RECOMMENDING BOOKS for Our Listeners

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary: "RECOMMENDING BOOKS for Our Listeners"

Release Date: March 12, 2025
Podcast Title: I'll Read What She's Reading
Hosts: Kennedy, Reggie, & Mikayla

---

Introduction

In the March 12, 2025 episode of "I'll Read What She's Reading," hosts Kennedy, Reggie, and Mikayla pivot to a dedicated book recommendation session tailored specifically for their listeners. Building upon previous segments where they recommended books to each other, this episode focuses entirely on responding to listener prompts submitted via their Instagram question box.

---

Segment 1: Revisiting Previous Recommendations

Before delving into new recommendations, the hosts briefly reflect on their recent segment where they exchanged book suggestions:

• Reggie discusses her experience with "Never" by Jessa Hastings, which Kennedy initially suggested.

  "[Reggie, 01:47] 'I could tell that I was reading about a 17, 18-year-old. I felt like she really understood the experience of what it's like to be that age.'"
  Despite appreciating the whimsical writing, Reggie rated the book a 3 out of 5, citing challenges with some character developments.

• Kennedy shares her thoughts on "The Blonde Identity" by Ally Carter, recommended by Mikayla.

  "[Kennedy, 05:48] 'It's a spy rom-com. Very fun... I enjoyed it, but it was not super memorable.'"
  She assigned it a 3-star rating, noting it as a delightful palate cleanser but lacking substantial impact.

• Mikayla recommends "Look Closer" by David Ellis to Reggie, likening the experience to "Glass Onion."

  "[Mikayla, 07:11] 'There was one part that I texted Reggie about that I didn’t guess, but everything else was pretty predictable.'"
  She rated it approximately 3.75 stars, appreciating its character-driven narrative despite some predictable elements.

---

Segment 2: Book Recommendations Based on Listener Prompts

The core of the episode revolves around addressing various listener-submitted prompts, each inspiring a set of book recommendations. Below are the key prompts and the corresponding books suggested by the hosts.

1. Friends to Lovers Trope

Prompt: Recommendations for the "Friends to Lovers" trope.

• Reggie suggests:

  • "The Cheat Sheet" by Sarah Adams
    Described as a clean, cute, and fun story devoid of spicy elements, perfect for readers seeking a lighthearted romance.

  • "People We Meet on Vacation" by Emily Henry
    Emphasizes the transition from friendship to romance, with an upcoming movie adaptation adding to its appeal.

2. Similar to "Assistant to the Villain"

Prompt: Recommendations akin to "Assistant to the Villain."

• Kennedy introduces:
  • "Dungeon Crawler Carl"
    An unserious, action-packed fantasy resembling a video game, featuring quirky elements like a character named Princess Donut.

    "[Kennedy, 19:18] 'It's a recommendation with a grain of salt. It’s an option, but take it as you will.'"

3. Vampire-Themed Books

Prompt: Vampire-centric recommendations similar to "Vampire Diaries."

• Mikayla recommends:

  • "Serpents in the Wings of Night" by Carissa Broadbent
    A brutal and intense vampire fantasy diverging from traditional magic realism.

  • "Zodiac Academy"
    Combines school life with fantasy elements and complex love triangles.

• Kennedy adds:

  • "Six Scorch Roses" from the Crowns of Nyxia series
    Described as a vampire novella that intertwines with the main series without spoiling it.

4. Songs-Inspired Recommendations

Prompt: Inspired by the song "Put a Little Love on Me" by Niall Horan.

• Reggie suggests:

  • "Magnolia Parks"
    Recognized for its messy yet engaging storytelling, aligning with the emotional tone of the song.

  • "Variation" by Rebecca Yaros
    Highlights specific lyrical parallels with the song, offering a more visceral reading experience.

• Kennedy echoes "Magnolia Parks", likening it to "Binding 13" for its emotional depth and character-driven narrative.

5. TV Show-Inspired Recommendations

Prompt: Recommendations based on the TV show "Severance."

• Reggie recommends:

  • "Dark Matter"
    Delivers similar vibes to "Severance," available as both a book and a TV show on Apple TV.

  • "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir
    A sci-fi novel with emotional depth comparable to "Dark Matter."

    "[Reggie, 33:23] 'If you haven't read that already, go read that. It's also being turned into a movie.'"

• Kennedy adds:

  • "Recursion" by Blake Crouch
    Explores memory preservation technology with intense sci-fi elements.

• Mikayla offers:

  • "The Unmaking of June"
    Although not directly similar, it shares the suspenseful and mysterious atmosphere of "Severance."

6. Whimsical Fantasy Series

Prompt: Seek whimsical fantasy similar to Rebecca Ross and Holly Black.

• Reggie suggests:

  • "Caraval" by Stephanie Garber
    Noted for its circus-like, whimsical vibes, though not her personal favorite.

  • "Never" by Jessa Hastings
    Offers a whimsical take on Neverland, blending magical realism with adventurous storytelling.

7. Slow Burn Romance

Prompt: Recommendations embodying a slow burn romance.

• Kennedy points to:
  • "The Wall of Winnipeg and Me" by Mariana Zapata
    Celebrated as the epitome of the slow burn trope, where romantic developments unfold gradually.

8. Single Parent/Guardian Trope

Prompt: Recommendations featuring a single parent or guardian.

• Mikayla recommends:

  • "The Chestnut Spring" series
    A tender and sweet series centered around single parent dynamics.

  • "Next of Kin" by Hannah Bonham Young
    Highlights guardian relationships with heartfelt storytelling.

---

Segment 3: General Recommendations and Conclusion

Beyond specific prompts, the hosts offer a few additional suggestions:

• Magical Realism:

  • Ashley Poston's books for their enchanting blend of reality and fantasy.
  • "The Glitch" (author unspecified) for its unique audiobook narration and magical realism elements.

• Comedic Banter in Romance:

  • "The Romancing" series by Katherine Center
    Praised for its humorous dialogue and engaging characters.
  • "Butcher and Blackbird" by Brynn Weaver
    A dark romantic comedy with laughter-inducing moments and adult themes.

• Author Recommendations:

  • Hannah Bonham Young
    Recommended for her ability to romanticize unconventional themes, aligning with authors like Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry.

---

Notable Quotes

• Reggie on "Never" by Jessa Hastings:

  "[Reggie, 01:47] 'It's just a visceral experience with everything you love about Jess's writing.'"

• Kennedy on "Recursion" by Blake Crouch:

  "[Kennedy, 34:15] 'Anything by Blake Crouch is going to give you a similar vibe as Severance.'"

• Mikayla on "Look Closer" by David Ellis:

  "[Mikayla, 07:11] 'It's like glass onion... slowly peeling back the why.'"

---

Closing Remarks

The hosts wrap up by encouraging listeners to explore their recommendations and engage with them on various platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Goodreads. They express enthusiasm for potentially making book recommendation segments a regular feature, highlighting the enjoyment derived from interacting with their audience's preferences.

---

Tune in every Wednesday to join Kennedy, Reggie, and Mikayla as they continue to explore favorite books, dive into author discussions, and maintain an engaging community of readers. Whether you're looking to start a new read or find your next favorite, "I'll Read What She's Reading" offers insightful and personalized suggestions to enrich your literary journey.

Transcript

[Kennedy]

Foreign.

[Reggie]

This episode is sponsored by Rouly. Your go to for cozy feel good outfits, whether you're headed to the bookstore or snuggling up with your latest read. And guess what? You can get 15 off just for listening.

[Mikayla]

Today really is a female created family owned brand founded in 2013 in Logan, Utah with over 1 million customers and 10,000 five star reviews. They're all about sisterhood and helping women feel their best. Plus, they've got four locations in Utah, Idaho and Arizona.

[Kennedy]

Head over to ruly.com and use code REED for 15% off your entire order.

[Reggie]

That's code R E a D at roulee. R O-O-L-E-E.com for 15% off your entire order.

[Mikayla]

Cozy up in style and feel amazing with the latest items from Roulee.

[Kennedy]

Hello, guys. Welcome back to I'll read what she's reading. I'm Kennedy.

[Mikayla]

I'm Mikayla.

[Reggie]

And I'm Reggie.

[Kennedy]

And today we are recommending books for you guys. You guys submitted tropes, songs, TV shows, random prompts on our Instagram question box, flowers. Yeah. And based on what you guys said you liked, we're giving you book recommendations on that. Yeah, I'm really excited. I am too. But before we give you guys book recommendations, what was it a few months ago?

[Mikayla]

We're gonna make one and a half one. We're making.

[Kennedy]

We're making this a more regular segment on the podcast. But we recommended books for each other. We have all since read those books. We're gonna share our thoughts and then we are going to recommend more books for each other. So today's just a book recommendation episode. Who wants to go first?

[Reggie]

Me, I guess.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Reggie]

Okay. So Kennedy recommended Forced me to read Never by Jessa Hastings. And if you saw my review on Goodreads, I literally just gave one word, a few one word things to describe my rating because I was having the hardest time trying to articulate my thoughts. And if you're not familiar with the plot of that book, essentially it's a continuation of Peter Pan and it has what you would expect if you've read Magnolia Parks, you're familiar, you're familiar, you're familiar with Jessa's writing and her very toxic, messy characters. And that book still had that. And I feel like where Jessa really shines in this book is her whimsical writing. Like, I would love to see her write another series that maybe isn't Neverland, but it's something else.

[Kennedy]

Like Magical realism.

[Reggie]

Yeah, some sort of magical realism book. Because she does a really great job painting a beautiful picture of what this world is like. And I really like how even though, like, the main character, she's younger, but she's not. Anyways, I feel like she does a good job. I could tell that I was reading about a 17, 18 year old. I felt like she really understood the experience of what it's like to be that age, but. So I rated it. What did I rate it? 3.5. 3?

[Kennedy]

I think you said 3.5. Yeah. 3.

[Reggie]

Yeah, it was good. Like, the things I said, I loved about it. Very good. I feel like I. I just had some issues with some of the characters and not in the sense where, like, I enjoyed it because they were infuriating. It was like I felt it was so fun, but then I felt kind of icky and then I felt really invested. But then I was like, I don't think I can keep reading this. It was all over the place for me. But I do think that when she releases the second book, I'm going to like it a lot more than the first one.

[Kennedy]

I agree. So now I'm just anxiously waiting for Michaela to read it whenever she wants because I can't wait to hear what she thinks about it.

[Reggie]

I have no idea yeah.

[Mikayla]

What you guys are talking about, but.

[Kennedy]

You know, she's gonna hate it.

[Reggie]

I think she might hate it.

[Kennedy]

She's gonna hate it, actually. So then I don't know if you should read it. Maybe listen to it.

[Reggie]

The listening, though, is hard because I read it and listened to it and Hook.

[Kennedy]

It's like he has, like, a pirate.

[Reggie]

Yes. But it's like listening to, like, BJ on Magnolia Parks on, like, four times speed.

[Kennedy]

Because he's a pirate.

[Reggie]

So he's got, like that pirate accent, but then he's not articulating very well. So I was listening on, like, even 1.5 speed and I was like, what the heck is he saying? I felt like I was listening to a book in a different language, but it was like a very good audiobook.

[Mikayla]

It.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

I don't know.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I. Here's the thing.

[Reggie]

I recommend you told me to read it.

[Kennedy]

I just. It's a book that only I have read, and I just want these two to read it just so I can talk to somebody about it. Because it's like, it's a visceral experience. That's the best way I can describe it. It's just a visceral experience with everything you love about Jess's writing. It's. It's a weird It's a weird mashup, but. Okay, I'll go next. We'll just go in order. Is that fine?

[Mikayla]

Yeah. I don't remember what I recommended for you.

[Kennedy]

You don't?

[Mikayla]

No.

[Kennedy]

You recommended the Blonde Identity for me by Ally Carter.

[Mikayla]

Oh, I remember that.

[Kennedy]

Quite literally. Listened to it and no joke, like, a week after you said that, because I got access to. On Libby.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

So it's a spy rom com. Very fun. If you guys read the Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ali Carter, you're kind of. That was our book club book for December. P. S. You're very familiar with writing, and it was very much the same. I could definitely tell it was written by the same author. Very fun heist Spy. I think I give it three stars. A really great audiobook. Like I said, I listened to it.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Very fun read. You know, a great palette cleanser. A fun rom com has different elements because there is the spice. And that's about all I felt about it. It was just very. It was fun. It was not super memorable, but I enjoyed it.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I don't remember it very much either.

[Kennedy]

Like, I'm sitting here right now, and I don't really remember much.

[Mikayla]

It's a fun book. You rated it exactly how I thought you would. I'm pretty sure that's how. That's what I rated it too. But I thought it was just like a fun, not so serious, you know, not fantasy.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Trying to give you something that's a little easy.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Easy to read, so.

[Kennedy]

And sometimes with these, like I did with Reggie. I'm not recommending books to you guys because I loved them. It's just like, here's a book recommendation, because I don't think you're gonna get to it if I don't recommend it to you kind of a thing, you know? Yeah. You know what I'm saying?

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Sometimes you need that.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. A little push, a little.

[Kennedy]

A little shove. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. Awesome. Um, mine Reggie recommended was Look Closer by David Ellis. David Ellis. And the best way I could describe my reading experience or listening experience, it was like glass onion. I know I knew everything, but I just didn't know the why. And so it was, like, slowly peeling back the why. There was one part that I texted Reggie about that I. That was. I was like, I didn't guess that, but everything else for me was pretty predictable. But it's because. Yeah. I just didn't know the why.

[Reggie]

Yeah. Michaela's really good at picking up on things in books and figuring out plot twists. And stuff. So I picked this one for her to see if she could figure it out because there were a lot of different point of views and there's a lot more that you have to piece together compared to some kind of thrillers or, like, mysteries. And so I was excited to see what she would think of it and what she would guess. So.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

So you mostly listen to it?

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I listened to the entire thing.

[Reggie]

Okay. Yeah. I like the audiobook of it.

[Kennedy]

It was good.

[Mikayla]

It became available to me on Libby, so it worked out great. Yeah. So you like. No, I. I don't know for. I mean, I don't know how. There are just a few things that just, like, really clicked into place, and I was like, I just don't know why.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

You know, why everything happened or why it went down. And so it was fun figuring out the why. It was all. To me, it was almost like a why done it.

[Reggie]

See so many. Not who done it, I didn't see coming. But that's because I'm just. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Not smart.

[Mikayla]

No, no. The thing is, is, like, it also. I. I really do like the thriller books, but I think I've just read enough where, like, if something's, like, even a little bit suspicious, I feel like it's easier for me to, like, kind of, like, flip it and be like, okay, so this is.

[Reggie]

It's just like.

[Mikayla]

It's hard in the thriller to be something different.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Kind of like romance novels, they all have kind of the same pattern. Yeah. Like, not equation, but layout. And they're all kind of just. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. I mean, but this one, it was pretty unique, but I. Once again, I don't. Have you guys seen Glass Onion? How you, like, know. You know, the incor. The core of it, you can see through it. But LeBlanc is, like, slowly. I felt like I was LeBlanc in this. In this story, but it was. It was entertaining. It really was. Oh, I don't think I said what. I think. I rated it like 3.75.

[Kennedy]

That's pretty good for you for a.

[Mikayla]

Thriller, I would say. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

So, yeah, it was. It was. Yeah, it was good. It was, like, entertaining, I felt like. Because by the end, I kind of, like, figured out everything. It was. It dragged on just a little bit at the end because I was like, okay, I know the why. I know everything. But I feel like if you didn't figure it out beforehand, you kind of need that last part for everything to, like, wrapped up into a nice little bow. It wasn't needed for Me. But I can understand why it would be needed for, like, people. No.

[Reggie]

I know what you're saying. No, I think that's a really good way for you to explain it.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

So.

[Mikayla]

But yeah, it was good. Thank you for recommending it.

[Reggie]

Yeah, you're welcome.

[Mikayla]

I liked it a lot. Okay, so are we gonna recommend books for each other?

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Okay, so I'm recommending a book for Reggie. Reggie.

[Kennedy]

Okay, you go first.

[Mikayla]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

Take the reins.

[Mikayla]

I'm, like, so nervous, but I'm shoving Reggie into reading this.

[Kennedy]

Oh.

[Reggie]

Oh, I have a feeling.

[Mikayla]

Okay. Once Upon a Broken Heart.

[Kennedy]

Oh, that's a good one.

[Mikayla]

I like it.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I think.

[Reggie]

I actually. I'm pretty sure it's like, I. It's funny how, like, last time we did this, you guys were just saying, like, oh, I got randomly got access to it on Libby, like, a week after we picked the books. I'm pretty sure it's, like, up next in my Libby Holtz.

[Mikayla]

Okay. I will challenge you to try to read it more.

[Reggie]

I do think I have it for.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Reggie]

I think it's okay.

[Mikayla]

Read it more than listen, because I wonder. I mean, I know you didn't love Caraval as much, which is totally fine, but I wonder if it was, like, the listening experience that was, like, the Voice or whatever. I don't know.

[Kennedy]

Once Upon a Broken Heart is better than Caraval, so.

[Reggie]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm glad you're giving me the push.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. I have no idea what the Voice is like, though.

[Kennedy]

I only read those. I don't listen to them either.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. So anyways, that's a good one. That's what I. It came into my brain, and I said, I'm sticking with it.

[Kennedy]

So, no, I love it. I'll go next because it came into my brain, and I'm sticking with it. Even though Mikayla put on her march TBR already. Okay. What do you think it is?

[Mikayla]

I think it's Legendborn.

[Reggie]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

Okay, so I am recommending Legendborn by Tracy Dionne to Michaela. I didn't rate it super high, and I've honestly been putting. Reading the second book off. I was in a not a good place when I read it. For some reason, I just was, like, not in a good mood. And so it kind of ruined my experience. There is sorry for anybody who's listening or if you do take a break. In between the first and second book, there's a huge. There's some website. I just got a tick tock about it. They do a full recap. So I'M gonna. I'm honestly challenging myself to read the second book. When you read the second book, I'll read the second book.

[Mikayla]

All right.

[Kennedy]

The reason I'm recommending it to michaela is one, it's a really unique fantasy book. I don't think I've ever read anything like it. And it's based on. I would say the magic system is kind of based on, like, medieval elements.

[Mikayla]

Like, Marilyn wizard.

[Kennedy]

No, like, knights.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. Marilyn is.

[Kennedy]

Oh, okay.

[Mikayla]

Okay. Like a medieval wizard.

[Kennedy]

Okay. Okay. It's the. It's the weirdest but coolest magic system, and I think you're gonna eat it up. I think you're gonna.

[Mikayla]

Because I love night stuff.

[Kennedy]

I think you're gonna like it a lot more than I did, But I just think I didn't give it enough of a chance, and I should have read it at a different time. It was like one of those books. I read the first two chapters, and I wasn't in the mood, but I pushed through, you know?

[Mikayla]

Did you listen to it all?

[Kennedy]

I did. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

You read it, too. Okay.

[Kennedy]

But I think you're really gonna like it.

[Mikayla]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

And I've heard really great things about the second book, so.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Is there only two?

[Kennedy]

There's going to be three. I don't know when the third one comes. I want to say the third one comes out this year because the second one came out last year.

[Mikayla]

Okay. Okay.

[Kennedy]

I want to say it comes out soon.

[Mikayla]

I feel like it came out. Does it have, like, a wolf on it?

[Kennedy]

I can't remember. I think I've seen arc copies of people on tick tock.

[Reggie]

I've seen it, too.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

If it did come out, it recently.

[Mikayla]

Came out, I think. Well, I swear it says someone saying, oh, it comes out on March 4th.

[Kennedy]

So I've seen arc copy. So then you could just read them all. Yeah, if you want. So I think you'll like it. It's really unique.

[Reggie]

All right. Kennedy, I. I watched your march TBR video, and you got a lot of fantasy.

[Kennedy]

I do.

[Reggie]

On there.

[Kennedy]

I do.

[Reggie]

So I was like, I can't give her any sort of, like, fantasy wreck. So I felt like you needed, like, a romance book, and I was trying to decide between two, and I'm gonna go with this one because I liked it the most out of the two I was trying to decide between. It's a summary book, but I know. And I know it's not summer, but it'll hopefully get you in a warmer state of mind. This summer will be different by carlo fortune because there's something about that book that I just loved and I don't know why I just ate that book up. And I'm just curious to see if you will enjoy it as much or more or maybe even not as much as I did.

[Kennedy]

I don't think I was into the.

[Reggie]

Audiobook and it's really good. So you've read.

[Kennedy]

Oh, the brother one?

[Reggie]

Yeah. Every time you're after.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Same. Same author. And then she has her other books coming out in Soon. Soonish.

[Kennedy]

I can borrow it right now. Okay. Sorry, I just interrupted you.

[Reggie]

Yeah, no, you're good. Yeah, I listened to it also, and I thought the audiobook was really good. So I figured, you know, since you're probably going to be sitting down reading a lot of these fantasy books, if you need like a good audio audiobook while you're driving. Little palette cleanser. I really enjoyed that one.

[Kennedy]

Love that. Thank you for looking out for, like.

[Reggie]

The trope in it a lot. So then, do you remember what the trope is? I know I've talked about it before. I don't have to tell you if you don't have a single parent.

[Mikayla]

No, I don't remember what it is.

[Kennedy]

Oh, I guess I'll find out. Yeah, you.

[Reggie]

I'll let you find out.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Reggie]

It's fun. There's a lot of shucking of clams.

[Kennedy]

Oh, I do okay. Okay.

[Reggie]

The vibes are great, though.

[Kennedy]

I'm here for it. I'm here. Yeah. Take me out of the winter blues. Yeah, I'm here for that.

[Mikayla]

Wait, I forgot about that. I loved that.

[Kennedy]

Okay. Those are the books we have for each other. Yay. Yeah. When we. When we all finish them. Sometimes it takes longer, more time than others, but we will update you guys.

[Mikayla]

We were trying to figure out a name for this segment. So if anyone has ideas for what to, like, name this segment, let us know. We've been, like, going back and forth on some things, but I just. Nothing has, like, really stuck with us yet. So if anyone has any suggestions, let us know.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, shoot us a dm.

[Reggie]

All right.

[Kennedy]

Okay. We're gonna recommend books for you guys.

[Reggie]

Now.

[Kennedy]

This actually was really fun for me just because I can't believe we haven't done an episode like this yet. Right? We haven't, have we?

[Mikayla]

I don't think we have.

[Kennedy]

Well, maybe we have. It's been a while. If we have, it could have been.

[Mikayla]

One of the episodes that.

[Kennedy]

There was a time when we recorded some episodes and they. Something happened. Yeah. They disappeared. So here we are again. Let's hope this isn't a cursed episode. Let's hope this works. If you're listening to this, it's not cursed.

[Mikayla]

Yes. Yeah.

[Reggie]

Alrighty.

[Kennedy]

Who's going first? You go first.

[Reggie]

Me.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Okay, so someone says they wanted some. Then this is a trope specific one. Friends to Lovers. And there were two books that came to my mind that I will share. First is the Cheat Sheet. Ooh, Sarah Adams. Very. It's very clean, like it's not spicy. So great read if you're not wanting something spicy. But like really cute. Kind of a fun, fun story. And then the other one that came to my mind is. And I know a lot of most people have read every all of Emily Henry's books. Some people have not though. But I would say people we meet on vacation. If you specifically really like Friends to Lovers and you haven't read People We Meet on Vacation yet. It's also going to be a movie coming out this, this summer, I think this summer. I'm surprised we haven't seen like more if it's coming out this summer. I feel like we need a trailer soon.

[Kennedy]

Oh, maybe it is next summer.

[Reggie]

I don't know. But it's going to be a movie soon. So you have that to look forward to if you like the book. So. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Sometimes I forget where couples start in books. I saw that Friends till and I. My mind just went completely blank because I forget where some books start with that stuff.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Cause all I remember is like mostly towards the end and how cute they are together, you know, and so I forget. Those were great, great picks.

[Reggie]

Oh, thank you.

[Mikayla]

I love that.

[Reggie]

Thank you so love that. Okay.

[Kennedy]

Someone, someone wanted a recommendation that was similar to Assistant to the villain in the sense of it's kind of funny. There's, there's some action, but there's not like kind of high stakes. And I hate to say this, but some of the recommendations I have on this list maybe aren't my most favorite books. You can always go check out our Goodreads and see what we actually rate these books that we're recommending. This is a recommendation I'm recommending like with a grain of salt. Okay. I just listened to this book. It's called Dungeon Crawler Carl. Okay. It's kind of based almost like a video game in a sense. And the reason I'm recommending this adjacent to Assistant to the villain is because it's extremely unserious. There's a cat in the book that's name is like Princess Donut. So extremely unserious. There is a lot of action. It's not as clean as Assistant to the Villain. There is some language, but the audiobook is really, really fun. So if you liked Assistant to the Villain, you may, you may like Dungeon Crawler Color Roll because it's a little unhinged and funny. But there's like fantasy elements in it. There's action, no romance. So do with that what you will. I'm not saying it's good, I'm just saying it's an option.

[Mikayla]

Love it.

[Kennedy]

These two will never read it and I would never. I'm recommending this to you, listener, but I wouldn't recommend it to these guys. So also take that with a grain of salt.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I don't think I would ever listen or read that.

[Kennedy]

It was just like so unlike anything I have ever read. And it was really, it was a fun change of pace. I don't know if I'm going to continue, but it's a vibe if you're in the mood for that.

[Mikayla]

It's a vibe. It's a vibe. Okay. Kind of going along the same lines. Okay. I'm starting from the bottom of my list. My bottom of the list. A lot of people wanted like vampire esque recommendations, but they specifically wanted Vampire Diaries and read the actual Vampire Diaries books. Yes. I'm just kidding. I feel like I really haven't read a ton that is like Vampire Diaries mostly the vampires stuff I've read is more in the fantasy realm. Not like magic realism. What? I don't know.

[Kennedy]

What, like vampires based in real life?

[Mikayla]

Yeah, yeah. Twilight. But if you are wanting to look for just like vampires in general, you know, Serpents in the Wings of Night is a great, great option. It's more fantasy, less, you know, less like real life for sure. The other one that I would kind of recommend that is kind of similar, kind of not once again would maybe recommend it with like a grain of salt, but some people really, really love it is Zodiac Academy.

[Kennedy]

You know, I can see it.

[Mikayla]

School vibes. But there's fantasy elements, messy love triangles. Yeah, I, that was what. The first thing that came to my mind when it came to something that was even remotely close that I have read close to Vampire Diaries. But that was kind of the two books that came to mind when I saw vampires. I know from Blood and Ash is a really popular vampire book. I just have not read it yet. So maybe look into that if you're liking that. I just, I just, I can't recommend it because I haven't read it yet. But I'm sure it is great. I've heard a lot of good things about it.

[Kennedy]

Or also in the Crowns of Nyxia series, there is a Nolla titled Six Scorch Roses. That's vampires. That's really, really good. If you're not sure if you want to, like, get into the Crowns of Nyaxia series, that's a good. Like, I don't think she said it's a standalone novella, but, like, it's a novella that could stand on its own. Yeah, yeah. But it, like, intertwines with the series.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

So it doesn't spoil anything for the series. But if you're not ready for a series, try that. Zodiac Academy, I feel like, is a good recommendation for that.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I could see it.

[Reggie]

Love. All right. Someone gave us a song. All right. The song is Put a Little Love on Me by Niall Horan. I recently went to his concert. My gosh, it wasn't even that recently. It feels recently. Love him. Okay. Love that song. I thought of two books. The first one is Magnolia Parks, and I don't feel like I can go too in depth as to my reasoning for that. So that's. That's an option for you. We talk about Magnolia Parks a lot on the podcast, but so you probably have an inkling as to what to expect. Reading that just, you know, very messy. I feel like I listened to the song and I was like, okay, it's giving a certain character. And I feel like that that's. That's my first recommendation. But, you know, it is a series, so you have some books that, you know to get the full effect, need to commit to. But if you're wanting another. A book that just stands on its own would be Variation by Rebecca Yaros. I feel like there was a few lines in the song that, like, in the lyrics that I specifically was like, okay, yeah, that one for me, hits it a little. The nail on the head a little bit more with that book. So. But if you want, like, a more visceral reaction, Magnolia Parks.

[Kennedy]

I'm gonna hop onto the Magnolia Parks train because someone wanted a recommendation that was similar to Magnolia Parks. And on it's my turn, Right. Am I crazy? Okay, sorry. And honestly, I don't know if these two agree or disagree. I just feel like there's nothing that I've read like Magnolia Parks since reading Manoli Parks. But the book that I think is the Most similar is binding 13, because it's emotional, it's messy, it feels obnoxiously long for no reason. But then you have this emotional attachment to these characters, and it's almost like. I hate this. This phrasing, but it's almost like a car crash. You.

[Reggie]

You.

[Kennedy]

You can't stop looking at it. You can't stop reading it because you just got to keep going with. For some reason, they're just, like, adjacent to each other. The main reason I didn't love binding 13 is that they are underage. And that, to me, just felt really weird. And it felt really adult for it being about underage kids. But I know a lot of people like it, and I would say they're similar. Ish. Didn't get the same exact feelings reading binding 13 as I did reading Magnolia Parks, but I think it's close enough.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, no, I. I agree. Lots of hard dynamics with family stuff and.

[Kennedy]

And it's really, like, character driven. There's not a lot of plot. It's just literally relationship driven.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. So I agree. Well, I'm. Someone said reality tv.

[Reggie]

I put that too, for that one. I. All finish your thought. No, that's.

[Mikayla]

I. I feel like. I mean, we talk about Magnolia Parks enough, but, like, if you haven't read Magnolia Parks. I don't.

[Reggie]

And you want something real. Yeah. That gives. Like reality.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Or the favorites by Elaine Fargo. Could be some.

[Reggie]

I was going to say the selection. Oh, like the Bachelor is kind of like reality television.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

But it's a young adult kind of dystopian vibe.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

I'm gonna say one. I'm gonna say one more, but I don't know. Reggie can say whether or not this is a good recommendation. Do you know where I'm going? Maybe. Maybe. Do you? I was gonna say the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

I don't know. It's just kind of feeling.

[Reggie]

Right.

[Kennedy]

Reality TV adjacent. Yeah, more like celebrity gossip adjacent. Magnolia Parks is the best one to fit that, though, for sure. Yeah. Yeah.

[Reggie]

Strong agree. Yeah. Did you have another one you wanted to do?

[Mikayla]

No, no, that.

[Kennedy]

I was just.

[Mikayla]

I was hopping on the Magnolia Park.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. I mean, I got one more for Magnolia Parks while we're here. Why not? Someone asked. I'm so sorry. Someone asked for a recommendation based on our favorite Taylor Swift song. My favorite Taylor Swift song is all too well, 10 minute version. Magnolia Parks. Okay, continue.

[Reggie]

I'm gonna just echo that. Yeah. Someone said this. I thought this was oddly specific. And I sat and thought about it, and I'm like, I don't know. If I know a book that has this in it, why are they asking? But then something came to my mind and I was like, oh, my gosh. It's one of my favorite books ever. I have to talk about it. Someone said, not sure if you've read any, but maybe a race car driver romance. Okay, now this isn't specifically a romance book. Okay. But there's some romance in it. And it's about a race car driver. The Art of Racing in the Rain.

[Kennedy]

Oh. I was like, you've read a race? An F1. I was like, you shared.

[Reggie]

So it's not what you would think. It's not like a boy meets girl love story. Okay. It's told in the perspective of a dog.

[Kennedy]

It's a love story between a man and his dog.

[Reggie]

Yes. But there's also, like. There's. There's. There's love to it. Okay. There's. There's romance, so. And I know you like if you haven't heard anything about the art of racing in the rain. We used to talk about it a lot on the podcast when we first started. We've read so many books since then, but it still is one of my favorite books of all time. And I know, like, when you hear dog books, a lot of people roll their eyes and they're like, huh, dog? I did the same thing. And when I tell you within the first page of that book, I was just, like, tears streaming down my face, and I had, like, goosebumps on my arms. It is a very beautiful book, and it's been a while since I've talked about it. So. Race car driver. Yes. Some romance? A little bit, yeah.

[Kennedy]

Make you cry.

[Reggie]

It's gonna make you cry.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Is it told in the perspective of a dog? So it's very interesting, very beautiful. There's also a movie of it. The movie's not nearly as good as the book, but the movie does have Milo. What's his bucket from Gossip or not? Gossip Girl. Gilmore Girls. And this is us.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

And he is perfection. Chef's kiss. Fantastic.

[Kennedy]

I'm gonna piggyback off that just a little bit because someone wanted a recommendation for a dog lover. The Art of Racing in the Rain.

[Mikayla]

And that's it.

[Kennedy]

That's it. Yeah. Go ahead.

[Mikayla]

Well, I am. I feel. Okay. I'm gonna add on to your guys's just a teensy bit. It does. It's not the main plot, but I think it really added something to it. The Happily Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez. But first, you need to read the Friend Zone.

[Kennedy]

Yes. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

But a dog is an important part of the story, and it's not. It's not the Main. It's not the main plot, but if you like dogs, you'll think it's pretty cute.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, it is cute. So I did love that. I kind of forgot about that. That's a cute part.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, it is a cute part.

[Reggie]

For sure.

[Kennedy]

For sure.

[Mikayla]

Sorry. Do you want me to go? Okay. Sorry. I was kind of piggy. Back off of that. I. Okay. This is a series I just read. Haven't read it yet. And it's for the one bed trope, and it's the Scarlet Princess by Ellie Kennedy and Robin D. Mail.

[Kennedy]

Wait, like, Elle Kennedy?

[Mikayla]

As in, like, oh, no, what's her name? Give me two seconds. There's two authors that are Elle. Oh, in this. That write this book.

[Kennedy]

Oh, okay. Okay. Okay.

[Mikayla]

Sorry. I should have had. I have it for everything else, but I don't know why I don't have it. Robin, D. Male. And L. Madison. It is done so well, and it is not. It's not. I don't know how to describe it. It doesn't feel forced in the writing, if that makes sense. And I. I ate it up so much.

[Kennedy]

Was it kind of like they show up at the inn and there's one bed, and you're like, okay, we all know where this is going.

[Mikayla]

Sort of.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

It's okay.

[Kennedy]

You don't have to expand on it. You don't have to expand.

[Mikayla]

I will just say, like, this is. It's pretty, pretty, pretty. The. Pretty much the plot of this story is she's smuggling goods and she gets captured. And there's only one bad. She is the. She is a prisoner.

[Kennedy]

Love. Okay. Love.

[Mikayla]

So that's it. I know there's a lot more, but that's just the one that comes to my brain, so.

[Kennedy]

And also, that's not a book you hear a lot about, so that's great. Yeah, that's great.

[Mikayla]

And it just keeps getting better. I. Yeah, I ate it up.

[Kennedy]

Left, right.

[Reggie]

Reggie. All right, well, my current hyper fixation right now is Severance. Okay, so someone said the show Severance on Apple tv, and I'm gonna guess maybe you've watched this already on Apple tv. If you have not, you've heard us talk about it before. But I would read Dark Matter. It's not the same. Okay. But it gives similar vibes. And then if you're really enjoying watching Severance, you'd probably really enjoy watching the T. TV show of Dark Matter, which is also on Apple tv. I'm hoping that by me giving you this recommendation, it's not something you've already read. Or watched. But if you have, you could always still go back and read the book. If you didn't know that Dark Matter was book, maybe you already did. But for anyone out there listening who is also on the severance train right.

[Kennedy]

Now, I think it's the whole world.

[Reggie]

Yeah, it is. It is so good. It's so good. Yeah. Dark Matter all the way. They're currently filming season two and there's not a. There's not a second Dark Matter book. So I'm really excited.

[Kennedy]

I trust Blake Crouch with my life.

[Reggie]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

So I'm gonna piggyback off the severance recommendation and I'm gonna give you another recommendation from Blake Crouch. It's called Recursion. Neither of these two have read it and it's been a while since I read it, so I wanted to make sure I got my details right. Basically, this book is about a scientist. She creates this technology where we can preserve our memories. And so basically, how do I describe it? He. I don't, I don't know how to describe it.

[Reggie]

It's.

[Kennedy]

There's lots of memory aspects into it and if I'm remembering correctly, there's. That actually might be a spoiler, so I'm going to shut up. But it's a similar vibe. I think anything by Blake Crouch is going to give you a similar vibe as to Severance, especially his newer books. Not like Wayward Pines and Run is a little bit more on the horror thriller side, but like Upgrade, Recursion, Dark Matter, Severance adjacent.

[Reggie]

Yeah, love. Yeah, love.

[Kennedy]

And then I'm going to go, I'm going to piggyback off the TV show. Someone wanting recommendations off the TV show. Severance is my current hyper fixation and Arcane is my other current hyper fixation. If you guys have not watched Arcane and you're listening, please, please, please, please go watch it. If you're a fantasy loving girly, you're going to eat it up. Trust me. It's so good. And the people that are doing edits on TikTok, they should be getting paid. But one of the books that I'm going to recommend that gives me arcane vibes is the Will of the Many by James Islington. If you've watched Arcane and you know the character Jace, the main character in the Will of the Many, kind of reminds me of Jace. The magic system is really cool and there's a plot twist that like actually bends your mind and is insane. I'm also going to recommend Six of Crows because it's like this band of Misfits going on heists and stealing things from the rich. Sound familiar? Do you have one for Arcane? What are you gonna recommend?

[Mikayla]

Renegades.

[Kennedy]

Oh, you're gonna do Renegades. That's a good one.

[Mikayla]

By Marissa Meyer.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

And the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

[Kennedy]

I'm gonna give one more for Arcane. I'm so sorry. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, all great.

[Reggie]

I'm sitting here nodding my head like I haven't watched Arcane yet.

[Kennedy]

That's okay.

[Reggie]

But if you loved Arcane fomo, I.

[Mikayla]

Would honestly say Renegades is the most similar thing that I have read.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I would agree with that. Especially with, like, a certain. Yeah, yeah.

[Mikayla]

You know. Yeah, yeah.

[Kennedy]

The red and. Yeah, I'm trying to say anything, because I don't spoil anything for Red.

[Reggie]

Yeah, someone already gave me.

[Kennedy]

No, this is a different spoiler for the Arcane. It's a different one, but okay.

[Mikayla]

But also, like, Nova, them being like.

[Kennedy]

Kind of like the underground she gets taken in. Yeah. Renegades is really good, too.

[Mikayla]

And then the Lunar Chronicles. Kennedy started, but she didn't love it as much. Totally great. Totally fine. I think it's really. The reason why I say it is kind of similar is because each book is, like, different characters, but they are, like, all intertwined. And the first book is a play off of, like, Cinderella, but instead of, like, fake, like a shoe thing, she has a robot. She's, like, partially robot.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. She's like cyborg. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

So kind of similar. Ish vibes as, like, the underground. Multiple stories kind of coming together. But I would recommend Renegades before, like, over the Lunar Chronicles.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I would as well. That's a good. That's a good one for M. Or not Mistborn for Arcane, for sure.

[Reggie]

Okay, here's one. I don't know why this prompt, like, this prompt made me laugh. They said Hunger Games vibes, and I feel like there's so many books that have Hunger Games vibes because it's a. It's like a trope. You know, you have, like, your trial trope. It's the trial trope. And if you haven't read any books similar to Hunger Games, you know, vibes, which is, you know, the trial type of thing, which I feel like when you hear Hunger Games vibes, that's the first thing you guys think of. Yeah, there's a lot of different ones I could say, but I'm going to go with one Red Rising and two Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. So both series, some of My favorites ever. Serpent in the Wings, the Night we mentioned already, briefly, it's vampires, and it's pretty brutal, very intense. Then you got Red Rising. I'm not going to say too much about it, but you got some of that element in there, and it's. It's intense, it's exciting, and it will take you on quite. It's going to take you on quite the ride. If you like that first book, I will say we've got a lot of people hooked on Red rising in our DMs, and it's been really fun to see.

[Mikayla]

All because of Kennedy.

[Reggie]

Yeah, Kennedy started the trend. Just kidding.

[Kennedy]

What can I say?

[Reggie]

I mean, not so.

[Kennedy]

I mean, if Pierce. If Pierce Brown wants to show us any love for that, that'd be nice. If he wants to come on the podcast, that'd be nice.

[Reggie]

I'd be scared, but I would. I would love nothing more. But, yeah, just know that, like, there's more, like, romance in Serpents than there is in Red Rising, so just keep that in mind.

[Kennedy]

Yep. We love a trial trope. I mean, I'm assuming.

[Reggie]

Oh, you could also say Powerless.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I was gonna say I'm assuming if you're listening to this podcast, you've probably read Powerless already.

[Reggie]

Yeah. I don't know how I forgot about that, honestly.

[Mikayla]

But what fantasy book doesn't have some sort of trial?

[Kennedy]

Yeah, kind of. Yeah. You could even say, like, Throne of Glass.

[Mikayla]

A guitar.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

So many. Yeah, it's. It's. It's a trope, for sure.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

I actually eat it up every single time.

[Kennedy]

So it works. And that's why it keeps fun.

[Reggie]

It keeps you on the edge of your seat.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Okay. Someone wants a author similar to Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry. And I'm gonna go out on a limb here. Say Hannah Bonham Young. She, I feel like, is the closest I feel to Abby and Emily, in my opinion, because, like, I've read some romance books from other authors, and it's very hit or miss for me, but I feel like conspiracy consistently. I've rated Hannah's books pretty high, and I think she has. We did an interview with her. If you haven't listened to it, go listen to it. And we said this in the interview. She has a really. She has a talent for romanticizing things that aren't typically romanticized, which I really like. She has a really unique take on romance books and includes tropes and themes that aren't typically in romance books. So I would recommend her.

[Mikayla]

I like it.

[Reggie]

I echo that.

[Mikayla]

Great. That's great. This is great.

[Kennedy]

Sorry.

[Mikayla]

So someone was trying to be sneaky slash tricky, and their prompt was my favorite flower, a dandelion. And I gave you some.

[Kennedy]

I tried so hard to think of one, and it just didn't come.

[Reggie]

Okay, I have one.

[Mikayla]

Two are based on the COVID One is Vibes. Okay. The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith has a dandelion on the front. Archer's voice by Mia Sharon also has a dandelion, but it's like the. It's the. The fuzzies.

[Kennedy]

If I'm remembering correctly. Doesn't it have a significant meaning in the book? Or did I just make that up in my head?

[Reggie]

Existed.

[Kennedy]

Anyways, I remember Archer's voice.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I read them and then Forget Me not by Julia Soto.

[Kennedy]

That's a good one, too.

[Mikayla]

Those are the ones I recommend.

[Kennedy]

Florist and a wedding planner go along those lines.

[Reggie]

And for Kennedy to have a little glimpse. I was gonna say this summer will be different one because there's a little bit of yellow on the COVID And that for some reason, that cover just came to my brain. Second, the female main character is a florist.

[Kennedy]

Oh.

[Reggie]

So. And it just gives, like, really, like, summery, you know, vibes and dandelions just scream like summer to me.

[Kennedy]

That's a good one.

[Reggie]

That's the one I gave up for that one.

[Mikayla]

I love it.

[Kennedy]

It's a good one.

[Mikayla]

You're trying to be tricky, but we got you.

[Kennedy]

They got you. Gotcha. Do you have one?

[Reggie]

Oh, okay. Someone said magical realism. And if you haven't read any books by Ashley Poston, all of her books are great. They all have magical realism to them. So if you haven't read her books, go read that. And then I also. If you are an Audible subscriber, I would recommend the Glitch. I can't remember who it's by. I could look it up. But it's an audiobook only book and it is narrated by the audio or by the book adaptation. King himself, Sam Claflin. So it's a really great listen because his voice is just, like, so buttery, beautiful and great. Is he British and. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Reggie]

And that has magical realism to it and it's kind of fun. So I don't hear anyone talking about that book. I don't know how highly it's rated on Goodreads, but I think it's not talked about a lot because it's specifically an Audible audiobook. But I like that one.

[Kennedy]

So someone wanted a sci Fi recommendation like Dark Matter. Once again, Anything by Blake Crouch. But I'm going to specifically recommend for this category Project Hail Mary by Andy Ware. Andy Ware. Thank you. It has, you know, those sci fi elements. But I think why I liked Dark Matter so much is there was this not romantic element, but human element that, like, made me cry. And I feel like Project Hail Mary has the same thing. I cried at the end of Dark Matter. I cried at the end of Project Hail Mary. Who? You wouldn't think you would cry at the end of a sci fi book, but they just kind of remind me of each other in a sense.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

So if you haven't read that already, go read that. It's also being turned into a movie. We've said this before, but Ryan Gosling plays the main character. Comes out in 2026, and I cannot wait.

[Mikayla]

I think Ryan Gosling is top tier. He is actor in my book.

[Kennedy]

The range on that man from. What was he? He was on the Mickey Mouse Club. Mickey Mouse Club. Barbie.

[Mikayla]

It's been a lot.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

We've been on a Ryan Gosling show. Movie watcher.

[Kennedy]

He's the best, Ryan.

[Mikayla]

He really is.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

I don't know. Okay, sorry. This just came to my brain. This is a little off topic. You guys were talking about severance. Why can I not remember what it's called? I wouldn't say it's, like, similar, but I would say it's kind of adjacent. Ish.

[Kennedy]

Have we read it?

[Mikayla]

Yes. I need to. We didn't love it very much, but it kind of has. What is it called? The Unmaking of June.

[Reggie]

Oh.

[Mikayla]

I wouldn't say it's, like, similar, but I feel like it has vibes where you're like, what's going on? Yeah, it has a little bit of.

[Kennedy]

Like, kind of leaves you guessing.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. Anyways, that was kind of a thing that came to my mind for whatever reason. Anyways, I will. I'll skip that comedic banter. I mean, there's a lot of books that I have read that have comedic banter. But the first thing that came to my mind was the Rom Commerce by Katherine Sutter. Oh, yeah. I haven't read that, but I remember laughing out loud reading that book. But there's. There's a lot of great. Like, Emily Henry always has great banter. Abby Jimenez always has great banter. But specifically the romcommerce by Katherine Center. It was really funny.

[Kennedy]

I just finished hello Stranger by Katherine Center. Yeah, I think she just writes banter really well.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, she really does.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

I'm gonna recommend something with a grain of salt because I did laugh out loud plenty of times while listening to this book. However, keep in mind, one, check the trigger warnings. And two, it is a dark romance. It's a dark rom com. Butcher and Blackbird by Brynn Weaver. You can stop after that one. The other two aren't as good, but it was just outrageously funny with some adult themes. So check the trigger warnings, but it has good banter in it.

[Reggie]

Someone said a whimsical fantasy series similar to Rebecca Ross and Holly Black. I'm gonna go with. I know this wasn't my favorite series. I'm gonna go with Caraval. A lot of people absolutely love it. So to go along with that, Once Upon a Broken Heart, just Stephanie Garber in general, very whimsical. Like, that's when I think, whimsical book. It's the first thing that pops into my brain. While it wasn't my favorite, I still really liked a lot about the books. It's like, I think the way Kennedy and Michaela described to me is that it kind of feels like circus vibes.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

If I can remember, maybe it was someone else that said that to me. But, yeah, very whimsical. And if you want something a little more out there and just very unlike anything you've read. When I think of whimsical, I do think of Never by Jessa Hastings. Yeah, it is very whimsical writing. And, you know, it's Neverland, but I take that with a grain of salt because it's. I can't say too much about it, but it's interesting.

[Kennedy]

There's just one thing she should have not put in there, but she.

[Reggie]

She wrote it very whimsically in fun.

[Kennedy]

And you feel like you're in Neverland.

[Reggie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kennedy]

Okay. Someone asked for a slow burn. And while I have only read one book by this author, I have heard from everybody on the Internet that she's the queen of Slow Burn. Mariana Zapata, specifically the Wall of Winnipeg and me. And when I say it's like slow burn, I'm saying, like, I don't even think they graze hands until like, 70% into the book. Very, very slow burn.

[Reggie]

Love, Love.

[Kennedy]

A good slow burn.

[Mikayla]

I. Okay. Someone. Okay. I. Okay. The single parent slash Guardian.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

You know, there's one more popular series, romance, that could be taken into consideration, but I do think you kind of need to read the rest of the series before you hop into it. The Chestnut Spring series. I'm not gonna say what book. Okay. Because I feel like that's like.

[Kennedy]

There's two.

[Mikayla]

Oh, yeah, there's two. I forgot about that tech.

[Kennedy]

Technically, ish.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, technically ish. So I'm not gonna say what book, but if you're really wanting Single Parent, Single Guardian, that series, I think you'll eat up. Okay. There is some. It's a more spicy series for sure. So if you're not looking for that, I. I wasn't even gonna recommend it, but I feel like it's more popular and it's done pretty well. It's very tender and cute and sweet, so. And then another one is the Sarah Adams.

[Kennedy]

Is that the one I was thinking of? Let me see the COVID Oh, oh, I'll look up the color. Keep talking.

[Mikayla]

That one's about her having a dog.

[Kennedy]

Yes, that's the one I was thinking of.

[Mikayla]

Yes. Anyways, and then Next of Kin by Hannah Bonham Young. You know, Hannah Bonham Young, you know, there's a. There's a trend going on with her because she's great. Really liked that book. It's a Guardian.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Book instead of Parent, so kind of wanted to get you both of those. I know there's more, but I couldn't think of.

[Kennedy]

Those are good recommendations.

[Reggie]

It's like, on the tip of my tongue, and I can't even think of what it is, but they're great recommendations. Yeah, those are great.

[Mikayla]

So I wanted to say variation, but I feel like it's such a subplot of it.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Like, it's not really the main plot of it. So.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Yeah, you can maybe. Yeah. You could kind of count it as a ish. Kind of count adjacent.

[Mikayla]

Adjacent.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. And that's it. That was our last one.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Thanks for submitting those. That was fun. I like when you get really specific with it. So if you guys liked this episode, I just want to throw out there that we could always make this a segment on the podcast. If you guys would like that. Let us know because we get DMs constantly and we apologize if you're so waiting to hear from us. We not to be like, we have so many messages, but we truly do. And I think it's just because it's really fun to see the books that you guys recommend we should read. And I know, I don't know, it's. It's fun to get it out on a podcast episode, even though it is fun to go back and forth in our DMs, but. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

And that's all we have for you guys this week. Hopefully you added some books to your tbr. Or maybe it didn't, because none of our recommendations were good. And that's okay. That's totally fine. But if you guys want to see more from us, you can head to our YouTube channel. We're uploading weekly ish vlogs. We take one week off in the month. Or you can follow us. Oh, you can follow us on Instagram and Tick Tock. We are very active on those two social media platforms. And you can follow us on Goodreads if you want to stay up to date with what we're currently reading. And that's it. Happy reading, guys. Bye.