Token

Two years ago, Kennedy Mitchell was plucked from the reception desk and placed in the corporate boardroom in the name of diversity. Rather than play along, she and her best friend founded Token, a boutique PR agency that helps “diversity-challenged” companies and celebrities. With corporate America diversifying workplaces and famous people getting into reputation-damaging controversies, Token is in high demand.

Kennedy quickly discovers there’s a lot of on-the-job learning and some messes are not so easily fixed. When Kennedy’s ex shows up needing help repairing his company’s reputation, things get even more complicated. She knows his character is being wrongly maligned, but she’s reluctant to get involved—professionally and emotionally. But soon, she finds herself drawn into a PR scandal of her own.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Graydon House.

Book club questions for Token by Beverley Kendall

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

With the title Token, what did you think the book would be about? Did it meet your expectations? Were there any surprises?

What was your reaction when Kennedy found out why she was sent to meet with the CEO of ECO Apparel?

When Kennedy accepted money to help ECO Apparel win Sahara’s business, was that ethical? Why or why not?

How would you describe the work that Token does?

What are some examples of how diversity, racism, and equity are addressed in the story?

Should Nate have known about the discrimination going on in his company?

What are ways wealth and equity are addressed in the story and in character motivations? For example:
- What significance, if any, does Nate’s background of wealth and fame, and early business success, have on his relationship with Kennedy?
- Kennedy comes from a working-class, part-immigrant family and believes in paying her own way. What did you think when she resisted Nate’s offer to buy her an apartment and when she felt betrayed and angry that Nate had paid for her education without telling her?
- Was Nate being underhanded? Generous? Patronizing? Insensitive?
- Was Kennedy ungrateful? Scared? Proud?

Is Token a rom-com? Is the story romantic? Were there any memorable funny moments? What are some deeper elements to the story, if any?

Who were your favorite secondary characters and why?

Token Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Token discussion questions

“This romance has it all—flirty banter, deep emotion, and a smart, sassy heroine I fell in love with.” —JENNIFER PROBST, New York Times bestselling author of the Twist of Fate series

“The heroine’s dialogue and inner thoughts had me chuckling from the first page. Beverley Kendall’s Token is a smart, sexy rom-com with wry social commentary and a satisfying HEA. I loved it.” —BRENDA JACKSON, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The House on Blueberry Lane

“Token is everything. It is funny and insightful, satirical and swoony. A rom-com perfect for our times. I can’t wait to see it on the big screen!” —KAIA ALDERSON, author of Sisters in Arms

“A super smart and witty smorgasbord of a novel built on a smoldering foundation of first love and deliciously difficult decisions. Token pulls you in and fixes you to the spot. Beverley Kendall's thought-provoking exploration of race and gender within the corporate world sits seamlessly alongside the familiar muddiness of what it is to be a human navigating matters of the heart as told through the bold and hilarious voice of the novel's heroine, Kennedy.”—ONYI NWABINELI, author of Someday, Maybe

“Both an incisive, wryly funny tale of a strong, smart Black woman carving a place of power for herself in corporate America and a sizzling second-chance love story, Token is the romantic comedy holy grail: full of laughs, sexy as hell, and as thoughtful about its characters’ inner lives as it is our collective social one. I can’t wait to see what Beverley Kendall brings us next.”—ASHLEY WINSTEAD, author of Fool Me Once