Beyond the Sea: Room Two

Chat by Chapter: End of Chapter 18

Welcome to the first discussion room for Beyond the Sea! We are so glad you're here.

This room is for readers at the end of Chapter 18. Not there yet? Go back! Spoilers lie ahead.

Did you read further ahead? Come chat, but keep upcoming details to yourself. Anything that comes after Chapter 18 is strictly off-limits! Enter other rooms here.

Anyone can vote in the polls, but you'll have to join the site to leave a comment. It's a quick sign-up that won't result in any emails from me (unless you also sign up for my newsletter). I wish I could leave it free and open, but the bots are just too prevalent for that to work. Thanks for joining!

Intro & Guidelines

Congrats on completing the most complicated part of the Chat by Chapter experience - scanning your QR Code. Now that you're in the room, dive in!

Scroll down for...

• Quick Polls

• Discussion Prompts

• A comment section to share your thoughts and ideas (don't forget to reply to others!)

Click here for more information on Chat by Chapter and how it works.

Guidelines

• Lurk if you must, but it's way more fun if you join in.

• Keep it respectful - Rudeness gets you booted.

• No spoilers! If you've read ahead, save those thoughts for the other rooms.

• Talk to me like we're chatting on the couch over a bottle of wine (the nonalcoholic kind, if you like). Give us your thoughts. Ask us your questions. We want it all... There are no stupid comments in a book discussion. Probably.

Quick Polls

Vote below! Explain your answers in the comments to spark discussion.

How do we feel about Joe? (Round 2)

• Love him! Relatable.
• Hate him! Jerk
• It's complicated
• Not sure yet! Need more info...

Should Ally forgive Joe for his infidelity?

• Yes! They both did wrong.
• No! There's no excuse for cheating.

Do you think Joe killed Ally?

• Yes, most likely
• No, probably not
• I'm not sure yet

Discussion Prompts

Open the expandable lists below for prompts to start the discussion. Pick one to answer in a comment. Or, add a new comment with your thoughts on the story thus far. These prompts & sentence starters are suggestions, not requirements.

Beyond the Sea: Chapter 18

• Explain your answers to any of the polls

• Share your reaction to Ally's pregnancy.

• How do you feel about the confrontation between Joe and Ally? Who was right?

• Do you think Joe killed Ally?

• How does this chapter impact the way you feel about Joe, Ally, or their friends?

• Make a prediction: What happens next?

General Sentence Starters

• I loved this part because...

• I hated this part because...

• I would NEVER...

• This is relatable because...

• I'm predicting that...

• I'm so insert emotion here because...

• I agree with you because...

• I disagree with you because...

• I want to talk about...

• I love character  because...

• I hate character because...

Thoughts From Me (the Author!)

This leg of the novel included two of my favorite parts: Ally discovering Joe's infidelity, and Ally learning she is pregnant.

I hate Joe for cheating, but I honestly enjoyed writing their fight. I wanted it to be relatable for anyone who has fought over affairs and tried to include the feelings and language typically heard. My husband helped me with Joe's perspective, checking the dialogue and emotions against what he remembers of being the same age.

The chapter in which Ally takes the pregnancy test speaks to the depth of the friendships often developed in adolescence and early adulthood. Stella picks up on Ally's pregnancy before she does, clouded as she is by depression and denial. Instead of confronting her, Stella gets her the test, writes her the notes, and then gives Ally the privacy to learn the truth on her own.

I also love the cinematic feel of the pregnancy reveal chapter. I enjoy imagining the book playing out like a tv show, and this particular part lent itself well to that.