I'll Read What She's Reading — IRWSR Awards 2025
Date: January 7, 2026
Hosts: Kennedy, Mikayla, and Reggie
Episode Overview
The IRWSR crew rings in the new year with their annual "IRWSR Awards," celebrating standout (and sometimes disappointing) reads from 2025. With roughly 15 categories ranging from "Best Book Boyfriend" to "Most Disappointing Read," the hosts reflect on their reading journeys, enthuse about favorites, admit literary letdowns, and gush over bookish chaos from the past year. The energy is fun, occasionally self-deprecating, and full of inside jokes and deep-dive commentary perfect for book lovers with ever-growing TBRs.
Mood Check: How Was 2025 as a Reading Year? (00:17–02:25)
- Kennedy: Admits this year was her toughest for reading since starting the podcast: "I was at a loss... It was rough. Rough year for me."
- Mikayla: Last year was worse; this year felt "mediocre" and "just pretty mid."
- Reggie: "All over the place" — fewer series, which made it trickier to assess. Enjoyed reviewing the year’s books despite everything.
Memorable Quote:
“It was kind of fun to like review the books that I've read this year though.” — Reggie (02:19)
2025 IRWSR Book Awards
1. Favorite Book Cover (02:39–04:19)
- Mikayla & Reggie: Alchemized by Senlin Yu — “Jaw-dropping” intricate design, memorable solo shot of “Helena on the front and the red.”
- Kennedy: Golden Summer by Carly Fortune — Bought it just for the cover: “It just perfectly encapsulates a summer read… the book is literally the cover.”
2. Book Boyfriend: Romance Edition (04:19–05:35)
- Reggie & Kennedy: Charlie Break (One Golden Summer) — “Witty humor, cockiness, confidence.” Reggie almost went with Ryan Shea.
- Mikayla: Ryan Shea — serious but “top tier.”
- Hosts debate serious vs. funny love interests and “access service” tropes.
3. Book Boyfriend: Fantasy Edition (06:36–08:53)
- Kennedy: “Basic” but Zaden (Fourth Wing); not many great contenders this year.
- Mikayla: “The Guardian” from Shelter Sparrows, possibly Kane.
- Reggie: Torn, but settles on “The Guardian” then Zaden. Discussion over humor vs. trauma in fantasy love interests.
4. Longest Book (08:57–09:25)
- Unanimous: Alchemized by Senlin Yu — 1,040 pages. “That’s the longest book I’ve ever read.”
5. Shortest Book (09:25–11:42)
- Mikayla: God Bless This Mess (277 pages)
- Kennedy: Make Your Bed (125 pages)
- Reggie: The Drowning Faith by R.F. Kuang, 15 pages; also mentions The Lexington Letter (43 pages), a tie-in novella for Severance.
- Banter about what “counts” as a book.
6. Most Disappointing Read (11:58–17:28)
- Reggie: Fallen in the Kiss of Dusk (Carissa Broadbent). Audiobook “took me out of the book,” not as memorable as its predecessor.
- Mikayla: Onyx Storm and The Knight and the Moth — anticipated both, but “let down a little bit.”
- Kennedy: Taming Seven (Chloe Walsh) and Hopeless (Elsie Silver). Found both surface-level or “target audience confusion.”
Notable Quote:
“So those are my two most disappointing, unfortunately — and I read them in the last month, so help, help, help.” — Kennedy (17:17)
7. Book That Made Us Cry the Most (18:42–24:26)
- Mikayla: Fearless by Lauren Roberts — proof: vlog footage of tears.
- Reggie: The Last Letter — “I was crying so hard I had to turn my camera off. My husband thought someone had died… I could not control myself.” (20:23)
- Kennedy: The Winners by Fredrik Backman — "That wrecked my soul."
8. Spiciest Book (24:26–29:32)
- Reggie: Caught Up by Liz Tomforde (“Baseball Daddy”; infamous public pool scene: “I don't think I can ever go to a public pool again.”)
- Kennedy & Mikayla: People Watching by Hannah Bonham-Young — “She tried to explore the kinky side of romance.” Kennedy adds: “Going from heartwarming to this switch was hard.”
- Discussion: Whether dual POV ruins romance books, spicy doesn’t mean superior, May Luna praised for being great and “closed door.”
9. Best Audiobook (29:32–33:53)
- Reggie: Wild Dark Shore (Charlotte Mahogany) — Every POV done by different, strong narrators.
- Mikayla: First Time Caller — Radio show format added fun uniqueness.
- Kennedy: Dungeon Crawler Carl (Matt Denman, narrator Jeff Hayes); also shouts out Tress of the Emerald Sea (Brandon Sanderson, for graphic audio).
10. Biggest Surprise (33:53–39:11)
- Kennedy: The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown — "Went in blind, rated it five stars. Loved it.”
- Reggie: Torn between Wild Dark Shore, Play Along, but finally The Other Side of Now (Paige Harbison): “Filled with a lot of emotion, very well done, beautiful quotes. And the author narrates the audiobook.”
- Mikayla: Debates between May Luna, All Roads Lead Here (Mariana Zapata), and The Other Side of Now. Ultimately highlights May Luna for its unexpected enjoyment and minimal spice.
11. Best Romance (39:18–43:27)
- Kennedy & Mikayla: One Golden Summer tops the list for “perfect balance between spice, no spice, and relatable MC.”
- Reggie: May Luna (Kelly McNeil); “Just so different,” praises the rockstar/journalist romance and personal connections.
- Multiple five-star contenders also included Rewind It Back by Liz Tomforde.
12. Best Plot Twist (43:33–46:41)
- Reggie: Onyx Storm — “About chucked my book across the room.”
- Mikayla: Tie between Onyx Storm and Dark Age (“Most shocking shock value,” even if not a “twist”).
- Kennedy: The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang — “My jaw was on the floor.”
13. Best Thriller (46:41–50:28)
- Reggie: Torn, selects Not Quite Dead Yet (Holly Jackson).
- Kennedy: Passengers (John Marrs) — “Techno-thriller. Crazy.”
- Mikayla: The Mind F series (St. Abby) — “Those were definitely my favorites. They’re getting adapted on Amazon.”
- Fun tangent on graphic content in adaptations: “Is Amazon’s ‘The Boys’ a comparable level?”
14. Best Fantasy Book (50:28–52:10)
- Reggie: Alchemized
- Kennedy: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (time/place: read it before Universal Studios trip, “felt like I was going to Hogwarts”)
- Mikayla: Between Shield of Sparrows and Alchemized; excited for “this year to have more contenders.”
15. Book You Wish You’d Skipped (52:10–55:36)
- Kennedy & Reggie: The Running Man (Stephen King) — “Should have just watched the movie.”
- Mikayla: The Deal (Elle Kennedy) — “I just don’t enjoy hockey romances. They feel overdone to me.”
- Discussion on sports romance fatigue and why publishing should move away from oversaturating tropes.
16. Favorite Podcast Episode (55:36–58:57)
- Reggie & Kennedy: Interview with Pierce Brown — “Manifested that for a year and a half… it was an iconic moment for us.”
- Mikayla: Elizabeth Evans (audiobook narrator for Sarah J. Maas) — “Behind the scenes… surreal to talk with someone whose voice you know so well.”
- Non-interview favorite: Halloween Episode — “Spooky stories, costumes, the spookiest episode we’ve had.”
Notable Quotes
- “There were so many books I wish I would have skipped.” — Kennedy (52:14)
- “I about chucked my book across the room. I was ready to write a very worded letter to Rebecca Yarros.” — Reggie on Onyx Storm (44:08)
- “Like, I actually was looking through the video of me sobbing to that yesterday… My husband came home when I was reading it. He thought someone had, like, died.” — Reggie on The Last Letter (20:23)
- “Caught Up… I don’t think I can ever go to a public pool again.” — Reggie (25:02)
Recurring IRWSR Themes
- Reading Years Go Up and Down: Hosts commiserate on “mid” or “struggling” reading years, and how series can make or break enthusiasm.
- Taste is Fluid: As seen in robust debates over “funny vs. serious guys” or “spicy vs. closed door.”
- Audiobooks & Multimedia: Audio performance plays a huge role — narrators and novel formats earn special shoutouts.
- Publishing Trends: Consensus that industry repeats what’s successful, often tiring readers out on tropes.
- Podcasting Joys: Interview episodes are highlights; the bond with their audience (“the group chat becomes a book club”) remains central.
Closing Sentiment (58:59–end)
Hosts thank listeners for their support, shout out their merch shop and Patreon, and toast to “the best reading years of our lives.” They express gratitude for community, looking forward to more chaos, more stories, and more IRWSR shenanigans.
For more reading chaos, bookish debates, and literary deep dives, catch IRWSR every Wednesday!