1. The novel opens with a death, which apparently involves Audrey and Meredith. Did that plotline resolve the way you expected? Did it hook you immediately?

2. The sea is a looming character of its own in this novel. How did you interpret each woman’s relationship with the island and the water around it?

3. Guilt and personal responsibility are common themes throughout the narrative, especially for Providence and Meredith. How did the various characters feel about their power to change the course of their own lives, and the decisions they made?

4. Audrey quotes Queen Elizabeth II when she says, “Grief is the price we pay for love.” How do you think that relates to each woman’s journey in the novel? Does that phrase resonate with you?

5. If you could assign the concept of “doubt” to one character --- Providence, Meredith or Audrey --- who would it be, and why?

6. Why do you think the novel is called “Under the Stars”? Which of the three women’s journeys do you think that theme develops most powerfully the most?

7. All three women make decisions out of desperation at certain times. Do you think those decisions, and their outcomes, were inevitable? How much control do we have over our own destiny?

8. Secrets play an important role in all three women’s lives, but which reveal was most shocking for you? What is your understanding behind each woman’s decision to keep the secrets she did? Do you think any of them owed their secrets to the people in their lives?

9. Who do you think was the rightful owner of the paintings found at the Mohegan Inn?

10. In your opinion, which love story was the most impactful in this novel? Who did you root for? Was there anyone you didn’t root for?