READERS GUIDE
Reader’s GuideSounds Like Love by Ashley Poston
Discussion Questions:
1. Joni believes that a good song can fix almost anything. Do you have a song that you gravitate toward, and why?
2. There is a lot of discussion of burnout in Sounds Like Love. Have you ever experienced burnout yourself, and if you have, how did you
overcome it?
3. A little of Joni’s burnout comes from the realization that she must follow up her career-making song with something that is just as
good, and she’s afraid nothing will ever top it. Have you ever criticized an artist for not following up their career-making work with something better? What does better look like?
4. Homesickness is another thread throughout Sounds Like Love that weighs heavily on Joni. Do you think that she never should have left her hometown if she would regret it in the end? Why?
5. Sebastian finds himself in the shadow of a man he does not like. How does he come to accept that, and how does he branch out and become his own person?
6. If for one day you could be telepathically linked to anyone in the world, who would it be?
7. Joni’s mother is in the early stages of dementia. The disease is nicknamed “the long goodbye” because of how cruel and slow it is. How does Joni learn about her mom’s diagnosis, and how does she adapt to her mother’s new needs?
8. Sebastian wants Joni to call him Sasha even after they meet. Why? And why doesn’t she at the beginning?
9. Georgia is the opposite of Joni in a lot of ways, though their friendship only began to break down when Joni began to keep secrets from
her best friend. To you, what makes a healthy friendship?
10. There is a wide array of music mentioned in Sounds Like Love. What do you think makes a song memorable? Alternatively, what’s the worst song you’ve ever heard?
