Book Club discussion guide
The First Faux Pas
1. In The First Faux Pas, we meet Lora Weaver after she’s moved from New York to Montréal and hits a career snag that causes her to reboot her life and change professions. How do you think she’s handling the curveball? Do you think her new plans are a step forward for her or is she just trying to make lemonade from lemons?
2. The first secondary character we meet in the book is Lora’s bff and co-boss at the PI agency, Camille. In many ways, the two friends are quite different yet somehow become ride-or-die besties. How did you feel that their differences heightened their friendship? Could you identify any similarities underneath the differences that also bonded them together?
3. Two men figure into Lora’s life—her boyfriend Adam who offers a source of stability—and her co-boss/mentor Laurent who makes her question everything. In what ways do you think these two men are different or alike? What unique attributes do the two men offer Lora respectively and in what ways might they affect her romantic life for better or worse?
4. Montréal and the French Canadian culture are big features in the book. What distinct flavour do you find that brings to the story? What impact do you think it has on Lora?
5. Which parts from Lora’s social worker background do you think may help or hinder her PI work? What, if any, particular skills do you think sets her apart from other fictional PIs?
6. Throughout the book, Lora is drawn deeper into the Caron clan. How do you think that sense of found family is affecting her? Do you think that acceptance and support is something Lora has been missing or just a fringe benefit?
7. Despite her good intentions, Lora struggles to learn French throughout the story. How do you think that affects her new life in her new city? Do you think her struggles reflect or represent challenges newcomers can sometimes face in a new setting?
8. Lora brings a rose-coloured outlook to her life and her work. Whereas both Camille and Laurent can be more skeptical. Do you think anyone changes their view by the end of the book and if yes, how so?
9. The PI case in the book involves a missing person. In what ways, if any, do you think Lora’s search for Puddles mirrors her own search for something missing in her life?
10. At home, Lora has to deal with a demanding and difficult houseguest in Tina. How did you feel about how Lora handled things? Did Lora’s reaction to Adam inviting Tina to stay indefinitely make sense to you?
11. Lora frequently comes up against moral dilemmas in the book. For instance, when she wrestles with whether or not she should go through Tina’s personal things and open her lock box. What did you think of Lora’s decisions? And were there motivations or outcomes that surprised you?
12. By the end of the book, do you think Lora achieved what she set out to do? In her final scene with Laurent, did you expect his reaction? What sort of trouble, both personal and professional, do you think may be in store for Lora in the next book?