Did any part of Sally and Ren’s relationship challenge your views on love or relationships? How so? How did their journey to love make you feel?

The idea for this book started because of the Victorian practice of sending messages through flowers. Mrs. Burke’s Illustrated Language of Flowers was a real book published in 1858, and a digitized copy can be found at archive.org. If you’re able to, look up some of your favorite flowers. Are you startled to see what they mean? What kind of messages could you send with them?

Before reading this book, what did you know about Barbados? Was there anything you were surprised to discover? Did you think this setting enhanced or hindered the themes surrounding Sally and Ren’s relationship?

Sally unexpectedly takes a two-week journey across the Atlantic, leaving England without anything but the clothes on her back. If you only had a few minutes to prepare for a similar experience, what would you be sure to grab?

Ren’s actions border on something known as “white savior complex.” This is where white individuals feel they must rescue BIPOC (non-white) people, but it is often in a way that undermines their agency or ends up reinforcing societal inequalities. Did any of Ren’s actions overstep or hold up deep-seated discriminatory views? Where might he have acted differently to better support the BIPOC characters in this story? If you are white, is this a conversation you have had with BIPOC individuals in your life?

Which moment did you feel was the turning point for Ren in his and Sally’s relationship? Which one was Sally’s? Were these separate moments, or did they experience them together? Were any of these moments that had a big impact on you as a reader?

The sailors at the market worry about which valentines to choose for their loved ones. Have you ever given someone a valentine? What is the most romantic gift someone has given you? Was it related to Valentines Day, or some other significant event?