Once Upon A Ramble
Welcome to Once Upon A Ramble — the podcast where we ramble on about our favorite stories! Whether they come in the form of movies, books, songs, or even the wildest corners of pop culture, this is a safe space to gush and have long (and very fun) conversations about the stories we hold closest to our hearts. Join Reem, a self-proclaimed rambler, and an aspiring author as she overanalyzes movies and character dynamics, unpacks emotional song lyrics, and even dives into pop culture moments we all love. New episodes drop every Friday, so make sure to grab a snack, a cozy blanket, and tune in!
Episodes
Are "Strong" Female Characters Just Toxic Now?
What is a strong female character? While we've had many discussions on here surrounding what the current flaws in female characters are these days, the question of what really makes a female character both strong and likable remains. And this is what I want to answer today from my perspective as both a reader and aspiring author, as I go over the five common traits I found in all of my persona
Are The Biggest BookTokers FAKING Reading Their Books??
These past couple of years, BookTok has become a place where people start drama. The newest drama on BookTok involves the biggest influencers on the platform not reading the books they talk about, review, and recommend. But are these accusations pointed towards these creators actually true? What if they aren't? What would that mean for the reading community as a whole? And why is this happenin
Why Romantasy Books Are So Disappointing Now
Romantasy (fantasy romance) is my favorite genre to read, and to write, as an aspiring author. And it’s not just a personal favorite; it’s one of the most beloved genres in the reading community, especially on BookTok, where it has propelled authors to unprecedented levels of success.But, recently , many readers have started to notice a decline in the overall quality of Romantasy books. This growi
Why Do Authors Keep Writing These TERRIBLE Tropes?
Book tropes are an aspect of the book community that every reader has a different opinion on, and I am no different. Some tropes I love and adore, while others I find really terrible, and I wish authors would stop writing them. In this video, I discuss seven of these tropes and explain why I find them either problematic, overdone, or sometimes even both.Of course, these are just my opinions, we al
Love Triangles Are Getting Worse. And No One's Talking About It.
Love triangles have been quite popular for a while now especially in mainstream media, we find them in many popular books, movies, and shows old and new like Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and The Summer I Turned Pretty. But the fact that they're popular doesn't mean they're always good. In fact, in my opinion, we have seen many bizzare love triangles recently, and there are many thing
So Apparently...Reading is A Competition Now?
I personally love BookTok, it has brought readers and bookish creators together, helped people share books they loved and general book recommendations with each other, opened new doors for so many authors and turned their stories into massively popular books, and changed the publishing industry for the better. But, at the same time, it did participate in shifting the reading culture completely, tu
The Dark Side of BookTok We NEED To Talk About
I have always loved BookTok, especially when I rejoined the reading community a few years back. I saw it as such a fun space where we could all share our favorite books, find a book club through the platform, get reading recommendations from trusted creators, and have a community of readers we could connect with and discuss books with. But just like a lot of online spaces, BookTok has its downside
Why Romance Books Aren't Romantic Anymore
As someone who loves reading romance in books, it is not often that I pick up a romance book in particular and end up liking it. This has happened so many times as I read popular romance books everyone adores, or romance books I got from book recommendations on BookTok or BookTube. I thought it was only me who felt that way, but conversations online about romance books not being as well-crafted an
Can We PLEASE Leave These Book Trends in 2025?
Thanks to BookTok, there have been many trends that come and go when it comes to the bookish world. Some of them are much worse than others. And these ones in particular, we need leave to behind. Since the year is right around the corner, I think what better way to start the year with us readers, authors, and book lovers leaving these trends in 2025? Here are the ones I think should be at the top
The Girlbossification of Female Main Characters in Books
Female main characters have gone through quite an evolution, from damsels in distress to strong, independent characters who are considered badass. This shift was needed, and celebrated. But lately, it's starting to feel a bit problematic. Especially in Romantasy (a genre beloved by BookTok), where I feel like these female main characters are going through girlbossification. While the introduct
Why Are Male Main Characters All Written Like This Now?
Male main characters are great part of stories in many amazing romance, romantasy, and fantasy novels, and just romance fiction in general. However, I have noticed recently that in many of the books that I am reading have the male main characters written with the same repetitive tropes that are overdone at this point. But not only that, these writing tropes are also quite cringey and overused, and
Why Bridgerton Season 4 Might Be THE BEST Season Yet
The announcement after Colin Bridgerton and Penelope's love story in Season 3 that the Bridgerton series will return in 2026 made us all super sad as we all wanted the next season as soon as possible. Especially because this next season will be Benedict and Sophie's love story! And while it was just announced that the new season will be released at the very beginning of next year, giving u
aspiring author BRUTALLY ranks 45 book tropes
Book tropes, we all familiar with them, especially in romances and Romantasy books. We all have our different opinions about them, we love some and we heavily dislike and sometimes hate others. As an aspiring author who is an avid lover of reading, and of booktube and booktok, always up-to-date on writing advice, and writing tips wherever they are available, I also have my own opinions on certain
FINALLY! A Love Triangle That Makes Sense (My Life With the Walter Boys Season 2)
Season 2 of Netflix's My Life With the Walter Boys, the popular teenager show, proves that not all love triangles are created equal. Some actually work well. While I was not the biggest fan of Season 1 of the show, Season 2 actually turned the show around. And in this video, I dive into exactly what makes this love triangle stand out in comparison to other recent teen shows like The Summer I T
I FINALLY Watched The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1 & It Was NOT What I Expected (A Deep Dive)
The Summer I Turned Pretty has been a show I have always wanted to get into and watch, and with all the drama surrounding The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, I decided it is time for me to join in on the fun! In this episode of Once Upon A Ramble, I talk all about my first impressions of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1, I go over each episode highlights, I question Belly's character and analy
What Makes Mr Darcy The Perfect Romantic Hero? (Pride & Prejudice Deep Dive)
Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice has been celebrated for centuries as the ultimate romantic hero. But have you ever asked yourself what actually makes him such a perfect romantic male lead?In this Pride & Prejudice deep dive, I explore seven key qualities that make Mr Darcy one of the most beloved fictional love interests of all time. From his growth, loyalty, and quiet vulne
How Musicals, Taylor Swift, & BookTok Turned Me Into A Writer (My Origin Story)
Welcome to Once Upon A Ramble! In this very first episode, I thought what better way to introduce myself to you, other than tell you all about my origin story? I've always adore stories regardless of what formats they were in -books, music, and movies- so much so that this love turned me into a writer myself.When I sat down and thought of what truly made me into the writer I am today (currently wr
Recommended
Dark Night Tales with Brian King
Fantasy Flex
زن بودن
Medicine with Meaning
Yours Truly Johnny Dollar Collection
Take Back Your Health®
CBS Radio Mystery Theater | Old Time Radio
Solved Murders - True Crime Stories
紐約鳥｜New York Aperture
The Swerve Podcast: Obscure Topics | Conspiracy Theories
The Bread and Banter Podcast
The Church of What's Happening Now: The New Testament
