The Name Drop Book Club Guide: 10 Questions That Go Beyond the Romance

Oct 3

2 min read

Korean boy with arm around Korean girl; both wear ID badges around their necks.

Age: YA (14+)

Genre: Romance

Quick Review of The Name Drop

If your book club enjoys YA romance with so-awkward-they’re-hilarious situations, The Name Drop is for you. But the book’s not all oversharing and “help me learn to flirt” texts sent to the wrong person—this story also drills down into questions about where opportunities come from and what lengths people go to for a shot at more. In addition, its thematic exploration of father-child relationships, money mindsets, and workplace discrimination will keep your book club talking for hours.

The Name Drop Book Club Questions

In one sentence, how would you describe Jessica’s biggest weakness? What about Elijah’s? What allowed them to overcome these weaknesses by the book’s end?
Privilege versus hard work is one of The Name Drop’s main themes. List and discuss the ways this plays out in the story (feelings on money, discrimination in the workplace, competitive internships, etc.). In your opinion, can hard work ever catch up with privilege?
The book highlights both Elijah’s and Jessica’s relationships with their fathers. Compare and contrast the two relationships. What do you think the author was trying to convey with the parallel?
Many of Elijah’s privilege-based actions came from good intentions—to give Jessica a fun experience or to secure the library for the hackathon. What is your opinion on using privilege to get things done—where is the value and what is the danger?
Over the summer, Jessica becomes accustomed to wealth while Elijah sheds his chaebol mindset. How do you see this change in values affect each of their characters? Their relationship?
Jessica notes, “From the very beginning, I knew I would be the one to lose everything if this plan imploded.” Do you think such a plan was always going to implode—and do you think Jessica knew it? With your answer in mind, why do you think she agreed to the scheme?
Jessica’s dad tells her, “So much of who we become as adults is influenced by the work we do and where we do it.” If you’re a teenager, who do you hope your work will help you become? If you’re an adult, how much of your identity was influenced by your work and where you did it?
In Jessica’s place, would you have taken the scholarship from Haneul Corporation? Discuss how her decision demonstrates her character’s growth arc.
How do you feel about the circumstances under which Jessica and Elijah end up together? Were there any other scenarios in which their relationship could have worked?
Would you do a prince-and-the-pauper switch if you had the opportunity? What would you like most about your new life and miss most from your old one?