Chapter extras
Go deeper into the story.
Every chapter has a song from the soundtrack and a question to sit with. Read along, press play, or bring them to your book club. Light on spoilers, heavy on feelings.
Chapter 1: Swipe Right for Me: A Matchmaker’s DilemmaSong: Everybody But Me
Niem has been in love with love since third grade. He built an app that helps everyone find their person. Everyone except him.
Ask yourself
Who do people come to for love advice in your life, and who do you go to?
Chapter 2: The One I Let GoSong: Come With Me
Seventeen, the Gallery Mall food court, and Brittany. The first lesson in loving someone enough to let them go.
Ask yourself
Have you ever loved someone enough to let them go? Would you do it again?
Chapter 3: TanishaSong: Sacrifice
His longest relationship didn’t come from an app. It came from wanting a family so badly he ignored every warning sign.
Ask yourself
What red flag have you ignored because you wanted something badly enough?
Chapter 4: The AlgorithmSong: Golden Ticket
Credit Score Dating didn’t start as a company. It started as insomnia, open tabs and patterns he couldn’t unsee.
Ask yourself
Should money, values and long-term goals come up before chemistry, or after?
Chapter 5: The SurgeonSong: Right One, Wrong App
By thirty-five, his name means something. Then he meets Laura, who schedules everything, including him.
Ask yourself
Is a partner who plans everything a green flag or a red flag for you?
Chapter 6: MoniqueSong: One More Drink
“I don’t do boring.” Her profile said it plainly. It should have been his first warning.
Ask yourself
Have you ever confused chaos for chemistry? How did you finally know?
Chapter 7: BrunchSong: Outside with You
If Monique was fire, Tasha is daylight: soft smile, easy laugh, the kind of peace he isn’t sure what to do with.
Ask yourself
Why does peace sometimes feel boring when we’re used to drama?
Chapter 8: The AlmostSong: Location Shared
Sierra wasn’t toxic or dramatic. She was good. Almost good enough. That’s what made her the hardest to leave.
Ask yourself
What’s harder to walk away from: something bad, or something almost good enough?
Chapter 9: The CatfishSong: Facetime First!
By the time Denise popped up on his screen, he thought he’d seen everything. He hadn’t.
Ask yourself
What’s the one thing you always verify before a first date?
Chapter 10: The LawyerSong: Typing
Andrea’s first message: “So... are you actually self-aware, or just successful?” The cross-examination begins.
Ask yourself
Do you want a partner who challenges you, or one who agrees with you?
Chapter 11: The One With the Blue CheckSong: Soft Launch
He didn’t meet her on the app. She found him, mid-panel in New York, with a famous face and a lot to protect.
Ask yourself
Could you date someone whose whole life is lived in public?
Chapter 12: We Ain’t S**t (Respectfully)Song: We Ain't S**t
Rae messaged first. He left her on read for a week. Respectfully, this one is on him.
Ask yourself
Have you ever been the problem in a situationship? What did it teach you?
Chapter 13: The MaskSong: The Mask
Likes on every post. Deep cuts from 2014. It always starts the same way.
Ask yourself
How can you tell someone interested in you from someone interested in your image?
Chapter 14: My DaughterSong: Simply Nye
Aunye doesn’t ask questions to be polite. She asks the ones he’s been avoiding.
Ask yourself
Whose opinion of your partner matters most to you, and why?
Chapter 15: Red Flags in Real TimeSong: Delete the App
He should have known something was off. This time, the red flags show up while he’s watching.
Ask yourself
Do you speak up the moment you see a red flag, or wait until you’re sure?
Chapter 16: Breaking NewsSong: Everybody But Me
Sunday dinner at his parents’ house is not for the weak, especially when the news got there first.
Ask yourself
How much say should your family have in who you date?
Chapter 17: The OneSong: Swipe Right For Me
Renee didn’t pop off the screen. No fireworks. Which is exactly why he paused.
Ask yourself
Do you trust instant fireworks, or a slower spark?
Chapter 18: The AskSong: Come With Me
Renee doesn’t rush him. That’s the dangerous part.
Ask yourself
Who should make the first big move in a relationship?
Chapter 19: The TellSong: Outside with You
Tacos, her playlist, and a conversation in the car he can’t drive away from.
Ask yourself
What’s one conversation you’d only have in a car, with no way out?
Chapter 20: The Other RoomSong: Sacrifice
It happens on a regular Tuesday. The big moments never announce themselves.
Ask yourself
What ordinary moment told you a relationship was real?
Chapter 21: MaintenanceSong: Simply Nye
Nothing dramatic happens. That’s the problem, and the point: the difference between routine and rhythm.
Ask yourself
What does keeping a relationship strong look like when nothing is wrong?
Chapter 22: PublicSong: Soft Launch
It’s one thing to protect your peace in private. It’s another when the whole room is watching.
Ask yourself
How private should a relationship be online?
Chapter 23: NotificationsSong: Location Shared
His phone won’t stop vibrating before he’s done brushing his teeth. Something just went very public.
Ask yourself
How would you and your partner handle going viral overnight?
Chapter 24: After the NoiseSong: Delete the App
Fame is loud, even the small kind. What’s left when it finally gets quiet?
Ask yourself
After a big win, who are the people still in the room?
Chapter 25: Slow BurnSong: Great Pheelins
It didn’t start in the bedroom. A chapter about letting heat build slowly.
Ask yourself
When it comes to intimacy, is slow better than fast?
Chapter 26: TimingSong: Right One, Wrong App
An email at 6:42 a.m. and the question every couple faces: right person, right time?
Ask yourself
Can the right person show up at the wrong time?
Chapter 27: What We CarrySong: Swipe Right For Me
He didn’t sleep. The last chapter is about what we bring into love, and what we finally set down.
Ask yourself
What are you still carrying from past relationships, and what are you ready to put down?
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