Home Podcasts Bring Your Own: A Bookish Podcast for Romance Readers
Bring Your Own: A Bookish Podcast for Romance Readers

Bring Your Own: A Bookish Podcast for Romance Readers

Brandi, Kendra, & Kayla 142 Episodes Jul 23, 2026

Bring Your Own is a bookish podcast hosted by three besties who met via the internet. Each week Brandi, Kendra, and Kayla chat (and sometimes fight) about their favorite books, authors, the bookish community, and more. The podcast focuses on romance readers and covers book recommendations, discussions, and community engagement.

Episodes

The Best and Worst Books of 2026 So Far
The Best and Worst Books of 2026 So Far Jul 23, 2026 4096 Midyear check-in time! We're officially halfway through 2026, so we're looking back at the books that completely blew us away... and the ones we wish we could unread. From new favorites to biggest disappointments, we're sharing our best and worst reads of the year (so far), plus all the other media we've been obsessed with lately, from TV and movies to documentaries and more. Come see if your fa
Book Recs for Every Song on Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
Book Recs for Every Song on Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves Jul 16, 2026 3794 Baby, don't you know that you're my golden hour? 🦋 This week, Kayla is hosting a solo episode where she pairs every track from Golden Hour to a book that captures the same feeling, the same emotional beat, the same message. From the quiet dignity of letting someone go, to the giddy disorientation of falling in love, to the radical act of finally letting yourself be okay. There's a book for every
They Opened The Bookish Khia Asylum!
They Opened The Bookish Khia Asylum! Jul 9, 2026 5481 🚨 Welcome to the Bookish Khia Asylum 🚨 We're following the iconic "7 Levels of…" trend, but make it bookish. From Level 1 to Level 5 in our case, we're deciding which authors, bookish things, concepts, opinions, ANYTHING- deserve each floor. Who's getting early release, and who's never seeing daylight again? Expect hot takes, and some ten-toes-down defending. Check yourself in and tell us: who
Book Recs for the folklore Girlies
Book Recs for the folklore Girlies Jul 2, 2026 3732 What if every song on Taylor Swift's folklore had the perfect book to match? This week, Brandi is hosting a solo episode where she pairs every track from folklore with a book recommendation that captures the song's atmosphere, themes, and emotional depth. From heartbreaking love stories to nostalgic coming-of-age tales, each recommendation is inspired by the world Taylor created on this iconic al
Hannah Brown Gets Real About Love, Heartbreak, and Her Most Personal Story Yet
Hannah Brown Gets Real About Love, Heartbreak, and Her Most Personal Story Yet Jun 25, 2026 3247 Former Bachelorette and bestselling author Hannah Brown joins BYO to discuss her new book, Reasons to Be Loved By You. In this candid conversation, Hannah opens up about the inspiration behind the book, the personal experiences that shaped her writing, and the lessons she's learned about resilience, growth, and finding her own voice. We talk about the journey from reality TV to authorhood, what r
The Queer Hades Retelling Everyone's Talking About | Chip Pons Interview
The Queer Hades Retelling Everyone's Talking About | Chip Pons Interview Jun 18, 2026 3523 You'll come for the spicy Hades retelling and stay for Chip's incredible energy. We had an absolute BLAST talking with Chip Pons about Dearly Departed, the queer Hades retelling that's stealing readers' hearts. From writing swoon-worthy romance and irresistible tension to balancing humor, emotion, and mythology, Chip brought the behind-the-scenes scoop. Watch us tear up with emotion, then almost
We Need to Talk About Every Year After
We Need to Talk About Every Year After Jun 16, 2026 4694 So we watched Every Year After... and we have thoughts. In this BONUS episode, we're diving into one of the most anticipated book-to-screen adaptations of the year. As huge fans of the novel, we went in ready to relive all the heartbreak, chemistry, and emotional depth that made us fall in love with the story. Join us as we break down what the show got wrong, why the adaptation missed the mark f
BRUTALLY Honest Rankings of Our Book Club Picks
BRUTALLY Honest Rankings of Our Book Club Picks Jun 11, 2026 3267 BYO Book Club is officially 1 year old! To celebrate, we ranked every book club pick... and some of these takes toward the end might end friendships! From instant classics to books we wish we could un-read, we're giving our brutally honest rankings with zero mercy for every book we read this year. Which book do you think got robbed, and where did we go right? Join the BYO book club ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
2026 Books You Need to Add to Your Summer TBR
2026 Books You Need to Add to Your Summer TBR Jun 4, 2026 5055 In this episode we’re spotlighting the most anticipated romance, literary, and fantasy releases of the summer season. From heavy-hitting, big name romance releases, to debut authors we can’t wait to read, these are the books about to take over your TBR. Whether you’re here for romance, litfic, or romantasy recommendations, this Summer Book Release Radar has you covered. Get your calendar ready fo
Everyone’s Losing It and Brooke Averick Explains Why
Everyone’s Losing It and Brooke Averick Explains Why May 28, 2026 2623 Brooke Averick joins Bring Your Own to discuss her debut novel Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It and why modern life feels like one long emotional emergency. From existential crises to dating disasters, Brooke dives into the balance of chaos and sincerity, and why that combination makes the best stories. Known also for her hit show Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast, Brooke is no stranger to conversati
We Have A Lot to Say About Cherry Baby…
We Have A Lot to Say About Cherry Baby… May 21, 2026 4502 Did Rainbow Rowell deliver with Cherry Baby? This week on Bring Your Own, Kayla, Kendra, and Brandi are doing a FULL deep dive into Cherry Baby. We talk about the relationships, the writing, the scenes that stuck with us, and why Cherry Baby feels a little different from some of her other books in the best way. We also get into our overall thoughts on Rainbow Rowell as one loyal longtime reader,
We Need to Talk About Off Campus
We Need to Talk About Off Campus May 20, 2026 4645 We couldn’t just NOT talk about Off Campus, so two episodes this week it is! We binged all of Off Campus, the brand-new TV adaptation inspired by the hockey romance book series that took BookTok by storm. Now, we’re breaking down our first impressions, favorite moments, casting choices, what worked (and what didn’t), and whether the show lives up to the hype of the original books. From iconic sc

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