Book Club Questions for The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram

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Book club questions for The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram takes an in-depth look at this emotional novel about first love and choices. There will be spoilers so for more context about the book, check out my spoiler-free review first.

I quite enjoyed this novel! I was so engaged with the love story between Tess and Grant. And I liked that parallel between their teenage romance to running against each other as politicians. It made this story so unique and a fresh take on the trope.

Let me know what you think about the book in the comments section below!

The Synopsis

In the summer of 1996, Tess Murphy’s mom gave her two rules to abide by: keep quiet and stay out of trouble. Her mother landed a new job as a cook at an affluent Virginia estate and didn’t want anything to risk the opportunity, least of all her outspoken teenage daughter. What no one saw coming was Tess falling deeply in love with the boy next door, high-society Grant Alexander.

Over a few wondrous and heat-filled months, Tess and Grant’s love blooms so ferociously it feels utterly impossible that anything can keep them apart, until tragedy strikes.

Now, more than two decades after their epic teenage romance, Tess and Grant are both running for governor of Virginia, and secrets from that summer threaten to shatter their families, their political futures, and the memory of the first love that shaped their lives.

Book Club Questions for The Summer We Ran

1. Let’s first discuss the title as it relates to both timelines in the novel.
2. Tess and Grant develop an instant connection—pretty much love at first sight. Why do you feel they had such an instant spark?
3. Despite their differences, the two fall in love. Do you feel they are a good match? Why or why not?
4. When we meet the two as adults, both have chosen politics as a career. Why did they both seek out politics?
5. There are a lot of secrets in this novel, and both Tess and Grant decided not to tell their spouses the truth about their past relationship, until they are forced to. Why did they not tell the truth to begin with? Why were they trying to hide the past?
6. Despite their best efforts, Grant and Tess can’t deny there’s still a spark. Why do you think they still had feelings for each other after all these years?
7. Tess develops a fondness for Grant’s mother. In what ways were they similar, and how were they different?
8. When Grant’s mother dies, it changes everything for the two. And Grant’s father tries to lay the blame on Grant. How did this lie impact Grant well into adulthood?
9. Eventually, we find out Tess got pregnant, and decided to have an abortion, which devastated Grant. Let’s talk about how both reacted to the news of her pregnancy.
10. How did you feel reading about the politics version of Tess and Grant vs their teenage versions?
11. Tess ends up winning the race. Both Tess and Grant end up single as their spouses left them during the race. Do you think Tess and Grant will ever rekindle their romantic relationship? Why or why not?

Additional Recommendations

Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Summer We Ran! Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions.

When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Cut off from her bank accounts and feeling desperate, Charlotte takes up an acquaintance’s offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town.

Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the mommune closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper Shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever?

“Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Jennifer Weiner” (Country Living), Beach House Rulesis a charming exploration of the joy of friendship, the true meaning of family, and reclaiming the power to reshape our own destiny.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

Happy reading!