Bad On Paper Podcast

Episode: Best Offer Wins Book Club
Hosts: Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter
Date: January 28, 2026

Episode Overview

In this lively January Book Club episode, hosts Becca and Olivia dive deep into Best Offer Wins by Marisa Cascino, a page-turning domestic thriller that blends dark humor, real estate obsession, and unhinged female ambition. The discussion thoughtfully explores the book’s plot twists, the relatability of its intense real estate drama, the appeal and discomfort of an “unlikable” female lead, and broader topics like privilege, class, and marriage. The conversation is peppered with personal anecdotes from the hosts, recommendations for similar reads, and their reactions to the proposed screen adaptation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Book Club Warm-Up and Personal Highs & Lows

• [00:17–04:57]: The hosts catch up, sharing highlights (book events, new beds, busy days) and commiserating over current events before diving into the book.
• Memorable Quote:
  • Olivia on real life tension:
    “7:00am delivery window is wild.” (02:49)
  • Olivia on current events:
    “... can I just on the record just say fuck ICE ... I just don't understand how people are justifying treating other human beings this way ...” (05:00)

2. Quick Plot Recap

• [08:43]:
  • Margot, a PR exec in D.C. obsessed with getting pregnant and house hunting, hyper fixates on her dream Bethesda home and grows increasingly unhinged in her attempts to win the property.
• Becca’s Take: “It felt very much gulpable popcorn thriller.” (00:37)

3. Why This Book for the Club?

• [09:16–11:19]: Becca chose this title for its “everybody safe thriller” feel, its fast pace, and personal resonance—she herself is house hunting.
• Relatability: Both hosts discuss how the anxieties and heartbreaks of house-hunting inform the novel’s intensity—even if neither has gone as far as Margot!

4. Unlikable, Yet Compelling, Female Lead

• [12:00–21:33]:
  • Margot is divisive: “unlikable” is a descriptor in the Facebook group, but both hosts enjoy her spikiness and the backstory that brings empathy.
  • Olivia’s Theory:
    “I think that's the thing that makes an unlikable narrator work for me, is if you can understand why they are that spiky ...” (19:05)
  • Becca draws a distinction: unlikable narrators in plot-driven novels are interesting, but less so in more literary, meandering books.

5. The Rollercoaster of Home Buying

• [13:05–18:35]:
  • Both hosts relate personal heartbreak stories: up against all-cash offers, privilege in the process, emotional investment in homes.
  • Quote:
    “It feels like the game is rigged a little bit.” —Becca (18:35)

6. The “Popcorn Thriller” Structure & Pacing

• [24:38–29:13]:
  • The book’s tension derives from everyday adult anxieties (work presentations, IVF, marriage struggles) as much as physical danger.
  • The dinner party reveal (21:33) arrives much earlier than expected, upending thriller tropes.
  • Becca’s “Scaredy Cat” Take: Margot’s role as perpetrator, not victim, makes the violence less distressing:
    “I wasn't scared on her behalf ... she was in control.” (25:04)
  • Campy tone sets the book apart from more disturbing, realistic thrillers.

7. The Ending & Epilogue

• [40:15–43:39]:
  • Fertility struggles, marriage power imbalance, and rage over class/privilege merge into Margot’s downward spiral.
  • The epilogue divides opinion—a masterstroke for some, unnecessary for others.
  • Olivia:
    “I wanted it to end there [before the epilogue] so badly...” (42:03)
  • Becca:
    “I liked the epilogue... Just fully reinforced her sociopathy ... this was all worth it. I have no regrets.” (42:33)
  • The climactic murders are shocking, but well-seeded with clues and payoffs.
    “So many small things ... all culminating into her master murder plan. I found it so satisfying.” —Becca (45:18)

8. Social & Psychological Commentary

• [34:48–41:38]:
  • The novel skewers privilege (Kurt vs. Margot’s backgrounds), the “American Dream” for millennials, and relationship “quiet quitting.”
  • Both are struck by the pairing of IVF trauma and lost control in home buying, driving Margot to extremes.
  • Quote:
    “...it was such an astute pairing to put those two things together.” —Becca (39:51)
• The epilogue’s implications on marriage and happiness lead to a discussion of “quiet quitting” relationships due to financial realities.

Book-to-Screen Adaptation News

• [46:25]:
  • Greta Lee (Past Lives, The Morning Show) has bought rights to produce and potentially star as Margot.
  • Both hosts are eager for a screen adaptation—movie or series format debated.
  • Comparisons to Little Fires Everywhere for setting vibes.

Readalike Recommendations

• [48:26]: Other Thrillers/Unhinged Heroine Books
  • A Good Person by Kristin King (out March, “horrific delight”)
  • All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harmon
  • Julie Chan is Dead (super unhinged main character)
• Theme: If you love messy, “spiky,” or off-the-rails protagonists, check these out.

Notable Quotes

• On the real estate game:
  “It’s like buying jeans ... but this was like, I’ve gone through this shopping process ... and they're still like, no, no, no, thanks.” —Becca (15:38)
• On unlikable but rewarding protagonists:
  “If you can get from A to B in your mind, to me, it makes them much more real than if they’re charming and perfect.” —Olivia (19:05)
• On feminist and class rage:
  “It feels like the game is rigged a little bit.” —Becca (18:35) “Like, why do you get this house, this nice life ... you were born into privilege ... the American dream being pulled out from under them.” —Becca (34:48)
• On the ending:
  “...the campiness of this really defrayed ... the same as like a Finley Donovan book, you know, where you’re like, yes, there is an internal logic ... but it's, you’re kind of playing it for laughs.” —Becca (28:48)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Book Events & Life Updates: [00:17–04:47]
• Lowlight/Current Events Rant: [05:00–06:54]
• Book Plot Overview: [08:43–09:16]
• Why Pick This Book?: [09:16–11:19]
• Unlikable Protagonists: [19:05–21:33]
• Dinner Party Confrontation: [21:33–23:22]
• Violence & Camp in Thrillers: [24:38–29:13]
• Ending/Epilogue Discussion: [42:00–43:39]
• Screen Adaptation News: [46:25–48:26]
• Readalike Recommendations: [48:41–50:35]

Host Reads, Obsessions & DNF

• [50:40–56:56]:
  • Olivia did not enjoy The Shining by Stephen King: “I looked at a page, and I was at page almost 400 ... and I was like, I’m out. I can’t. I can’t do this.” (53:30)
  • Becca on Yesteryear by Carol Claire Burke:
    “My jaw was on the ground. Like, the ending of this book was so masterful...” (55:07)

Next Up: February Book Club Pick

• Olivia’s new novel Little One (out Feb 3)—a dual timeline story about a woman with a cult upbringing and a journalist’s investigation threatening her carefully constructed life.

Connect & Continue the Conversation

• Join the Facebook Group: Search ‘Bad On Paper Podcast’
• Substacks:
  • Becca: @beccafreeman
  • Olivia: @oliviamentor
• Instagram: @badonpaperpodcast

Episode Mood: Campy, honest, full of bookish banter; digressive, yet sharp in cultural commentary. Neither host shies from strong opinions or vulnerable personal reflection, making for a rich and engaging discussion.