READERS GUIDE

A Conversation with Lauren Kate

What inspired you to write What’s in A Kiss?

Recently my children asked for stories about how my husband and I first got together. Sitting across the dinner table, each telling our version of meeting at a party under the stars on a tomato farm in Winters, California, I wondered what other paths might have led me to this life. Surely, if I hadn’t gone to that party, some other force of destiny would have brought me here . . . right? I wanted to write a romance that would ignite no matter the circumstances. A love story that insisted on itself, even when it was impossible. I’m not sure I believe in soulmates, but I do believe that some loves are stubborn, with cosmic agendas.

Why did you choose to set this story in Los Angeles?

Before I moved to LA, I had strong opinions about all the things I wouldn’t like about it. Then I landed in Laurel Canyon in the fall of 2009, and it was instalove. Los Angeles is a rousing city, pulsing with dreamers, stratospheric luck, and really good tacos. Its natural beauty shapes my days—even though I grew up thinking nature was a tree in a mall. Writing this book, I pulled from my daily experiences, my frustrations and pleasures, and the people in my life who actually are as open to the multiverse as Olivia has to be in this story.

Which was your favorite scene to write, and why?

The scene where Olivia goes from being beloved Maid of Honor to loathed Persona Non Grata at her best friend’s wedding was a thrill to write. I seek chances to shock my protagonists, to turn them upside down and inside out in starkly tangible ways, so that I can know them more deeply.

Who was your favorite character to write, and why?

Olivia was my BAE in this book. Because the rift in her reality exposes two very different sides of her character, she felt familiar to me in a long-term way—meaning I identify with her in both my past and present selves. Once she’s displaced from her real life and loses access to the people she’s closest to, I knew it was essential to put her in conflict with characters who enrage and annoy her. Of these characters, I particularly enjoy Yogi Rabbi Dan.

Were Olivia and Jake inspired by real people? If so, who, and if not, how did you come to their characters?

At the start of the book, Olivia defines herself largely through her relationships with those in her inner circle—her mother and her best friend, Masha. In the first chapter, she says of Masha that “when you’ve been friends as long as we have, it’s impossible not to see yourself—every aspect of your identity—in relation to each other.” I based this on my relationship with my oldest friend Megan. One of my favorite scenes in the book is between Olivia and Masha, in the alternate reality where Masha doesn’t consider Olivia a friend anymore. Every time I worked on this chapter, it made me cry, and the novel is dedicated to Megan, whom I channeled for this scene.

For Jake’s character, I saw his public-facing golden-boy persona—the one Olivia finds maddeningly fake—as a cross between Jimmy Fallon and Will Arnett. Both of these artists are great at what they do, and their toothsome schtick is very explicit. It’s like there’s no room for authenticity. When Jake’s external success is taken away from him, I tried to write a character who’s really that charming, that playful, that kind. The shocking truth of Jake’s character is that he’s not an act, and when he shines everything he’s got on Olivia, she has to grow a bit to take it all in.

If the story were told from Jake’s perspective, how would his alternate reality differ from Olivia’s?

Jake’s internal life is less frenetic than Olivia’s. He’s less conflicted about his desire. The story would still confront Jake’s and Olivia’s responsibilities to their actual lives, but we might get to glimpse the lonely side of fame through Jake’s eyes. And we’d likely see more of Jake’s relationship attempts with other women. We’d need to see him try to be happy with someone other than Olivia. Because Olivia gives Jake no choice but bliss.

Do you believe in a multiverse? What other lives are you living?

I know there’s more to our existence than we can see. I like to imagine myself in endless other careers, geographies, eras. I think I’d always find the souls who matter most to me.

This novel portrays various types of love: familial, platonic, and romantic. How do you hope this book speaks to the roles of these different loves in people’s lives?

Everything I write is a love story, and while I think romantic love is exciting, I find myself taking an increasingly expansive view. Familial love is cellular, ancient, and wise. Platonic love is butter in the skillet—it makes life glide . . . and taste better. We need it all. As much as we can get.

Olivia and Jake both experience feelings of loss and regret. Why did you choose to make them similar in this way?

Olivia needs to deny the existence of Jake’s wounds so her own life makes sense. That’s something you see a lot in LA—young lovers break up and one of them goes on to become rich and famous. Then the left-behind lover has to see the successful lover on billboards and buses. The left-behind lover’s got to do something with that, emotionally. You can’t fall apart every time you drive down Sunset Boulevard.
Olivia toughens herself up to survive, and it becomes a large part of who she is. She’s used to fantasizing that Jake has no problems, no regrets. For her character to evolve, she has to be shaken out of that comfortable self-delusion.

Without giving anything away, did you always know how the story would end?

I did know how the book was going to end—I often know the ending and the climax, but I tend to be wrong about the moment just before the climax, the moment that tips the scales toward the story’s destination. This book was no exception. I remember coming to a small scene where Olivia is home alone just before she makes the choice that leads to the book’s crescendo. What she discovers in that scene shocked me as I wrote it. It touched me deeply. And it’s connected to my original inspiration for this book—the details of my personal love story that I feel I owe my children.

Discussion Questions

1.         What was your favorite scene, and why?

2.         A road-rage incident causes Olivia to reconcile with her father’s death and reevaluate her plans for her future. Have you had a surprise incident or moment like this that pushed you to question your own situation?

3.         Masha and Olivia are very close, yet have very different outlooks on life and life’s what-ifs, especially when it comes to relationships. What is the difference between how they face challenges or fears in their lives? Whom do you relate to more?

4.         How did each reality affect Olivia’s relationships with her loved ones? Do you think she could have truly been happy in either reality without knowing what could have been?

5.         There is one incident that changes the trajectory of Olivia and Jake’s relationship. Is there a moment in your life that you look back on and think, What if?

6.         Olivia’s diary is color coded and categorized by different stages in her life. Do you keep a diary? Would you consider keeping one? If so, how is it, or how would it be, organized?

7.         Liv’s romantic history and her ideas of romance are informed by her mother’s heartbreak over her father’s passing. How does this speak to the idea of honoring and remembering past relationships? In what ways do the struggles of our pasts influence our futures?

8.         Masha’s wedding reception triggers Olivia’s surreal experience of living in an alternate reality. In both worlds, she’s made sacrifices for the people she loves. Have you ever felt like you had to choose between two things of extreme importance to you? If so, how did you make that decision?

9.         What do you think the title of the book means?

10.       How did you feel about the ending? Were you expecting Olivia to choose that path?