You Were Always Mine

Cinnamon Haynes has fought hard for a life she never thought was possible—a good man by her side, a steady job as a career counselor at a local community college, and a cozy house in a quaint little beach town. It may not look like much, but it’s more than she ever dreamed of or what her difficult childhood promised. Her life’s mantra is to be good, quiet, grateful. Until something shifts and Cinnamon is suddenly haunted by a terrifying question: “Is this all there is?”

Daisy Dunlap has had her own share of problems in her nineteen years on earth—she also has her own big dreams for a life that’s barely begun. Her hopes for her future are threatened when she gets unexpectedly pregnant. Desperate, broke, and alone, she hides this development from everyone close to her and then makes a drastic decision with devastating consequences.

Once again, these authors bring their “empathetic, riveting, and authentic” (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling to an unforgettable novel that revolves around provocative and timely questions about race, class, and motherhood. Is being a mother a right, an obligation, or a privilege? Who gets to be a mother? And to whom? And what are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of marriage, friendship, and our dreams?

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Atria Books.

Book club questions for You Were Always Mine by Christine Pride

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

In the beginning of the novel (page 30), Mother’s Day brings up a flurry of emotions for Cinnamon and Daisy. Daisy’s mother died when she was young and Cinnamon’s mother abandoned her as a baby, leaving them both to grieve a similar loss under different circumstances. How do you think these losses affect their individual views of motherhood?

Do you feel Cinnamon’s experience of being abandoned as a baby and spending her childhood in the foster care system was a major factor in why she chose to bring Bluebell into her home rather than involving the authorities right away? Why or why not?

In addition to themes of motherhood, You Were Always Mine has many frank conversations about race. In chapter four, Cinnamon recounts a personal experience being in foster care when a white woman took her to the local art museum to see a collection of nineteenth-century photographs of Black caretakers. Cinnamon has flashbacks of one photograph she saw that day of a young Black child caring for an infant white baby. Why do you think after all these years Cinnamon is remembering this photograph and how do the feelings it brings up influence her thinking about the possibility of raising Bluebell?

Along those lines, Cinnamon’s husband, Jayson, says that it would be impossible for him as a Black man to raise a white little girl, to even take her to the park. How do you think his fears impact Cinnamon’s decision-making about both Bluebell and their marriage?

Throughout the novel, readers experience every step of Cinnamon caring for Bluebell in real time, whereas we mostly hear from Daisy through a series of letters, recounting her reasons for leaving Bluebell, her journey, and her reflections about her past and future. Do Cinnamon and Daisy’s alternating voices highlight any important similarities or differences about their experiences and decisions during the novel? Did you relate to one character in particular?

In Cinnamon and Lucia’s quest to track down Daisy, the pair of friends learn of unsettling information about Daisy’s grandfather having ties to a white supremacist group (page 122). How do you think this might initially impact Cinnamon’s feelings toward Daisy? Bluebell?

Much of this story focuses on the characters grappling with, revisiting, and coming to terms with their pasts. Why do you think Cinnamon decided to keep her time in foster care a secret from those closest to her, especially Jayson?

Daisy grew up never knowing her mother or father, just like Cinnamon. Do you think this influenced the connection the two women made?

Daisy was raised in an openly racist household, having never known anyone who wasn’t white for a majority of her life. Daisy’s friendship with Cinnamon is one she recognized would anger her grandfather, but she kept this grim satisfaction to herself (pages 173–174). Do you think that factored into her decision to leave Bluebell with Cinnamon one way or another?

How does Lucia’s open judgment impact Cinnamon and her decision to temporarily care for Bluebell? Is Lucia right to share her opinion on Cinnamon’s choices? Why or why not?

Do you believe Cinnamon should have consulted Jayson before agreeing to foster Bluebell? What if he’d refused; should she then have left Bluebell to the foster system?

Cinnamon’s experience with family, outside of her grandma Thelma, was very traumatic. She experienced abandonment, unstable living conditions, and felt disposed of by family members who agreed to care for her in place of her birth parents. When Celia tries to re-enter Cinnamon’s life, she is forced to work through her past. What do you think Cinnamon should have done? Did Aunt Celia deserve forgiveness?

One of the important themes of this book is the idea of chosen family and Cinnamon finds that in her first best friend, Lucia. How does this friendship affect Cinnamon? When Lucia says “I’ve got you” (page 203), how do you think these three simple words make Cinnamon feel? Supported? Relieved? What might this mean to Cinnamon in the long-term?

Is Jayson’s response to learning about Cinnamon’s time in foster care and homelessness warranted? Does the fact that she kept so much from him make Cinnamon a stranger or were you sympathetic to her reasoning? Why or why not?

Knowing what she knows about them, what do you think Cinnamon was feeling when Taylor informed her that Daisy’s grandparents were coming forward to claim the baby? Is reunification the right solution given the history? Was Cinnamon wrong to knowingly lie to Taylor at CPS? Can you understand her motivations?

You Were Always Mine Book Club Questions PDF

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"The work of Jo Piazza and Christine Pride sits squarely at the tender intersection of race, class, and ethics—wrapped in beautiful prose and a killer plot that keeps you turning the pages. Before you begin You Were Always Mine, ask yourself why you often see white foster parents with Black kids...but rarely the other way around. What makes a family? Who has the right to raise a child? Does race matter more than love or security? And perhaps most important of all—why don't we feel comfortable asking these questions? This novel will spark one of many conversations America should be having." —JODI PICOULT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mad Honey

"I picked up this book on a Sunday morning and could do nothing else until I finished it that evening. Tender, provocative, thoughtful—I was invested in this story from the very first page." —KATE BAER, New York Times bestselling author of I Hope This Finds You Well

“A touching, deeply thoughtful meditation on motherhood, race, chosen family and the many forms of love that make up the lives of women. Cinnamon’s love for her adopted daughter and her willingness to challenge age-old structures of power in order to provide the love she so desperately craved in her own childhood is a reminder that in attempting to rescue others, we are sometimes able to save ourselves.” —ASHA LEMMIE, New York Times bestselling author of Fifty Words for Rain

"Like their first joint venture, We Are Not Like Them (2021), the authors' latest is both a nuanced portrait of female kinship and a wider look at American society. It reads like your favorite show, offering entertaining escapism and satisfying cultural criticism all at once." —Booklist (starred review)

"Pride and Piazza ask hard questions about race and what it means to be a mother." —Kirkus