Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

Friendship is an important theme in YA novels, and Brad and Celine are both supported by their friends as they learn to understand themselves and each other more clearly. Look at one of the new friendships in the novel and one of the preexisting friendships, and argue how those characters’ perspectives help Celine and Brad shift their self-perception.

Celine and Brad are both Black, and Brad laments being one of very few Black students at their school. How do these explicit mentions of race affect the novel?

Several minor characters are Black, but the reference to their race is made offhandedly. How does Hibbert’s casual inclusion of Black characters (and other characters of color) affect the novel? Consider this in context of conversations about diversity in literature.

When Brad proves talented at finding Golden Compasses, Celine notes how his OCD (which he has long assumed to be detrimental) helps him see things others don’t. What is another so-called “deficit” that a character turns into an asset in the text? What is the effect of this reframing?

Conversely, several characters come to recognize that qualities in themselves that they viewed as unilaterally good may also offer limitations. Identify one of these qualities and argue how this reframing creates meaning in the novel.

Explore Celine’s relationship with Giselle or Brad’s relationship with Mason to formulate an argument about how the novel frames the responsibility one owes (or does not owe) to one’s siblings.

Analyze the effect of setting on a certain plot arc in the text. Consider the Sherwood Hotel, the dorms at the first BEP excursion, or Brad or Celine’s bedrooms. How do the physical conditions of these locations affect how the character interact with one another?

Various characters in the novel express ideas of social justice, whether pertaining to the environment, to racial parity, or economic factors. What does this suggest about the novel’s framework as a Gen Z romance?