1. The story opens with the young Sandy and her mother waiting in a doctor’s office for news that will change their lives. Put yourself in their shoes in 1974 small-town Georgia. How would you feel if you were the mother? If you were the pregnant, unwed girl?
2. Sandy’s journey through the first half of the book is filled with challenges and choices. Have you or someone you know ever dealt with a situation like this? What was the outcome?
3. The meeting between Sandy’s and Brad’s families doesn’t go very smoothly. How could that situation have been handled differently? If you were involved, what would you advise?
4. Brad tells Sandy that he loves her and wants to marry her. Do you believe him? Do you think that sometimes women may ignore red flags? What would you tell Sandy in that moment— when Brad tells her “I can’t live without you”?
5. On her way to Atlanta, Sandy meets a strange woman in the gas station. How would you react to a stranger predicting your future? Would you take it to heart as Sandy does, or would you brush it off as lunacy?
6. Linda selflessly invites Sandy into her home in Atlanta and supports her through her pregnancy. How does this experience affect Sandy’s future?
7. Sandy goes home to spend Christmas with her family and attends the Christmas Eve service at their church. She realizes a correlation between her own pregnancy and Mary’s. In what ways are their situations similar? How does this one night change Sandy’s outlook on her pregnancy and her life?
8. After Sandy gives birth, her mother is persistent to see and hold the twins. She even begs Sandy to take at least one of them home. Would that have been a good choice? If your mother tried to force something on you that you didn’t agree with, how would you handle it?
9. As a teacher and the cheerleading coach, Sandy plays an important role in the lives of her students. She develops a friendship with Maria and helps her through a difficult time. Do you think there should be laws in place defining the relationships teachers are allowed to have with their students? Discuss the implications.
10. Do you think it was a coincidence that the lawyer Sandy visits turns out to be one of her sons? She is overjoyed and unsure what to do with her newfound knowledge. What do you think about her spying on the family and following them to Chloe’s soccer game? Can you imagine doing something like this?
11. Sandy asks Dustin Abernathy if he was adopted, and he says no. Later we find out that he was adopted but his parents never told him. Do you think children need to know if they were adopted?
12. Even though Sandy wasn’t fond of Dusty, she sacrifices her own life for him. Would you do that for your child? Would you be able to sacrifice your child for someone else?
13. In what ways does Sandy’s story relate to the biblical story of Jacob and Esau?
14. Discuss the choices you see throughout this story that change its course. For example, Sandy chooses to believe the strange woman’s prediction about her sons and acts accordingly. Later, Sandy continues to help Maria even though Sandy could lose her job. Which choice do you consider the most pivotal?