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Beyond the Sea: The Cafe
- Anna Dunworth
- Mar 8
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 1
Chat by Chapter: Full Book Discussion
Welcome to the first discussion room for Beyond the Sea! We are so glad you're here.
This room is for readers who have finished the book. Not there yet? Go back! Spoilers lie ahead.
There are plenty of other places to chat if you haven't finished yet. 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!)
Guidelines
Lurk if you must, but it's way more fun if you join in.
Keep it respectful - Rudeness gets you booted.
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? (Final Opinions)
Love him! Relatable
Hate him! Jerk
It's complicated
Was Ally justified in her actions?
Yes!
No!
How do we feel about the ending?
Loved it
Hated it
It's complicated
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 book. These prompts & sentence starters are suggestions, not requirements.
Beyond the Sea: Full Book
Explain your answers to any of the polls
Share your reaction to the ending.
Can you identify any themes in the book? What's the moral of the story?
How do you feel about Joe as a person? Did your feelings towards him change throughout the book?
Share your reaction to Ally getting away with her scheme.
Do you believe Ally loved Jack? Explain.
How do you feel about Ally as a person?
What do you expect to happen next for Joe? Ally? Jack? Lisa?
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!)
That's it! The end.
Joe and Ally are complicated characters, just like most real people. I hope you can appreciate their growth over the years without denying their flaws. Is anyone truly all good or all bad? Probably not.
If you loved the characters in Beyond the Sea as much as I did, you'll want to keep an eye out for Book 2. Joe and Ally return to continue their story. Coming 2027. (Sign up for the newsletter to stay in the loop).
Excited for book 2!! Loved the twists and turns. Happy to hear Joe is in therapy, but I really hope Ally is too. And Katie and Ronnie… and Lisa… honestly all of the characters.
WOW is right! From time to time I suspected that Ally was framing Joe, but I couldn’t get my head around her being alive. She is as psycho as they come.
I do have a couple of issues with the “ending”. First, there seemed to be too many people in on Ally’s plan (Katie, Veronica) for it not to unravel. Second. I have a hard time believing the Hancocks can buy, or otherwise silence, so many who have knowledge of the facts. Of course while this all seems contrived, it certainly opens the door to a continuation of the story, which I look forward to. And I wonder, is Erica on the Hancock’s payroll? I guess we’ll have to s…
I was not expecting the ending but now I can’t wait for Book 2! Lisa and Stella referenced Ally’s bad behavior but I had no idea it was this bad. In thinking back to the earlier chapters, Ally made bad decisions too. She should have pursued Yale. And she shoukd not have turned everyone against Jack. It was always my way or the highway with her. She always had to have her way. I agree she is mentally ill and dangerous and while I feel bad for what she went through, it is no excuse for what she did to Joe or Jack. While I liked both Joe and Ally for most of the book, at this point, I can’t…
The ending negotiation scene…
I was really hoping Joe was going to ask for millions and have it be given to Allys mom. How much Joe “owes” Ally is up for debate - as well as how much room he had to answer the question with the vial right there.
Guess Jack and the fam were keeping busy on the boat while Joe was on his detective meeting setting up that interrogation room.
The end was an interesting twist, to have Joe finally learn about the pregnancy and that Ally was able to get away with attempted murder in addition to everything else. It was unexpected and keeps on theme with nothing goes according to plan!
I loved getting to know the characters little by little and learning all the skeletons in their closets which drive their motives.