Katey and Abigail read Robinne Lee’s “The Idea of You” ahead of the movie’s premiere at SXSW (and on Amazon Prime in May). Other topics include seasonal allergies, fake artists, paparazzi and Abigail’s impending nuptials. Buy 'The Idea of You' Shop our Bookshop Follow us on Instagram...
Abigail begins her romantasy journey in this "Divine Rivals" book club! We read it using Storygraph's buddy read feature, which we loved. Other topics include the value of newsroom coffee pots, hierarchy of settlements, Katey and Abigail’s potential Halloween costume, T-Rexes and whether Rebecca Ross has ever met a journalist.
Katey and Abigail discuss their respective “romantasy” journeys — a journey Katey began last year and Abigail is about to embark on. They define the meaning of romantasy, discuss BookTok’s influence on their reading habits and debate the merits of reading in the mornings before work before their brains are fried. Other topics include the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Jason Kelce and whether or not Abigail should buy a new Kindle (she ordered one after recording this episode).
In the spirit of January's chilly weather, Abigail and Katey read Josie Silver's "A Winter in New York," which led to a lot of gelato cravings. Other topics include Cake Boss, noodles, people living in storage units and the questionable ethical decisions of this book's main character.
Katey and Abigail recap their favorite romance reads of 2023 (and a few other genres too!) and talk about what new releases they're looking forward to in 2024.
Happy New Year! Katey and Abigail ring in 2024 with “The Rewind” by Allison Winn Scotch, a romance that wasn’t exactly romantic. Other topics include Y2K panic, online dating, head injuries, self awareness, and looking at people as complicated beings.
For their final book club of the year, Katey and Abigail read "Three Holidays and a Wedding" by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley, a delightfully chaotic book. Other topics include Nokia brick phone games, private jet YouTube, the wondrous infrastructure of Snow Falls, "Hotel California" and Texas weather woes. Happy holidays! Buy the book...
In this book club episode, Katey and Abigail discuss “Tis the Damn Season” by Kimi Freeman, a debut 16-year-old (!!!!!!) author. Other topics include their Ren Faire outfits, the formative experience of having a Lorde “Pure Heroine” phase as a youth, their acting experiences growing up (mostly in Christmas nativity settings) and growing as writers throughout life.
In this book club episode, Abigail and Katey reread Jen DeLuca’s “Well Met” ahead of a trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival over Thanksgiving weekend. They discuss turkey legs, the merits of a pizza-place-slash-dive-bar, at what age you really feel like an “adult,” being properly wooed and what the “Well Met” universe and the Sims 4 universe have in common. Buy "Well Met" Visit our Bookshop...
In this episode, Katey and Abigail blind react to the descriptions of new releases for this upcoming holiday season — the sweet, the unhinged and everything in between. Other topics include an absurd trip that they’re going on together soon with their significant others and the apparent trend of celebrity romances in upcoming holiday releases.
In this episode, Abigail and Katey discuss Kate Goldbeck’s “You Again.” Other topics include the $5 DVD bin at Walmart, who they’d want to be friends with in the “When Harry Met Sally” universe, taking photos of food, counting how many Taylor Swift references are in this book and Abigail’s childhood improv comedy experiences.
Abigail and Katey are finally wearing sweaters and leaning into cozy fall vibes with “Payback’s A Witch” by Lana Harper. This book has everything they want out of fall, including an excellent bar and some witchy “John Tucker Must Die” shenanigans. They also discuss Katey’s adventure getting Halloween decorations, ghosts interrupting hook-ups and growing up watching a lot of PBS.
In this book club episode, Abigail and Katey discuss Kristina Forest's "The Neighbor Favor." Other topics include how fall is simply a state of mind in Texas even as the weather continues to hit 100 degrees, how IKEA is a perfect date spot, and how many books we added to our TBR after seeing all the book recommendations *within* this book.
In a Very Special Episode, Abigail and Katey interview Sarah Adler, author of “Mrs. Nash’s Ashes.” Conversation topics include Jose Napoleoni’s gritty backstory, taxidermy, how Sarah comes up with names for her characters, unique small-town festivals, Steely Dan, and Sarah’s upcoming novels (!!).
In this episode, Katey and Abigail revisit their close personal friend Ashley Poston to read “The Seven Year Slip.” They also discuss the science and ethical dilemmas behind time traveling apartments, bad chef tattoos, what the Jeff Goldblum pillow probably looks like, pretentious restaurant menus, and suffering through the summer in Texas.
In this episode, Katey and Abigail get more ~academic~ and analyze a book Katey found at her office. Published in the 1984, Janice Radkey’s “Reading the Romance” studies why the genre was so popular among women. In their analysis, Katey and Abigail wonder whether Radkey’s research holds up in the contemporary romance genre and discover more about their own relationship to romance.
In this book club episode, Abigail and Katey discuss “Mrs. Nash’s Ashes” by Sarah Adler, a book they haven’t seen much about but might be the romance of the year. Outside of how excellent this book is, they discuss old PBS shows, the wonder that is Mexican Italian fusion, their personal experiences with taxidermy, and the beauty in the “right nows” in love.
Katey and Abigail take on a book outside of the romance genre simply because they couldn’t resist the title and premise of Leesa Cross-Smith’s “Goodbye Earl” (and yes, it’s inspired by the song). Other topics include friend group names, early 2000s nostalgia, the privilege of having a cattle guard, black eyed peas and our love-hate relationships with our respective small towns. Buy the book here!
Abigail and Katey forced their respective fiancé and husband to read their first-ever romance novel, Tessa Bailey’s “It Happened One Summer.” The boys join as guests on the podcast to discuss the book. Shenanigans ensue, including discussions of the lack of hot men on “Deadliest Catch,” “Vanderpump Rules,” seductive jeans shopping, secret millionaires, and Joe’s Crab Shack.
In this episode, Abigail and Katey read Carley Fortune’s first novel “Every Summer After” and her latest release, “Meet Me at the Lake.” They break down how the books tackle Big Teenage Feelings, the mild online controversy surrounding the first book and the merits of judging books based on characters’ decisions.
Katey and Abigail revisit the book that truly kicked off their friendship: “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren. On top of determining that it does in fact hold up, they discuss the tackiest wedding in the world, whatever “snuba” is, the merits of $1.99 mai tais, and finding your identity in your career.
In this episode, Katey and Abigail discuss which books they’re taking on their upcoming vacations, as well as new releases they’re looking forward to this summer. Other topics include Marcel the “Friends” monkey living at the San Diego Zoo, Abigail’s travel with people twice her age, ghosts and luxury boats.
In their latest book club, Katey and Abigail discuss Emily Henry’s latest book “Happy Place.” They discuss how freakin’ sad this book is, how they’d react if they were trapped in a wine cellar, the pros and cons of surprise tattoos, how they can’t keep secrets, and how hard it is to be in your 20s. Buy "Happy Place" Shop our Bookshop Buy "The Unhoneymooners" Follow us on Instagram
In this very special episode, Katey and Abigail pretend this isn’t a book podcast and instead break down their trip through Taylor Swift’s Eras at the first night of the Houston Eras Tour. Setlist spoilers abound, so listen at your own risk! Other topics include choreography, the power of female friendship, costumes and how much we cried. Shop our Bookshop Buy our next book club book, "Happy Place" by Emily Henry...
Katey and Abigail finally give one of their favorite authors, Abby Jimenez, a full book club episode. They discuss the author’s latest release, “Yours Truly,” as Katey discovers Abby Jimenez is a cupcake entrepreneur and reveals who she would give a kidney to. Other topics include a discussion of men and hand towels, good dogs, and of course, more excitement about seeing Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour soon. Buy "Yours Truly" Preorder our May book club pick, "Happy Place" by Emily Henry...
Katey and Abigail are in their Eras era and finally fulfill their dream of a Taylor Swift-themed episode. They assign Taylor Swift songs to each of the Fifty Percent Book Club books (with some bonus extras), speculate around the Eras Tour setlist, and assign themselves the impossible task of identifying their top 10 Taylor songs. Shop our Bookshop Follow us on Instagram...
Katey and Abigail discuss “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace and discover they, too, might be joining the TikTok girlies as puck bunnies. Other topics include casting Chase Stokes as Nate in Katey’s head, Aaron being the new enemy number one of the podcast, “Cruel Summer,” some quick therapy, and the possibility of a Range Rover as a push present. Shop our Bookshop Buy "Icebreaker" Buy our April book, "Yours Truly" by Abby Jimenez Follow us on Instagram...
In this episode, Abigail and Katey recap what they read while taking a break from the podcast and discuss Katey’s new habit of (finally) being OK with DNFing books. They discuss when to DNF (did not finish) a book and their personal DNF red flags. Other topics include Christmas gifts from dads, what they thought of Jen DeLuca’s “Well Traveled,” their own Renaissance Faire adventures, and Katey’s sad-as-hell reading habits. Follow us on Instagram Shop our Bookshop...
Katey and Abigail return! In the first episode of season two, they discuss “The No-Show” by Beth O’Leary, a book that left them skeptical at first but then devastated (in the best way) by the end. Other topics include Abigail’s impending nuptials, dry January and an unlikely choice for a February book club pick. Buy The No-Show Shop our Bookshop Follow us on Instagram...
In their last book club (and last episode!) of the year, Abigail and Katey discuss “A Merry Little Meet Cute” by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone. Conversation topics include why male leads in romance novels always have bad tattoos, a dancer named Prancer, gingerbread-scented lotion, Katey’s fear of horses and big life news from Abigail to end the year. We’ll be back with new episodes in February!
