07.30: Getting Things Done (to them): Romance with Lists

Summary

Fated Mates - Romance Books for Novel People Episode 07.30: Getting Things Done (to them): Romance with Lists Release Date: April 9, 2025

---

Introduction: Embracing Continuity

The episode kicks off with co-host Sarah MacLean sharing a personal moment of doubt about continuing the podcast. At [00:00], Sarah confides, “I think I just have to quit everything. I think I have to quit writing.” However, her husband Eric reassures her, reminding her of her passion for discussing romance novels. This heartfelt exchange sets the tone for the episode, emphasizing the community's support and the hosts' dedication to the podcast.

Listener Engagement: Shaping the Romance Democracy

At [02:00], Sarah introduces the concept of the podcast being a democracy, inviting listeners to participate by filling out a survey on their website (fademates.net/survey). Jennifer Probst adds, “There is a lot of room for topics, and we’re constantly evolving based on your feedback.” This call to action underscores the podcast's commitment to listener input and engagement.

Microtropes in Romance: Thematic Deep Dives

The hosts delve into microtropes—specific, niche elements within romance novels that cater to particular interests. They humorously discuss the challenges of categorizing tropes, such as in the “Romance Horse” episode, where misconceptions about horse-related romance tropes were clarified. At [03:51], Jennifer jokes, “What would we really say? Not very much,” highlighting the playful nature of their discussions.

Discoverability Buddies: Enhancing Reader Experience

Sarah introduces the “Discoverability Buddy” concept at [06:34], a feature aimed at helping readers find curated lists of romance novels based on specific themes or tropes. She expresses gratitude for the creative input from their listener community, stating, “You deserve all the credit for coming up with this amazing idea.” This initiative aims to combat the overwhelming amount of content online by providing organized, user-generated lists that enhance discoverability.

Spotlight on List-Based Romance Novels

The core of the episode revolves around discussing romance novels that incorporate lists or bucket lists as a central plot device. The hosts explore how these lists drive character development and romantic arcs, encouraging both characters and readers to reflect on their own lives.

1. "Nine Rules" by Sarah MacLean
   Sarah discusses her own novel, highlighting the protagonist Cali’s creation of a list to break free from societal constraints. At [16:08], she explains, “She makes a list of the nine things she would do if no one were watching,” which leads to her transformative journey and eventual romance.

2. "Get a Life, Chloe Brown" by Talia Hibbert
   Jennifer emphasizes Chloe's bucket list as a catalyst for personal growth and romance. At [24:57], she notes, “Chloe decides to live out her list, leading her to meet Red Morgan, the handyman who becomes integral to her journey.”

3. "Wicked Nights with a Lover" by Sophie Jordan
   Sarah illustrates how Marguerite’s foreknowledge of her impending death motivates her to fulfill a list of desires, intertwining themes of love and mortality. “[32:10] It’s the reason why lists in stories can be so emotionally compelling,” Sarah remarks.

4. "Wild Wild Cowboy" by Elizabeth Bright
   Jennifer praises the chemistry between the protagonists and how their list-driven interactions deepen their connection. “[34:35] Sarah, he is the perfect person to show her that she can do whatever she wants.”

5. "What Heals Us" by Maggie Gates
   Sarah explores Caroline’s life-changing list amidst her battle with illness, facilitating her romance with Austin Hale. “[39:37] It’s angsty without necessarily being full of conflict.”

6. "Camera Chemistry" by Chelsea Curto
   Jennifer highlights the organic development of the protagonists’ list-making during a photo shoot, fostering their romantic bond. “[50:24] It’s all about honesty and exploring what they want.”

7. "The Trouble with Anna" by Rachel Griffiths
   Sarah describes Anna’s forced marriage as a thwarted list goal, leading to a tumultuous yet passionate romance. “[53:40] They simultaneously want to fight and fuck this man.”

8. "How to Fail at Flirting" by Denise Williams
   Jennifer discusses Naya’s attempt to rebuild her life through a list, navigating past abuse to find new love. “[72:36] It’s a big book about Naya growing.”

9. "Rockaway Bride" by Pippa Grant
   Sarah narrates Willow’s zany adventures as she adheres to her list, leading to unexpected romance with a rock star. “[73:18] It’s really adorable and swept me away in a pleasing way.”

10. "Mr. Swoony" by Piper Rain
    Jennifer outlines the heartfelt romance between Connor and a list-focused bride-to-be, culminating in a joyous conclusion. “[84:07] Perfect for a golden retriever hero.”

11. "All Played Out" by Cora Carmack
    Sarah touches on Nell’s list-driven journey to find love and self-discovery amidst academic life. “[85:24] It’s super hot and sexy.”

Discussion: The Impact of Lists on Readers and Characters

Throughout the episode, Sarah and Jennifer reflect on how list-based narratives resonate with readers. Lists serve as a framework for characters to embark on transformative journeys, inspiring readers to contemplate their own aspirations and desires. At [19:02], Jennifer muses, “It asks you to think about your own life or to measure back to things you thought you wanted to do when you were younger.”

Conclusion: Celebrating List-Driven Romance

The episode concludes with the hosts reiterating the significance of lists in romance novels. They emphasize how these lists facilitate character growth, deepen romantic connections, and encourage readers to engage in self-reflection. The hosts express enthusiasm for future episodes and the ongoing development of their discoverability features, fostering a vibrant community of romance enthusiasts.

Notable Quotes:

• Sarah MacLean [00:00]: “I think I just have to quit everything. I think I have to quit writing.”
• Jennifer Probst [02:36]: “There is a lot of room for topics, and we’re constantly evolving based on your feedback.”
• Sarah MacLean [19:02]: “It asks you to think about your own life or to measure back to things you thought you wanted to do when you were younger.”
• Jennifer Probst [34:35]: “He is the perfect person to show her that she can do whatever she wants.”
• Sarah MacLean [75:09]: “This is not a romance. If you love a golden retriever hero, this one’s for you.”

---

Connect with Fated Mates:

For more on the discussed books and to participate in shaping future episodes, visit fademates.net. Engage with the community on BookBub, Pagebound, and Discord to delve deeper into the world of romance novels.

---

This summary captures the essence of Episode 07.30, focusing on the central theme of list-driven romance novels and their impact on both characters and readers. Notable quotes with timestamps are included to highlight key moments in the discussion.

Transcript

[Sarah McLean]

I said to Eric yesterday, I had this, like, kind of, like, existential crisis. I don't know if everybody out there is also having existential crises, but I had this moment where I was like, I think I just have to quit everything. I think I have to quit writing. I think we should end the podcast. I think, you know, we should move out of this house. I think we should just, you know.

[Jennifer Probst]

I don't know, live on the land.

[Sarah McLean]

I don't know what I wanted become just people vibing. And he was like, okay, well, I. I sense you're going through something. And then he was like, let me remind you that you really like talking to Jen about romance novels. And I was like, I do. I do. So I apologize to everybody if I just gave you a heart attack about, like, let's end the podcast. But I. It's hard.

[Jennifer Probst]

I know. Everything is really hard right now.

[Sarah McLean]

And then he literally just, like, turned me around. Like, he was the Grinch and I was Cindy Lou who and he, like, patted me on the head and, like, pushed you forward.

[Jennifer Probst]

Microphone.

[Sarah McLean]

Welcome, everyone, to Faded mates. I'm Sarah McLean. I read romance novels and I write them, and I really do love talking about romance novels. So I'm probably not going to end this podcast, probably, unless I do get rid of everything else, and then I don't have a microphone. And what will I do?

[Jennifer Probst]

I. I don't know.

[Sarah McLean]

I throw my laptop into the sea. We're all.

[Jennifer Probst]

Well, I'm Jennifer Pearl, cop romance reader and editor, and I have no plans to probably, or even potentially on the podcast. So here we are. It's fine. We're doing it.

[Sarah McLean]

And Eric doesn't want to end the podcast either. So that's been outvoted.

[Jennifer Probst]

And neither do all the people listening.

[Sarah McLean]

They're all like, no, everybody listening is like, wait, the podcast is a democracy.

[Jennifer Probst]

Listen. There are many things in this country that are no longer democracy.

[Sarah McLean]

This podcast remains a democracy.

[Jennifer Probst]

You know, there's three, and you've been outvoted. So here we go.

[Sarah McLean]

Speaking of Fademates and everybody listening and it being a democracy, if you would like to have a voice in this romance democracy, you can have one. And the way you can have one is by filling out our listener survey, which is live right [e-mail] survey. It shouldn't take you longer than 10 minutes to fill it out. It should be kind of fun to fill it out. Basically ask you questions about your how you listen, where you listen, what you do when you listen, and we ask you to tell us if there's anything that we could be doing better.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah. And I think a really great idea, everybody. Cause I'm not. I don't think we're ever gonna run out of topics. It is romance. But there is, like, a. What. What. What episodes would you love for us to do? And sometimes people come up with, like, the best, most fun ideas, and so, you know, let us know. I mean, you might be like, they did Romance Horse, but what about Romance Dog?

[Sarah McLean]

Romance Horses. What I love the most about this is how many people were like, wow, they really don't know anything about horses. And the truth is, everybody, we didn't pretend we said that. Right. The title.

[Jennifer Probst]

So everybody. The joke about Romance Horse is, like, on our discord. Susie was like, I like how right at the top, you guys said. Basically made it real clear that this is Romance Horse. The same way you did Romance Science and Romance Law. And I was like, yeah, that's exactly what it was. It was Romance Horse. And then later, you also said something really funny in a text. I was like, I just felt like it was so hard for me to think of books. And you were like, jennifer, they're basically like cars in historical. And I was like, oh, that's so funny, of course, because if a guy was driving a Lamborghini versus a, you know, an electric car, we would know that that meant something.

[Sarah McLean]

Exactly. Also, what we discovered is that because I think of horses as, like, cars in historicals, we forgot. Adriana and Kate reminded us. Oh, yeah, we forgot to mention Sebastian Lord Dane's horses. And I don't know, apologies to the Sebastians in the world. I don't. I don't know what to say about that. And then literally both of us were like, what?

[Jennifer Probst]

Well, what was horses? And then I bet they're, like, perfectly matched and, you know, real. Well, and his carriage is real. You know, he likes to go fast.

[Sarah McLean]

And you know what? Here's. Oh, here's something we didn't mention. See, if we talked about perfectly matched horses, I would have been able to answer that question. I do know why the horses had to be perfectly matched. And it makes sense because they had to be the same size for when they ran together, or else they'd be going in circles.

[Jennifer Probst]

That's funny, because I'm going to tell you, Sarah, I really. Up until this very moment, everyone thought it was color. Yeah, for sure. I thought it was like, well, they are. They're perfect. Like, you match your horses to your, like, vest or something, right? No, like, they're perfectly matched. They. They look Nice.

[Sarah McLean]

Together. We could do a whole other episode on Horse.

[Jennifer Probst]

Dos Equis, we could call it.

[Sarah McLean]

Oh, look at you, bilingual.

[Jennifer Probst]

I mean, only about beer, apparently.

[Sarah McLean]

Anyway, that's the end of Horse, everybody. We're done now.

[Jennifer Probst]

I will say, I think some of our funniest episodes are ones like that. Like the one we did about, like, on Halloween that was, like, just characters named Devil. Like, I do think that there is something very, like, hilarious about just, like, Horse. So I guess I keep thinking, like, what are we missing?

[Sarah McLean]

Like, that leads us into something that we are working on on our website. So.

[Jennifer Probst]

Oh, yeah, this is.

[Sarah McLean]

Let's talk about this. I don't know if it's officially launched yet, but we're going to talk about it anyway.

[Jennifer Probst]

I love this. Eric is working for all of you. I just need you to understand this. This man loves you.

[Sarah McLean]

All this is because Eric's actual real job has been, like, for 25 years, supporting online communities in all different areas and often for things he does not.

[Jennifer Probst]

Care about, doesn't know anything about. Right.

[Sarah McLean]

But here's what I'll say. That was. I missed. I missed. I misspoke. It's not things that he doesn't care about. It's things that he knows nothing, doesn't know about.

[Jennifer Probst]

Right.

[Sarah McLean]

But, like, he deeply cares about community, just in general, which is n for, you know, a person in 2025 to care about community. And so anyway, so he is always thinking, always thinking about faded mates. So. But here's something cool. So what we. I have really taken to heart this discoverability buddy.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yes.

[Sarah McLean]

Concept. First of all, I want to apologize again to the person who used this phrase with us, because it is so perfect. Would you please raise your hand somewhere? Because I know you sent it to me on, like, Instagram or it was on threads. Like, would you just, like, hit us up and just remind us that it was you and then we will honor you properly.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yes. Right. You do deserve all the credit for, like, coming up and Amazing.

[Sarah McLean]

Write your name down so we don't forget. But okay. So I love this idea of discoverability buddies. And I love it even more when we're doing episodes like Today's Episode, which is about bucket lists and, like, people who may books that use lists, we're going to get to it. But of course, like, when you come up with an idea like this and you're like, we should talk about lists, I'm like, I've never. I've never read a book, written a book with a list, despite the fact that arguably I've written one of the most famous novels.

[Jennifer Probst]

That is correct, Sarah. You sure have.

[Sarah McLean]

But what's interesting about this is, like, it's such a niche, right? So, like, you think about Beth, who is obsessed with mustachioed heroes. Like, that's such a niche. And maybe we could do an episode on mustaches. But what would we really say? Not very much. So I think what. What we have come up with is. I'm sorry.

[Jennifer Probst]

Now I'm laughing about what I'd say. Sorry, everybody.

[Sarah McLean]

I think all I would say is lionhearted virility.

[Jennifer Probst]

Hashtag Mick Tramore, hashtag sit on my face. Boom, we're done.

[Sarah McLean]

And then that's it.

[Jennifer Probst]

A little mini episode.

[Sarah McLean]

We just did it like a link to the Playgirl spread of Burt Reynold.

[Jennifer Probst]

And there you go, we're done.

[Sarah McLean]

And now you've. There it is. That's our mustache episode.

[Jennifer Probst]

Okay, seriously now, though.

[Sarah McLean]

Okay, what we should do is an episode that's just like, mini, like.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah, right. Like microtropes.

[Sarah McLean]

It's like, it's like rapid fire micro tropes. And we just. 10 seconds. Anyway, but the point is, like, there are so many ways that you can cut the romance pie.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yes.

[Sarah McLean]

And so what. What Eric suggested is what if on the website we hosted like a collection of collections.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yes.

[Sarah McLean]

Right. So here's me actually inviting Beth to do.

[Jennifer Probst]

Right. Moustachio statues.

[Sarah McLean]

Right. And then you, like, pick five or six books that are, like, collected in a weird little.

[Jennifer Probst]

Right. Some kind of package. Right.

[Sarah McLean]

And we hosted on our website. And then.

[Jennifer Probst]

And you get the credit link to.

[Sarah McLean]

Your socials, like, make sure that people know that you exist. And then it just becomes part of the, like, discoverability buddy community.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah. I think the thing that I also really like about this is, and I'm sure people, Other people are finding the same problem, which is as AI slop essentially drowns the. The working Internet. Right. It's really hard. I've been finding it harder and harder to, like, find lists of things. So if you're lucky and you hit upon something great on Reddit. Right. Like, you know, but like, you know, it used to be that I could be like, okay, I'm looking for, you know, books with heroes with mustaches, and I could find it. And now it's just, like, slop. It's really hard to get through.

[Sarah McLean]

Well, Reddit is great. That romance books thread on Reddit really does, like, deliver, but it's so massive now and like, there are so many different posts to run through. Like, the end. Let me be clear. We are not attempting to like eat Reddit's lunch. Like, what we are thinking about is, is these kind of really fun, like microtropy, you know, books about horse.

[Jennifer Probst]

Right. And so let me give you an example, since I. Oh, sorry, go ahead. Since I like brought up Reddit, I was looking through. I think, I can't remember for what. Okay. And I found someone whose username is competitive yam5126. You're a brilliant person. Right?

[Sarah McLean]

Competitive Yam.

[Jennifer Probst]

I know. I'm like, I don't know what's happening. That's probably an assigned name. Reddit. You Wacky. Wacky Reddit. Okay. But this person made a list called Stern Men who Can't Stop Skinny Dipping. An incomplete list of every body of water Mary Bailow's characters have defiled. And it's just a list of like people in Mary Belo books who go skinny dipping. And I was like, I could not.

[Sarah McLean]

Find, like, that's romance though.

[Jennifer Probst]

That's romance. It's so perfect. And so what? And I think like, you know, so we're thinking is like we at Faded Mates, like, can have user hosted, like kind of like a user hosted spot where you're like, hey, I have a great. Listen. I have also been curating my list of, you know, whatever wacky thing. So yeah, don't worry everybody. I'm going to put the link to the thing I just talked about because it's really funny.

[Sarah McLean]

That is funny. So we haven't launched this yet, but.

[Jennifer Probst]

Well, I think we're going to be ready and for this episode. So.

[Sarah McLean]

So right now we're not. We're. We have not started. We're. We're. We're putting it together sort of.

[Jennifer Probst]

We're.

[Sarah McLean]

We're building a little space for it to live. And soon you'll be able to go and just like, oh, my view for this. My, my. What I imagine this page will look like is just like an endless scroll of amazing. Yeah. People in the world who we love and who love romance as much as we do. Talking about the like six books that collected together. Speak to Mary B.

[Jennifer Probst]

Heroes and skinny dipping. Whatever.

[Sarah McLean]

It is exactly. Like, there was a. I. I told Eric that I wanted one of the first ones to be me, Kate and Adriana. Our list of wolf dogs.

[Jennifer Probst]

The reason I was not included is because I have nothing to offer. Yes.

[Sarah McLean]

This is not dogs.

[Jennifer Probst]

Wolf dogs.

[Sarah McLean]

Wolf dogs.

[Jennifer Probst]

Right, right. No, it's perfect. I love it. I really do.

[Sarah McLean]

And you won't have to artic anything about these books. It'll just literally be a title and then the books.

[Jennifer Probst]

Well, and listen, I love a microtrope, and I think this really honors it. It's great. So. But they can also be bigger, right? Like, great first romance reads. I mean, there's a lot of things people kind of ask for over and over again, and these are great things to make lists about. So, yeah, keep an eye out for that or just, like, really, I think our purpose in telling you maybe is to just like, get your little brains started. Right. Start making your list so that when you're ready.

[Sarah McLean]

Yeah, I don't know. That was probably all way too much, Eric. You can cut that down and make it more interesting. But, yeah, we're doing our best.

[Jennifer Probst]

This week's episode of Faded Mates is brought to you by 1001 Dark Knights, publishers of Vows and Veils, a Celebration of Love collection.

[Sarah McLean]

So, you all know I've said before how much I love a novella, and I love a collection of novellas more than anything in romance. And what I love, especially about these,001 Dark Knights collections, which we've been talking about over the past, you know, however many months, is they've really, they've grouped them together. They're like interstitial reads. Jen and this one, Vows and Veils, has Audrey Carlin, Carly Phillips, Jennifer Probst, and Tina Folsom. And all these books revolve around a wedding in some way. So maybe someone objects to a wedding in one of them. Maybe there's a whirlwind wedding in one of them. Maybe there's some sort of, like, delicious, heartwarming proposal in one of them. Whatever it is, weddings don't often get the attention in a romance that you would expect. Like, we often skip the ceremony in a wedding in a romance novel, and these books are going to make sure that, no, nobody skips the ceremony. The ceremony is part of the joy. So, again, this is your chance to find new authors. If you've never read some of these, I'll tell you, these four women know the job, and they will definitely be able to deliver you a really terrific big feels wedding romance.

[Jennifer Probst]

So Vows and Fails is available with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited or in paperback. And if your podcasting app supports it, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to 1001 Dark Nights for sponsoring sponsoring this week's episode. All right, so let's talk about this week's topic and, like, kind of how we got here, which is we are going to do an episode about like bucket lists. Right. So the characters are making a list and not checking it twice, but trying to change their lives for whatever reason. And it's really interesting because I, like, will be interested to see, like, what you discover versus what I did in terms of, like, the books. But this is also a classic trope that. And I know we have talked about Nine Rules, but we're gonna start by talking about Nine Rules, because this is like, sort of a classic trope in a lot of ways, but also one that tends to, like, disappear into the book. Like, I found it harder than I thought to, like, think of titles. So, Sarah, when you wrote Nine Rules, like, what is, like, why is this so powerful? Why does this really speak to people?

[Sarah McLean]

Listen. 9rules is a book that I hear a lot about from readers still today. It's 15 years old as of last week, which is not, in fact, why we are doing this episode, but weirdly, why I realized that the book was 15 years old, which makes me feel like a doyen of the romance tone. But the. So this book is my first historical. And it just hit, I think, in a very powerful way for a large segment of readers, because it's a book about a character who has been overlooked. Yeah, right. The heroine has been. Is stuck in a, you know, very particular part of society. She is older, she's a spinster. She never married. She's not that.

[Jennifer Probst]

That.

[Sarah McLean]

She's not pretty. She's not sparkling. There's nothing about her that's that. Or she rather feels that there's nothing about her that's special. She's plus size. She's, you know, she has many things, none of which are. Are valued in re in her world. Her, like, rarefied air of the aristocracy. And she decides that if the world isn't going to value her, damn it, she is going to do things. Why does she worry so much about what they think? Because if she was a man, she wouldn't worry. And so she makes a list of the nine things she would do if no one. If, like, no one were watching, if. If she didn't care about the censure of society. And it ranges, and the list ranges across many things. And the first thing on the list she decides to cross off is to be kissed passionately. And so she heads off to the only man she's ever really wanted to be kissed by.

[Jennifer Probst]

His house.

[Sarah McLean]

Breaks it in the middle of the night.

[Jennifer Probst]

It's amazing.

[Sarah McLean]

Finds him broodingly playing the piano and asks her and asks him to kiss her. And that begins this kind of like, story.

[Jennifer Probst]

The.

[Sarah McLean]

We did a deep dive on Nine Rules, I think. So you can go back and listen to it. But the point is that, like, since. Since then, I mean, I would say weekly, I get reader mail or messages about how Cali's story really inspires people, which is always, like, the most incredible thing that I hear is, like, people really felt connected to her. And you hear a lot of people and. And several people in romance talk about how they, after they read Nine Rules, made their own list and, like, tried really hard to, like, break out of their rut, whatever that may have been. And so I think, like, that's a really compelling idea.

[Jennifer Probst]

Oh.

[Sarah McLean]

The reason why these books work, the reason why bucket lists in general work, is because there is this sort of sense of. These are the things that I have. I have. I have let life pass me by, and I'm no longer going to do that.

[Jennifer Probst]

I think the other thing I was thinking about this week when I was thinking about Nine Rules, which is a book I love and reread actually kind of frequently, is, especially in historical. There's also a sense of, like, you as the reader now being able to look at this list and think, like, how far we've come, right? Like, one of Callie's, like, items is, like, smoke a cheroot, which is essentially, like, a cigar or whatever. And now. Now you have, like, you know, beautiful women in cigar advertisements, right. Kelsey Plum, who is a Las Vegas Aces player, or I think she was traded, but I'm not sure. I'm, like, my WNBA knowledge is yet to come online for the season, but, you know, has it, like, after they won, there's, like, a lot of really famous photographs of her with a cigar. And then I think she was hired to, like, do advertising for that. Like, for a cigar company or whatever. So I feel like that is also kind of interesting, like an historical. Cause you're thinking, like, to yourself, like. And I think it's also maybe even true in a contemporary, like, you are measuring yourself against not only the person in the book making the list, which, interestingly enough, I want to say, like, this time around, as I was thinking about it, I could only find women in the book, in books who approach this, like, life this way. I didn't find a character who was a man doing it, but you can also. I feel like it asks you to, like, sort of, as the reader, to think about, like, your own life or, like, to measure back to things you thought you wanted to do when you were younger. Right. Like, what were the things that I thought would make for a like a well lived life and have I done them or have am I not interested in doing those things anymore? Right. Has the thing, have I changed and does that feel like a loss? Right? Like oh no, I want to refind or reconnect with that person or does it just feel like fine, like, right. Like I thought I wanted to, you know, do XYZ thing and it turns out that I'm not actually that interested in taking a road trip all the way across the country on my own or whatever. So I think like that's the other thing is it's really builds in a lot of ways that you as the reader get to think about your own life. Right?

[Sarah McLean]

Yeah. Well, it's interesting because just to your point about age feels like these bucket lists often like skew young. Right. Ironically, the term bucket list comes from that like movie, right.

[Jennifer Probst]

With like yeah, old people, older people.

[Sarah McLean]

Yeah, right. What was it? Morgan Freeman and so Jack Nicholson. I'm. I feel like I'm making this up. But like it's older people. We're gonna figure it out for you all. But the reality is that like now those lists are couched and I have several books in my list where it's like 30 before 30, right. It's like the things you want to cross off your list before you settle down.

[Jennifer Probst]

It was, it was Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

[Sarah McLean]

It is. I've never seen that movie.

[Jennifer Probst]

Terminally ill people break out of the, break out of the hospital and are gonna go do live their life.

[Sarah McLean]

All right, there you go. So but that's, that brings us to the next piece of it which is I think that there are so nine rules is about living out loud right? About like changing your life and your future. Overtly the. And there are a lot of books that do that. But then there's the section of of list romances and bucket list romance that are true bucket lists like she or he is going to die. And like there is grief wrapped up in this book. And I think or it's like grief is part of why the list comes to be right and agree. So I think the lists, I think the books can be separated really clearly that way. Like one of the version one of these books like actually is handling is like grief is embedded in the text of the romance. And in the other one there is. It's more like, right, I'm changing my life. I'm gonna live right like there it's I'm gonna live capital L. And it's I'm gonna like do what I can. To live fully before I die on the other side.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah. And I think in particular in romance, the. I'm the one. A lot of the ones I came across were like, I, I have. I have to reset my life because, like, a big relationship has ended. Right. So, like. Right. I, I, you know, it's not like I'm on the cancer ward, but, like, my marriage ended or my kids went off to college or whatever. I think the other one is like, of course, in romance is like the sexual bucket list. Right. Like, I, I have not lived in this way, and I found a partner or partners that I think are going to help me really explore, like, kind of this part of myself. And a lot of sometimes those are really, like, tied up together into the same type of book. So, you know, it has a lot of different paths in romance. I think that maybe. I mean, I don't know in real life.

[Sarah McLean]

Well, so let's get started. Where do you want to start?

[Jennifer Probst]

Well, I think the other really foundational book here that we should talk about, and I think it's probably on both of our lists, is Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert.

[Sarah McLean]

Another book that we did a deep dive of.

[Jennifer Probst]

Right. So I don't know that we have to, like, necessarily spend too much time on it, but it was.

[Sarah McLean]

Chloe has the same path as Cie in the sense that it's not, you know, Chloe makes choices to, like, give herself, to take a risk.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yes.

[Sarah McLean]

Like, she.

[Jennifer Probst]

Her.

[Sarah McLean]

She is nearly killed, nearly hit by a bus. That's the sort of inciting incident. But I feel like it didn't have to be a bus. Like, I think Talia could have made it anything, you know, that would have. She just needed an inspiring moment to, like, push Chloe toward living out loud.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah. Well. And I think the other part, though, about the. The reason I think it's more than just like, almost being hit by the bus is that Chloe has a kind of two other things. One is she's. She deals with a chronic illness. And two, because of that, she essentially has never, like, moved out of the family home. And so when she comes home from, like, the bus incident, she's, like, kind of realized, like, I'm stuck in here. I. And so another big part of it is, like, moving out on her own is like another. I think, like, it's tied up into that. And of course. So her list is like, you know, enjoy a drunken night out, ride a motorcycle, go camping, have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex, travel the world with nothing but, like, you know, A carry on, hand luggage and like doing something bad. And it turns out that like the, it's like her, the new handyman in her building, Red Morgan, who is like kind of ends up being the guy who helps her with a lot of these.

[Sarah McLean]

Sure.

[Jennifer Probst]

Right.

[Sarah McLean]

I mean, that's the cornerstone of all this. Right. Of course the person who helps you is going to be the person you fall in love with. I talked about the last days of Lila. Good luck on. I put that on the best of the year list last year. Lila finds out and maybe this is a good. Maybe this is where we begin. Right. Like, I don't want to talk about. I, we. I'm not counting this as one of my books for the episode is what I'm saying. Although it does relate. But in that one, you know, Lila's told by a witch, she has one week to live. And she's like, oh, you know, what am I gonna do? And the witch in the moment also tells her that she's gonna fall in love with a royal prince. And so this royal prince turns up and they do the list together. And it's really nice.

[Jennifer Probst]

I mean, Chloe, Chloe like feels like her life has sort of flat like, you know, like flash before her eyes with the bus, but she like survives. Right. But with Lila it really is like you, you have a limited amount of.

[Sarah McLean]

Time, you have a finite. It's ticking clock.

[Jennifer Probst]

Right, right, right. The ultimate ticking clock. Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

I'm going to start then because I have another one that's actually very similar to that but historical. In Sophie Jordan's Wicked Nights With a Lover, which is the third book in her Penwich School for Virtuous Girls series, there is the heroine, Marguerite has visited a fortune teller. And she goes, this fortune teller. In part because the fortune teller's predictions for her last. She's a. Marguerite is a nurse. And the fortune teller has made some predictions for Marguerite's last latest employer and they came true. And so Marguerite goes and she meets with the fortune teller and the fortune teller is basically like, well, I have some bad news for you. And she's basically like, like, you're going to die before the year is out. And there is. Yeah. And so. And she's like, however, like, I don't know if this helps or hurts, but like, you are going to have some joy. You're going to. She's like, you're going to meet your sisters. And Marguerite's. She's going to. She's like, you're going to spend time with your family. And Marguerite's Like, I don't have family. And she's like, no, but you do. And you're going to find them, right? And there are some half sisters that are part of this. And then she's like, and you're gonna fall in love and you're gonna get married. Like, I see marriage, I see love, I see all this stuff, but bad news, you're also for sure gonna die.

[Jennifer Probst]

Rough, rough.

[Sarah McLean]

So Marguerite is like, oh shit.

[Jennifer Probst]

I.

[Sarah McLean]

Guess if I'm going to die. And she's basically like, like, I believe this. Like, like she's never believed in fortune tellers before, but this one has. Has been true, has been correct. And so she's like, okay, well if I believe this, like what. What do I do? And so she's like, I guess I choose to live like as much as possible between now and whenever my time is up. And of course I would like to know passion, right? I will not. I'm going to defy love because that seems terrible to fall in love and then die. But like, I could definitely have passion, couldn't I? And so she decides that she's going to like, have a relationship with. She sort of picks somebody who she thinks would be a good match. But then literal hours before she is supposed to match with this man and like, do the business, she is accidentally abducted by her terrible father's nemesis who is like, haha, I am going to exact my revenge. My favorite. I'm going to exact my revenge upon your father by marrying you and by, you know, ruining you and marrying you before the week is out. She's like, okay. And it doesn't, in classic Sophie Jordan form, it like, does not go his way. Right? Of course, is he's like real. He's like, he really thinks himself of a villain. And the reality is like, Marguerite's like, okay, well this seems like really living myself my life to the fullest. Like, let's. Let's do it. Right?

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

She's annoyed by him. She thinks he's the worst. But also she's like, well, here's. I said I wanted something exciting, so here we are. And so he takes her captive. And then she's like, hey, while we're doing this, how about you also show me pleasure? And the story is of course, the two of them coming to terms with the fact, like, she keeps it a secret from him that she's gonna die for a little while. And then like, she tells him and he's like, well, you're obviously not going to die. And he does that thing that I Love so much Jem, where he's like, absolutely not. I won't have it.

[Jennifer Probst]

I'm downloading this immediately. Like I said, I love that. I love it.

[Sarah McLean]

It's the best so and so. It's like. It's this really. It's very fun. It's a classic. Sophie Jordan. If you've never read a Sophie Jordan, it's like, a really great place to start because she just. She just. These books are straight shots of, like, terrific. It's like. It's just really fun. And they, of course, both refuse to admit that they love each other because, I mean, of course, because if they love you, like, Marguerite has this, like, convoluted, like, if we love each other, then I'll really die. And he's like, well, I. Obviously, I don't love, but, I mean, I'm certainly not going to allow you to die. That's not happening.

[Jennifer Probst]

It's perfect. Honestly, it's so great. God, romance. How are you? So awesome.

[Sarah McLean]

Okay, so that is Wicked Nights with a Lover by Sophie Jordan. It's also like a holiday romance. It was all mixed in there together. Enjoy yourselves, everyone. This week's episode of Fade Amazed is sponsored by Elizabeth Bright, author of Wild Wild Cowboy.

[Jennifer Probst]

So Hannah Bell is a new librarian in town, and she needs help saving the library, so she goes to Zach Hale. He is a bit of a wild one. Sarah. He had a career as a rodeo cowboy, but he suffered an injury, shattered his leg. And he has really been essentially, like, kind of wildcatting around town, brawling, drinking, bedding the ladies. And. But. But this is. She knows that he can help her, right? And I think she has, like, a secondary thing she wants help with, which is she is really interested in, like, discovering more about physical intimacy, and she wants someone to, like, be her guide. And so Zach is the one she thinks is going to be the best person for this job. So he, of course, is, like, this nerdy little librarian. What? But he kind of is into her, right? So she drives him crazy. And so these two seem to be a great match for each other, even though on paper, they don't seem to have anything in common. So she says it's just physical, but he thinks that maybe his heart is going to get involved, even though wild cowboys can't be tamed. Sarah. But they can fall in love.

[Sarah McLean]

Oh, boy. Well, if you love a cowboy and a nerdy little librarian, then this one is for you. You can read Wild, Wild Cowboy right now in print or ebook. And if your podcasting app supports it, you can Click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Elizabeth Bright for sponsoring this week's episode.

[Jennifer Probst]

This one is called what Heals by Maggie Gates. And this one, to me, is very much, like, in the. Like, kind of. Kind of. It's tied up in grief in. In a lot of interesting ways, but not necessarily like the way you would think, because she's. Nobody's told our heroine, Caroline that she's going to die. Instead, as a young woman, she's, like, 22 or 23 in this book. She has been ill her entire life with lupus. And so it's. And it takes a. It's really interesting the way this, like, gets uncovered. She has, like, moved out on into her own. She's graduated from college. She's, like, a kindergarten teacher in her town, and she's. And she kind of thinks about a scar she has, and she's moving into her apartment. And her parents are very much like, are you sure that you are okay to live on your own? So you can tell that there's something up, right? So, because of this, because not only did she spend so much of her life being ill, but it took a really long time for the doctors to figure out exactly what was wrong with her. So much so that she actually has had a kidney transplant, right? To sort of keep her alive. I mean, so this woman has had tons of medical interventions, but she's, like, then, therefore, like, kind of never done anything. And now that she's on her own and living on her own and has a job and can support herself, she's really determined to, like, sort of get out there. And so she does what anybody would do, which is, like, make a link list. And the thing is, the. This list is so. I mean, some of it's just, like, standard bucket list stuff, but, like, a lot of it is just really, like, poignant. I found it. I found this book very moving, you know, so she's like, I want to, like, hang out with people my own age, right? I mean. And so what happens is she ends up sort of getting swept up into, like, a group of friends, including a woman named Beth, who. And I'm kind of going out of order. I'm starting with Caroline because she's the list maker, but the hero, his name is Austin Hale. And Austin at the beginning of the book is living, like, four hours away from this town. This all takes place in North Carolina. And his sister calls him his younger sister. He's, like, in his mid-30s. And his younger sister, who's in her late 20s, calls him, and it's basically like he can tell something is wrong. It turns out she's pregnant, and it turns out that the father is married, which she did not know. And so her whole life is just completely. I mean, she just is, like, wrecked. And Austin picks up and moves to be essentially in this town with her because he's like, you're gonna need family. And he doesn't even hesitate. Like, this is just what you do. And he's a fireman, so he can, like, get a job pretty easily. And so he meets Kare. Caroline, and is, like, super attracted to her. And the thing that's interesting is there's an age gap, but because obviously she's in her kind of early 20s, just out of college. He's in his mid-30s, and, like, that's played up, but in some ways, it's much more like maturity, right? Like, he has lived a life, and she has not. And so, you know, when they. And, like, look, this book is also really sexy. And so when they have sex for the first time, he makes her, like, sort of practice, right? Like, you have to ask people when. If they've been tested. They, you know, he's like, now, what do you say? And she's like, show me your results. You know what I mean? It's very sweet. And so. And then sexy. And he really is, I think, understands how much power she has had taken from her by these circumstances in her life. And he is, like, the perfect person to, like, of show her, like, that she can do whatever she wants, right? So this bucket list here is not about, like, jumping out of airplanes and, you know, riding motorcycles and, you know, kind of being bad. It's just really about, like, Caroline thinking it's my life, and I want to live it, right? This is the first book I've read by Maggie Gates. It will not be the last. I found it to be. Listen, it's angsty without necessarily being full of conflict. Like, Caroline is super into Austen, and Austin's in her pretty quickly, but, like, it definitely delivers on all the big feelings of romance, and I really enjoyed it. So that's what Heals Us by Maggie Gates.

[Sarah McLean]

So I have one that is similar. I want to talk about Samantha. Towels. The ending I want.

[Jennifer Probst]

All right, Sarah. I saw this book and was like, whoa.

[Sarah McLean]

Too much?

[Jennifer Probst]

No. I mean, I don't know. I mean, I was too afraid to try it.

[Sarah McLean]

Tell everybody why you should not be. Listen, this is a romance novel, everybody. And that's what I'll say about that. But like this is real serious. So Samantha, so the Taylor, the heroine of this book had this like very perfect life. And then when she was 16, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. And when she was 16 she made a list. Things to do if I live. And now she's 22 and the symptoms are back. And let me tell you something, Samantha tell begins this book in exactly the right place. Like Taylor is on a plane and she has not yet seen a doctor. But like she is sure that the tumor is back and the symptoms are all back. Like she's wrecking. She recognizes it for what it is. And you guys, I'm not gonna lie, the tumor is back. This is not like a so and it is. And she sort of has always kind of known that if it comes back, she's on borrowed time. Like so. And so she decides that she has had enough. Like she is not going to do like all the treatment that she thinks like that, that like would prolong her life. She is lost. Like her whole family is gone. Like she's, you know, she's really had it rough. But we start here in this moment where she's just like, she's holding the list in her hand on the plane. And it's really lovely because I mean like you are immediately just like in. And it, the list is written like a 16 year old would write it, right? It's called Things to do if I live. And so what she does is she's looking at it and she's like, okay, well I'm definitely not going to live, right? I'm going to die. And so she retitles it in the plane, in the seat on the plane. Like things to do before I die. And so we actually like watch her go through the list that she made when she was 16 and like full of hope and change the list now that she is like clearly not full of hope. And so she, the first is like go to London. And that's how we discover like she's on this plane, right? And then the next one is kiss a boy. And then she's like, well, I've kissed a boy. So she like, so she scratches it out and she's like, kiss a stranger. And then she goes through and she changes them. Like it's like the 16 year old wrote have sex. Well, she's done that. So now it's like have, have lots of sex. Have sex with a stranger outdoors. Like it's like all this kind of stuff that she's into. She's never had oral. So like that goes on the list. So it's this interesting sort of like, combo of like sexy things and not sexy things. Like I want to, you know, she keeps things like go to a concert. She does. And then she like, changes it. Like one of them, one of them is like, fall in love. Well, she's definitely not going to do that because, like, now she knows, right? She's. It's. It's over. So then this man sits down next to her on the plane. The guy I love. I'm so basic, Jen.

[Jennifer Probst]

Me too.

[Sarah McLean]

So this guy, this like, handsome Brit, sits down on the plane next to her and they're about to take off and he likes, he says hello. And she's like, oh, he's English. And like, oh, he's so handsome. And like, oh my God, what if he's my stranger, right? And he leans past her to lift up the shade in the window and she just lays one on him.

[Jennifer Probst]

You're like.

[Sarah McLean]

And then she thinks so then the chapter ends and you're like, holy shit, what's happening? Next chapter, she leaves you, like, in the kiss. So there's no break. Like, it's like, okay, it's just the next chapter. And she's, she's. And Taylor is thinking to herself, like, oh my God, I have kiss. Assaulted this man. And like, in her head she's like, what do I do? Do I abort? But then I have to deal with it. And so then, and then he's like, okay, so they just like make out for a little while. And it is really like a kind of. It's a great beginning. Like, it's a beginning that like, really hits you because she nails the. Like, this is what's happening. It's really serious. All these things are happening, right?

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

And like, she is. And Taylor is like, mentally in a really terrible place, as you would be, right? And then of course, like, it's the two of them kind of finishing this list. Like, they become this kind of. They become a unit. They obviously begin to fall in love. Like, like, and it's. And he of course, is also like, when she, you know, she tells him, like, how it's all going to go, and he's like, there's got to be another way. And you are really left feeling like, oh, these two are. This is. This is going to end in tragedy. And it is really well done. You are going to cry when you read this book. But I will tell you because. Because I would never leave you like this. It is a happily ever after. And like, it is sorted out. And yeah, I really. It's great. It's a great read.

[Jennifer Probst]

It's funny because I came across that and then was just like, okay, but what if.

[Sarah McLean]

Yeah, no, it's called the ending I want. And I am confirming to all of.

[Jennifer Probst]

You, you get the ending you want. Okay, perfect. Great.

[Sarah McLean]

Okay.

[Jennifer Probst]

Okay. I have a book. Book I want to talk about which I feel like is maybe on the. I'll be honest, on the very edge of the like acceptability for this. For this.

[Sarah McLean]

Okay.

[Jennifer Probst]

Because it's like barely a list. I think it's not quite like that explicitly that it's a list. But yeah, I think it still qualifies. So the book is called Camera Chemistry by Chelsea Curto. This is like pretty much like a novella. It's probably 150 or 170 pages. And. And here is what we have is we have two people. It is Maggie and Aiden. And they both are just really stuck in their lives and it's kind of for similar reasons. So aiden is, he's 45. He is a pediatric oncologist. So he is very busy. And his wife, he's divorced. Right. His wife left and he shares cuts with, you know, he has a 16 year old daughter. And he just is kind of like, I don't, I'm just gonna work now. You know what I mean? Like, he, I don't think it's. His heart was broken as much as it was like his marriage broke up and he's just kind of like, it's fine, it's over. Right. I cannot, I don't know what's next for me in terms of like my emotional connections to people. So I'm just gonna like hunker down and do this job. And. And meanwhile, Maggie is also a doctor. She is younger, 34, I think, kind of out of her, just out of her neurosurgery residency. So she's like, right, a neurosurgeon. And she is also newly divorced. And the reason for this is that she. They were, they were trying to have kids. And it turns out that she, after like lots of failures and lots of tests found out that she is like, she's infertile, she will never be able to have kids. And they don't really go into like why this is. It's just like a fact of the story. But it broke up her marriage because her husband really wanted to have kids. And she can now name that. A lot of their, their entire sex life was essentially like built upon the idea that like, is it the right time and is it Right. Are you ovulating? And all this stuff. And so it was never about pleasure. It was only about. About getting pregnant. And when it's discovered that she can't, it's just like, sort of game over on their marriage. And so that's been. I think, you know, she's been divorced now for, like, maybe a year. What happens is, is she has a friend named Jeremiah who's a photographer, and he has, like, thought of this, like, crazy idea, which is like, I'm going to. He saw these, like, boudoir photos, but with people who were strangers, right? So it's like, they're gonna meet and I'm gonna photograph this, and if the chemistry is good, like, what's it gonna turn into? And he's just really interested in the idea of, like, putting real people in front of his camera. Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

This is a real thing. Have you ever seen this? Like, this is. There's, like, a very. There's like, a photographer who got pretty famous on. On, like, social media because she was like. She would, like, put on Craigslist. Like, I'm looking for strangers to do, like, photo shoots.

[Jennifer Probst]

Even though it's not, like, an explicit, like, list necessarily, the way both of them get talked into doing this is basically like, you know, that something is wrong with your. Like, you know, I know you're not happy, right? So a friend of Aiden's essentially is like, I signed you up for this. Because he's been. He's like, in the NFL and has been photographed by Jeremiah, and Jeremiah is her friend, and he's like, I know that you're not happy, and you just need to shake this. You need something to shake. You lose. And so both of them say yes because, like, both of them are essentially convinced that, like, something is missing and that this thing is so out of the realm of their daily lives that they have, like, no cha. Like, they. They both feel an almost, like, mystical sense that, like, this has to be done. And so they, you know, and again, it's the novella. So all of this is developing really fast. So they. It's the day of the photo shoot and. And shoot, and they are immediately really, like, attracted to each other. Right? They both like how the other one looks. They feel that chemistry and then, like, through. And this is all very hot. It's all just, like, sexy without being sexual. Right? Like, it's just really, like, the connection between them and the conversation they have in the sense that, like, there's photographers in the room and. And so it goes so well that essentially at. At the end of the photo shoot, they agree to meet for like 24 hours and just bang it out.

[Sarah McLean]

Nice, right?

[Jennifer Probst]

And it is, it's just super sexy. And I think, like I said for me, I think the part of the. And then the reason I'm kind of putting this on the list is once she's over there at his home, because that's where they decide we're going to have our 24 hour meeting. You know, sex fest is she kind of tells him about how bad the sex was in her marriage and like, and that there's things she's wanted to try but she's been, she never could with her husband. He never even gave her an orgasm. And so, you know, on the list. So she has some things on her list and she's like scribbling it out with him because. And the way this comes about, it's very organic in the story. It's not like she comes with a list prepared is he's kind of like, okay, well you know, time short is. Or anything like kind of what's your, like what are your boundaries? And she's like, I don't know, right. And he's like, kind of like what do you mean? And he like, kind of like, like let's slow down and talk about what that means. And she tells him and so he asks her to make a list. And so that is the part, I think that the list, it's not the list that drives the story. The list kind of arises organically from the situation they're in. And so then they do a lot of really sexy stuff and find their half life rafter and that's that. And it was again like really, I think talking about starting in the right place, right, just really hits at like these two people are missing something. And something about this like magical opportunity puts them in exactly the right place to like be honest with each other and like explore what they want. So it was camera chemistry by Chelsea Curto. This week's episode of Faded Mates is brought to you by Rachel Griffiths, author of the Trouble with Anna. A historical romance debut.

[Sarah McLean]

Yes, and we talked about this one in the horse episode and in a couple of other episodes too. I really love this book. Anna, our heroine, is a lot of trouble. She is, is a bit of a wild child. She grew up on her grandfather's horse racing farm. She loves these horses. She loves, loves this estate and she fully intends to inherit this estate despite the fact that like she's sort of always accidentally doing shenanigans like riding in high stakes Horse races or starting up betting rings she doesn't really realize she's doing. She certainly does not mean to find herself in so many darkened corners with terrible, contemptible Lord Julian Ramsay.

[Jennifer Probst]

I bet he's hot, though, Sarah.

[Sarah McLean]

She simultaneously wants to fight and fuck this man. And here's the problem, Jen. Or maybe it's not so much a problem. Grandpa dies and his will stipulates that Anna has to marry or she'll be left with nothing, including the horse racing farm that she has intended to inherit for her whole life. Even more, she's got to marry Lord Ramsay. So all that fighting and fucking is going to have to be forever. Time, times. And I think these two are gonna work it out.

[Jennifer Probst]

I think they are as well. I also think this is probably the first, like, commercial where we've ever said, it's fine. I feel fine about it.

[Sarah McLean]

Well, I feel like when you say like fighting and sure, it's like you got. What is the alliteration is necessary just.

[Jennifer Probst]

Rolls right off the tongue. So anyway, if you would like to.

[Sarah McLean]

Read everyone, we're an explicit podcast and this is an explicit.

[Jennifer Probst]

And this is an explicit ad. It's all fine. If you would like to read the Trouble with Anna and I know you do, it is available in print, ebook and audio if your podcasting app supports it. You can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Rachel Griffiths for sponsoring this week's episode.

[Sarah McLean]

So I think I talked more about, like, grief being like sort of in the midst of all of these books or of some of these books. Like, there's like the grief list and I want to talk about the 30 series by Christine d'Abo, which I think I've talked about at least one of these on the podcast before. But the. It's. There are two books and I want to. And I'm going to talk about both of them because I feel like you have to think, you have to think about them as one. But they are, they are standalone, separate books. The first one, which is called 30 days, is about Alyssa who married her, like, the love of her life. They met when she was 19 and they were married and he died of a terrible. He got sick and he died and it was awful. And she is now a young widow who has basically like, for years been going through the motions of life because, like, how could she go on after this? And what she and her husband, her, her now dead husband left her a sexy game plan to move on. Like, he like prepared himself and her for this. And he left her 30 cards with instructions for, like, 30 days of passion. And they're all different kind of things on these cards. And he basically has. His only note to her is like, you'll know when the time is right. And now it's been two years, and Alyssa has a new neighbor, Harrison. And she's like, maybe this is the time and the man. And. Because he's, like, super sexy, and she's starting to have, like, pants feelings for him. And. And so she's like. She tells him, like, she kind of. She, like, gay. She, like, you know, works up the. The energy to tell him or, like, the courage to tell him that these cards exist. And she's basically like, hey, would you be willing to do these cards with me? Like, these. These sexy cards with me? And he's like, sure.

[Jennifer Probst]

I mean, I guess, if I must. Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

Thousand percent in. I'm in.

[Jennifer Probst]

I love all of these.

[Sarah McLean]

Right? And so, like, she's. And so she has this kind of, like, sense that, like, as she's doing the cards with him, she's like, well, it's just sexy stuff. Like, it's not. I don't have to open myself up to feeling like I can just, like, enjoy myself here. And then, of course, that's not how it works, but the reason why. So I just explained the cards to you. The second book is called. So the first book is called 30 Days. The second book is called 30 Nights. This is one of the. So at the. I kind of have to spoil the end of the first book for this. But at the end of the first book, Alyssa goes to her first husband's grave and leaves the cards on his grave with, like, a thank you kind of thing. It says, like, you'll know when the time is right. So, like, she goes. She has, like, a moment with the grave and, like, leaves the cards. Right. Well, Glenna in book two is. She is in the cemetery, and she stumbles upon the cards. And now the cards are sort of. And they're like. These are like. I. I didn't say this before, but, like, these are, like. Like, they're, like, intense cards. And so she's like, okay. She is a research assistant, and she has, like, this professor. Listen, am I in? Of course I am. She has this professor who's, like. Who she has a crush on. And basically she's like, well, what if. And so they start to meet once a week and try out, like, the cards. Nice. And then, of course, I mean, basically, like, these are very sexy, very lovely romances. You will be delighted at the end of them. And then I saw. And what's sad for me is the series I always was like, I wonder, like, she'll keep going, but she stopped going with it. And I mean, I guess that, that there's only so many, so many books where like, the characters do the cards things that you can do.

[Jennifer Probst]

But I mean, at some point those cards need to be laminated. Going to keep using them. SARAH I'm sorry, this like a real cleanliness issue. Where's this card been? No, that's great. I love it.

[Sarah McLean]

So anyway, so that's two. It's a two for one there. I slightly prefer the second book, but not for any real reason, actually. Yes, because it's set with a professor.

[Jennifer Probst]

Well, see. Okay, there you go. I mean, listen, be true to your, be true to your school. SARAH okay, so I would like to talk about the Seals Rebel Librarian by Anne Calhoun and everybody. If Ann Calhoun is like, wrote a lot of great romances in the 2000 and tens and I very much wish she was back. I don't, and I don't mean that in a mean way. Like I write. It's just like one of those authors. I really loved her books and, you know, people move on or do whatever, and I really miss her books. So Ann Calhoun, just know that I love you. So in this one and this one, I always really liked, first of all, because I really feel I just need to say that it is one of those romance titles that's just like so perfectly romance. Right. The Seals Rebel Library just all right there.

[Sarah McLean]

And such an Ann Calhoun title too.

[Jennifer Probst]

Aaron is our main. Is our heroine and she is recently divorced. She's our librarian. And one of the things that's really interesting is it starts off her list is not long. Her list has like, okay, yeah, she wants to go skydiving or whatever. But the thing that she really wants to do is buy a motorcycle. And this is something that her husband, she has just wanted to do for a long time. She, her husband, though, was kind of like, you know, very dismissive of this and you know, listen, not he kind of ostensibly for safety reasons, like referring to it as a donor cycle. And like, yes, it's true that motorcycle riding can be very dangerous, but, but also she just felt so stifled by him. And it becomes clear over like the course of like, sort of her memories of him that like, it's her voice in his, in his voice in her head that she's trying to expel. And, and so she has taken a like, kind of Intro to Motorcycle Riding class and is now, like, ready to actually, like, buy a motorcycle. And in the meantime, Jack Powell, who is an. A retired Navy seal and he has left the Navy because he, you know, has ptsd and he. A friend died in front of him. And although he has done dangerous things and had. Has for a really long time, this one has really hit him and he has, like, a tremor in his hand. So he is, like, taking some classes at the college where she is a librarian, and that's how they, like, interact with each other the first time. So he is in the library, like, doing research, and sees her, like, essentially, like, shopping for motorcycles on a computer and is kind of like, yeah, that's a good one, or whatever. And like, asks her out and she says no because, you know, she can't date, like, even like a student, right? Like someone. Even though he's obviously not like a college, you know, college age. He's, you know, in his 30s or whatever. What happens then? And this is really great is he is in therapy on page, and the therapist is kind of like, you know, are you. You are a person who, like, really was used to, like, living on the edge. If you're playing it safe, maybe you are not feeling great. Like, maybe you need to sort of like, challenge yourself. So he gets out his motorcycle and, you know, is out riding in the cold, in the rain. And he had tell other people in cars feel so for him, but he, like, really feels so alive. And he is going to the motorcycle dealership to pick. He needs to, like, change the oil on his motorcycle. And sees Aaron there. I know that's not a euphemism. That's like, really, he's gonna do some work. Anyway, sees Aaron there, and she is, like, talking to the salesman, and the salesman is essentially trying to, like, downsell her, right? Like, that's a lot of motorcycle for a new rider.

[Sarah McLean]

Oh, interesting.

[Jennifer Probst]

And Jack is pretty pissed about it. Like, kind of like, that sucks. Like, why are you doing that to her? Now here's the part, Sarah, that I was like, okay. Remember he said, do you want to go out for coffee? And she says no. Now he kind of like, walks up and is kind of like, supports her, but in like, a cool way, not, like in a jerky way. And. And then like, ask her out for coffee again. And she's kind of like. Or like, no. She says, well, do you want her out for coffee for me? And he's like, a woman looking to buy that motorcycle isn't looking to just have coffee. Coffee and she's like, nice. Good point. Why don't you come back to my house with me? And they go back to her house and they do it.

[Sarah McLean]

Amazing. No, no.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

And the thing.

[Jennifer Probst]

Then like, he takes her skydiving. And the part there's. I think he just is really. This is dumb. Do you guys. You know how you have like, moments in a book that you just always really remember as being like, truly? I don't like true, like, romantic moments. And I'm not talking about, like, your husband made coffee for you. Like, come on, everybody. But yeah, so I'm sorry. Sometimes I see those posts on threads, I want to like, throw myself off a roof. My husband told me the bookstore and let me buy whatever I want. You know what? Shut up.

[Sarah McLean]

Okay.

[Jennifer Probst]

Anyway, Eric, take all that out.

[Sarah McLean]

Let, let.

[Jennifer Probst]

All right. So exactly. Let. Okay, Eric, keep all that in. All right, here is what happens. She buys a motorcycle and he and his friend pick it up because this salesman, who is such a jerk to her, he knows it will be real. Like, she really has never ridden this motorcycle before. It would be hard for her to get on it and ride it out with like, right on the first try. And he just doesn't want her to ever feel embarrassed or ashamed of the fact that like, when you learn a motorcycle, you know, to ride a motorcycle, you lay it down, which I guess means fall off of it. And so he's just like, I'm gonna. I could save you from that. Like, you don't need that man judging you and you don't need that man in your head. And so anyway, I loved it. It's a really pretty great. And again, it is also a novella, 140 pages. So it's just like super hot, super sexy and like super what you want for a. A great hour of reading.

[Sarah McLean]

This week's episode of Faded Mates is sponsored by Andrea Janelle, author of Spine of Steel.

[Jennifer Probst]

So this is really cool, Sarah. This is the first book in a series that will be called Suffragette Uprising. It is a multi authored series that will be in Kindle Unlimited and it focuses on women's rights, social justice and suffrage. And the titles will span a variety of historical time periods and settings. The common theme across all of these novels and novellas is that they're gonna feature a heroine who fights for civil justice and equality. And essentially it's like really like all the authors are wanting to show like, the continuity of like, women and how they had to fight over many, many years and time period. So Spine of Steel is the first one to be released. And it is about Pericles Trenton. She is the newspaper editor of the Willow Creek Crier, which is a staunch suffragist. A and Sarah, the secret translator of a collection of scandalous memoirs from a 16th century Venetian courtesans. Diogenes Castellano is the town's prosecutor and her older brother's best friend. These two have been sparring for as long as they can remember. He thinks she's reckless, she thinks he's stodgy. But when Perry's activities land her in dire straits, he is the only one who can rescue her.

[Sarah McLean]

I love this. What is gonna happen? Everyone's gonna get the right to vote. I'm hoping.

[Jennifer Probst]

Correct.

[Sarah McLean]

If you are looking for a brother's best friend romance that is spicy and political, this one is definitely for you. Fun fact. Andrea is a civil rights attorney and she came up with the idea for this whole series immediately after the election. And all these historical romance authors have like come together and are bonding and building community by writing these books. So absolutely run to support this book. You can get Spine of Steel right now in print or ebook or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited. And if your podcasting app supports it, you can click on the chapter title right now to be taken to buy the book. Thanks to Andrea Janelle for sponsoring this week's episode. I want to talk about Denise Williams's how to Fail at Flirting, which is another one of these list books that is, that has a very serious like kind of backstory to it. So the heroine Naya has, has gotten out of a very abusive relationship. And I should trigger warn this because they're the abusive acts is on the page and there. But I think like Denise Williams is threading a really interesting needle here where like she's, we see the, we see this like ex boyfriend come back or be on the page because like we, we are actually able to see Nya like grow through the relationship that she has and her friendships and the new relationship. So anyway, but getting back to the list. So basically Nya, I mean you can't blame her. It's been a year or two since she got out of this relationship. It is bad and she, she is pretty wounded by it. Like she's really, she's gun shy about, you know, starting anything up or putting herself out there at all. And it has this. So but the book begins and you know, some, some stuff's gone down at work. Like there's, you know, she's worried she's gonna lose her job. There's you know, Cutbacks at the university she works at. And she's out at a bar with her friends and they're all talking about sort of, you know, Nya's kind of talking about, you know, her life and like how things are so hard and her friends are like, okay, we're gonna make you this list. And like, I really, this is a really charming tee up. Because she's like, I don't need a list. And she's, she is like a list person. And I have another one that I, that is also like really like where the characters. I mean, Nya makes lists. She is very organized, she's very precise. And the reason why is because she's like trying to. You. She's holding, holding it all together. Troll. She's just barely like hanging on at this point. And so she's like, I don't need a list. And they're like, no, no, you do need a list. Let's make it for you. And they write on the top of the list an item that has been on other lists that we've talked about today. Have sex with a stranger. And she's like, well, I certainly am not going to do that. Like, you're right. We're going to have to work up to having sex. And so he crosses out like having sex with a stranger and he runs, writes like, flirt.

[Jennifer Probst]

Flirt. Yeah, right.

[Sarah McLean]

You know, like he really scales it back and it's actually really charming because like then suddenly like there is this man, this like random stranger in the bar, of course named Jake. And like he sort of has. He like overhears like there's, there's this like goofy thing that happens where the friends have to take off because one of their moms hurt herself in like a stripping class, like a pole dancing class. Like, it's very funny. And then the stranger is still there and he's like, so I couldn't like, tell me about this list. And so then they, they flirt and they like super hit it off. And then there's this kind of sense of like, he's like, well, maybe I could, you know, help you with some of these things. Except they discover pretty quickly that that Jake and is a consultant who is working on the financial situations at the university. And he might be. He might have to shut down Nya's department and also she will lose her job. You know, there's. They're having this secret relationship because also there's like a conflict of interest and some HR stuff going on. Like, it's a lot, there's a lot going on in this book. But like I said, it's a really big book about Nya growing. Like, Nya coming to realize, like, what she's lost in the relationship that she had before, what has been taken from her in the relationship she had before, what she wants from life. Like, whether or not she'swhat she's gonna do to like, take the risk and like take the leap to care for somebody else, to trust someone else. And it's a big. I think this is a big book. It's a big book that Denise, you know, I think it's her day.

[Jennifer Probst]

Is it her debut? I think it. Yeah, I think so. Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

I mean, it's. And it's. But it, it is a good, solid, like list book where if you're looking for something that's like pretty meaty, it'll do the job.

[Jennifer Probst]

Listen, we have been talking about kind of like serious we're going to change our lives and such books.

[Sarah McLean]

Yeah. I saved the big one. I saved my, my, like fluffier ones.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah. My last one is like, instead really silly. But boy did it hit when I read it for this episode. And that is Rockaway Bride by Pippa Grant. And I'm gonna confess something, Sarah, which is.

[Sarah McLean]

Yes, please.

[Jennifer Probst]

I think I've never actually read a Pippa Grant book before.

[Sarah McLean]

All right.

[Jennifer Probst]

You know what I mean? Like, I. And I have a bunch of them, like, right. Like these are books I bought because they sound great and I've just never got around to reading them. And the. It's like, really, her sense of humor is like real zany in this book. And I.

[Sarah McLean]

These are real like rom coms.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yes. And I really loved it. So Willow Honeycutt is our heroine. She is a preschool teacher and she, her entire life has like loved boy bands. And so she is part of a band where they cover boy bands band songs. Right. And they play it like juice bars and stuff. You know, this is not like. Right. Like she. But she's just. Whatever. Now here's the other part. She is. She's been engaged to the same guy for seven years and they're about to get married and they are being married. There is like a little tiny made up country in between like Scotland and England. And her mother is the new queen. Like her mother has like married the king of this king tour of this little country. And she's got these like, you know, big hulking stepbrothers. And I think some of them get stories like, whatever. None of that matters. Except that she. The book opens with her being pretty sure. She cannot marry Martin, right? Like, she's just. Is not happy. And so she gets. And her. Her stepbrothers essentially open the book by coming and being like, well, you don't have to do this, right? And, you know, we're. We're prepared to help you run away from your own wedding. And they get her hammered on me. And she, like, wanders out into the pasture or whatever, and she is kidnapped by a rock star named Dax. And he is kidnapping her because all of his money has been stolen by Martin, the guy she's supposed to marry. And so he's like, I'm going to kidnap her. Her and force Martin to give me my money back. Now, this is a dumb plan, but it's a romance novel and it all seemed perfectly hilarious. So.

[Sarah McLean]

Sure.

[Jennifer Probst]

So, right. He. Wait. So she wakes up the next morning, kind of like, who's this loser? And, like, kind of turns the tables on him and just. And he's, like, really charmed by her. Like, and it just turns into this, like, wacky adventure through Europe where she essentially, like, they get on a boat with some strangers and, like, go across, you know, to. From, you know, wherever they are to Norway, I don't know. And then they are in a car with a car full of nuns driving to Belgium. And it's all, like, really silly. And the thing is, is that Willow has made a bucket list. But the thing that is, like, really cute and charming about this book is when unexpected and magical things happen to her, she adds it to the list and then, like, crosses it out. So she's like, you know, go on a bus tour with nuns or whatever, and, like, we'll cross it out. So it's, like, really cute. Because I think what it does is. Listen, it's like I said, it's super zany and really funny. Like, there's this whole part where they're in the bus with the nuns, and he's like, I can't believe I'm getting turned on by Willow. And there's a bus full of nuns. I'm about to be smoted. And he has all these names for, like, the nuns. Like, right? So he's like. One is like, Sister Knits a lot, and the other one is Sister Leadfoot because she's the one driving. And meanwhile, Willow knows all their real names. Like, she's like, well, Sister Heather. And he's like, which one's Sister Heather? You know, it's really silly and really adorable, but what it really is is that Willow has been suppressing who she really is not just for Martin. Right. But also for her mother, who was, like, a single mom. And, you know, like, she kind of reflects upon, like, they lived in an apartment, like, this happened more than she could count, where they would, you know, have to leave because they couldn't afford it anymore. And then they'd. And her mom would, like, try and make the best of it, like, oh, we're just gonna spend a couple months with some friends. But, like, Willow had figured out it was because, like, they needed the money to, like, like, kind of, like, save up reserves to find a new place that would be cheaper. And so she. Her mom is also right. Like, when trying to break the. I don't know, like, be a wild child of a single mother you love who you know is, like, doing so much for you, has really also, like, kind of suppressed who Willow is. And so the thing about Dax is that he wants her to be wild. Right. He understands where she is coming from and becomes really concerned, right. That she's not, you know, once, you know, she's not looking to, like, jump out of an airplane anymore. She's not looking to do these crazy things. He wants her to be, like, fully herself. So I had a real. I had a lot of fun reading it, and I really felt. Listen, I just felt really swept away by it in a really pleasing way. So that is Rockaway Bride by Pippa Grant.

[Sarah McLean]

So I have. I want to talk about Piper Rain's Mr. Swooney, which I read this week and was very delighted by. So the premise of this one is the heroine of this book is getting. Is. Has been engaged. Is. Is engaged, and she is about to get married. She's at her bachelorette party, and. And she really has, like, nothing. She has no connection to her husband or her future husband in that, like, he's very wealthy. He has lots of friends. He's like. She's sort of been, like, consumed, like, brought into his life. And he doesn't prioritize her at all. Like, she does not.

[Jennifer Probst]

She.

[Sarah McLean]

There's nothing about their relationship that comes first. And it's, like, including her.

[Jennifer Probst]

Including her.

[Sarah McLean]

And. And so what basically happens is, like, she's at her. But, like, she's far down the road, like, they are getting married.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

And at her bachelorette party, she's, like, having not a great time because, like, her. One of her bridesmaids, who's actually her husband's friend, is, like, sloppy and, like, she's trying to, like, keep. Keep. Keep this woman from, like, just wandering off drunk into the wilderness. And turns out, luckily, Jen, that the VIP section, which is right near them, is filled with hockey players.

[Jennifer Probst]

What a. What a terrific one of whom.

[Sarah McLean]

Connor is, like, the goalie for the. This, like, the Piper Rain hockey team. And so. So Connor sees her and, like, immediately sort of red clocks that she's, like, not having a great time. So he goes over to her and they sit together and they have this, like, really lovely conversation that kind of ends with her revealing that, like, she has this list, this. You know, this bucket list that she's made that's, like, 30 things she'd like to do before she turns 30. And she's about to turn 30, and she hasn't done any of the things on her list. And they include things like stargaze, like, and, like, other things that are, like, really, like, watch a sunrise. And so he's like, well, why don't I take you to stargaze, like, through, you know, some romance stuff happens, and then not. Not between them, but, like, they have this, like, lovely night, and he's like, I'll take you to stargaze. And so he takes her out, and they, like, go out to this place where, you know, she. He knows. And they sit and they watch. They stargaze. And he, like, turns to her and he's basically like, what if you didn't marry him? And she's like, too late, man. No. Yeah, like, that's. And he's like, I would kiss you now if you weren't. You know, like, there's this sort of. It's clear that these two have so much chemistry. So anyway, Lucky, again, like, hyperin. Romance reasons. She happens to know one of the women who is marrying, like. Like, basically, like, her best friend is married to another hockey player on his team. So Connor knows, like, what the score is on this. On this wedding happening. But there's this great moment where she goes back. Like, it's sort of right before the wedding, and she's at her. Her future husband house, and she's. She's like, I'm gonna tell him. She can't stop thinking about Connor.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

And she's like, I'm gonna tell this guy this, like, my future husband, like, about my list. And she, like, tells him about it, and he, like, makes fun of it. And he's like. And she's like, why are you. Like, why are you being such a jerk about this? And he's like, oh, oh, I'm sorry. Like, I'm sorry. Like, we'll, you know, when I get home tonight after hanging out with my bros. We'll stargate or whatever. And she's like, no. Like, this is bad.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

And. But she gets herself Jen to the altar, and it's happening, and Connor is. Can't stop thinking about her. And he's been like. He's got all his, like, hockey bros. Like. Like, he's got two rookies who are like, this is a great idea. We should go stop the wedding. Like, they're these idiots.

[Jennifer Probst]

Amazing.

[Sarah McLean]

So these idiots, like, drive across town to this wedding wedding, and, like, perfect scene. Like, is anyone here object? The door opens, and he's like, I object. And she's like, oh, my God. And he's. And she's like. And so. But what's great is, like, she doesn't just stop this for Connor. She stops it because, like, it just wasn't right. Like, the whole relationship wasn't right. But now she needs a place to stay, so she moves in with him. And then on top of this, it turns out she's got two. Two lists. Because she had the one list that was, like, the clean stuff, and now this list that's, like, the dirty stuff. Like, she's never come from oral.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

Right. And Connor's like, yes, I can do this. Except he's like, I don't want to be your rebound guy. Like, I want to be the guy.

[Jennifer Probst]

Yeah.

[Sarah McLean]

And so they, like, kind of make this decision that they're not gonna. They're just gonna be friends. Like, she's got. She doesn't want to get right into. Into a relationship relationship. But the Jen. The moment that they. That she's like, I think I'm ready. Like, I think I'm ready for this to be real.

[Jennifer Probst]

He's like, me too.

[Sarah McLean]

Sex is on.

[Jennifer Probst]

Let's go.

[Sarah McLean]

We're going home right now. Like, they literally walk out of, like, a big event. He's like. His friends are like, where are you going? He's like, to go home and, like, get. And get it done to this lady that I love. So that's Mr. Swoony by Piper Reen. Perfect.

[Jennifer Probst]

Perfect.

[Sarah McLean]

And he's. If you love a, like, golden retriever hero, this one's for you.

[Jennifer Probst]

The only other one I was going to mention we have done a deep dive on is three Little Mistakes by Nikki Sloan. And what's super hot about that one is that it's. Is, you know, she's a good girl, and he is a bad boy. And they. She basically, it's really sexy. He, like, they create a. Like, a Tumblr. This is back in the golden age Tumblr. Create a Tumblr account where they like, he asked her to essentially, like, put things on that she thinks are sexy and that the things she wants to try. So it is definitely a sexual bucket list book. But we did a deep dive on it. You could listen to that episode. It's really hot. But it was like, also one of the ones that like, really first came to mind on that front. But that was the only last one I had to talk about.

[Sarah McLean]

I love it. And then my last one is Cora Carmack, who everybody knows that I think Cora Carmack. Mac is so fun and does not get enough credit for just being like, first of all, one of the, like, grandmothers of new adult romance. But also just like, writes a great romance. So this is new adult Nell is like a perfect.

[Jennifer Probst]

Say the title.

[Sarah McLean]

Oh, sorry. It's called All Played Out. Nell is a perfect student at, you know, has never, never, never misstep. Never, like, every. Has gotten perfect grades, like, but has really failed college, if you know what I mean. Like, just is not good at college and decides that she is going to make a list. Like, realizes that she's like, she's. She's like graduating in two years or something. She's very fast and she has realized, like, she is gonna miss out completely. And so in the, in the next, like, she gives herself, like, two months to live, quote, a normal college life. And so she puts a bunch of things on the list. Number one is make out with a jock. And wouldn't you know Matteo Torres, who is on the football team. This is all these books, this Rusk University series is all connected by the football team. He's a football player and like a goofball and kind of a himbo. And he's just getting off his own relationship where, like, he got broken up with by this, like, girlfriend who he thought he really loved and, like, was really into. He discovers Nell's list and is like, hey, I can help you with this. And, like, maybe it'll get me out of my head. And this, this girl, I, you know, you know my broken heart. And, you know, this goes exactly the way you want it to go. It's really fun. And Nell is also a list maker. So it has those, like, fun chapter titles where like, oh, fun is all there. And you get this real, real sense, like, from the jump that Nell is like, well, this is never going to happen because here is like this himbo hero and I am like a very organized, like, straightforward person and we are not gonna happen. But if he wants to help me like learn how to have an orgasm. That's fine.

[Jennifer Probst]

I mean, seems like a nice thing to do.

[Sarah McLean]

And then I do just have one thing that I want to say. This is. Is not a romance. But I, as you all know, am starting to. Like, there are a lot of YA novels that are coming through my house right now. Sure. And I just want to point. I just want to say out loud that if. That Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End. Not a romance. Not a romance, everybody.

[Jennifer Probst]

Title right there in the title you can tell.

[Sarah McLean]

Incredible. Incredible. Teacher Tee up. It's like this. The. The concept is so cool. It's a little. It's the idea is that like.

[Jennifer Probst]

That.

[Sarah McLean]

In the world that they live in, in the universe that they live in, they live. It's like an alternate Earth. On the morning of the day you're going to die, you actually get told that you're going to die. Like, and you don't know how, but you know, know that it's your last day. And there is an app called Last Friend for the people who discover that it's their end day. But like want to have somebody to live it with. And so you can meet another person whose last day it also is. And live out your last day together. And they make a list together. And these two boys, they make a list together, Mateo and Rufus. And they live out their last day together. And it is emotional and like beautiful and romantic and like just a great little YA novel.

[Jennifer Probst]

Perfect.

[Sarah McLean]

And that is Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End.

[Jennifer Probst]

I don't know. Go off and make a list, everybody. No pressure. I don't know.

[Sarah McLean]

Jen, what would you put on your list?

[Jennifer Probst]

I don't. You know what, it's funny, I. I typically am not a big list maker. So I'm just gonna maybe take a pass on that one for now. I'll have to think about it. What about you?

[Sarah McLean]

Well, I guess it's a hard one. It seems so easy in the.

[Jennifer Probst]

In the books, right?

[Sarah McLean]

Well, in the books it seems so easy. They all wanna have sex with a stranger. I don't wanna have sex with a stranger.

[Jennifer Probst]

No, I don't. I just wanna like, you know, I don't know what I want, Sarah. So Eric's gonna have to take this out. He's gonna be like, you two ding dongs.

[Sarah McLean]

You idiots. You don't know. You know what I would do on. Honestly, I would commit a crime and then like go on on the lamb. Not like a bad crime. Okay, What Would I do rob a bank?

[Jennifer Probst]

That does seem kind of like a bad crime. I guess it depends.

[Sarah McLean]

Well, I mean, yeah, but like, I wouldn't hurt anybody.

[Jennifer Probst]

I see what you're saying. Fine. Okay.

[Sarah McLean]

Did you know, like, people do like, banks get robbed all the time? Did you know this?

[Jennifer Probst]

I did know this. It's weird.

[Sarah McLean]

I don't think of, like, I don't. I think of bank robbing as being like an old, an older, Old west.

[Jennifer Probst]

An old timey crime.

[Sarah McLean]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Probst]

Oh, well, now you know everybody.

[Sarah McLean]

Yeah. I don't know, maybe. Maybe Eric should take all this out because the reality is that like, maybe I just revealed that, like, at my core I just want to. You know what? Here's the thing. I don't want to commit the crime, but I want to go on the lamb.

[Jennifer Probst]

All right, fine.

[Sarah McLean]

Although what I would tell you is that I have said this many times to Eric and Eric is like, surprise, surprise, we find you in the nearest, like CD diner. I know. Say it. When we're in a CD diner. I'm like, oh, this is the kind of diner that you.

[Jennifer Probst]

That I would go to if I was on the lamb.

[Sarah McLean]

And he's like, you would be three blocks from our house eating a turkey club. All right, anyway, everyone, I'm Sarah McLean. I'm here with my friend Jen Pro Cup. We are Faded Mates. You can find us every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts or you can go to faded mates.net where you can click on show notes and see a list of every book we've recommended today and in every podcast. Follow us on bookbub. Those lists are populate our bookbub accounts so when they are down priced you get a nice little email that says Faded Mates recommended a book. It's now cheap.

[Jennifer Probst]

Exactly.

[Sarah McLean]

I today followed some authors because I was like, I'm only going to read that book if it's cheap. Not from today's episode, but earlier today. And then what else? You can follow us on pagebound, which is a new cool place where you can build a community of fellow readers and track your reading. So it's like if you don't want a billionaire involved in your business, pagebound is for you. Or you can join our [e-mail] [e-mail] faded mates, where you get access to our discord, where a thousand other readers are hanging out talking about romance all the time.

[Jennifer Probst]

Super fun. Yes.

[Sarah McLean]

Also, if you came up with the term discoverability buddy, please let us know. We're on Instagram threads and blue sky. So just hit us up wherever you are and remind us of who you are. And thank you again for the term.

[Jennifer Probst]

All right, have a great one, everybody.