In partnership with Nutella Biscuits.
IMO, Book clubs are the ultimate expression of girlhood. Picture this: you, your besties, a platter of sweet treats, and an excuse to yap about fictional characters for hours on end. It’s like therapy…but with delicious snacks. (And way less judgment.)
If that sounds like your vibe, get ready. This fall, we’re teaming up with Nutella Biscuits to launch the first-ever Betches Book Club. Yep, you heard that right — Nutella makes biscuits now, and not only are they *so yummy*, they’re the perfect club snack to share with your besties. There’s just something about the golden-baked biscuit that makes you feel like you’re hosting a fancy soirée in Regency-era England. Honestly, I can’t think of a more deliciously demure snack to enjoy while rating a book with your fellow socialites.
You can step up your reading (and snacking) game with us by grabbing a hot-off-the-press copy of The Midnight Club by the fabulous Margot Harrison and joining her and the Betches founders Aleen Dreksler, Sami Sage, and Jordana Abraham for an unforgettable IRL book club gathering at Bibliotheque in NYC on 10/28. We’ll bring the Nutella Biscuits if you bring the vibes. You can even start prepping now with our discussion questions below after you grab your tickets here.
Not based in NYC? No sweat! Aleen, Jordana, and Sami will be hosting a virtual version of the Betches Book Club presented by Nutella Biscuits on the @betches podcast feed starting 11/11 with new episodes dropping weekly. In a wonderfully meta twist, they’ll be diving into Such A Bad Influence, a new release from author Olivia Muenter about a podcaster gone missing(!). Stock up on those Nutella Biscuits and listen along with your book club every week as your Betches besties break it down chapter by chapter.
Discussion Questions for Such a Bad Influence
1. The two main characters are Evie and Hazel, two sisters who couldn’t be more different. Hazel is a millennial with a traditional career path, and Evie is super successful as an influencer. Which sister did you relate most to and why?
2. Would you have done anything differently than Hazel in the book? How about Evie?
3. If you were to cast the movie, who would you have play Evie? Who would you have play Hazel?
4. The majority of the book is about escaping social media. What is your current relationship to social media? Have you ever taken a break from it? What effect did that have?
5. “Such a Bad Influence” deals with the ups and downs of influencer culture. Do you think influencer culture is helpful or hurtful? Are there influencers you genuinely trust / look to?
6. The sisters grew up in a very popular YouTube family channel. There’s been a lot of discussion about the good and bad of parents putting their children online. How do you feel about it? Do you relate to how Evie or Hazel reacts to their childhood?
7. Once Evie goes missing, the Internet explodes with Reddit threads, podcast episodes, and Twitter hashtags. Do you think the Internet obsession with true crime is healthy or maybe even helpful? Why do you think people cling to stories like this?
8. The ending has two huge twists. Did you see either of them coming? What do you think the endings meant to say about the book?
Discussion Questions for The Midnight Club
1. Who was your favorite and least favorite character in the book and why?
2. Instead of having a single main character, The Midnight Club follows a complicated friend group over the course of a few decades. How did this impact the way you experienced the book? If it followed one person, who would you choose and what would that change?
3. If this book were to be turned into a movie or show, who would you cast in the leading roles?
- Auraleigh
- Byron
- Sonia
- Jennet
4. What do you think happens to this friend group after their experience at the reunion? How have your own friendships evolved in adulthood?
5. The book makes the distinction between voluntary and involuntary memories. How would you define an “involuntary” memory? What purpose do you think they serve in the book and in our own lives?
6. The book focuses on hindsight, and whether we should look back to gain greater understanding about the past. Do you think it’s a good idea to ruminate on past events? What can we learn from prior experiences?
4. Toward the end of the book, Sonia says, “We all could have been there for her, when it still counted, but it’s too late now”’ Do you think that she is right? When’s a time that a friend showed up for you when it counted?
8. Was there anything that surprised you the most about the book?
