Forever35 Podcast: Episode 370 – Happily Ever After with Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara

Release Date: September 22, 2025
Hosts: Doree Shafrir & Elise Hu
Guests: Brea Grant & Mallory O’Meara (Co-hosts of Reading Glasses and Reading Smut)

Overview

In this lively, book-centric episode, Doree and Elise welcome Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara—best friends, self-proclaimed genre nerds, and podcast co-hosts—to explore the ever-growing popularity of romance, romantasy, and erotica. They dive into self-care routines (from goopy skincare to digital detoxes), the comforting formulas of romance novels, how romance empowers readers, and what it means to find joy (and sometimes stress) in reading, watching, and collecting. The hosts and guests swap recommendations, discuss adaptation controversies, and get charmingly personal about how their roots (Texas, Massachusetts) shape who they are.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Self-Care Practices (12:24–16:41)

• Brea Grant:
  • Loves baths + masks + a good book. “I do like the goopiest skin care you can find. Like so any, the wettest, sloppiest. This is all going on my face.” [13:00]
• Mallory O’Meara:
  • Enforces a strict “no scrolling before bed” rule. Leaves her phone out of reach to prevent the IMDb/Social spiral.
  • “It’s one of those annoying things that everyone says actually works. It’s kind of like yoga or drinking water. And it’s very annoying that it is effective, but it is very effective and has helped me sleep.” [14:35]
  • Recommends the Focus Friend app (by Hank Green) as a fun, low-key accountability tool for phone discipline.

2. The Rise of Erotica, Romantasy, and What Makes Romance Special (16:42–22:05)

• Current Trends:
  • Erotica and Romantasy are booming, especially post-2016 and post-2020, due to cultural stress and a craving for escapism.
  • Romance genres offer comfort, self-empowerment, and routine, particularly for women and LGBTQ readers.
• Themes Readers Love:
  • Focus on pleasure, both romantic and sexual, often with strong female leads, real-life issues (getting jobs, health insurance), and positive escapism.
  • Connection for moms and queer folks: stories help reclaim identity and body autonomy.
  • “A lot of what’s interesting that Bria and I really love is a lot of [romance novels’] side plots are them getting good jobs and having health insurance.” – Mallory [18:26]

3. Wild Worlds of Smut: The Appeal & Humor (19:36–21:52)

• Popular series like Ice Planet Barbarians and delightfully outrageous tropes (e.g., “door that turns into a man” romance books).
• Books are often “very self-aware about what women want to hear,” and offer both escapism and sly social commentary.
  • “He was like, that’s weird. They charge more for the pink tools at Home Depot than the regular tools. Like, why would they upcharge women? And you’re like, yes, doorman. That’s right.” – Bria [21:31]

4. Book Culture, Publishing, and Romance’s Evolution (22:05–24:13)

• Myths about the “death of reading” are overblown—formats and genres change, but love of books persists.
  • “People are never going to stop reading… People love books. There’s always going to be readers.” – Mallory [22:41]
• Behind-the-scenes of authordom: pressures, lack of control, and industry challenges remain substantial.

5. Romance & Romantasy for Beginners (24:13–26:12)

• Gateway recommendations:
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (“gateway horny fairy book”) – long but popular.
  • Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries for a shorter, less erotic but whimsical entry point.
  • Book Lovers by Emily Henry (for contemporary romance).

6. Romance Adaptations: Hits, Misses, and Bridgerton Fever (28:52–33:36)

• Favorite adaptations:
  • To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before—the film adaptation brought new readers to romance.
  • Bridgerton—converted new fans to Regency romance.
    • “It’s just like the sexiness of just like a woman taking off a glove. I’m like, how is this so sexy? It’s amazing.” – Bria [29:44]
  • Adaptations retain much of the original “smut,” but often structurally remix storylines to fit the show format.
  • Recurrent trope: All romance novels promise a Happily Ever After, which is deeply comforting for many.

7. On Reading Fatigue and Mixing It Up (32:22–33:17)

• Acknowledge romance’s formula: “That is both the draw and the frustration for people with romance—it is very formula.”
• Tip: Rotate genres/subgenres (contemporary, historical, fantasy, horror) to keep things fresh.

8. Adaptation Casting Debates & Book Boyfriends (33:17–35:10)

• Intense fan investment in casting romantic leads—miscasting can be a “huge bummer.”
  • “Something that’s very popular in the romance world is your book boyfriend… If your book boyfriend gets cast as an actor that you don’t think has got the juice, it’s a huge bummer.” – Mallory [34:43]
• Recent fandom split: The Summer I Turned Pretty vs. positive feedback for Red, White & Royal Blue adaptation.

9. Regional Roots: Texas vs. New England Personality (35:23–39:57)

• Bria: Classic Texas traits—loud, straight-talk, brash, loves pickles (and pickles in movie theaters).
• Mallory: “Very New England”—swearing, not into neighborly small talk, finds LA’s friendliness jarring.
  • “Moving to California felt like moving into a giant Trader Joe’s where, like, everybody wanted to talk to me and take an interest in my life.” – Mallory [39:32]

10. What They’re Reading and Watching Now (40:01–44:15)

• Mallory:
  • Mayra by Nikki Gonzalez (horror, mysterious retreat, no spoilers!).
  • Romance rec: Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope (Canadian author, American cowboys).
  • Watching: Re-watching Somebody Somewhere.
• Bria:
  • The Summer I Ate the Rich by Micah and Maritza Malita (Haitian zombie lore meets cooking and mystery).
  • Cozy mystery + food book rec: Vera Wong’s Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto.
  • Watching: The Hunting Wives series—delightfully wild, “mind blowing,” and a lot of (bad) wig talk.
• Food in Fiction: Shared enthusiasm for books and shows that tie in food and cooking.

11. Wig Gate: Industry Tidbit and Cheeky LA Advocacy (44:16–46:46)

• The infamous bad wig of The Hunting Wives—and the importance of shooting in LA where all the good wig-makers are.
  • “This terrible wig should be this beautiful mascot for keeping production in Los Angeles.” – Mallory [45:58]
• “We need more drag queens in North Carolina.” – Mallory & Bria [46:37]

12. Where to Find Guests & Their Podcasts (47:02)

• Reading Glasses and Reading Smut—both available wherever you get your podcasts.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If I find a bog, I’ll let everybody know. But my self-care right now is I’m not allowed to scroll before bed anymore.” – Mallory O’Meara [14:00]
• “They don’t all take a lot of energy… but yeah, it’s a kind of a way for women… to relax. Just so fascinating.” – Bria Grant on romance/romantasy’s draw [17:26]
• “Back in my day, we had way sexier love triangles.” – Mallory O’Meara [33:48]
• “You’re never going to kill print books. Bookstores are never going to die.” – Mallory O’Meara [22:41]
• “That’s why the way that I do it is I try to rotate between, like, contemporary romance, historical romance, dark romance, or horror. I try to keep the [genre] key.” – Mallory [32:22]
• “If your book boyfriend gets cast as an actor that you don’t think has got the juice, I mean, it really… It’s a huge bummer.” – Mallory [34:43]
• “Moving to California felt like moving into a giant Trader Joe’s.” – Mallory [39:32]
• “We need more drag queens in North Carolina is really what we’re saying.” – Mallory & Bria [46:41]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Self-Care Practices: 12:24–16:41
• The Pull of Romance & Romantasy: 16:42–22:05
• Wildest Romance Books: 19:36–21:52
• Reading Culture & Publishing: 22:05–24:13
• Beginner’s Romantasy/Romance Recs: 24:13–26:12
• Adaptations & Bridgerton: 28:52–33:17
• Formula Fatigue & Reading Tips: 32:22–33:17
• Book Boyfriend & Casting Controversies: 33:17–35:10
• Regional Personalities: 35:23–39:57
• Current Reads & Watches: 40:01–44:15
• Wig Discourse & Industry Tangent: 44:16–46:46
• Plugs for Reading Glasses & Reading Smut: 47:02

Takeaways

• Romance genres—especially erotica and romantasy—aren’t just escapist but serve powerful, positive functions for readers who seek both pleasure and agency in their fiction.
• Despite endless hand-wringing, reading endures in all formats: there’s always a next generation of bibliophiles.
• The formulaic comfort of romance novels can be both a feature and a bug—mixing up subgenres keeps things fresh.
• Adapting beloved romances for TV/film is fraught (mainly, don’t mess up the casting of the “book boyfriend”).
• The personal touch: where you’re from shapes how and what you read, recommend, and relate.
• The Forever35 ethos (“the things we do to take care of ourselves”) fits perfectly with bookish, communal, and very funny conversations about what gets us through the day (be it serums, stories, or the world’s worst wig).

Learn more and listen:

• Reading Glasses
• Reading Smut