Cozy night
The ExesBook club questions, food & host guide
Leodora Darlington
Picked by
GMA Book Club
GMA Book Club
A cozy book club night for The Exes by Leodora Darlington. Includes 8 spoiler-free discussion questions, food and drink pairings, a playlist, and a host guide, ready to print and share.
A club that likes a book with a pulse and a sense of humor, and that does not mind the conversation wandering into their own romantic histories.
Buy links are affiliate links; we may earn a small commission, at no cost to you.
A warm, wry story about tangled romantic histories and the people we never quite finish knowing, told with enough heart to make a roomful of readers compare notes on their own pasts. It is the rare book that invites confession as much as conversation.
Why it works for clubs
- Everyone arrives with their own version of the same story, which makes for easy, generous talk
- Relationships that linger past their expiry date give the group something personal to chew on
- The tone balances humor and tenderness, so the room can laugh and then go quiet
- Short, scene-driven chapters mean even the half-finished readers can join in
Reading level
Easy
Warm-up questions
- 1 Where did you read most of this one, and did the setting you were in (couch, commute, bath) end up matching the book's mood?
- 2 Was there a moment early on where you thought, oh good, I am going to enjoy being in this book's company? What was happening on the page?
Digging in
- 1 This book sits with the idea that an ex never fully leaves your life, they just change shape. Did that land as comforting or uncomfortable for you?
- 2 Which relationship in the book did you find yourself quietly rooting for, not because it was healthy, but because you understood it?
- 3 Darlington writes people being petty and people being kind, often within a page of each other. Which of those moments made you feel most forgiving toward the characters?
- 4 Was there a line or small gesture in here that you wanted to copy out and keep? What about it stuck to you?
Going deep
- 1 Without giving anything away, did the book leave you feeling softer about your own old relationships, or more certain some doors should stay shut? Share only as much as you want to.
- 2 By the time you closed the book, who did you feel the most tenderness toward, and had that shifted from where you started? No specifics needed, just the shape of the change.
On the table
Build-your-own baked potato bar with sharp cheddar, chives, and sour cream
The exact thing you eat alone after a breakup, upgraded into something you share. Almost no active work and it keeps the room grazing all night.
A tray of buttery shortbread and jam thumbprints
Old-fashioned, slightly sentimental cookies, the kind someone's ex's mother used to make. Easy to prep ahead and set out in a tin.
A pot of tomato soup with grilled cheese cut into triangles
Pure consolation food for a book about people consoling themselves. Simmer the soup earlier in the day and grill the sandwiches as guests arrive.
To sip
Mulled apple cider with cinnamon and orange peel (non-alcoholic)
No alcohol
Keep it warm on the stove so the whole house smells welcoming before anyone knocks.
Hot toddy bar (whiskey, honey, lemon, hot water)
A drink with a little melancholy built into it, and guests can pour their own strength depending on how the week went.
Red wine, poured generously into mismatched glasses
The unfussy house-pour of every long kitchen-table conversation about someone's past. No tasting notes required.
Low-lit and lived-in: warm acoustic guitar, a little piano, singers who sound like they are telling you something in confidence.
Tap a track to play it. Full songs play when you're signed into Spotify.
Run of show
7:00
Door open, cider on the stove
No agenda for the first half hour. Hand everyone a warm mug the second they walk in and let people find their spot.
7:25
Soup and sandwiches
Serve while people are still settling. Eating first makes the talking easier and nobody has to perform.
7:45
Warm-up round
Go around with the two warm-up questions. Keep answers short and let people pass if they want to.
8:05
The heart of it
Work through the theme questions in whatever order the room wants. Follow the tangents, they are the point.
8:45
Trivia break with cookies
Bring out the shortbread and run the trivia as a team game, no points worth taking seriously.
9:05
The two deeper questions, then scorecards
Lower the lights, top up the toddies, and let the last stretch get quiet. Collect scorecards as people leave.
Host tips
- Say out loud at the start that nobody has to have finished the book. It instantly lowers the temperature of the room.
- Put a soft lamp on instead of the overhead light and keep blankets within reach. People talk more honestly when they are physically comfortable.
- Have a graceful exit line ready for the personal questions, something like 'pass if you'd rather,' so nobody feels cornered into oversharing.
You're invited
Soup, Shortbread, and Everyone We Used to Date
Come over for tomato soup, a tin of cookies, and a long warm talk about Leodora Darlington's The Exes. Finish the book or don't, wear something with an elastic waist, and bring your own history if you feel like sharing it.
Trivia
-
1
Who wrote The Exes?Answer: Leodora Darlington.
-
2
What word in the title tells you the book is built around relationships that have already ended?Answer: Exes.
-
3
The title is plural. What does that signal about the book's structure?Answer: More than one past relationship, so multiple romantic histories rather than a single couple.
-
4
What genre territory does a title like The Exes most clearly sit in?Answer: Contemporary fiction about relationships, in the romance and romantic-comedy neighborhood.
-
5
Is 'ex' in this sense short for a longer phrase?Answer: Yes, it is a shortening of terms like ex-partner, ex-husband, or ex-girlfriend.
-
6
Reader's round: in our group tonight, who read the whole thing in the fewest sittings?Answer: Whoever raises a hand fastest. Award a cookie.
-
7
What is the literary term for a story that revolves around a group of interconnected characters rather than one hero?Answer: An ensemble (or ensemble cast) narrative.
-
8
Reader's round: how many of us read this one mostly in bed?Answer: Count the hands. Usually a majority on a cozy pick.
Bookmarks
Cozy night
Warm welcome
Keep the kettle on. Some stories need two cups.
The Exes
Cozy night
Tender ache
Old loves, like old sweaters, still fit somehow.
The Exes
Cozy night
Gentle haunting
Everyone you ever loved is still slightly in the room.
The Exes
Rate the book
Warmth
Made me feel seen
Characters I'd have dinner with
Reread-on-a-rainy-day factor
Pages read in one sitting
One word for how this book left me:
The moment I'd want to read again:
Who I'd hand this book to next:
Print pack
- Question cards on kraft stock, one per guest, so anyone can pick the next question
- Bookmark set printed three to a page, to tuck into everyone's copy as a take-home
- Scorecards with a pencil at each seat, collected in a bowl by the door
- Hand-lettered labels for the potato bar and toddy station
- A 'pass if you'd rather' table tent, as a standing permission slip for the personal questions
Save this night
Get the kit in your inbox
We'll email you this kit now, then a friendly nudge before your meeting so planning never sneaks up on you.
Bring your book club
Run this night with your club
Get a free club page with one link to text your group. They add their name, nominate books and vote on the next pick. No accounts, no passwords.
More book club night kits
Ready-made nights for other books your club might pick next.
Your turn to host?
Build a free kit for any book
Pick your next read, choose a vibe, and get discussion questions, food and drink pairings, a playlist, and a host guide in about a minute.
Build my night