Score by Kennedy Ryan is a second-chance romance about Verity Hill and Wright “Monk” Bellamy, two people whose first love never fully left them. More than a decade after a devastating breakup, the two are brought back together to work on a major Harlem Renaissance biopic, with Monk composing the score and Verity writing the screenplay. As professional ambition forces them into close proximity, they must confront what happened between them, what they still feel, and whether love can survive the wounds of the past.

If you are reading Score with your book club, these discussion questions will help foster the conversation about second-chance romance, first love, forgiveness, ambition, intimacy, Black creativity, and the possibility of finding love again after heartbreak. They are also perfect for readers hosting discussion on the Bookum app, where bookish conversations happen!

First Love then Second Chances

1 - Verity and Monk have spent more than a decade carrying the effects of their breakup. Why do you think first love can remain so powerful even after years apart? What was your first love like?

2 - When Verity and Monk reunite, how much of their connection comes from who they are now versus who they remember being together?

3 - Do you believe people can truly change enough to make a second chance at love work, or do old patterns eventually return?

4 - What do you think hurt Verity and Monk more: losing each other or the circumstances that caused them to separate?

5 - How does the passage of time change the way the characters understand their past relationship?

6 - If you had to decide whether Verity and Monk were meant to find their way back to each other, or simply unable to let go of their first love, which would you choose?

Love and Forgiveness

7 - What does forgiveness look like in Score? Does forgiving someone require forgetting what happened? How have you dealt was forgiveness in your own life?

8 - How do Verity and Monk's wounds affect the way they communicate with each other?

9 - The novel explores the difference between loving someone and being ready to have a healthy relationship with them. How do you see that distinction playing out?

10 - What does the story suggest about the emotional work required before a second chance can become something lasting?

11 - How important is vulnerability to Verity and Monk's relationship? Who do you think struggles more with allowing themselves to be fully seen?

12 - What does Score suggest about the idea that love should always feel easy?

Professional Life:

13 - Verity and Monk reunite professionally while working on a Harlem Renaissance biopic. How does their creative partnership mirror or complicate their romantic relationship?

14 - What does the Harlem Renaissance setting add to the story's themes of artistic expression, identity, ambition, and legacy?

15 - Both Verity and Monk have built successful careers. How does professional ambition influence their personal lives and their ability to pursue love?

16 - How do you think being artists changes the way Verity and Monk understand one another? Would their relationship be different if they worked in completely different fields?

17 - The novel places romance alongside larger conversations about Black creativity and cultural history. Why do you think those subjects work so well together?

18 - If you could see the fictional Harlem Renaissance film that Verity and Monk are creating, what would you want the movie's score and screenplay to communicate?

Happily Ever After

19 - The novel treats female desire as something that deserves to be acknowledged rather than hidden or shamed. How does that shape Verity's character and her relationship with Monk?

20 - How does physical intimacy function as more than attraction between Verity and Monk? What does it reveal about trust, vulnerability, memory, or healing?

21 - Kennedy Ryan has spoken about the importance of giving readers opportunities to see women, particularly Black women, experience joy and fulfilling love. How does Score create that sense of possibility?

22 - What does a "happily ever after" mean for Verity and Monk beyond simply ending up together?

23 - Do you think the novel's romantic resolution feels earned? What did the characters have to confront before you could believe in their future together?

24 - After finishing Score, what do you think the novel ultimately says about giving love another chance? Can a person return to a relationship without returning to the person they were when it first began?

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