Hannah (2:09)

It's spooky. Everything's spooky.

Tina (2:11)

Everything's spooky. But every time I come down in my basement these days, I think of the scene in Home Alone where Kevin, he was like afraid of his basement and then. Or the furnace specifically. And he just looks one day and goes, shut up. So, like, I'll walk downstairs and I think of that scene like, I'm braver than you. Basement. Okay. Nothing's scary down here.

Hannah (2:30)

Oh, that's classic. We've actually been watching the Home Alone movies. Well, the only ones that exist, which are one and two. Oh, and my daughter, who's six, is watching them for the first time, and she has been losing her marbles watching them. Surprisingly, not at the parts that we thought that she would think were really funny, which is like the slapstick humor. You know, the part where Marv and. Who was the other one?

Tina (2:56)

Was the other one's name, you think? I watch it a hundred times. Marv and Marv and Joe Pesci.

Hannah (3:02)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, when they. You know, at the end, the big event happens and they get super hurt. No, she's been laughing really hard at the part where Kevin plays the movie, and the movie is responding to, like, the people on the other side of the door.

Tina (3:17)

Really?

Hannah (3:17)

She can't handle it. She thinks that it is, like, breathe. She's laughing so much.

Tina (3:21)

Oh, my gosh. That is funny. I would not have picked out that moment. I would also like to do a quick plug for Home Sweet Home Alone. It's like, technically, Home Alone 6. It's a funny movie. It's funny. And what's great about it, it's like, it nods to the original, but it.

Hannah (3:38)

Doesn'T try to be like the original.

Tina (3:40)

It's really funny. It stars Ellie Kemper from the Office. So anyway, quick plug. If you're looking for another holiday movie to add to your tbr.

Hannah (3:48)

Okay, well, maybe we'll try that.

Tina (3:49)

It's not bad. It's really cute, and I think kids would like it. Your kids age are. Are fine with it. Okay, cool. I'm ready to dive into all things overhyped, under, hyped, inappropriately hyped. My loving lately. Actually, you inspired me for it because my loving lately is my laundry recipe.

Hannah (4:09)

Oh, yes.

Tina (4:10)

Yeah. So actually, the sweater I'm wearing right now was supposed to be yours, so I'm wearing our everything is better with books crew neck. And this is the one I had meant to send to Hannah because we got samples before we got the final orders and all of that, but yada, yada, I ended up sending her the hoodie instead. And I had something to do with the laundry. So she had said, like, it smells really good when you got the package. And it reminded me that I've never shared my laundry formula. I am not the creator of this. I saw this from a woman on TikTok. This is so niche, truly And I will really miss this app because it served me the most random things. But the thing that I got from a woman on TikTok is that she said she stayed at this Airbnb and the sheets and everything smelled so incredible, she had to run to the laundry room to see what they were using. And this is not the most clean formula. There's definitely heavy fragrance and God knows what's in it, but I don't care. I'm willing to risk it. And it hasn't bothered anybody's skin in my house. So, you know, just know that. And I've been using this since the summer. I'll link to this. But what I use is the Gain Moonlight Breeze laundry detergent. You gotta do a little bit of the downy scent beads and ocean mist. And then you can if you want. I haven't done this yet. Throw a little downy rinse and refresh an ocean mist in there. I didn't add that. I just saw the recipe more. I only bought the first couple, so I'm going to add that to it. I also use the Oxiclean White revive for whitening. When I tell you this stuff smells so good, it's incredible. And it lasts. It lasts a long time. It lasted through the mail. Then you also gotta get the Gain Moonlit Breeze dryer sheets. I can't go without it. This again lasts a long time. It's so good. Yeah, we'll put this in the show notes. I just think it's a great little recipe. If you're looking to up your laundry game, you can get this all at Target. It's nothing fancy. It just smells so, so good. So my loving lately has been my special laundry recipe. I don't know if recipe is the right word, but you get it.

Hannah (6:02)

Oh, I like that. No, I like that we're going to keep laundry recipe because I like how that sounds. And I do feel like it is important to have a, you know, laundry recipe that works for you because I know, like, I'm really sensitive to smell. So even though I want things to smell really good, if I. If it's like too strong or too. Yeah, it's mostly. It's not actually. It's mostly not the smell, it's how strong it is. So one of the things that I noticed about yours, Tina, when I got your sweatshirt in the mail is it was unwashed, like.

Tina (6:37)

No, it was washed. It was washed. I was going to say yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hannah (6:41)

But it's like it smelled really good, but it wasn't that strong. But it was definitely there. Okay, so my next question for you is how much of each do you put in?

Tina (6:50)

Yeah, so I do the normal amount of, like, detergent and whatever. I haven't used the squeeze bottle yet because I don't. So I don't know how much she uses for that.

Hannah (6:58)

Okay.

Tina (6:58)

For the scent beads, I don't use a ton because you can go ham with those, and I just. I want to waste them. Right. So I use about a half a cup with the scent beads, and, like, you'll know it comes with its own little cup.

Hannah (7:09)

Okay, good to know. I know we use. Actually, I forget what the brand is of the scent beads that we use. It's a purple. It's a purple canister.

Tina (7:17)

Yeah.

Hannah (7:18)

But I use, like, a quarter of a little can because the caps are. Are pretty decent size. I can't. If you used a whole cap.

Tina (7:25)

Sometimes I forget and do. And it's okay.

Hannah (7:28)

Oh, it is okay.

Tina (7:29)

Yeah, it's. But I like a strong scent, so. Yeah, definitely use at your own, you know, discretion.

Hannah (7:34)

Okay, well, good to know. My loving lately is literally everything. Aquaphor. I have never struggled with dry skin. I'm a Michigan native, and for whatever reason, like, I have just been blessed up until this year, and I have been so miserable this winter with chapped lips and dry skin, and it has been like, I just sit and, like, scratch at my hands. I've just been so itchy. This is the only thing. I keep it on my desk constantly, and I just keep this on my skin. It's the Aquaphor healing ointment. Also, this is great to use for tattoos, too, if you.

Tina (8:12)

Oh.

Hannah (8:13)

This is, like, what people recommend instead of other types of scented lotion. So we also use this on our tattoos for tattoo maintenance and care. But anyway, it's just a really good skin protectant, and it lasts a really long time. I also use their. Their lip treatment. It's nothing new. Everyone's heard of Aquaphor. Everyone loves Aquaphor. Like, I know this, so I know that I am not bringing anything, like, super big, but, you know, we're bringing our loving latelies. And this has been on my desk constantly. I have one on my nightstand. I have one in my car. This has just been my saving grace. And it's the only thing that will actually keep me from, like, scratching at my dry skin and picking at my dry skin because it works so well. So anyway, that has been what I've been obsessed with lately, and that is Aquaphor.

Tina (9:00)

My friend Michelle, who listens to the show was she's obsessed with Aquaphor. And I remember we went out to lunch once and she was telling me about Aquaphor. I was like, I don't. Like. I don't use it. I don't. I guess I did. I knew what it was loosely. I was like, isn't that a lip balm? She's like, no. And, like, got it. I got into the whole Aquaphor lore. I have the big tub. My kids love it. I'm not a lotion girl at all. I don't know why I have weird skin. It's very soft and, like, kind of like you. I don't, like, get dry skin like that. But maybe. Maybe I could be softer, you know?

Hannah (9:34)

Maybe. Well, and I will say it's not like, I don't know. It doesn't. It's. I don't want to say it's oily because that makes it sound like, I don't know, unappealing, but it is. It is much different than other types of lotion. And it literally kind of feels like this extra layer on your skin. Like, okay, I don't know. It's. But it's definitely like, more of a. This is not like a fun lotion. It's not like a. It doesn't smell like anything. It doesn't make your hands feel, like, silky soft. It. It's a skin protectant.

Tina (10:09)

But you're going to be smelling good already because of my laundry recipe, so you don't have to.

Hannah (10:13)

Because of your laundry recipe and your honey shower. Sol, you know.

Tina (10:17)

Yes. Don't. Let's not forget. Truly. Oh, my gosh. Well, and please feel free, you know, in our Instagram or wherever to tell us some things that you've been loving lately. We did a little round robin loving lately, in addition to their favorite books of 2024 and our mood Reader happy hour. And I love good recommendations, products, podcasts, movies, whatever it is, we want to hear about it.

Hannah (10:41)

Yeah, we got some great recommendations from that group of people. It was really, really fun.

Tina (10:46)

It was a great time. And the recording is out now, so if you are a patron, you can listen back. If you weren't able to make it. I am going to recommend my latest read. And I didn't really plan this, but I love when things line up like this because my latest read is perfect for this episode because it's underrated. I'm not sure why more people aren't talking about it, but I'm going to talk about it. It's. I might Be in Trouble by Daniel Aliman. It is a suspenseful dark comedy about a struggling writer who wakes up to find his date from the night before dead. Then he has to decide how far he's willing to go to spin the misadventure into his next big book. So this book follows David Alvarez, an author who is currently going through it. Just a few years ago, he had it all. He had a six figure book deal, a loving boyfriend and an exciting writing career. But his debut novel was a resounding success and his second book was a total flop. Now he has gone through a breakup, he's lonely and really trying to find the next great idea for his third novel. But the thing is, he is feeling the pressure. Good ideas are hard to come by. His bank account is near empty. So when he connects with a sexy stranger on a dating app, he figures while night out in New York City might be just the thing, he needs to find inspiration. And luckily for him, his date turns out to be great. He's handsome, he's confident, wealthy, and the perfect distraction from his writer's block. And they have one of the best nights of their lives. They have the best time, right? David wakes up hungover but giddy. He's so excited to have met this guy only to find Prince Charming dead in the bed next to him. And that is the setup. He has to decide what's he going to do, you know, do the normal thing that people do or is he going to maybe like do something a little more creative that could fuel his writing career? So he calls his literary age agent, Stacy, who advises him. And this book, I love that that's.

Hannah (12:41)

The first person he called.

Tina (12:42)

I know who among us, right? I I and it makes sense in the story. Like the author does a really good job like framing it and seeing like how destitute and lonely this guy is. So it was great. David is such an endearing character and despite the terrible and cringe worthy decisions he and his literary agent make throughout the book, I was rooting for him. Stacy is an excellent side character. She's no nonsense, was always in his corner. It's kind of a sassy auntie for him. And throughout the story, you find out a lot about David. It's not just the slapstick sort of let's figure out what to do with this dead body. You find out about who he is and what has led him to reach rock bottom. This is a story about hiding a body or doing something. Yes, but it's about what happens after all your dreams come true. It's about identity, queerness, love, family, found family. I think it's so good and I think it's perfect for this time of year because you might need something that's a little more tongue in cheek for your reading. And I think this is perfect. I will say it's not totally light. I love a book that has a lot of nuance to it. This is not like complete, you know, brain candy because David really is going through a lot of trauma. But I love the avenues the author chose to explore with this. I highly, highly recommend it for me. Get your hands on this underrated gem. This book is I Might Be in Trouble by Daniel Aliman.

Hannah (14:04)

This sounds like a better version of the Flight Attendant.

Tina (14:09)

I loved that book too. Oh wait, is that the Chris Beaujolais book? Never mind.

Hannah (14:15)

I actually never read the. I actually. Well, I don't know. I actually never read the book. Is it the same.

Tina (14:19)

Is it that author who does the. Is it the TV show?

Hannah (14:23)

Yeah, the TV show.

Tina (14:24)

Yes. I liked the show.

Hannah (14:26)

Oh, okay.

Tina (14:27)

Yeah, I didn't read the book either.

Hannah (14:28)

Just with the setup, like the first part, the finding the body and then trying to figure out what you do.

Tina (14:32)

And then what do we do with it? That's one of my favorite tropes, oddly. I don't know why. I don't know what that means, but I love it.

Hannah (14:38)

That's very niche.

Tina (14:40)

You got a body. What do you do with it?

Hannah (14:42)

What do you do? Well, good. I'm glad that that one works for you. Mine is also perfect for this episode, but on the opposite side of the spectrum because this is one that is super hyped right now and that is the most wonderful crime of the year by Ally Carter. And I finished this last week. I got it on audio and this is one. I actually brought it as a shelf edition, an episode or two back. And look at me. I'm actually reading one of my shelf editions. I'm very proud of myself, genuinely. And this is one of those books that is pitched as like a knives out computer and I'm always hesitant when that happens. I love Knives Out. I really liked Glass Onion too. And so when things are compared to that, I'm always like, are they just saying that? I will say this is definitely very Knives out and Glass Onion kind of combined with a holiday rom com twist. So this is a Rivals to Lovers romance mystery and it is packed with fun, snowy vibes, suspense and snark. We have Maggie, who is an author. She's the queen of cozy mysteries. And we're also following ithan, who is Mr. Big Time Thriller, think like a Riley Sager type author. She can't stand him and he doesn't even remember her name correctly apparently. So that's how the two of them start. Both of them get invited to a mysterious Christmas party at an English estate of the Eleanor Ashley, AKA the Duchess of Death, AKA Fake, like Agatha Christie. I mean, basically she is like the queen of a cozy mystery. But Eleanor ends up vanishing from a locked room. They are snowed in. They're in this English mansion estate. They are suspicious of everyone, of course, and forced to team up together to figure out what is going on. The stakes are high. The snow is piling up. These two might just kill each other before they actually end up solving the mystery. Or maybe they will fall for each other instead. So this was really, really fun. Now was this a five star favorite book of the year? Definitely not. Am I super glad that I read it? Yes, it was just a really perfect Christmas. Easy. Like sink into your couch and enjoy a cozy mystery that you don't have to take too seriously. The mystery was really fun. I feel like that was the best part of this story. It felt very classic mystery. Again, that's coming from someone who doesn't read a ton of classic mysteries, but I felt it here. It definitely was really similar to Knives Out. Like I said before, even with the setting, the cast of characters, the way the mystery was unpacked and revealed, even at the end when you know everything is kind of being laid out on the table. That was really, really fun. I enjoyed that. The parts where they were figuring things out and following the clues together as a couple were my favorite. I do wish that it had almost only been mystery instead of romance, which who is she? I. This is very weird for me, but the romance itself was pretty cringe in my opinion. I am not a fan of pet names being used if the characters don't have a lot of backstory together. Like if it's a pretty new romance. And in this case it was because they were acquaintances but they didn't have a relationship. Like this was the most time they'd ever spent with each other and he kept calling her sweetheart over and over again and that is not it for me. I don't know if that's something that bothers other people. So it was definitely something where I could. I could suspend that and still enjoy this book. But definitely something to mention because I know pet names can bother other people as well. But the mystery was fun. This was just a really great holiday. Easy read. And it's definitely one that I would recommend for this holiday season, which is why I brought it today, because there is still time to sneak in some holiday reads. So if you just want something easy, doesn't have to be taken too seriously. If you enjoy mysteries and rom coms or Hallmark movies, this is like such a great Hallmark y book to read for the season. Then you should pick up the Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter.

Tina (19:16)

I love the sound of this and the mystery part's what appeals to me. I also love the COVID So the COVID is cute. Yeah, it's really cute.

Hannah (19:24)

I love that art style.

Tina (19:25)

Hmm. Okay, well, maybe I can try and squeeze it in. Although I'm sure the hold is a mile long, so I don't know if I'm willing to give up a credit. We'll see.

Hannah (19:34)

I know that I listened on Libro fm, so I don't know if it was like a Simon title or a Libro alc.

Tina (19:40)

I will do some digging.

Hannah (19:43)

Have it.

Tina (19:43)

I will invest.

Hannah (19:44)

You might have it.

Tina (19:45)

Okay, I'll take it.

Hannah (19:46)

Okay.

Tina (19:48)

Well, we've now officially. Yeah, we've officially wrapped up and recommended all of the books that we're going to recommend in 2024. Because next week we are taking a break.

Hannah (20:00)

Yep.

Tina (20:01)

And we will be off for that week and then we'll be back on December 31, which just happens to be a Tuesday. Hannah and I are both the type of readers who need as much time as possible to figure out our best of the best list for the year. So you'll get, you know, that episode from us after this. But I feel good. I'm excited. I love end of the year lists as well. And what we're doing today is a BTE tradition. I love making these. I'm excited to have Hannah make one with me this year. And the listeners seem to love them too. We are looking at books that were published in 2024 and sharing the ones that we think were overhyped, underhyped, and appropriately hyped. Obviously, this is just our opinion and no shade to the authors of the books, especially the ones that were, we deem overhyped. But it's just what stood out for us this year. How was making your list, Hannah?

Hannah (20:55)

I thought that I was going to struggle to have enough books for each list. But I did go back and I listened to because you and Renee did this both in 2022 and 2023, and I remember that both of you included, like, not for all of the titles, but for a couple of them, even some that you like, didn't finish and why and. And I was like, oh, well, if that's the case, boy, do I have a list. So, yeah, it was really fun to just kind of go over, like, popular books that I maybe didn't finish or didn't think deserved the hype. It was really fun to see which ones I totally resonated with and agreed with. I was honestly really surprised that I had a pretty even amount of everything, like, overhyped, underhyped, and appropriately hyped. I just think that these lists are really fun. I enjoyed, like, going through my story graph, and then I put together a note on my phone and organized them all that way. It was really fun. How about you?

Tina (21:55)

Well, I spent a lot of time filling in my spreadsheet. I use the one from currently reading. And I'm so bad at keeping those things up throughout the year. That's one of my goals for next year, is to do better with that. But I went through the list because it's so, so helpful. And I actually added a column for the ones that I thought might be contenders for over, under, or appropriately. Then I went back and looked at the number of ratings on Goodreads to decide, like, is this hype? Do people know about it? That was really fun because I found some of my favorites are not rated very highly this year. And I'm like, excuse me, I'm here to tell you why I disagree. So we'll chat about that. And then some are just in the general zeitgeist. Like, I know this one was popular, and like, I've heard of them or whatever. And I was thinking, as always, I'm like, oh, I read so much Backlist this year. Backlist was the thing. And I listened to our episode as well from last year, and it's the same 2024 reading made up about 60% of my reading so far. And it was the same number last year. And I'm like, I was feeling so proud of myself for reading a lot of Backlist. The reason I'm bringing that up is because I was, like, thinking kind of like you, oh, I'm not going to have very many to share. I thought for sure that I didn't read that many 2024s. And then I looked at the actual numbers. I was like, yeah, I sure did. I sure did. Like always.

Hannah (23:12)

I think this is too a good indication of, like, I know, like, Ann Bogle is a huge proponent of this of, like, track your reading. Track your reading. Yes, obviously, like, I know so many people are, myself included, how important it is. And I think this is a great reason why, because it's like we'll be sitting here thinking, like, oh, I did so good this year on xyz or, oh, I feel like I didn't read any of, you know, this type of book or whatever. And then if you're tracking it, if those are the kinds of things that you track and you look at your reading tracker and you're like, oh, wait, I thought I didn't read, like, any translated literature this year and I actually read 10. Or, oh, man, I thought that I read basically all new releases, but apparently I read just as much backlist as I did last year.

Tina (23:52)

I know, but that to me says the 2024. And we'll get into this, of course, in the last episode. But I think the backlist were the standouts this year. I think that's where I was getting that from. But I had plenty to share for this episode. We're going to share five that we thought were overhyped, five that we thought were under hyped, and five that were appropriately hyped.

Hannah (24:12)

Well, do you want to start? Yeah. Do we want to start with overhyped?

Tina (24:15)

Yeah, let's do it.

Hannah (24:17)

Okay, wait. We do over hyped first, then under hyped, then apparently hyped.

Tina (24:20)

Yeah, you go first. I want to.

Hannah (24:22)

What?

Tina (24:22)

Switch it up? Yeah, go first.

Hannah (24:23)

Okay. But my first one is a banger.

Tina (24:26)

Is it like, real controversial?

Hannah (24:27)

Well, I think it's one that you really. I think it's one that you really like.

Tina (24:31)

Oh, that's okay. Is it a thriller?

Hannah (24:33)

Yes, it's.

Tina (24:34)

You don't like thrillers?

Hannah (24:35)

Okay, I don't. And I also do struggle particularly with the really hyped thrillers. I don't know why. I just. It's like an anti buzzword for me. But my first one is First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. This is a con woman thriller about a woman who has a fake identity. And I think that for me, that should also be something that I look at in the future in terms of what I am not going to like. And I just. I really struggle with, like, even if I see something that I know I don't like, which for me in this case is Reese Books in particular, you know, buzzy thrillers. And also, I just. I don't love con stories for whatever reason.

Tina (25:16)

Yeah, Yeah.

Hannah (25:16)

I typically don't like them, but I still pick this up. That's honestly, like, shame on me. Shame on me. But it's buzzy And I get so sucked into the hype.

Tina (25:25)

That's fair.

Hannah (25:26)

I will say, like, can I think of anything about this book that made me like, hate it? Like, oh, it just simply wasn't for me. I personally didn't love it. So kind of unprejudiced, if you will. And that was First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston.

Tina (25:41)

Are you afraid of me? You think I'm gonna like, beat you up?

Hannah (25:44)

No, I don't. No. No. You would be the last person on the planet.

Tina (25:48)

I know. I'm such a, like, softie. I'm scared of people walking into my basement. Please. But this one, I liked it. But I do love a con story. I love a con. I love a scheme. And I just thought it was such a good time. I will say too, I also read this early, so I understand what you mean about the timing totally plays a factor. I can also be fussy with books that are hyped and when I read them I'm like, really?

Hannah (26:12)

So I do think that's interesting. Like if you read it after the hype or before, if that really does even affect. Like, maybe if I hadn't had such high expectations, maybe this would have just been like, oh, yeah, that was fine.

Tina (26:23)

Yeah, yeah, fair enough. But my first one, it was hyped. I think only in my head, but I'm gonna share it. It's the Night We Lost him by Laura Dave. And the reason I grabbed this as overhyped, because it was nominated for favorite mystery and thriller and I was gobsmacked. I thought, no way. There was nothing mysterious nor thrilling really about this book for me. It's about a hotel magnate who dies under mysterious circumstances and his two grown children, who are half siblings who are estranged, head to California to investigate. Not a lot happens here. It was very dry and the setting was nice. It was like, you know, a beautiful place in California when you get some backstory so you really come to understand who the deceased was. But it was not a thriller for me. I was so surprised to see it nominated and I don't even really remember that much about it. I didn't read it that long ago. I could have probably DNF'd this one. And that's one of my goals again for next year is to DNF enough meh books. If I can tell it's being meh, just move on, sister.

Hannah (27:24)

So, yeah, you don't even have to hate it. This isn't going to be a five star read. We're just going to move on. Go, girl.

Tina (27:30)

Give Me? Nothing. That's what I got from this one, so. But that was the night we lost him. By Laura Dave.

Hannah (27:36)

Yeah, I. I would say that that one was buzzy. I heard a lot of people talking about that one. Wasn't it a book of the month pick, too? Or like an add on?

Tina (27:43)

I think it was over there as well. Yes.

Hannah (27:46)

I feel like if it's at least an add on or something on Book of the Month, like, you can. You can put it under the hyped category.

Tina (27:51)

Yes, you're probably right, because they are the. Yeah, they're a hype machine for sure.

Hannah (27:55)

They're definitely a hype machine. Okay, so I have some. I have some fun ones on here. Okay. I'm going to go with Bride by Ali Hazelwood.

Tina (28:06)

Oh, yeah.

Hannah (28:06)

This is one of the only ones on my list. That was a DNF for me, let me say. Okay. Okay. So Ali Hazelwood is obviously known for her stem romances. I really liked some of those a lot, which is why I picked this one up. I knew I liked Ali Hazelwood as an author. Well, I've liked a lot of her books, and so I knew she was an author. That could work for me. This is a werewolf romance. And listen, the amount. I can't talk about all of the reasons why this didn't work for me on our Rated G podcast, but this had a lot of stuff that I have found is not stuff that I want to read about. And I will give Ali Hazelwood this. The woman can write across a plethora of types of romances. I mean, she came out with Check and Mate, which was a young adult romance that I really liked. And then she has her stem romances, her adult romances. This is like a fantasy. A fantasy romance. And it's not romantasy. It is a fantasy romance. And there is, I think, a clear distinction between the two. But, yeah, if you're curious, I didn't know what nodding was, and now I do, and it has traumatized me. So I did not like this one. I know so many people did. If you are into this, you know I love you for that. Wasn't for me. I think I'm gonna stick to contemporary romances for the most part moving forward. But that was Bride by Ali Hazelwood.

Tina (29:42)

Got it. Not a fan of creature romance, it sounds like.

Hannah (29:46)

Yeah, No, a creature feature isn't for me.

Tina (29:48)

Creature feature, not your thing? Okay.

Hannah (29:49)

Yeah. Like the aliens. Like the barbarian.

Tina (29:52)

Yeah.

Hannah (29:53)

Alien. You know exactly what books are called.

Tina (29:55)

I know exactly what you're talking about.

Hannah (29:57)

I Can't remember.

Tina (29:57)

I don't know.

Hannah (29:58)

Anyway, not for me. I'm not going to.

Tina (29:59)

Kate Spencer brought it when she was on our show and I remember somebody like left us a bad review and it said, I don't care to read about aliens having sex. And I was like, I mean, fair enough. That was her guest. But like, if you like it. I love that there are books like this. There's a book for every reader. It's not my.

Hannah (30:15)

There's a book for every reader. Agreed.

Tina (30:18)

Agreed. So another one that I thought, staying on romance here, I think this is overhyped, is how to End a Love Story by Yu Lynn Kuang. And this one I thought was hyped because it did win best debut on the Goodreads Choice Awards. And I was so shocked. I was so surprised to see it. Best debut. I read it and this is not my typical genre. And it's an enemies to lovers story about two writers with a complicated history who end up working on the same TV show. I liked the LA setting. I liked the complexity. There's a really good reason for the two of them to not be together. I liked that it was an interracial relationship, but I wasn't as moved as I like to be with romance. I was like, I don't know. It was all right. There's some good scenes and, you know, there's definitely some more open door scenes, I think, if memory serves. Overall though, I don't know that this was the favorite debut that I had read this year. So it was all right. That is how to End a Love Story by Yu Lin Kuan.

Hannah (31:13)

Yeah. Is this the one with the pink cover?

Tina (31:15)

Yes.

Hannah (31:16)

Okay. Yeah, this one was pretty buzzy. I remember a lot of people talking about this one, I think. I didn't pick this one up. There was something about. Yeah. Like the tropes didn't necessarily appeal to me, but I think I might just safely take this one off of my tbr.

Tina (31:31)

Be fine. Maybe that'd be a good choice.

Hannah (31:34)

Be a good choice. Yeah.

Tina (31:35)

Good choice.

Hannah (31:36)

Honestly, we have so many books on our tbr.

Tina (31:38)

Oh, my God. I know.

Hannah (31:39)

Just need a petty reason. Like, yes. Tina didn't like it. So.

Tina (31:43)

Good enough for me.

Hannah (31:45)

Yeah. Okay. So my next pick is Blue Sisters.

Tina (31:51)

Oh.

Hannah (31:52)

By Coco Melors. Yeah. And I was so bummed by this one too, because I loved Cleopatra and Frankenstein. I loved that book. That was one of my favorites of 2023, the year that it came out, I think.

Tina (32:05)

Yeah.

Hannah (32:05)

Was obsessed. I reread it again, like in the same year. I loved that book.

Tina (32:08)

Wow.

Hannah (32:08)

So I had really high hopes for Blue Sisters, especially seeing how much other people were loving this one and saying it was even better than Cleopatra and Frankenstein. Blue Sisters is basically. It's a story about four sisters. One of the sisters has passed away, and the whole story basically revolves around the three other sisters kind of processing the grief and coming back together to process it together after having processed it apart for so long. And I love messy family stories. I am one of four sisters. I love stories about sisterhood, especially if there are a lot of, you know, messy dynamics and working through grief and all of those real life family things that are hard and real. And I just think that, like, I wish this one had gone deeper. It just still felt like it kind of rode on the surface of emotional depth. And I can't exactly pinpoint why, because I know this author can do it. I've seen her do it before. And so I just had a hard time believing, you know, exactly, like, how much these sisters were grieving or. Yeah, it was just missing something for me. It missed a little bit of an emotional depth element that I really wanted and didn't quite hit the home run for me. I will say it wasn't and I didn't hate it.

Tina (33:29)

Right.

Hannah (33:29)

Like, I think I gave it like, three and a half, 3.5.

Tina (33:32)

But you just thought it was overhyped.

Hannah (33:33)

That it was overhyped. Yeah. And it wasn't that, like, five star, five plus star that I wanted it to be. And that was Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.

Tina (33:42)

Well, I, too, put this on my list. I didn't think it was.

Hannah (33:46)

Oh, good to know.

Tina (33:47)

I know, I know. But I have different reasons, so I won't stay here long. But it is a nominee for reader's favorite fiction of 2020 for the Goodreads Choice Awards. And it's about the three siblings who return to New York after one of their sisters passes away. And I. My biggest beef with this, I did not like how the queer characters were represented. I was, like, really mad. And I'm still really mad, even though, you know, whatever.

Hannah (34:10)

Good call out.

Tina (34:11)

I did not like that both of them. I'm, like, glad they're in there. Had issues. But I also, too, did not get it pulled in emotionally like I expected to when you hear the synopsis. So.

Hannah (34:21)

Right.

Tina (34:22)

Yeah. That one I wasn't. Wasn't my best.

Hannah (34:26)

Oh, that was your pick.

Tina (34:27)

Yeah. Your turn again.

Hannah (34:28)

Okay. Wow. I was, like, waiting for you to continue.

Tina (34:32)

No, that's all I gotta say.

Hannah (34:33)

Oh, that's you. Okay, My next pick is Quicksilver by Callie Hart. This is the first book in the Fae and Alchemy series. I will say, well, no, I mean, this book has a ton of ratings on Goodreads. I don't have the exact numbers for you, but I remember when I first heard about it on TikTok, it was from other people being like, I know you've seen this book everywhere. I hadn't yet, but then I kept seeing videos of people being like, I know you've probably seen this book everywhere. And I'm like, well, now I have, because now y'all are telling me that I should have been seeing it everywhere. But then it started popping up in my feed all the time. And so I. I bought into the hype. I got it. I was like, hey, why not? I have Kindle Unlimited. It's available. This is. I'm gonna try to keep this brief, but this is partially why I felt so cheated by this book, is because the first hundred pages, I'm sad. I am in it. It was well written. It almost reminded me of the Hunger Games because of the, like, world building and the magic system. And, you know, we find out that this. This main character named Saris is, you know, from this poor side of the world. And, you know, she's fighting to protect her brother. It. The beginning of it was almost Aladdin esque because there's kind of like this heist moment, and she steals something, and then she's got the guards chasing her, and then there's a fight. It's fun and written really well. And then she ends up getting caught. Like, bad things are happening to her. And of course, this dark fairy lord comes in and rescues her. Fine, enough. I mean, I've read plenty of these that I've enjoyed. Like, I don't mind a fairy romance. This is fine. I'm still. I'm still here. I'm for it. But then, you know, he takes her to his fairy realm and things start happening, and he's so mean to her. And the writing also just like, where did she go? Did she just write, like, a short story in a hundred pages and then say, okay, well, I'm just gonna, like, give them the rough draft for everything else. Like, it just all of a sudden, Sarris started lacking development. And also the main character, the fairy lord, I don't even remember his name. He treated her so poorly. And she was just like, yeah, also, I'll give my soul to you. That's. That's totally fine. I used to like, yeah, I used to completely, like, take care of my family and kick ass for my brother and, you know, like, I totally was independent and now I have found this fairy lord who treats me like crap and I'm thinking, yes, this is what I want instead.

Tina (37:05)

Got it.

Hannah (37:06)

I love this. I didn't like it. It didn't work for me. But I know that it has for so many. So I don't know, like, maybe give it a shot if. But I would say keep reading past the 30% mark and then see how you feel about it.

Tina (37:20)

Okay.

Hannah (37:20)

Because that's really where things like, change a little bit. Anyway, that was Quicksilver by Kelly Hart.

Tina (37:25)

Okay. Wow. Well, I'm glad you brought it so we can, you know, process it here on the show.

Hannah (37:31)

Yes.

Tina (37:32)

My next one is good material by Dolly Alderton and. Okay, it's a weird one because I actually liked this book.

Hannah (37:41)

Okay.

Tina (37:42)

It was all right. It was fun. It was. There were good elements to it, but it was on the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2024 list and they only had five fiction books. And I thought, really, this one's on it. Very surprising. I don't know that belongs in that category, but what do I know? You know, who among us. But this is about a 35 year old struggling comedian. He's the male point of view in this and he lives in London. He's going through a breakup with his girlfriend while all around him everybody else is sort of getting married and having kids and he's going back in the dating game. Has very mixed feelings about it. I liked it. It was snappy. I think there's some good reveals. But I was so surprised to see it on the best of the best list because again, there was only five. I think if you like Dolly Alderton's writing, you know, I think she's a really interesting author, has a good perspective, but I don't know that this is like gonna be anything that I take with me, you know, long term. So that one's good material. Dolly Alderton.

Hannah (38:40)

Yeah, I. I hear you on like seeing a book everywhere and not disliking it, like not hating it, but just being like, really? That book, I feel like that's the one. Huh? I'm not putting this on my list because I didn't want to bring like two DNFs. So I guess you're getting a bonus one here. But one similar to that on my list that I read like 60 plus percent of. And then I just was like, this is kind of meh for me. So I'm going to put it down. Was Martyr.

Tina (39:07)

Oh, Kaveh.

Hannah (39:08)

Kaveh Akbar. Yes, by Kaveh Akbar. And that's another one that like I keep hearing people being like, this is one of the best books I've ever read. And I'm just like that one really. Maybe I missed something. I don't know.

Tina (39:21)

That is going to be on my end of the year. I'm going to try and squeeze it in by the 31st, so we'll see if I get to it.

Hannah (39:28)

I really want to hear your thoughts because I, I do. I want to know. I'm like, well, should I just like retry it? And I don't know, did I miss something or am I just underwhelmed? And that's okay.

Tina (39:39)

And that's okay too. But yeah.

Hannah (39:40)

Yeah, okay. So my final one is Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. Yeah, this one was so loved. And I'm on the fence. I mentioned this in an episode where I brought this book before. I'm on the fence if I want to continue reading Sally Rooney. I just am if she's the author for me. But I did see a couple other people who have loved Sally Rooney in the past say that this one was not their favorite. So if I do try Sally Rooney again, it's going to be my third time's the charm. Am I going to continue with this author or not? But the hard thing is her books sound so good to me, this one included. They're character driven. They're usually about two characters, including this one where we're following two brothers, like processing life and kind of coming of age in adulthood. And usually there's some kind of like trauma that's being processed or grief that's being processed and we're really like in the thick of these characters lives, processing it with them. I like that. That's usually something that totally resonates with me and the kind of writing that I like. I know Sally Rooney is a good writer, so it's like this really should work for me. But I really didn't like the two brothers that we were following in this one. And again, I'm not typically someone who has to love the characters that I'm reading about, but I just. For this one, I had a really hard time making it even through this one. It's like 500 plus pages and I definitely felt that.

Tina (41:06)

Do you remember the episode that you had brought this for? Because I feel like it was.

Hannah (41:10)

I was distracted by new releases for September or October.

Tina (41:14)

I feel like you finished it under duress because you needed to finish the book for this show.

Hannah (41:20)

Yeah, and I definitely. I did finish it under duress. I was reading it kind of accidentally with one of my friends that I regularly buddy read with Emma, and she. She was saying. And so I started saying it too. She was like, this book is my Everest. Like, this is my Everest. And I was like, yeah, same here. So, yeah, that was Intermezzo by Sally Rooney.

Tina (41:42)

Okay. All right. Well, okay. I'm gonna tell you what I thought my most overhyped book for the year was. And I want you to remember that you have listened to this show for years, everybody. And you typically trust my recommendations, so please don't cancel me over this. But I just didn't get the hype around all the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. I know that's not popular, but I have to be true to myself. The synopsis calls this a thriller and an epic love story that spans decades. And I know a lot of people love that book, but I didn't. I felt like I was reading something different. I kept thinking, am I losing it? Why am I not connecting with this? And the crazy part was, I was on an airplane, and I usually do my best reading on an airplane. I was reading it in print. I was set up, baby. I had a long flight, couldn't get me.

Hannah (42:27)

You texted me. You were like, I'm starting it, baby. I'm in my seat. I'm in my seat.

Tina (42:32)

I'm ready, pumped. That's my favorite thing.

Hannah (42:34)

Cause it's a big book, too.

Tina (42:35)

Big book. I was alone. Give it to me on the flight. I was like, okay. I never got into it. Then I said, let me switch to audio. I switched to audio. I'm walking around Seattle. Still not into it. I tried it over multiple days, multiple formats, and I've settled on this. The author uses very short chapters, and I know a lot of readers like that. I don't like transitions. I struggle with transitions. And so every time I'd get into something, it'd be onto something different. And it's like sometimes it would break. And I'm like, you didn't need to break there. You're in the same scene. Why are we breaking? I just. I know people care deeply about these characters. I just never did. So this one is a miss for me. It's all the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.

Hannah (43:14)

Yeah, I think that that's interesting, too, because, you know, like, John Mars does those short chapters, but his books are like thrillers, like sci fi, Thrillers, Right. Where you're following multiple points of view, which I think maybe all the colors of the dark follows. Does it follow multiple points of view?

Tina (43:30)

I don't remember.

Hannah (43:32)

I think it's literary suspense. Like if it's literary. If it's gonna be more literary, like it sounds like all the colors in the dark was. I wanna sink into it a little bit.

Tina (43:41)

That's what I think.

Hannah (43:42)

Given a chance to sink in.

Tina (43:44)

Yes. That's where I think I'm landing. I landed. I was like, man. But anyway.

Hannah (43:47)

Ah, well, that's a bummer. Well, let's talk.

Tina (43:51)

Let's talk Underhyped. Hey.

Hannah (43:53)

Okay, let's do it. So my first one, and I am gonna keep it here because I didn't have as many as I wanted to bring for like, this was the one section for Underhyped where, man, I need to read more under the radar books next year because I feel like I didn't read a ton of really under hyped books. But also I was trying to find under hyped books that can be hard to find, which I just didn't read a lot of that. So this one I read this year and it was a new release. When I read it, I thought. I swore, I thought that it was a 2024 release. I am cheating a little bit. It's a 2023 release. But it came out on the very LATTER Part of 2023. And that's. And that's the Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.

Tina (44:35)

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Hannah (44:36)

And this is a family story about a missing. A missing child. It's about this indigenous family who is grappling with the grief of their stolen child. And then we are also following her timeline with this other family. It was really, really good. And I feel like. Well, it's from an indie press. It was through Catapult, I think is who published it. And a lot of times with those indie press books, unless it wins a prize or something like that, they just kind of slip under. I did see a couple people reading this throughout the end of last year and early at the beginning of this year, but just not as many as I would like. This is a really, really good book. I think if you like authors, even like Louise Erdrich, this would be a great one to pick up. If you like family stories. Yeah. Stories that like really tackle social issues in a really impactful way, then this is one that you should pick up. And that is the Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.

Tina (45:35)

That sounds really good to me. I definitely think that would be one That I would enjoy.

Hannah (45:39)

I think so too.

Tina (45:40)

Yeah. So to figure out my under hype list, I went with ones that have high ratings ish. On Goodreads but don't have a lot of reviews. And I know I could do a way longer list of these. So I think I'm going to. I don't know why I feel like I was like reading books that I thought were really good but for some reason weren't getting picked up like that. But my first one is Jaded by Ella Lee. This one had over just over 3,000 ratings on Goodreads with a 4.1 average. And it's about a young lawyer who wakes up the morning after a work gala with no memory of how she got home the previous night. And she has to figure out exactly what happened and how much of herself she is willing to give up to rise to the top of the corporate ladder. I love book set in the world of big law. This one is a really, really good one. It's emotional, it's complex. It has great reflections on identity and belonging and family and expectation. I could go on. Loved this book and I want more people to read it. That one is Jaded by Ella Lee.

Hannah (46:37)

Yeah, you put that one on my radar and I still really want to read it. It sounds like one that would be totally up my alley.

Tina (46:43)

Yeah, it was really, really good.

Hannah (46:45)

Okay, so my next one is Knife river by Justine Champagne. I love this. This was a. I would definitely put it under the category of literary suspense. Literary mystery. It is about a troubled young woman who reunites with her sister in their hometown to uncover the truth about their mother's disappearance. This is a family drama. Like I said, it's literary suspense. And this was also a debut, which is definitely something that I like to track and pay attention to. And this had what I feel like I look for in, I mean, books in general, but also literary suspense. It had emotional depth. It had a really good, compelling mystery. But the other parts of the story were so resonant. Like you were paying attention to the relationships and like the side characters and other parts of the story that by the time you would get back to the mystery, you were kind of like, oh, yeah, that's right. We were kind of trying to like, figure this thing out together. And so I think what's. What works so well with that for me is as a. A very hyper, vigilant reader when it comes to mysteries and thrillers. I am like, Tina gives me such a hard time in a very loving way of like, dude, you gotta Turn your brain off.

Tina (47:54)

Turn your brain off. Just enjoy books like this.

Hannah (47:56)

Help me do that. Because there's so much else to, like, pay attention to. Good writing, relationships, the small town stuff that everything that. I'm like, oh, yeah, I wasn't, like, suspecting the neighbor or like, oh, that sister's suspicious or, oh, I wonder if it's supernatural. Probably ghosts. I actually can turn my brain off to where by the end, I'm like, oh, I didn't see that coming because I didn't get a chance. Chance to. Because I was paying attention to everything else. So I liked this one a lot. I think more people should read it. That is Knife river by Justine Champagne.

Tina (48:24)

I'm glad you found one that worked for you in terms of, like, mystery and all of that. I was just finishing a book. Oh, my gosh, I wish I could remember what it was. Oh, I'm, like, blinking. I'll figure it out at some point. But I was, like, reading it and thinking, Hannah would hate this. She would have figured it out already. She would be so annoyed by what's going on here. I was having a good time, so I don't know what that says about me. No.

Hannah (48:48)

That's so fun, though, when you, like, start to know other people's tastes so well and you talk about books together so often. Because there are definitely times, too, when I'm like, oh, like, Tina would hate this. Or Tina would love this. Anytime now. I actually just. I actually just sent a picture to Tina from Barnes and Noble the other day of a horror book with cicada wings on it because she can't do wings, you guys.

Tina (49:09)

I can't do wings. And the cicada wing at that. It was traumatizing.

Hannah (49:13)

So sorry. Anyway, sorry, not sorry.

Tina (49:15)

Sorry, not sorry. I think my next one would go along nicely with Knife River. I'm having not read it, but I think the vibes are there. It's Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp. This one has just over 3,000 reviews and a 3.92 rating. It's a historical mystery. I'll call it.

Hannah (49:30)

Okay.

Tina (49:31)

Very fairy family driven. And it is so dark and so shocking, but so compelling. And it's slow in parts, but then it gets. And anyway, it's about a family that grapples with the darkness that lives within one of their family members. And it kicks off when the kids are younger and one of the sisters gets picked up by a man who goes on to commit murder to some of the other people in the neighborhood, and they sort of grapple with the knowledge that this happened and what would have happened if she had gone with him. He has a fascinating inspiration for this. The author, Adam Rapp, grew up in Joliet, which is not terribly far from me. And he was. He lived there when the serial killer John Wayne Gacy was arrested in 1978 and later was convicted of the murders. And his mom worked at Stateville Prison, and he believes that she might have been the one involved in administering John Wayne Gacy's execution.

Hannah (50:21)

You're selling me.

Tina (50:23)

Say again.

Hannah (50:24)

That is interesting.

Tina (50:25)

There's a tie in. In the story. That's his kickoff. And then he basically wrote this book to honor his mom because his mom is sort of this main character in this story. I loved it. This book is dark, but I keep saying that. But I want you to know that, like, don't pick this up thinking it's gonna be light and fun, but I thought it was so compelling and really well done. That's Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp.

Hannah (50:49)

Yeah. This is one that I keep almost taking off of my tbr, mostly because I know you've read it and brought it pretty.

Tina (50:54)

I know that's always so hard. Yeah.

Hannah (50:56)

But I'm not going to take it off because I think I'm going to keep it for like, even a year or so down the road when maybe I could like, read it and bring it after some time has passed. Because this is one that I think is going to be like a five star for me.

Tina (51:11)

It's really good. I hope you read it at some point.

Hannah (51:13)

Yeah, I. I definitely will. Mine is one that really doesn't have that many reviews, like I thought. When I put this on my list, I was like, well, that one was kind of hyped. Like, maybe I shouldn't put it, but no. Last House by Jessica Shattuck. This only has like 2,500 ratings on Goodreads, and it has an average rating of 3.6 on Goodreads, which is interesting. Great. Especially for the low amount of ratings. And I was curious about that because I, like, I thought that this was a really fantastic book. And it looks like a lot of people had a low rating for it because they were like, this is heavy literary fiction. I think a lot of people went into this one expecting historical fiction, like commercial historical fiction, and that's not it. In fact, I would put this more under literary fiction, even though it has a pretty clear plot, but it's. It's more literary than it is historical fiction. In this story, we are following a family and different characters within that family across different timelines. The patriarch of the family is in the oil business and then his daughter, who we're also following, writes for a pretty like, liberal and progressive newspaper that's kind of anti everything that, that her dad is. And so you're following that, that family dynamic of like a daughter fighting against kind of the patriarch. But the family dynamics there weren't super toxic or like, really negative. I really thought that the way it handled differences within a family were beautifully done and I really liked that. So anyway, I, I could go on, but this is definitely one that I think if you had it on your radar but didn't end up picking it up because it didn't get that much hype, you should put it back on your list. And that is Last House by Jessica Shattuck.

Tina (53:00)

I wanted to read that one. I think it was one you brought early, so I'm glad to hear that as a winner. My next one is the Ballad of Jaquat de la Haye by Briony Cameron. And I know you read this one. It was one of our community picks and it only has a 379 rating on Goodreads with 1,140 reviews, which I thought, no, it deserves more than that. This one is an epic and it's based on the true events that illuminate a woman of color's rise to power as one of the few purported female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean in the.

Hannah (53:33)

Which is so cool.

Tina (53:34)

So cool. So you have black queer female pirate at the center of the story and it's action packed. I don't read. You know, I'm like, oh, is this going to be hard to follow? Not at all. I didn't think it was hard to follow. Lots of action, lots of character development, great representation. This was a good time and I want more people to read it.

Hannah (53:52)

It.

Tina (53:53)

That's it. The Ballad of Jaquat de la Haye. Brianny Gilbert.

Hannah (53:56)

This one definitely was action packed. Like, I think if you want an adventure story, this would be a great pick.

Tina (54:01)

Yes, I think so too.

Hannah (54:03)

Lots of really, like, intense, like, even fun fighting scenes and stuff like that. So, okay, my next pick is Hum by Helen Phillips. And this one did get some buzz. I think this year it was on my Summer Bonanza list. And I'm really glad that it was one that I actually got to. This one is definitely like science fiction, but also family story, covers the topic of AI. Like, very, very predominantly covers the topic of AI, But I thought that it was just really, really Interesting. I don't know. Helen Phillips really works for me in terms with her ideas and then actually like conceptualizing them and implementing those ideas. I think she does a really good job. It was pretty short, so it was one of those books that I got through pretty quickly. But then I still think about for a while because of the ideas represented and stuff like that. So there are a lot of AI stories coming out and I don't always love all of them. I did like Annie Bot this year also. Like, that's another great pairing with this one. But this one actually brought some really unique ideas to a really popular subject right now. So if that is something that you're interested in, but you keep seeing it everywhere and it feels saturated, I would still recommend picking this one up. I think that it actually brought some kind of original things to think about when it comes to the subject of science and technology and AI. And that was hum by Helen Phillips.

Tina (55:27)

Yeah, that one's on my list. I feel like I would enjoy that very much.

Hannah (55:31)

Yeah, I think you would too.

Tina (55:32)

All right, my next one only has 894 ratings on Goodreads. And it's a Secret Worth Keeping by Drew Strickland. This is the one, Hannah, that I think you'd hate now that I'm saying this.

Hannah (55:43)

Okay, well, good to know.

Tina (55:45)

Good to know. Okay, I think this might be self published or it's an indie publisher. I couldn't exactly tell, but I love this. I got it on Hoopla, so it's probably hopefully available if you have that as well. And a couple's romantic retreat gets interrupted when an accident occurs and they find a dead woman lying outside their cabin. And this is again, it's got my favorite odd subtrope. I love finding a dead body, having to decide who it is, what do we do with it? And you just have to go with this. These characters are wild. But I absolutely love this book. I was so entertained. I want to say it's maybe six hours on audio. I was sat. I read it in one day. Highly, highly recommend for lovers of popcorn thrillers. And this might be one of my favorite thrillers of the year. This is A Secret Worth Keeping by Drew Strickland.

Hannah (56:32)

Popcorn thrillers are great.

Tina (56:33)

Love them.

Hannah (56:34)

Love that you put kind of an under the radar one on people's lists.

Tina (56:38)

Yeah, I want to find more. Yeah, I, yeah, go hard.

Hannah (56:42)

I really do love finding like this is another reason why I'm so sad that TikTok is probably like for sure going away is. I found so many good like people that gave under the radar recommendations for thrillers and romances.

Tina (56:56)

And I know.

Hannah (56:57)

I hope you all are moving over somewhere.

Tina (56:59)

I think so.

Hannah (56:59)

Still want those wrecks?

Tina (57:01)

Yeah.

Hannah (57:02)

Okay, so my last one is Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rendell. And this was another one that I almost didn't put on the list because I was like, oh, no. That one got like some buzz, but not really. This one only has like a little over 8, 000 reviews on Goodreads, which I feel like for romance, which can be one of the most popular, like hyped genres, that's not that many. And it. It does have a high rating of 3.99. And I think that it's totally worth the at least high ratings that it's getting. I really, really enjoyed this. This was one of my favorite romances of the year. It's a little bit long. It's like 400 pages. But I do think that it is worth the length. And the length makes sense, I think if you like books set in the 90s, I think if you like romances that are very reminiscent to like Nora Ephron, think you've Got mail. This is very. You've got male in inspired. The stories are a little bit like. It's a little bit different. But she, like the author was very clear that this was definitely a heavily. You've Got mail inspired romance. So I think if you like that, you like, you know, the nostalgia of AOL Instant messenger and you like more epistolary romances, you should give this one a shot. And that was Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rendell.

Tina (58:15)

Oh, yeah. That's a perfect summer book, I feel.

Hannah (58:18)

Yes.

Tina (58:18)

Yeah.

Hannah (58:19)

Oh, it's. It's perfect summer book. I mean, yeah, Summer Fridays.

Tina (58:22)

Summer Fridays is right there in the title.

Hannah (58:24)

It's right there.

Tina (58:25)

Okay. My last one that I think deserves more hype is how does that make you feel? Magda Eklund by Anna Montague. This one only has 479 ratings, and I'm mad about that. It only has a 3.17 rating average. And again, I think you guys got that one wrong. Let me explain. This is a book about a therapist who's turning 70 and decides to take the road trip that her now deceased best friend was planning for her. So she are literal ashes on this road trip. This is a story of friendship. Grief improves that it's never too late to stop finding yourself. It's comped to remarkably bright creatures. I like that. I get it. And I kind of see why people said that. I don't know why this is so poorly rated. And I got. Yeah, for. For good read. 317 is not good. I think it's because of the COVID and I think it's like an animated cover and people are thinking that it's going to be lighter. I think people don't like the title, but get past those things. This story, I think, is so well crafted. It's set in New York City for a lot of it. She's a therapist, has really interesting things with mental health. Also, Magda is a messed up character. She's definitely flawed, but you come to see her growth throughout. It's also narrated by Miranda from Sex and the City.

Hannah (59:41)

Oh, fun.

Tina (59:42)

Cynthia Nixon. And she does a fantastic job. Pick this one up. I highly recommend it. It's. How does that make you feel? Magda Eklund by Anna Montague.

Hannah (59:50)

Yeah, I could see, well, having not read it, like, in terms of the comps with Remarkably Bright creatures. Do you think just like the wholesome.

Tina (59:57)

I think this one is a little maybe darker than that.

Hannah (60:02)

Oh, okay. Good to know.

Tina (60:03)

Yeah.

Hannah (60:03)

All right, shall we move on to our appropriately hyped. Deserved the hype. We also loved these books.

Tina (60:11)

I say we do it.

Hannah (60:12)

We do it. Okay. We're gonna keep up with the trend. I will kick us off and say that I thought the Women by Kristin Hannah was worth the hype. Do you have this one, too?

Tina (60:24)

No, I got scared. I thought I did. It was actually on my overhyped list.

Hannah (60:28)

Oh, on your overhyped list. No, that's okay.

Tina (60:30)

Yeah.

Hannah (60:31)

So Kristin Hannah, like, works for me sometimes and doesn't other times. And I will say something that I totally understand when people say, like, her books are emotionally manipulative. I think that that's fair. I think that that's a fair argument. I felt that way about the Four Wins by Kristin Hannah, which was also really hyped. Her books are always super hyped. Right. And yeah, sometimes I think they're worth it for me, and sometimes they aren't. For whatever reason, this one just ticked the reader boxes for me. I also do think that it helped that I listened to it on audio, and the audio production particularly was really well done, I thought with this one, Julia Whelan narrates it. And I don't like Julia Whelan narrating romances, but I do like it when she narrates fantasy and historical fiction. So call me weird, but this one really worked. I enjoyed the characters. Is it over the top sad? Yeah, it's over the top sad. And so I definitely see that argument. But for whatever reason, this one worked for me. And that was the Women by Kristin Hannah.

Tina (61:31)

Oh, good one. Okay. Yeah, I like.

Hannah (61:33)

I was almost embarrassed to bring it because I don't know. Because like I do know that she is, you know, a little. Yeah, she's so hyped and she is so emotionally dramatic in her book. Like I so what she is like.

Tina (61:48)

I always argue. It's a subjective fact, but I want to be manipulated. Give me something. I don't care. Like I like to be manipulated. So that never. That argument never does anything for me. One that I liked and think deserved the hype is Wedding People by Alison S. Pack. And I did not think this one was gonna be as hyped as it ended up being. It won the Goodreads Choice Awards for favorite fiction and it has 140,000 ratings with a 4.17 review. So people love it. It is a propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one expected wedding guest in the surprising people who help her start a new. This book is funny. It's darker than I expected and has a great cast of characters. If you like the gunkle that sort of vibe, this is definitely, in my opinion of the same ilk. So check out Wedding People if you've not already. That's Wedding People by Alison S. Pat Back.

Hannah (62:41)

Yeah, that is one that's definitely still on my list. I think that I would like it too.

Tina (62:47)

It was a good time.

Hannah (62:47)

Okay, so my definitely worth the hype is another author that works for me sometimes doesn't other times. It's Funny Story by Emily Henry, arguably one of the most hyped books of this year. I will caveat by saying I really didn't like book lovers. I thought Beach Read was okay. I thought Happy Place was okay. So this was actually the book where I was like, like I don't know if I. I don't know if Emily Henry is for me, but I'll give her one more shot. This was like my one more shot and five plus stars. I loved Funny Story and was one of the best romances that I read this year. So whatever concoction, you know, recipe that she chose for this one, it. It ticked my reader boxes. It worked. That's Funny Story by Emily Henry.

Tina (63:34)

Oh, I love when a book ticks our reader boxes.

Hannah (63:37)

Me too.

Tina (63:38)

Okay, speaking of ticking my boxes, this is the Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and has a pretty high rating on Goodreads. This book is historical fiction and it is an exhilarating twisted tale of desire, suspicion and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1960. 61 for me. This one was so unexpected. I went in, I was gonna buddy read it with Renee. She DNF'd it. I'm gonna hold you to that. Renee. I want you to read this one because I thought it was gonna go one way and it has sort of elements to it that I was not expecting. It's sort of gothic. It's very vibey. It's excellent. I love this book and I'm so, so glad I read it. That's the safekeep Yael van der Wooten.

Hannah (64:28)

This one got more buzz than I thought that it was gonna get it.

Tina (64:30)

Yeah, I read it a little bit. Oh, no.

Hannah (64:33)

I know how fun. Good. I'm glad that that one worked for you. My next worth the hype is going to surprise no one. And that's the God of the woods by Liz Moore. Yeah, I think this one started to get a little bit more negative feedback, like as the hype started to kind of become not. I don't want to say, like, you know what, you know, there's like an.

Tina (64:52)

Inverse book of the summer and like once it gets too popular, then a lot of dissenters come out and like, like I contribute to that. I totally get it.

Hannah (65:00)

We all do. I mean, that's one of the fun parts about. I don't know, it just. It's one of the fun parts about being in this community and watching it happen and figuring it out and kind of deciding what's going to stick and what isn't going to stick. But yeah, this is a literary mystery that I just thought was super engaging. I know a lot of people thought that it was slow, fair. It is, it is slow. And. But, but you know, the characters that we were following in the story were just like. I would read entire books based on just the individual characters. It was a multiple perspective book. And like each individual character I was like, I'd read a whole book just about you. So I think that that definitely helped. Yeah, I think it helped kind of propel it forward for me, like even mystery aside. So yeah, this one just really worked. And that was the God of the woods by Liz Moore.

Tina (65:50)

I can't wait to read that. I'm gonna read that at some point. Ooh, yes.

Hannah (65:53)

Yay. I wanna talk about that one with you for sure.

Tina (65:55)

Yeah. My next deserve the hype is Margot's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. I loved this book. And I don't like to be told that it's laugh out loud funny when going into a reading experience. Let me find that out for myself. But it was really funny and it was also heartwarming. It's about a woman who has a baby on her own and she navigates adulthood, new motherhood, and her meager bank account in our increasingly online world. Speaking of characters that you want to read entire books about, this one had that for me. It's so creative. She did such interesting research and just very, very well crafted. Rufi Thorpe is an auto read author for me and I'm so happy to have read this. Margot has stuck with me. This book's Margot's Got Money Troubled by Rufi Thorpe.

Hannah (66:40)

Yeah, I'm kind of sad that I didn't end up picking this one up. Like while the hype was like right when it came out. I just, I feel like I, I missed out on that one. But I'm glad that you're bringing it and I know so many people really loved that one this year, so I'm glad that it worked for you too. Okay. My next book that I thought was very appropriately hyped was Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. Similar to Emily Henry. This was an author that like, I enjoy her books, but not to the extent that like, like the contemporary romance readers love Abby Jimenez. And this was, was finally the book that I read where I was like, okay, I get it. I am definitely on board now. I'm going to be following her releases every year. I just really love the way Abby Jimenez is able to combine that like, emotional depth and like the, you know, the warm and gooey parts of a romance. Like she does that so well. This one also had some fun tie ins to some of her other books, so I enjoyed that as well. Yeah, I don't know, what more can you say about a romance book? It just, I really liked it. And also the book starts out with a Reddit thread that alone, like that was it. I was just like, cool. I love that it starts out with like they meet on Reddit literally. And that was really fun. It also is perfect, as the title indicates, Perfect for Summer. It's set in like a boathouse is where the heroine is staying for the summer and so perfect Summer vibes. That is Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez.

Tina (68:09)

Oh, okay. Yep. I'm excited to read her new one coming in 2025 because that'll be one of our community reads. My next one that I think absolutely deserves the hype is we used To Live Here by Marcus Clewer. Whatever. I loved this dang book. It's the one about two homeowners whose lives get turned upside down when the home's previous residents un. Unexpectedly visit. This book's creepy. It is great for winter. There's a snowstorm and don't read much more about this book than that. If you like creepy stories, if you like wild stories, just dive right in. This is so singular to me. I loved it. It's. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kluwer.

Hannah (68:49)

I will be reading this over wintertime. Please do like it is confirmed. I am doing it. So please get excited for last week. I promised Alyssa, if you're listening, I promised her that one of my really good friends and reading friends, I promised her I'd finally read it this winter break. And she's been, like, texting me, like, are you gonna read it? Yes, I'm finally gonna read it. Yes, I'm finally going to. So stay tuned for that. Okay. Mine is another romance that I thought was definitely worth it this summer. It's another, again, perfect summer romance that was this Summer Will Be different by Carly Fortune. This is definitely an author that I will continue to read. I have a really good track record with her, and her Roman romances are just so, I don't know, nostalgic and vibey. And this one is set on Prince Edward Island. There's like an oyster shucking contest. I loved it. This is a brother's best. No, this is a best friend's brothers romance. So I love romances where the characters have known each other for a long time or they have been friends in the past. And that's a common trope for Curly Fortune specifically. So, yeah, I really like this one. I thought that it was totally worth the hype. I actually annotated this one. I don't usually annotate romance, but this had so many cute scenes in it. So I annotated this one even, and that was this Summer Will Be different by Carly Fortune.

Tina (70:09)

Ah, good one. So my last one is There's Always this Year by Hanif Abdurraqi. And I love this book. And it's so funny because I could not tell you about it what it's about if you paid me, which I guess you're doing, but trying to explain this is impossible. It's about basketball and ascension. It's about. It's sort of a memoir. It's about his personal experiences. But I just loved it. I loved the structure. I loved what he had to say about basketball. I loved what he had to say about the communities in which a lot of basketball players come up and just the sport in general. I think this was so fun. I'm. I'm calling it Hyped because I know it was on Obama's list, and I saw a lot of readers I trust who really, really love this. I am so glad that I gave it a shot because. Cause memoir is not always my typical thing. But once I started it, I did the audio and I knew pretty well. I will say it took me maybe, I don't know, half hour to get into it. And then once I was into it, I was like, got it. I know what we're getting with this, and I'm so glad I read it. So that one is. There's always this year on Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib.

Hannah (71:14)

I love listening to you talk about this one, too. On our nonfiction episode. This just sounds like a really, really great book. I want to read his book, the Little Devil in America. Yeah. That one's about music and black culture, and I've heard really good things about that one too.

Tina (71:31)

Yeah, well, those are our picks, man. I don't know. What do you think?

Hannah (71:37)

I think we gave a really good list.

Tina (71:39)

I do, too.

Hannah (71:40)

I'm really pleased to know yours too. We didn't know each other, like, what we were bringing before we recorded today, so it's really fun to listen to what your books were. I'm gonna put you on the spot a little bit and ask you what were a couple, like one or two backlist books that were hyped that you read this year that. That you thought were worth the hype? If you can think on the top of your head, sure.

Tina (72:00)

Always. Yeah. So the big one is Paper palace that I recently read by Miranda Cowley Heller. Backlist. That was very hyped. I tried it. Didn't like it. Tried it this year, and it was the perfect book at the perfect time for me.

Hannah (72:13)

Good.

Tina (72:13)

Yeah, I loved that one. I've been really enjoying Backlist this year. I keep saying that, but it. Let's see.

Hannah (72:18)

I have two.

Tina (72:18)

Oh, another one that I read this year finally, after it having been on my list forever came out in 2012. It's defending Jacob by William Mande. Oh, my God, I loved that book so much, and I'm so, so glad I read it. I found it in a little free library for that episode. Love that book. Highly recommend.

Hannah (72:36)

You know, it's funny because I also found this one in a little free library, and I Also have it. And I do plan on reading it eventually because I've heard. I've actually never read anything by this author, but they sound like a really beloved author that's worth trying. So I think it would work. I definitely want to do it.

Tina (72:52)

I think it could work for you.

Hannah (72:54)

I will do a quick plug for the Secret History by Donna Tartt. I read that this year, finally. It came out the year I was born, actually. 1992, which I didn't realize that it was that backlist, but I read that this year finally and absolutely loved it. Totally see the height. Yeah. That's the only one I can think of off the top of my head of a backlist book that I read and really enjoyed. But I always think that it's fun to. Because, you know, some books, like, stay hyped.

Tina (73:19)

They do. Yeah. That's a great book.

Hannah (73:20)

They almost become modern classics, like the Secret History book, for sure. New people reading it every year, you know, and. But the same with Defending Jacob. I mean, I still see that book and the Paper palace all the time. People still are loving those books and the sphere. Yeah. I love seeing what has staying power. So. Okay, do we want to share what we think is going to be super hyped for 2025?

Tina (73:42)

Yeah. So we're going to wrap it up with the books we think will be hyped in lieu of our shelf edition. And we talked a little bit beforehand, and oddly, or maybe not surprisingly, I accidentally spoiled Tina.

Hannah (73:54)

I was like, this is mine.

Tina (73:55)

And she was like, don't, don't react on the show. But it is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and that comes out on June 3rd. No way. This one's not hyped. I mean, please. And I am so excited. I want to read the Challenger book before this. It is an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program and the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits. Okay, that's it for me. Sounds good.

Hannah (74:22)

Yeah, I agree. I really want to read Challenger 2. I really want to read Challenger 2. It's very out of my comfort zone. But ever since. Since Tracy talked about it on our show, I have been really eager to start that one. So sounds like they might be a good pairing. Yeah.

Tina (74:39)

That's it for today. We thank you for spending a part of your day with us. Links to all the books mentioned can be found in the show notes. If you enjoyed today's episode, you can help us by following wherever you listen by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps us get our show out to new listeners and grows our audience audience. And don't forget if you'd like access to exclusive bonus content and community, you can join us for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.

Hannah (75:04)

If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both at booktalk etc on Instagram and Tina TBR etc and hannahandpickedbooks. Talk to you next week. In the meantime, remember everything's better with books.

Tina (75:25)

Thank you.

Hannah (75:26)

John got more water.

Tina (75:29)

He was walking so loud for the because he knows he scares me every time. Even though I literally texted him and asked him for water. Knew he was coming. Still got scared.

Hannah (75:39)

Someone's scared.

Tina (75:41)

I'm a chicken.

Hannah (75:42)

That's how quick you forget.

Tina (75:43)

Truly, I'm like oh, that task is finished. Great. It's in the world now. It's going to happen. Moving on.