Your Perfect Life (31 page)
Authors: Liz Fenton
7. As her relationship with Audrey blossoms, Casey remarks,
“The one thing I’ve learned since being her mom is that having a teenager is a bit like dating a new guy; you can’t let them know how bad you want it.”
In what other ways do Casey and Rachel use experiences from their “real” lives to help inform the decisions they make while they are switched? What unique skills are they able to bring to their best friend’s life?
8. When Casey and Rachel visit Jordan, the psychic, she says,
“You already have the answer to switching back and it’s right in front of you. You need to think about why you switched in the first place and that will lead you to how you switch back.”
Discuss what enables Casey and Rachel to finally switch back. What had to happen for this to become possible?
9. Consider how certain dynamics and fixed roles can develop in long-term friendships. How did this apply to Casey and Rachel at the beginning of the novel, and how has it changed by the end?
10. Which of your friends would you most trust to take over your life? What is it about this person—perhaps their personality traits, or your shared history—that makes them the best suited for the job? Which friend’s life would you most want to test out—and do you think your answer is different having now read
Your Perfect Life
? Are these two friends one and the same, or are they different?
11. There’s an old adage that you need to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before you can really understand them. In the case of
Your Perfect Life
, could it also be said that you need to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to really understand yourself ?
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
1. Bring your high school yearbook to your next book club meeting. Share how you feel you have changed since high school—and what you feel has stayed the same.
2. Rachel makes Casey a very detailed “How to Be Rachel” list to help her get through the days. Make your own “How to Be Me” list and consider sharing with the group. Try to think of everything that even your best friend might not know about your routine, your home, or your family.
3. Pretend that you are the casting director for the film version of
Your Perfect Life
. Who would you cast as Rachel and Casey? Who would play John and Charlie? What about Destiny and Audrey?
4. Speaking of films, consider watching one of the many movies that take the idea of “switching lives” as their central theme (
Freaky Friday, Sliding Doors, Trading Places, The Change-Up,
etc.). As a group, consider what it is about these kinds of stories that fascinate us so much. What desires do these narratives tap into? What do the common lessons of each seem to be?
LIZ FENTON & LISA STEINKE
have been best friends for twenty-five years and survived high school and college together. Liz lives in San Diego, CA, with her husband and two children. Lisa, a former talk show producer, now lives in Chicago, IL, with her husband, daughter, and two bonus children. You can find them on their website,
www.lizandlisa.com
, and on twitter:
@lizandlisa
.
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authors.simonandschuster.com/Liz-Fenton
authors.simonandschuster.com/Lisa-Steinke
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Washington Square Press
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Washington Square Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition May 2014
WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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Designed by Akasha Archer
Cover photography © Benjamin Edwards Photography
Cover design © Connie Gabbert Design and Illustration LLC
Stepback photographs © Shutterstock/Xerography
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fenton, Liz.
Your perfect life : a ovel / Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke.
p. cm.
“Washington Square Press fiction original trade.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Female friendship--Fiction. 2. Identity (Psychology)—Fiction. 3. Life change events—Fiction. 4. Psychological fiction. I. Steinke, Lisa. II. Title.
PS3606.E5844Y68 2014
813'.6—dc23
2013017485
ISBN 978-1-4767-3057-8
ISBN 978-1-4767-3058-5 (ebook)
Contents
Chapter 1: Casey
Chapter 2: Rachel
Chapter 3: Casey
Chapter 4: Rachel
Chapter 5: Casey
Chapter 6: Rachel
Chapter 7: Casey
Chapter 8: Rachel
Chapter 9: Casey
Chapter 10: Rachel
Chapter 11: Casey
Chapter 12: Rachel
Chapter 13: Casey
Chapter 14: Rachel
Chapter 15: Casey
Chapter 16: Rachel
Chapter 17: Casey
Chapter 18: Rachel
Chapter 19: Casey
Chapter 20: Rachel
Chapter 21: Casey
Chapter 22: Rachel
Chapter 23: Casey
Chapter 24: Rachel
Chapter 25: Casey
Chapter 26: Rachel
Chapter 27: Casey
Chapter 28: Rachel
Chapter 29: Casey
Chapter 30: Rachel
Chapter 31: Casey
Chapter 32: Rachel
Chapter 33: Casey
Chapter 34: Rachel
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Readers Club Guide
Questions and Topics for Discussion
Enhance Your Book Club
About Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke