has a surprising opportunity ever come along in your life that you’ve used as a catalyst for change?

From the moment we meet him, Conor makes an interesting impression. What was your initial reaction to him? Did his behavior leading up to the cast’s arrival on the island set off any alarm bells for you? How so?

Lyla is cast as the “girl next door” type on the show, while each of the other characters seems to fall into other popular TV tropes. What do you think each of those are, and how do they change as each person’s true identity and personality is revealed?

As we first get to know them, and during their first challenge on the island, which of the couples seems the most “perfect” to you? Does one initially appear as a possible contender for being the “one perfect couple?” What issues begin to stick out, as each of the couples reveals what they do, and don’t, know about each other?

The first evening on the island, several characters share misgivings about the way Baz is running the show—from the lack of personnel to the idea that it might not have even sold to a network yet. What were some things about the set-up, production, or over all timeline that set off alarm bells for you?

After the devastating storm, and before the group’s deep fractures begin to appear, who do you think might have made the best leader on the island? Should Lyla have stepped up? Or did Conor’s “take charge” attitude feel right? What might you do, if you were stuck there, to ensure your survival?

As their days on the island grow more fraught, Conor’s terrifying personality begins to take shape. Which of his outright actions, or his machinations behind the scenes, felt most sinister to you? When was the “aha!” moment that he was not at all the person the reader and the cast initially thought he was?

Lyla, Santana, Zana, and Angel all have moments where they have to make decisions that, under normal circumstances (like back home, in London), they never would have been forced to make. What are some that surprised you? What stood out to you as they each fought for their survival on the island?

While waiting for their rescue, the four survivors come up with a plan to explain what happened on the island. Zana’s diary becomes crucial, and they must create a new narrative. How might you craft a story like that, to reveal or hide the things you had to do for survival? Did anything they write surprise you?

While they were only trapped for a few weeks, the return to civilization was just as jarring as the drama that unfolded. If you found yourself in that situation, what might you miss most, or be most excited about, if you were returning from a deserted island? What would be the hardest to adjust to?

Lyla notes that there’s a “villain” in every reality show. Throughout the book, and as the women finally make it back to their lives, how does your perception of who the villain might be change? Is anyone a perfect hero or anti-hero? How does the perception of reality play into that?

After everything Lyla and the other women go through, could you imagine applying to go on a reality TV show? If so, which one would be your dream opportunity? Which one would be the worst to get stranded on?

One Perfect Couple is a reality show designed to test couples to see who might come out on top. Create a reality show you’d love to see on-screen—what might contestants be competing for, what might some of the challenges be, and what’s the ultimate prize?

Pretend your book club is responsible for creating a perfect cast for One Perfect Couple. Who might you cast as each character, and why? Who might be particularly fun to see as each of the five couples?

Pick a few episodes of a reality show—like Survivor, or Love Island—to watch as a book club. Discuss how certain shows choose to hide or play up certain dramas, and how they bend the idea of “reality” to create a story that is tantalizing for viewers to see on screen.