Reading Group Guide

About this guide

A handsome college football star devoted to his mother, who finds it increasingly difficult to honor his vow of celibacy. A charming cheerleader whose tempting beauty belies her deceitful, and criminal, motives. A single mother determined to protect her only son, but also the painful secret that, if revealed, threatens to destroy the bond she has with him. In Just Too Good to Be True, master storyteller and New York Times bestselling author E. Lynn Harris once again weaves strong, intriguing characters with a twisting and surprising plot and serves up a seductive tale that his legions of devoted fans will devour. The questions in this guide are designed to help direct your book group’s discussion of this compelling novel.

Questions for Discussion

Attention: Some plot spoilers in this guide.

1. Prior to reading Just Too Good to Be True, did you know anything about the world of college athletics? Was there something you learned about NCAA football—especially the intense competition among professional agents to sign key players—that surprised or shocked you?
    
2. Talk about Brady Bledsoe. Was he really “just too good to be true,” or were his expectations—and the expectations of him by others—too high? How did some of his actions contradict his ideals?
    
3. Consider the different voices the author uses in the narrative. Would the novel have been different if the story was told from only character’s one point of view?
    
4. What was your opinion of Camryn Bledsoe at the beginning of the book? Did it change as the novel progressed? Did you suspect she was “Niecey?”
    
5. Discuss Barrett Elizabeth Browning. Why do you think she chose such a depraved line of work? Given her hardscrabble background, did you feel any sympathy for her?
    
6. Did you identify with any of the characters in Just Too Good to Be True? If so, which ones, and why?
    
7. In Chapter 33, Camryn describes how found the strength to forgive, both herself and the people who wronged her. Talk about her faith and how it sustained her. Would you be able to forgive in this way if you were in Camryn’s situation?
    
8. All the characters in Just Too Good to Be True keep a secret of some kind, and each lie to protect it. What are the consequences of secrets in the novel?
    
9. “I never understood why football players or athletes in general were so homophobic,” [page 133]. Answer this question, posed by Brady. Given all the bravado Delmar exhibits throughout the book, was his revelation to Brady at the end of Chapter 34 shocking?
    
10. In our sexualized age, do you think the promotion of abstinence—through programs such as the one depicted in the novel, Saving Ourselves—is an effective way to keep teenagers from having sex? Is it possible in our day and age for a young person to remain celibate until marriage?
     
11. If you had to cast the movie version of Just Too Good to Be True, who would you pick for the starring roles?
     
12. What did you think of the ways the author tied up the plot’s many loose ends? Was the book’s ending satisfying?

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