Besties and the Books Podcast
Ashley and Liz, real-life besties and lifelong book lovers, host this weekly podcast where they chat about their favorite reads. They focus on fantasy, romantasy, and dark romance, but welcome all genres. Each Tuesday they share laughs, book recommendations, and personal anecdotes. Listeners can also follow the hosts on social media and YouTube.
Episodes
Ep 123 *NEW* K!nks Unlocked + What We’ve Learned from Romance, Romantasy, and Fantasy Novels
Send us Fan MailAt this point we think most of us are willing to admit that romance and fantasy novels saved publishing. We watched Barnes & Noble come back from the brink of collapse, Target bring back their book section, and movies made from book adaptations like Wuthering Heights and The Housemaid bring people back to theaters. If you don’t believe us, maybe you’ll believe math - just go lo
Ep 122 “This is MAJOR!” The Poison Daughter Discussion with Indie to Trad Author Sheila Masterson!
Send us Fan MailThe Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson has taken the Romantasy and Dark Fantasy world by storm and as of August 18th will be rereleased and traditionally published by Zando Publishing in hardcover and dual narrated audiobook! We’re here to celebrate with none other than Sheila herself, the beautiful, smart, and incredibly talented woman behind one of our favorite books of the year
Ep 121 “I’m SO Embarrassed!!” Reacting to Embarrassing Bookish Confession Stories!
Send us Fan MailHave you ever had something bookish AND embarrassing happen to you? We’re not shy… and apparently we don’t embarrass easily (shocking 😂)… so we’re here today to share other people’s mortifying book stories! But don’t you worry, we make sure to include a little tidbit or two about ourselves. So sit back, relax, and get ready to laugh at a spoiler free, homework free episode! We brin
“I’m SCARED!” Iron Gold Red Rising Book 4 | Deep Themes, Deep Thoughts, and Recap
Send us Fan MailWell...we finished Iron Gold. This is the part in the show notes where we typically include a quippy little one liner from one of our most favorite Red Rising characters or moments. And whoever gets the inside joke, gets it. Then we laugh (😂😂), or throw up the rock n’ roll hands (🤘🤘) and get excited to be a Howler (🐺🐺). We hate to break it to you, but we fear those days are over fo
Ep 120 *EYE OPENING* Historical Fantasy Autumn Kruase The Gods Will Sing Our Song | Author Interview
Send us Fan MailToday we have a very special spoiler free author interview episode for you with young adult Romantasy author Autumn Krause! Autumn is the author of four novels (so far): A Dress for the Wicked, Before the Devil Knows You’re Here, Grave Flowers, and coming soon…her very timely and extremely important fourth novel The Gods Will Sing Our Song. Out everywhere (including Audible!) on Se
"HAIL THE REAPER!" Morning Star Red Rising Book 3 | Deep Themes, Deep Thoughts, and Recap
Send us Fan Mail“Finish the bucket, or get the box!” At this point most of you are fully aware of what you’re getting into with this series, so let us officially induct you into our den of Howlers. Just remember two things: “Omnis Vir Lupus 🐺🤘,” and “sh*t escalates.” Because there ain’t nothin’ Pierce Brown has written thus far to indicate that the next four books will bring us anything other than
Ep 119 *Skin Suits and Literal Hair Ties?!* We need to talk about Headlights by CJ Leede!!
Send us Fan MailTime to deep dive CJ Leede's newest horror book, Headlights!You want horror, we gave you horror. You want horror, give you horror. Ask for horror, you got horror! You asked for horror, you got it! We’re even! We’re even, besties! We don’t know what more you want from us! (IYKYK! 😜🍪)Here’s the thing… you said you wanted us to cover more spooky books, so we present to you our fi
“BREAK THE CHAINS!” Golden Son Red Rising Book 2 | Deep Themes, Deep Thoughts, and Recap
Send us Fan MailListen closely, my goodman, Golden Son ruined our bloody damn lives… and we’re here to fill you in on the heartbreak. ☄️We kicked off Sci-Fi Summer with a full-length episode introducing the genre and setting the scene for a closer analysis of science fiction. We discuss who has historically defined and dominated the genre, its subsequent evolution, and how our newest deep dive obs
Ep 118 “DON'T DO THIS!” Bookish Pet Peeves + Hot Takes w/ Fantasy FanReads host @TheLostBooksofJess
Send us Fan MailToday we’re bringing you an entirely spoiler free fun bestie chat with the Queen of bookish comedy: Jess @thelostbooksofjess and the host of the podcast @fantasyfanreadspod ! Jess’s hilarious reels, polls, and character boards introduced us to her bookstagram years ago, and here we are today yapping about unpopular bookish opinions and pet peeves, ready to get the people goin’!
We FINALLY Read RED RISING and we need to talk!!! | Book 1 Deep Themes, Deep Thoughts, and Recap
Send us Fan MailSci-Fi Summer is here in full force, boyo! Are you prime? 🤘🐺Earlier this week we brought you a full-length episode introducing our summer bonus series covering Red Rising by Pierce Brown! A long anticipated request from you, our listeners, to join a passionate science fiction fandom… of a book series written by a man. And we had to be honest with you - we were more than a little bi
Ep 117 "You’ve Loved Sci-Fi ALL ALONG!" Intro to Science Fiction and Red Rising Deep Dive Series!
Send us Fan MailWhat the heck is science fiction and how is it different (or suspiciously similar 🤔) to fantasy? We’re here to tell you! On today’s episode we’ll be setting the scene for our newest bonus series covering Red Rising by Pierce Brown, starting this Friday with our deep dive into book one! We’ve covered dystopian themes with our exploration of The Hunger Games universe by Suzanne Colli
Ep 116 “He does WHAT with his CORN DOG?!” Reacting to AITA & AIO 4th of July Stories
Send us Fan MailLive from the Barbeque Hotdog Store… It's Tuesday afternoon! Also known as our annual celebration of everything “American” and our Fourth of July 🇺🇸 | Am I the A Hole spoiler free episode! We take it even further this year to expand into a special “AIO,” or “Am I Overreacting?!” segment to remind us all why we love getting together with friends and family for the “holidays.” W
Ep 115 “TEARS EVERYWHERE!” Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A Parker | Book Reviews, Recap, Summary
Send us Fan MailWe’re fiiine. Totally fiiine. We hope you're fiiine too! Here’s your reminder to go read The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A Parker. Book two in the Moonfall Series, the follow up to When the Moon Hatched, and what we now know to be the “middle book” in the trilogy hits hard and scores high on our Cry-ometer (IYKYK 😭🫠). Check out our recap video of book one if you need it
Ep 114 *NEW* Psychological Paranormal Horror with CJ Leede and Her Release Headlights | Author Interview
Send us Fan MailYou asked for some horror coverage, and that’s exactly what you’re getting! Today we’re here with CJ Leede, THE Queen of horror, to get to know her, introduce her brand new book Headlights and discuss why horror with feminist themes is so important and is resonating on a different level with readers right now. Don’t worry, this episode is entirely spoiler free, so if you’re horror
Ep 113 “THAT’S IT, I’M DNFing!” Ruining the Fantasy (books) some more with the Petty Problems! 🐉😝📚
Send us Fan MailSo, here’s the thing… Today we’re bringing you a spoiler free, homework free, judgement free (kinda) episode where we ruin fantasy books for you by being naysayers. We’re bringing light to what we’re calling “Fantasy Probs,” aka those things in our favorite books that pull us right out of the story because… well, they’re just not realistic. And hey, if you like this go check out ou
Ep 112 Liz makes Ashley Return to Oz, was it worth it? | West of Wicked by Nikki St Crowe
Send us Fan MailDid you see that we got to interview Nikki St. Crowe?! When the Queen of spicy fairytale reimaginings calls, you answer and promptly cover her new book West of Wicked! We thought we’d made it out of the Oz universe alive and *relatively* unscathed but “spoiler alert* we got sucked right back in. Are we happy about it? Listen on to find out. West of Wicked is book one in the Great
Ep 111 Let’s UNRAVEL Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry | Book Reviews, Recap, Summary
Send us Fan MailRites of the Starling, Rites of the Starling, Rites of the Starling…if you say it three times, does The Guardian appear? 😂 We jest, because we know this second installment in the Shield of Sparrows series by Devney Perry is highly rated, but definitely somewhat polarizing because of its unique storytelling style, and the introduction to completely new characters for half of the ent
Ep 110 *WHAT HAPPENED IN* Shield of Sparrows? Recap Before Reading Rites of the Starling | Review & Summary Deep Dive
Send us Fan MailSo what happened in Shield of Sparrows? Well, we will tell ya! We’re not sure about you, but we know that when we love a book… like five star love… infinity star obsession-level love… we forget absolutely everything that happened. It’s a black out phenomenon that cannot be explained. Which is exactly what we both experienced last year when we read Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Ep 109 AM I THE A HOLE? + Bookish Unpopular Opinions & Unhinged Questions w/ Little Blonde Books!
Send us Fan MailToday’s episode is all spoiler free and fun vibes filled with unpopular opinions, hot takes, and even a bookish AITA! We’re doing our first book influencer interview and collab episode with none other than bestie of the pod: Kat over @littleblondebooks! We’re sure that you know her from her excellent book recommendations, impeccable taste in music, and her vegan advocacy over @litt
Ep 108 *listen to this* When The Moon Hatched Recap BEFORE Reading Ballad of Falling Dragons!! Deep Dive, Summaries, and Breakdowns
Send us Fan MailRemember two years ago (almost to the day!) when this new dragon book came onto the Romantasy scene called When The Moon Hatched, we voted for it as a Besties & the Book Club read (going in completely blind), and it took us all by storm?! Well, we do! We’re here today to officially deep dive When the Moon Hatched by the amazing Sarah A. Parker to finally do one of our favorite
Little Women Book VS Movies Deep Dive Discussion ( + Christian Bale VS Timothée Chalamet)
Send us Fan MailOur 2026 Classics Series is coming to a close with today’s very special episode covering not only the 1868 novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, but also the 1994 and 2019 film adaptations. We deep dive, rate and review, and rank them all. Was the book our favorite this time around? Or did Christian Bale’s hair or Greta Gerwig’s feminist-leaning script steal our hearts? This ep
Ep 107 Have you tried DYSTOPIAN ROMANTASY? Why you need to read Above the Ashes + Deep Dive!
Send us Fan MailDid you read The Hunger Games or Divergent and love it with your whole heart but want more adult romance… or maybe even some fantasy? Do you love dystopian shows like The Walking Dead and Fallout but wish the entire time for those main characters to just kiss already!? We know we’re not alone in this, and we know that Above the Ashes by K.M. Lister, book one in her Survivors of the
Ep 106 Nikki St. Crowe whisks us back to Oz for her West of Wicked book release! | Author Interview
Send us Fan MailLet's travel back to Oz in this West of Wicked Book! The day we’ve been waiting for since we started this podcast has come… the day when one of our favorite authors of all time’s people pop into OUR inbox to talk with our people (just us) for some crazy reason and invite us to yap about her new book. After we passed away, revived ourselves, and regained composure we immediatel
Little Women for Dummies! | A Beginner’s Reading Guide to Literary Classics
Send us Fan MailWe read Little Women and we want you to too! Even if after all is said and done we feel the unrelenting urge to store this beloved text in the freezer instead of on the bookshelf. IYKYK… and if you don’t, you will soon. We promise. Welcome to our newest bonus series where we’re taking deep dives into some of the most beloved classics of our time. We kicked it off with Wuthering Hei
Ep 105 RANKING & WRAP UP Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy Review, Summary, Deep Dive Discussion | Plated Prisoner Book 6
Send us Fan MailWell, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried; we’ve gasped and screamed and waited with breath that was bated… and now here we are, at book six: Goldfinch, the final installment and official conclusion to the Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy. What an incredible journey this has been. So today, to commemorate the ending of our coverage, we’re bringing you our final deep dive AND our offi
Ep 104 Your New Post Apocalyptic OBSESSION!! Above the Ashes by K M Lister | Author Interview
Send us Fan MailYou’ve heard us scream her praises over and over for the last two years and finally… She's here with a new book and big news to spill! K.M. Lister, the author behind one of our very favorite Romantasy rip-your-heart-out one offs The Shackled Serpent is here to chat with us about her newest release Above the Ashes, a post apocalyptic Romantasy and book one in her Survivors of t
Pride & Prejudice HOT TAKES, UNPOPULAR OPINIONS, & DEEP DIVE | Literary Classics Series
Send us Fan MailCrow fam… we need to talk. We read our very first Jane Austen novel ever: Pride & Prejudice, and we may have some unpopular opinions. Will the fandom (and possibly you, our dear listeners) be upset with us? I guess you’ll have to listen on to find out what us two gals had to say about this beloved classic, going in blind, with only ourselves and the crows to guide us. Just kidd
Ep 103 Gold by Raven Kennedy Review, Summary, Deep Dive Discussion | Plated Prisoner Book 5
Send us Fan MailToday we’re taking a deep dive right into book five in The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy: Gold. This is the book in the series where the tone completely changes, our main characters are forced to evolve individually,while “side” characters get their legs, and breaking generational curses, healing trauma, and revolution are at the forefront. It’s the setup for the epic con
Pride & Prejudice for Dummies! | A Beginner’s Reading Guide to Literary Classics
Send us Fan MailWell, we finally read our first Jane Austen Novel… and OF COURSE it had to be Pride and Prejudice! We needed to know what the hype was about, and why this book is such a pivotal piece of the romance canon. What is that hand flex all about??!!Welcome to our newest bonus series where we’re taking deep dives into some of the most beloved classics of our time. We kicked it off with Wut
Ep 102 RomantasyCon TIPS + TRICKS for BookCon Attendees and Panel Hosts! | Los Angeles 2026
Send us Fan MailWhat’s it like going to a bookcon? What are some tips and tricks we have to make the most of your romantasycon experience? We’ll tell ya! At the beginning of this year we set some podcast goals for 2026 and shared them with you all… and just a week later we were invited to join Fabled Fantasy Events for their 2026 Romantasycon event in LA as media partners! To go to a bookcon in a
Ep 101 Glow by Raven Kennedy Review, Summary, Deep Dive Discussion | Plated Prisoner Book 4
Send us Fan MailToday we’re taking a DEEP dive right into book four in The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy: Glow. What happens after the FMC realizes her power and lets her feminine rage free? And how does our MMC navigate that? This book is all about that transition… but just when we thought we could relax a little we’re thrown another major curveball and the rug is pulled out from under
“Wuthering Heights” HOT TAKES & UNPOPULAR OPINIONS ‘The Movie… IS actually THAT deep’
Send us Fan Mail“We can cover Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë in one episode. It’ll be fine.” 😂Yeah, that used to be us. Until we read it… and watched it, and became aware of the insane amount of social issues this story dives into, what people had to say about that in 1847… and what they’re saying about it now. One episode naturally evolved into at least three episodes: the mini reading guide,
Ep 100 OMG!! "LIVE FROM RomantasyCon ITS Slumber Party NIGHT!!!" | Happy 100 Episodes with Games, Giveaways, and Vibes!
Send us Fan MailToday is for the real MVPs. Just when you thought things over here at Besties and the Books Podcast couldn’t get any weirder… may we present to you our 100th episode filmed from our hotel room at Romantasycon Los Angeles 2026, slumber party style! We’ll be bringing you a full recap video of RomantasyCon Bookcon in all of its glory, but before then, please enjoy this “after dark” ga
BOOK VS. MOVIE Wuthering Heights Deep Dive | "Haunt Me Then!" | Literary Classics Series
Send us Fan MailFamous last words: “We can cover Wuthering Heights in one episode. It’ll be fine.” 😂Yeah, that used to be us. Until we read it… and watched it, and joined the amazingly large and polarizing discussion about it on social media. Then it turned into at least three episodes. The mini reading guide, the deep dive book vs. movie (which is what we’re covering today), and at least one more
Ep 99 Gleam by Raven Kennedy Review, Summary, Deep Dive Discussion | Plated Prisoner Book 3
Send us Fan MailToday we’re diving right into book three in The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy: Gleam. This book has one of the most satisfying character arcs we’ve ever read, culminating in an ending we never saw coming. If you enjoy a good feminine rage story, prepare yourself to experience one of the most impactful instances of that trope in any Romantasy we’ve read to date! We give yo
Ep 98 Ruining Fantasy Books!! aka Petty Things in Fantasy Books that Just Don't Make Sense...
Send us Fan MailWe’re fantasy readers! You can get us to believe anything! Almost… Today we’re unpacking all those things in fantasy and romance books that have us thinking… 🤔what the heck?! Is that even possible? I feel like that doesn’t make any sense…🤔Which for a group that is able to suspend reality to believe in magic, and dragons, and fae, and portals, says a lot. We’re talking about things
WUTHERING HEIGHTS FOR DUMB DUMBS! | A Beginner’s Reading Guide to Literary Classics
Send us Fan MailHave you officially jumped on the Wuthering Heights bandwagon yet? If you’re anything like us, reading this classic novel by Emily Brontë for the first time, you may find yourself thinking “WTF!?” on every other page, confused about the point of view, the narrator, the timelines, and the ghosts…? And we get it! So do not fret; we’ve got you! Welcome to our newest bonus series where
Ep 97 Glint by Raven Kennedy Review, Summary, Deep Dive Discussion | Plated Prisoner Book 2
Send us Fan MailToday we’re diving right into book two in The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy: Glint. This book is the perfect journey story (both literal and figurative), and follow up to the polarizing book one. If you weren’t hooked by the end of Gild, we hope you’re hooked now, because these books have A LOT of important things to say. We give you our spoiler free star and spice rating
Ep 96 "WE DID IT!!" 100+ Books RAPID REVIEWS! Year End Wrap Up and Book Goals for 2026
Send us Fan MailOur 2025 Reading Wrap Up 2.0 is here in all of its spoiler free glory! We’re giving you our one sentence star and spice rating for every book we read from July to December of last year, so get your pad and pencil out to add to your TBR… or to cross some things off… depending on how you look at it. We’re bringing you over 100 book reviews and then going over our yearly bookish goal
Ep 95 Rhysand, Kingfisher, Slade: The Man Behind the Voices! Interview w/ Anthony Palmini AudioBook Narrator
Send us Fan MailDo you love Audiobooks? Well, hold onto your buttz! Today we have a very special completely spoiler free interview episode for you. We’re bringing you something (someone?) new and exciting to go along with our deep dive series for the Plated Prisoner books by Raven Kenneny, going on now! We’re chatting with none other than the man behind our favorite voices…including THE Slade Ravi
Ep 94 Gild by Raven Kennedy Review, Summary, Deep Dive Discussion | Plated Prisoner Book 1
Send us Fan MailJust in case you haven’t heard… our first full length deep dive series for 2026 is none other than THE Plated Prisoner by Raven Kennedy! Today we’re kicking off this (at least) six-book, and seven-part journey with book one: Gild.We know that this series can be triggering, controversial, or even so slow to start (for some 😉) that it gets a “dnf.” We’re here to convince you to read
Ep 93 The Housemaid Book VS Movie Showdown! "Why the Movie Was Better?" 😱🤔
Send us Fan MailWe’re baaaaAAAk! And we’re bringing you a very special episode to kick off the new year! Something we’ve never done in a standalone episode before… it’s a book versus movie showdown with a deep dive into The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and a comparison deep dive into the 2025 movie adaptation starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney. Which was better the book or the movie?Thril
Ep 92 “Am I The A Hole? I Won’t Go To Christmas Without…” 💚🎅❤️ AITA Christmas Family Drama Edition!
Send us Fan MailIt’s the most wonderful time… of the year? Happy Holidays from us to you! We hope you’re surviving the chaos, insanity, and general family drama. So in true Besties & the Books fashion, we’re here to bring you some distraction and laughs to help carry you through the madness, and to remind you that you’re not alone… because “It’s Christmas and we’re all in misery!” (As the famo
ENTIRE Wicked Universe Wrap Up & Ranking 💚🩷 Unpopular Opinions, Honest Reviews, and Discussing Movies, Books, + Musical!
Send us Fan MailToday we FINISH our coverage of the entire Wicked universe and close our bonus “Are Books Political” series! And is Wicked Worth Reading?Wicked: For Good has officially been out for three weeks, and we are ready to yap about it with all of you. Which is better? The movies? The book series? Or the Broadway musical? We rank everything in the universe, give you our number one overall
Ep 91 BRIMSTONE (by Callie Hart) Is a Romantasy Roller Coaster 🔥 Full Book Review & Deep Dive
Send us Fan MailListen…Brimstone is here. Are we obsessed with the Fae & Alchemy series by Callie Hart? GUILTY. AS. CHARGED. Not to give anything away (including our spoiler free star and spice ratings) but we think it’s safe to say that there’s nothing better than Kingfisher in our eyes and ears, Onyx the perfect animal sidekick companion, and a one horse scene starring none other than Carrio
Ep 90 Answering the MOST UNHINGED Questions from Reddit, Bestie Community, & Each Other!
Send us Fan MailLiterally what in the actual heck is this episode? It’s all of us having a great time at the water cooler of the future, that’s what! Thank you so much to everyone who submitted unhinged bookish (and random!) questions for us to answer. It was truly a blast, and we hope you got to know us a little bit better. We got to know ourselves better, that’s for sure! 😭😂We answer all of the
Ep 89 A Very Cringy Christmas! 🎄💋 Reading Viral Popular Holiday Romance Books
Send us Fan MailThis episode is chalk full of all the magical things we hope to receive this holiday season, including but not limited to: revenge on abusive fiances via honeyed ham cleaver, several foot long Krampus tongues, monster cages, Christmas tree farms, skiing sessions, and double penetration involving a college hottie and his… step dad? 😳It’s our unhinged, cringy Christmas novella episod
Is ELPHIE Worth Reading? Wicked Prequel Review and Summary | Deep Themes and Deep Thoughts
Send us Fan MailToday we FINISH our coverage of the Wicked book universe by Gregory Maguire with the newest installation, released an entire fourteen years after Out of Oz: Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, the prequel to the original book!Told from Elphaba Thropp’s perspective as she navigates her early childhood and adolescence before starting her education at Shiz University, we watch as she discover
Ep 88 “AM I THE A HOLE? I DONT WANT TO HOST THANKSGIVING!” 🦃 | 2nd Annual AITA Thanksgiving + Holiday Book Recs
Send us Fan MailIt’s that time again, where we ask and answer “Am I The A Hole” but this time its Thanksgiving Reddit Stories! In yet another installation of our fan fave series “Am I the A hole?!” holiday edition, we’re tackling Thanksgiving Day and all the completely unhinged problems that arise when friends and family get together to “give thanks.” And then as a bonus, we’re sharing our most fa
(we actually want) OUT OF OZ!! | Wicked Book 4 Review and Summary | Deep Themes and Deep Thoughts
Send us Fan MailToday we FINISH our coverage of the original Wicked Years 4-book series by Gregory Maguire with the finale: Out of Oz, told from the perspective of Elphaba’s granddaughter Rain as she navigates the world as a stowaway during a politically tumultuous turnover of power. Was the grand finale everything we hoped it would be after the blood, sweat, and tears we put in analyzing this ext
Ep 87 We Read the Most UNHINGED Thanksgiving Smut on Kindle Unlimited 😳🦃 | CRINGEY HOLIDAY BOOKS!
Send us Fan MailToday we’re bringing you our reviews and unhinged deeeep dives on two of the most “cringy” sounding Thanksgiving themed romance novellas we could find on Kindle Unlimited. As we continue this time honored tradition of bringing you the holiday smut, we want you to know that even if we don’t love it (but hey, we might though…) we’re happy if you do. Because there truly is something f
A (COWARDLY?) Lion Among Men | Wicked Book 3 Review and Summary | Deep Themes and Deep Thoughts
Send us Fan MailToday we continue our coverage of the Wicked 5-book universe by Gregory Maguire with book three: A Lion Among Men, the only book in the series primarily told through the point of view and perspective of an Animal. The “Wicked Years” move forward with spinoff stories covering all the major players in the political upheaval of Oz, and we’re diving into the “real” story of “the coward
Ep 86 Between Two Kings Power, Passion, and the Price of Loyalty (SPOILERS INSIDE) | Review & Deep Dive Discussion
Send us Fan MailJust in case you haven’t noticed… we are completely OBSESSED with the Split or Swallow universe, created by the amazingly talented and hilarious Lindsay Straube. Last year we did a deep dive and our very first author interview with Lindsay covering all things Kiss of the Basilisk, and now we’re back to yap about the highly anticipated sequel Between Two Kings! Out today! Last week
Ep 85 Between TWO Kings?! What’s that all about?! LINDSAY STRAUBE IS BACK!!! | Exclusive Author Interview
Send us Fan MailFirst EXCLUSIVE Author Interview with Lindsay Straube for Between to Kings is here!Just a short year ago Kiss of the Basilisk (or Split or Swallow for those of you who’ve been here since the beginning 🙌) took the romance literature world by storm! Lindsay Straube, known to many as @oxfordlemon on Instagram went from a hilarious meme account to self published bestselling author of o
Son OF A Witch!!! Wicked Book 2 Review and Summary | Deep Themes and Deep Thoughts
Send us Fan MailToday we continue our coverage of the Wicked 5-book universe by Gregory Maguire with book two: Son of a Witch! We’re diving into political fantasy like we never have before, just in time to watch Wicked for Good with all of you! Check out our kickoff “Are Books Political" episode all about why books and reading are inherently political and why it’s not only important to ackno
Ep 84 "AM I THE A HOLE?!" 👻 🎃 HALLOWEEN Edition + Fall Book Recommendations and Hopefuls!
Send us Fan MailIt’s that time of year again! Time to react to AITA Halloween Stories, time to put on our special surprise wigs, try not to laugh at literally everything we say, and give you guys the spoiler free Halloween rundown! We’ve got a spooky season fave and fail including a holiday meet cute, and the official Scream House, a smash or pass (fictional) serial killer / monster edition, and a
"Are People Born Wicked?" Wicked Book 1 Review and Summary | Deep Themes and Deep Thoughts
Send us Fan MailToday we begin our coverage of the Wicked 5-book universe by Gregory Maguire. We’re diving into political fantasy like we never have before, just in time to watch Wicked for Good with all of you! Check out our latest Tuesday full length episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Z1NeJej2k all about why books and reading are inherently political, why it’s not only important to acknow
Ep 83 Are BOOKS Actually POLITICAL?? Discussion and Kick off to Wicked Books Deep Dive!
Send us Fan Mail“Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?”Today we will be exploring the highly debated topics of whether or not books are inherently political, if politics can even be separated from literature (and fantasy) in general, and if the very acts of reading and publishing have been politicized. We will be exploring all of these questions through an intersecti
Ep 82 “Halloweentown for ADULTS?” Stepping into the Haven Ever After Books Series by Hazel Mack
Send us Fan MailToday we’re bringing you a deep dive follow up to a very exciting and mostly spoiler free author interview episode with Hazel Mack all about the monster romcom series that stole our hearts: Haven Ever After! We’ll be discussing all NINE books that complete this lighthearted happily ever after series including eight full length books, and one short novella. This series has every typ
Ep 81 🎃 Very UNHINGED HALLOWEEN Book Reviews! | Burn For Jack & HallowPeen 🌶️
Send us Fan MailWe blinked and it’s suddenly spooky season again… and don’t you know we are not complaining about it! The leaves are turning, Home Depot skeletons are gracing the front lawns of every neighborhood in suburban America, and pumpkin cold foam is the highlight of our crisp mornings. It. Has. Begun. And for us fall girlies, that’s all we want in this life. Well, that and some good old H
Ep 80 WHY YOU NEED TO READ the Haven Ever After Book Series this fall!! | Author Interview w/ Hazel Mack
Send us Fan MailToday we have a very exciting and mostly spoiler free author interview episode for you! We’re chatting with independently published monster romcom, paranormal romance author Hazel Mack to celebrate the spooky season and to get us all in the Halloween mood! We’ll be discussing all things Haven Ever After, the monster romance series that unexpectedly got us into the genre with book 1
Ep 79 Should You Read This TREASURE HUNTING ROMANCE?? | Among the Curse Gods by T J Lundin
Send us Fan MailIt’s officially time to celebrate the release of the insanely entertaining contemporary treasure hunter romance that took Ashley and Liz by storm! Among the Cursed Gods by T.J. Lundin is out now and available to order on paperback and Kindle. Today we’re following up on our author interview with T.J. with a deep dive into the plot, tropes, characters, and as usual, our spoiler free
WORTH Reading ENTIRE Anne of Green Gables Series? RANKING & WRAP UP Books VS Movies | Bonus Minisode 5
Send us Fan MailToday we’re officially wrapping up and ranking everything in our latest coming of age miniseries covering the Anne of Green Gables 8-book collection by L.M. Montgomery, and the classic movie adaptations! And… announcing the POP-u-lar book series we’ll be covering for the fall. 😉We’re here to give you the “411” on everything from the most popular to the lesser-read books in the seri
Ep 78 CRAZY REDDIT CONFESSIONS | Reacting to Unhinged Bookish Confessions! Twilight Shame, Buried Books & Spicy Secrets
Send us Fan MailDo you have any bookish confessions that you've been holding inside, waiting for the opportunity to share with a nonjudgemental group of silly girls just here for a good time? Skeletons in your closet… bookish habits that keep you up at night…things you could never tell to your own inner circle? Well, we’re here for you. You are not alone! Not only do we share our own biggest
“IT WAS CENSORED?!” Rainbow Valley & Rilla of Ingleside Book 7 & 8 Reviews & Summary | Bonus Minisode 4
Send us Fan MailToday we’re wrapping up our deep dive videos for our newest miniseries covering the Anne of Green Gables 8-book collection by L.M. Montgomery. Anne is now a mother of six, navigating a reality in which herself, her husband, and all of her children exist in World War One Canada. What does this mean for the country, the world, and more specifically, the Blythe family and the small co
Ep 77 IS A CROW MONSTER ROMANCE FOR YOU? House of Beating Wings + Unhinged Crow Shifter Books Review
Send us Fan MailSHOP OUR NEW BESTIES and the BOOKS X CROW Merch! | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.comUse code “CROWSPEED5” for $5 off one order of $50+ (ends 09/15/2025 11:59pm PST)Holy mother of crow, what just happened?! Honestly, we’re not even sure ourselves. We blinked and it was Crowtember! Also known as “September,” we’ve deemed Crowtember the month of the crow, the gateway
“That’s JUST like a MAN!” Anne’s House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside | Book 5 & 6 Reviews & Summary | Bonus Minisode 3
Send us Fan MailToday we continue on with our newest miniseries covering the Anne of Green Gables 8-book collection by L.M. Montgomery. We’re officially into Anne’s adult years, and we’re here to bring you the answer to the question we’ve all been wondering since we started this journey… is it worth reading past book 3?In this episode we dive into books five and six: Anne’s House of Dreams and Ann
Ep 76 📈 Ranking ALL the Sarah J Maas Books!
Send us Fan MailToday we’re doing the impossible task of ranking every book in the entire Sarah J. MAAS averse, including Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Crescent City, and the lesser known standalone book and DC collaboration, Catwoman. That’s SEVENTEEN books that are all 4+ stars that we pick apart with a fine-toothed comb to come up with one winner, and unfortunately, one at the b
"What if ANNE was one of us?” Anne of the Island and Windy Poplars | Book 3 & 4 Reviews & Summary | Bonus Minisode 2
Send us Fan MailToday we continue on with our newest miniseries covering the Anne of Green Gables 8-book collection by L.M. Montgomery. We’re diving into classic literature like we’ve never done before to give you the 411 on beloved “children’s” books that we KNOW are actually for everyone! In this episode we dive into books three and four: Anne of The Island, and Anne of Windy Poplars - we’re off
Ep 75 Behind the Mic w/ Book Club After Dark 🌙📚 | Bookish Pet Peeves, Origin Story, + more!
Send us Fan MailIn this spoiler-free collab episode, we sit down with the brilliant duo behind Book Club After Dark and bring you a whole lot of fun (and some serious tea 😏) on our very first podcast collaboration episode with Danni and Michelle over at the Book Club After Dark Podcast! Where to find them:YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@BookclubafterdarkAll Podcast Platforms | @ Book Club After
WORTH READING Anne of Green Gables & Avonlea as Adults? Book 1 & 2 Reviews & Summary | Bonus Minisode 1
Send us Fan MailToday we start covering the Anne of Green Gables 8-book series by L.M. Montgomery. We’re diving into classic literature like we’ve never done before to give you the 411 on beloved “children’s” books that we KNOW are actually for everyone! Check out our latest Tuesday full length episode all about what the Bildungsroman is, why women and girl’s stories are so important for everyone
Ep 74 Coming of Age, Girlhood, & Green Gables: What is a Bildungsroman and Why Female Stories Matter
Send us Fan MailAccording to Miriam Webster, the Bildungsroman is a novel about the moral and psychological growth of a main character. Today, we’re kicking off our Anne of Green Gables bonus episode series with an introduction to the genre, a basic examination of life on Prince Edward Island, the 7th Canadian province where the Anne books primarily take place, and some context and backstory about
Ep 73 Answering YOUR UNHINGED Would You Rather & Bookish Smash or Pass Questions! (Reddit + Fan Submissions!)
Send us Fan MailWhat time is it? Unhinged would you rather time!! Get to know Liz and Ashley, your wonderfully open-bookish podcast hosts through a series of would you rathers, generally off the rails asks, and smash or passes that don’t hold back. Oh! And this episode is entirely spoiler free! We gathered a collection of would you rather submissions from you, our lovely listeners, so buckle up to
Ep 72 Mid Year Book FREAKOUT!! 85+ Book Reviews and Ratings thru Mid Year 2025
Send us Fan MailIt’s our mid-year one sentence spoiler free book review episode! How is it the middle of 2025? We have no idea how we got here but we know we only did it through a healthy amount of disassociation and yapping… courtesy of books.Stick around if you want to hear 85+ rapid reviews on every single book we’ve read for the podcast, for personal enjoyment, and for science! A bit of a Mid-
Ep 71 HEAT of the EVERFLAME Review, Summary, and Deep Dive | Kindred’s Curse Saga Book 3
Send us Fan MailWe interviewed Penn Cole, we took a deep dive into Spark and Glow of the Everflame, and today we’re continuing on with our deep dive into book 3: Heat of the Everflame. With the first fifteen minutes being spoiler free, and including our basic star and spice ratings! Check out our full Kindred's Curse Saga Playlist | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=103nCXINMP4&list=PLHf5v0
Ep 70 “National Treasure + Uncharted FOR ADULTS??” Among the Cursed Gods by T J Lundin | AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Send us Fan MailToday we’re bringing you a spoiler free (with possibly a teaser or two we’ll warn you about 😉) author interview episode with none other than indie published romantasy, contemporary romance author T.J. Lundin! We’re looking forward to celebrating the upcoming launch of her National Treasure inspired book Among the Cursed Gods, out on September 15th, and available to preorder now on
Ep 69 GLOW of the EVERFLAME Review, Summary, and Deep Dive | Kindred’s Curse Saga Book 2
Send us Fan Mail"In this episode of Besties and the Books, Liz and Ashley dive deep into Glow of the Everflame, book two in Penn Cole’s Kindred’s Curse Saga. They start off with their spoiler-free reviews, giving the book high praise for character growth, richer world-building, and a masterful slow-burn romance. They give a brief 5 sentence book summary. They also share some fun personal upda
Ep 68 AITA Hotdog Edition! Just kidding (but not really) it’s the 4th of July!
Send us Fan MailWhat is the good old US of A at its core? Well, we decided to take that magical school bus trip to the center of America and what did we find? Not molten lava, The Statue of Liberty, or even bald eagles like you might suspect. We found hotdogs. And boy, were there many. Today we’re resuming our “Am I the A Hole?!” Holiday Series with our 4th of July episode. We’ve got angry neighbo
Ep 67 Spark of the Everflame Review, Summary, and Deep Dive | Kindred’s Curse Saga Book 1
Send us Fan Mail"In this episode of Besties in the Books, hosts Liz and Ashley dive into Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole, the first book in the Kindred Curse Saga. As a fresh romantasy read from a New York Times bestselling debut author, this novel blends strong female leads, a compelling magic system, and light feminist themes that set it apart in the fantasy genre. The hosts share a spo
Ep 66 Wild by Cheryl Strayed: Grief, Finding Yourself, and Journeying as a Female | Books That Made Us College Follow Up
Send us Fan MailToday’s episode is officially our second non fiction / memoir that we’re reviewing on the podcast and a follow up to our “books that made us” series covering our college years. Ashley and Liz both presented five of the books that helped shape our personalities as early 20-something’s in the world, put all the titles into our trusted BATB beanie™, and then chose one to reread. The r
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