If you’ve ever opened a book… read two chapters… and then immediately picked up something else—welcome. You are among friends.

We’re back with our April mid-month check-in, and this one is very much a “we’re just vibing” episode. Because somehow it’s already mid-April (time is fake, we’ve decided), and our reading habits are… questionable at best.

This episode is less of a structured update and more of a where are we at, what are we doing, and why is nothing sticking kind of situation.

A Quick Reality Check

We started April with intentions. (Good intentions. Strong intentions.)

And then… nothing grabbed us.

Between reading slumps, lack of focus, and just life doing its thing, we’ve both found ourselves in that weird space where you’re technically reading… but not really reading.

Or, as we so eloquently put it:

we are currently “attempting to read”

Release Radar (aka How We Ruin Our Own TBR)

This part of the episode remains undefeated.

Every single time we sit down to talk about new releases, we:

1. Add books to our TBR

2. Get excited about them

3. …and then never read them

As is tradition.

April gave us a mix of:

• Romance with all the tropes we love (friends to lovers, slow burn, fake relationships 👀)

• Spooky thrillers that might finally give us the “crawl out of your skin” feeling we’re chasing

• Sci-fi/fantasy picks that we want to be into (we’re trying, okay)

• And a few covers so pretty we didn’t even need the synopsis

And yes… we absolutely added multiple books while recording.

The Ones We’re Actually Excited About

Without giving too much away (because that’s what the episode is for 👀), a few stood out:

• A fake dating, friends-to-lovers situation that checks way too many boxes

• A creepy caretaker job thriller that gave immediate heebie-jeebies

• A short dystopian romance about the literal end of the world (casual)

• And a dark Wizard of Oz retelling that we will, without question, eat up

Because if it’s a retelling and a little unhinged… we’re in.

The Bookish Grapevine

Since we accidentally skipped March (life happens, okay), this episode turned into a bit of a news catch-up moment.

Some highlights:

• More book-to-screen adaptations are coming (we have thoughts)

• Some are already out… and we are debating whether to watch or reread first

• A few upcoming releases and casting announcements that have us 👀

• And one or two things that made us go, “okay wait… I need that immediately”

“we’re just casually reshaping our entire TBR again”

What’s On Our Nightstands

This is where things get a little chaotic.

Between the two of us, we currently have:

• Multiple books started

• Multiple books paused

• Multiple books we want to read

• And at least one book actively ruining us emotionally

It’s very much a “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” situation.

One of us is juggling:

• fantasy

• audiobooks

• book club reads

• and pure desperation to get out of a slump

The other is:

• battling a nonfiction read

• starting and stopping multiple books

• and emotionally spiraling over a certain The Last Letter (which… yeah, that tracks)

The Plan (If Everything Goes According to Plan…)

We are hoping (key word: hoping) to:

• Watch and talk about Reminders of Him

• Possibly do a book vs movie comparison

• And get back into our regularly scheduled chaos

No promises, but the intention is there.

Final Thoughts

This episode is exactly what a mid-month check-in should be, a little messy but a whole lot of honest. Not every reading month is productive. Not every book hits. And sometimes you’re just… respectfully wandering near your TBR.

🎧 Listen to the full episode for all the chaotic adds, real-time reactions, and the books that somehow ended up on our TBR against our will. 💚📖

Welcome to this chaotic little bonus episode of My Sister’s TBR, where we finally sat down to watch the new HBO Harry Potter trailer!
(and immediately realized we were not prepared for the emotional damage.)

First Reactions: Immediate Emotional Instability

Before even hitting play, we knew this was dangerous territory.

This isn’t just another adaptation, this is our childhood. The kind of story that shaped how we read, how we imagined, and who we are as book people.

So yes, the stakes were high.

Within seconds we were tearing up.
We were overwhelmed.
We were already spiraling.

Because somehow, impossibly, this didn’t feel like just another reboot, it felt like coming home.

The Big Question: Does It Feel Like the Books?

Short answer: yes. Immediately.

One of the biggest takeaways from the trailer is that this adaptation feels much closer to the source material than the original films ever could.

We’re getting more of Harry before Hogwarts, more of the magic, and more of the darker reality of his childhood.

And… we have thoughts about that. You’ll want to hear them.

The Tone: Darker, Heavier, More Honest

One thing that stood out immediately is how dark this version feels. Harry’s childhood isn’t quirky or comedic. It’s not “haha, cupboard under the stairs.”

It’s neglect, isolation and cruelty.

This trailer has shifted the entire tone of the series in a way that feels more mature, emotionally grounded and actually more respectful to the story.

Hagrid: The Emotional Breaking Point

Let’s talk about the moment. Yesss, that moment.

When Hagrid appears and we’re done for.

Immediate tears.

We talk about why that moment hits so hard, and also the one tiny detail that has us just a little bit 👀.

Cautiously Optimistic (But Still Nervous)

There are things we’re excited about.
There are things we’re side-eyeing.

And yes… we do talk about Snape.

Final Thoughts: Before We Spiral Again

The biggest takeaway is that this adaptation doesn’t feel like it’s trying to replace the movies.

It feels like it’s trying to complete the story.

To give us the details we missed.
The depth we wanted.
The version we imagined while reading.

🎧 Listen to the full episode for all of our unfiltered reactions, hot takes, and chaotic emotional breakdowns.

Trust us… this is one you don’t want to miss.

February was not exactly a productivity queen.
Our reading pace could best be described as “two chapters and a dream.”

Did we sprint through our TBRs? No.
Did we respectfully wander near them while playing video games, traveling, and living our lives? Absolutely.

But we still read a few good books, and had some thoughts. This is not the Reading Olympics, and we refuse to pretend otherwise.

So let’s talk about what we actually read this month, what worked, what didn’t, and the one book that emotionally took over February.

The Reading Slump Strikes Again

February started with a familiar villain: the reading slump.

Not because we weren’t trying, but because sometimes you start a book that just doesn’t hit right, and suddenly every page feels heavier than the last.

When that happens, it’s easy for the slump spiral to begin. One mediocre book leads to slower reading, slower reading leads to picking up fewer books, and suddenly the entire month feels like you’ve barely touched your TBR.

Add in things like travel, schedules, and a certain well-known MMORPG that may or may not be reclaiming some of our free time… and suddenly February is gone.

We’re trying to stop framing these months as failures. Life happens. Reading seasons change. And sometimes a slower month is just what it is.

The Books We Finished

Even in a quieter reading month, we still managed to finish a few books… with mixed results.

The Fix by Mia Sheridan

This romantic thriller sounded incredibly promising on paper. A tragic past, a mysterious kidnapping, and a race against time to uncover secrets, the premise had all the ingredients for a gripping story.

Unfortunately, this one dragged more than expected. What started as an intriguing concept slowly became cumbersome to get through, and by the end it felt less like a page-turner and more like a marathon.

That said, it wasn’t a terrible read! Just one that didn’t quite hit the way it could have.

Death to Valentine’s Day by Catherine Cowles

This short romantic suspense story (part of the Amazon Original Valentine’s series) had a lot going for it.

A masquerade ball.
A mysterious murder.
A masked stranger who turns out to be your ex’s older brother.

We love the drama.

The setting was fun, the romance had strong friends-to-lovers energy, and the overall premise worked well for a short read. The only issue was a plot twist that felt a little too sudden and slightly uncomfortable.

If the story had been longer, it might have been a dealbreaker. But at around 100 pages, it was still an enjoyable quick read.

I Will Always Love You… Maybe by Dana Hawkins

This sapphic romance delivered cozy cabin vibes, a chaotic pink-haired vet tech, and the classic “snowed in together” trope.

Colby, a grieving widow who has built a quiet life in isolation, unexpectedly finds herself stuck in a cabin with Josie — a woman who avoids emotional vulnerability by jumping from hobby to hobby.

What unfolds is a sweet, character-driven romance full of awkward tension, slow emotional opening, and a golden retriever that deserves honorary main-character status.

It’s charming, heartfelt, and easy to read. Even if it isn’t the most memorable romance.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Five stars. No hesitation.

Emily Henry has a talent for writing romances that feel deeply human, and Book Lovers is no exception. What starts as a story about rival publishing professionals slowly unfolds into something much richer. Not just a love story, but a story about family, ambition, identity, and sisterhood.

While the romance between Nora and Charlie is fantastic, the emotional core of the novel lies in Nora’s relationship with her sister Libby. That dynamic adds a level of emotional depth that makes the book feel bigger than a typical rom-com.

The humor is sharp, the dialogue sparkles, and the emotional moments hit exactly where they’re supposed to.

For February, this was the standout read… and possibly a contender for favorite book of the year already.

The Tournament by Matthew Reilly

A historical mystery set in 1546, featuring a massive chess tournament hosted by the Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, was definitely not a book we would normally pick up.

But sometimes asking a friend for their favorite book leads you somewhere surprising.

This story combines history, politics, chess strategy, and murder mystery, all narrated through the perspective of a young Queen Elizabeth I.

It’s smart, fast-paced, and full of twists, and while it sits far outside the usual romance-heavy reading habits, it ended up being a surprisingly entertaining read.

Featured Read: Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Our February featured read was Regretting You by Colleen Hoover. A contemporary story about grief, secrets, and the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter.

The novel follows Morgan and her teenage daughter Clara as they struggle to navigate life after a tragic accident that shatters their family dynamic.

While both of us enjoyed the book overall, our reactions landed slightly differently.

One of us rated it five stars, praising Hoover’s ability to create emotionally engaging characters and fast-paced storytelling.

The other landed closer to four stars, appreciating the story but not quite feeling that unforgettable emotional punch.

Still, we both agreed on a few things:

• The mother-daughter relationship was compelling and realistically written

• The book is incredibly easy to read

• It’s a strong entry point for contemporary romance readers

Book vs. Movie: Did the Adaptation Work?

Since our podcast theme this year includes page-to-screen adaptations, we also looked at how the Regretting You movie compares to the book.

Surprisingly, the adaptation stayed very close to the source material. While the film condensed some backstory (particularly around Morgan, Chris, Jenny, and Jonah) the overall tone and character dynamics remained largely intact.

One notable difference involved Miller and Clara’s film project. In the book, their short film competition plays a larger role, whereas the movie focuses mainly on the promposal moment instead.

Overall verdict? You’ll have to listen to find out!

Final Thoughts on February

February may not have been our most productive reading month, but it still gave us:

• A five-star Emily Henry moment

• A surprisingly good historical mystery

• A few solid three-star reads

• And a reminder that slower reading months are completely normal

Not every month needs to be packed with books to still be a good reading month.

Sometimes all it takes is one great story to make the whole thing worth it.

Until next time:
Read what you want.
Pause what you need.
And remember that your TBR is not the boss of you. 💚📖

We’re unpacking Poppy + Alex (golden retriever vs black cat vibes), the friendship-to-lovers slow burn, the “no but what if…” tension, and all the moments that live rent-free in our brains. And yes: we’re comparing page vs screen, what the adaptation nailed, what we missed, and why the movie still managed to capture that same giddy-kicking-our-feet feeling.

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This episode is basically a confetti cannon of spoilers, so if you haven’t read/watched yet, pause us, go do that, and come back emotionally prepared (or as close as humanly possible).

What we get into:

• Book vs movie vibe check: how faithful it felt and why it still worked

• Changes we noticed: missing scenes we would’ve paid money to see (hello, Tinder profile moment), plus some “why did they change that?” choices

• The romance moments: what hit harder in the book vs what hit harder on screen (and yes… we discuss the steamy scene)

• Side characters + Sarah discourse: what we lost, what we gained, and why certain choices made us tilt our heads like a confused librarian

• Final verdict: which one we preferred… and why it’s not as simple as “book always wins”

So grab your coffee, wine, or emotional support beverage of choice and come giggle, swoon, and mildly spiral with us.

Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram (@mysisterstbr) so you never miss our posts!

January is finally over (thank god), and it somehow felt like five months long. This episode of My Sister’s TBR is our end-of-month wrap-up, which means full transparency: the hits, the misses, the DNFs, the pauses, and the books that emotionally ruined us for at least three business days.

This is a safe space.
But also a court of law.
And we will be exposing ourselves.

A Quick Vibe Check: January Was… A Lot

Instead of starting with the numbers (because numbers can be rude), we kicked things off with a vibe check. And January reading was a bit of a mess.

Some of us came in hot, convinced we were out of our reading ruts… only for life to step in and say “absolutely not.” Others powered through more than expected, proving once again that mood reading has no rules and no shame.

The moral of the story: reading slumps are normal, pausing books is allowed, and January should mind its business.

The Hits: Books That Carried the Month

Let’s start with the wins! The books that made January worth surviving.

• Bluebird Gold by Devney Perry

  This one came out swinging and did not miss. A romantic suspense with strong atmosphere, compelling characters, and just enough mystery to keep you glued to the page. It balanced romance and tension beautifully and felt like the kind of book that reminds you why you love reading in the first place.

  If you’re curious about romantic suspense but don’t know where to start, this is a fantastic entry point.

• The Last Father-Daughter Dance by Lisa Wingate

  A short story that had absolutely no right to hit as hard as it did.

  In under 60 pages, this story managed to deliver heart, depth, and emotional payoff that some full-length novels never achieve. It explores family, memory, aging, and love with such tenderness that it sneaks up on you - in the best way.

  Proof that you don’t need hundreds of pages to tell a meaningful story.

• People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

  Zero surprises here. Still five stars. Still obsessed.

  This reread only confirmed what we already knew: Emily Henry knows how to write characters that feel real, relationships that feel earned, and stories that make you want to crawl into the pages and live there.

  Friends-to-lovers supremacy, summer vibes in the dead of winter, and a reminder that some authors truly don’t miss.

The Middle Ground: Good, But Complicated

Not every book was a slam dunk and that’s okay!

• 30 Flirty and Forever Alone by Christine Riccio

  Fun, charming, early-2000s rom-com energy with a magical realism twist that caught us a little off guard. The characters felt real and messy, the romance was sweet and well paced, and the overall experience was enjoyable - even if the surprise genre elements were a bit jarring at times.

  A solid four-star read, especially if you go in knowing what to expect.

• Credence by Penelope Douglas

  This one landed firmly in “I don’t know how I feel” territory. Yes, it was spicy. Was it memorable? Unfortunately. But absolutely not a reread.

  Some elements worked, others felt uncomfortable or underdeveloped, and the overall experience was… an experience. A three-star rating felt right for a book that kept us conflicted from start to finish.

The Misses: Good Premises, Rough Executions

January also delivered some disappointments. Books that should have worked, but just didn’t.

Across these reads, the issues were consistent:

• Weak emotional buildup

• Flat or underdeveloped characters

• Short formats that didn’t earn the romance

• Missing or incomplete trigger warnings (which matters)

One particular standout issue was the lack of transparency around heavy religious themes in a dark romance. A reminder that trigger warnings are important, especially when a topic plays a major role in the story.

Not every miss was terrible, but they were reminders that a great premise doesn’t always equal a great reading experience. Be sure to check out our episode to hear about all the books!

Featured Read (Spoiler-Free):
People We Meet on Vacation

To close out the month, we talked about our January Featured Read without spoilers, saving the full chaos for a separate deep-dive episode.

This book remains a favorite for great reasons:

• Strong dual timelines

• Fully realized characters that actually feel real

• Emotional payoff that actually pays off

Poppy and Alex are proof that friends-to-lovers can be just as devastating (in the best way) as enemies-to-lovers, and Emily Henry continues to be an automatic read author for us.

If she writes it, we will read it. No questions asked.

Wrapping Up January (Finally)

January gave us:

⭐ Multiple five-star reads
⭐ A few solid “meh”s
⭐ At least one why did I do this to myself book
⭐ And a renewed appreciation for mood reading without guilt

As we move forward, all of our Featured Reads this year will be Page-to-Screen adaptations, and we’re already very excited (and nervous) to compare books to their on-screen counterparts.

Keep an eye on our Instagram to see what February’s pick will be - we’ve already hinted very obviously.

Until next time:
Read what you want.
Pause what you need.
And remember that your TBR is not the boss of you. 💚📖

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 1 of My Sister’s TBR — where we proudly admit we’ve learned nothing, our anticipated releases lists are lies we tell ourselves for serotonin, and our TBRs are already derailing before February has even had a chance to hurt us.

Grab a drink, get comfy, and pretend you’re sitting with us while we aggressively add books we definitely do not have time to read. 💚

New Year, Not Really New Us

We’re kicking off Season 4 exactly how you’d expect:
✨ overcommitted
✨ overly excited
✨ and wildly optimistic about what we’ll “definitely” finish

This episode is all about our January anticipated releases, what we’re currently reading (and not reading… and pausing… and emotionally recovering from) and bookish news we’re either thrilled about or side-eyeing heavily. And of course, setting the tone for another year of chaotic reading choices.

Spoiler alert: the TBR never stood a chance.

Release Radar: What We’re Eyeing This Month

January came in swinging, and we simply did not dodge.

From hockey romances (sign us up, we are SAT) to romantasy with trials, tarot magic, and fake fated mates, this month is stacked. We’re talking:

• Brother’s best friend + single dad + bakery + hockey = immediate add

• Romantasy giving Zodiac Academy energy (we said what we said)

• Thrillers that might hit… and some we’ll try anyway because curiosity

• Cozy fantasy with major Ghibli vibes that made us weak at the knees

• Contemporary romances that scream “just stay in Italy, bestie”

Are all of these realistic reading goals?
Absolutely not.
Are they on the list anyway?
Naturally.

The Bookish Grapevine

It wouldn’t be a My Sister’s TBR episode without book-to-screen chatter.

We’re riding high after People We Meet on Vacation hit Netflix (more on that later 👀), and honestly? If this is the standard moving forward, we are cautiously optimistic. Very cautiously.

Other highlights:

• Emily Henry adaptations continue to give us hope for the future

• Certain characters deserved WAY more screen time and we will never be silent about it

• Some announcements had us excited, some had us confused, and some had us yelling “WHY?” into the void

Basically: bookish news remains a rollercoaster, and we are strapped in.

What’s On Our Nightstands

Let’s normalize something real quick:
📚 Reading multiple books at once
📚 Pausing books without guilt
📚 Not DNFing, just… emotionally stepping away

This episode is a safe space.

Between ARCs, romantasy brain rot, thrillers, dark romance, and a few deeply unhinged reads, our current reading lists are… extensive.

Highlights include:

• Finally picking up that book we’ve been talking about forever (and loving it)

• Discovering some books are best read alone because your face would have subtitles

• A dark romance description so feral it made us question our Goodreads reputations

• Hockey romance discussions that escalated quickly and unapologetically

If you’ve ever said “Is it the book, or am I the problem?” congratulations, you’re one of us.

Featured Read: People We Meet on Vacation

Our January Featured Read is People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, and honestly?

What does she put in her books?
Because it is more potent than my coffee.

This story has:

• Best friends to lovers

• Dual timelines

• Emotional devastation wrapped in sunshine

• And a book-to-screen adaptation that somehow managed to feel just as colorful and heartfelt

We are saving the real deep dive (and the book vs movie chaos) for our end-of-month episode, but just know: we are obsessed, emotionally compromised, and already planning what Emily Henry book to tackle next.

Welcome to Season 4 💚

Season 4 is officially underway, and we couldn’t be more excited to spend another year talking books with you.

If you’re still here: Thank you for embracing the chaos, thank you for enabling our TBR habits, and thank you for being part of this very unhinged little bookish corner of the internet.

New season, new books, same energy.

See you at the end of the month — and until then, happy reading 💚📖

Expect romance novels, fantasy reads, emotional stories, and honest discussions about adaptations, casting choices, and why the book is usually better. If you love book podcasts, movie adaptations, and cozy, conversational reviews, this season is for you.

New episodes drop on the 15th and last day of every month, starting January 15th!

Same cozy vibes. Same sister chaos. Just… a little glow-up. 💅📚

The Big Plot Twist: Screen to Page!

If you’ve been listening for a while, you know we love a theme, and Season 4 is serving one of our favorites yet.

This year, every featured read will have a movie or TV adaptation, and we’ll be doing what we do best:
➡️ reading the book
➡️ watching the adaptation
➡️ lovingly (and sometimes dramatically) comparing the two

We’re talking:

• What worked beautifully on screen

• What should’ve stayed on the page

• And what changes had us whisper-yelling, “WHY would they change that?!”

The schedule stays the same, so you can keep your listening routines intact. We’re just adding a little extra ✨cinematic flair✨ to the conversations.

New Look, Who Dis? 🎨

You may have already noticed...

We’ve refreshed our logo and branding, and over the next little while you’ll see it slowly rolling out across our socials. We’re going fort a more polished look, branding that matches where the podcast has grown. Still cozy, still us, just with cleaner lines and a little extra confidence.

(We like to think of it as a soft launch glow-up, not a full personality change.)

Lights, Camera… Face Subtitles 😅

One of our biggest changes this year? More video.

Because Rebecca will be close by for parts of the year, we’re leaning into video a bit more -- meaning you’ll get to see our reactions in real time. Faces. Expressions. Dramatic pauses. Probably some aggressive hand-talking (looking at you Stacey).

Yes, there will be subtitles.
Yes, we’re already embarrassed.
Yes, you’re going to love it.

You’ll still get the audio podcast you know and love, but now with bonus visual chaos sprinkled in. Growth! 📈

A Sneak Peek at Our Most Anticipated Featured Reads 👀

We’re keeping some surprises up our sleeves (because where’s the fun without a little mystery?), but here are a few adaptations we are itching to dive into this season:

• People We Meet on Vacation – friends to lovers, emotional baggage, and now a screen adaptation? Yes please.

• The Hunger Games – revisiting Panem always hurts in the best way.

• The Housemaid – thrilling twist, on the edge or our seats, and how could we forget Brandon Sklenar?!

• The Love Hypothesis – grumpy x sunshine, workplace romance, he FALLS FIRST. Come on. Obviously we’re doing this one!

And that’s just a taste. We’ve got laughs, tears, and hot takes queued up all year long.

What’s Staying the Same 💚

Because some things don’t need fixing:

• Our honest, spoiler-friendly discussions on what we’re currently reading and looking forward to. Reminder, our deep-dives on our Featured Read are always filled to the brim with spoilers.

• Tangents that start with books and end… somewhere else entirely.

• The joy of reading together and sharing that experience with you.

At the heart of it all, My Sister’s TBR is still about community, cozy chats, and celebrating stories in all their forms.

Here’s to a New Chapter 🥂

We’re so excited to kick off this year with you — whether you’ve been listening since episode one or just found us recently. Thank you for growing with us, cheering us on, and letting us ramble about fictional people like they’re real.

New year. New season. New look.
Same sisters. Same TBR pile that’s wildly out of control.

Here’s to turning the page together. 💫📖

PS. If you’re looking for some listening material, check our our year end wrap up for 2025! Maybe you’ll find something to add to your TBR!

We’re Stacey and Rebecca, and this is our 2025 Year-End Wrap-Up — a very special episode and post for two reasons:

1. We’re recapping an entire year of reading

2. We recorded in person, for the first time in way too long

Same room. Same Wi-Fi. Same pot of coffee.
It’s giving holiday special. It’s giving Gilmore Girls. It’s giving grab a mug and get comfy.

This wrap-up means we’re talking about the books we loved, the books that ruined us, and the books we finished out of pure spite

So settle in. This is My Sister’s TBR: The Year in Books Edition.

📊 Reading Goals: Or, “It’s Fine. Everything’s Fine.”

Before we dive into our Top 12s, let’s talk goals — and reality.

Stacey

• Reading goal: 84 books

• Books read: 91 (and possibly one more before the year ends)

Unhinged. Powerful. A mood reader with eight books on the go at any given moment.

Rebecca

• Reading goal: ~35 books

• Books read: ~20

Life happened. Moving happened. Stress happened. And you know what? That’s okay.

Friendly reminder (one we’ll repeat forever): reading goals are optional. They exist for fun, not guilt. You can revise them, ignore them, or throw them directly into the sun.

⭐ Our Top 12 Books of the Year

Important note: even our “lowest-ranked” books are still really good. When you read this much, the bottom of the list is still elite.

#12

Rebecca: Regretting You — Colleen Hoover
A reread that still hits emotionally, still flows beautifully, and still proves Colleen Hoover writes in a way that just works. Easy to read, heartfelt, and a solid four-star comfort pick.

Stacey: The Hunger Games (series) — Suzanne Collins
A full series reread that reminded us why this story still holds up. Dystopian, devastating, and painfully relevant — and yes, Sunrise on the Reaping emotionally wrecked us.

#11

Rebecca: The Exception to the Rule — Christina Lauren
A short, email-based romance that somehow delivered full emotional payoff. Cute, clever, and proof that short reads can still earn five stars.

Stacey: If It Makes You Happy — Julie Olivia
Small-town, autumnal, Gilmore-Girls-coded comfort. Cozy, character-driven, and surprisingly immersive.

#10

Rebecca: The Spanish Love Deception — Elena Armas
Enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, elite banter. Entertaining, easy to sink into, and deeply satisfying.

Stacey: Out on a Limb — Hannah Bonam-Young
Inclusive, heartfelt, friends-to-lovers romance with zero bad things to say. An auto-read author status unlocked.

#9

Rebecca: Beach Read — Emily Henry
Writers with writer’s block, emotional depth hiding under rom-com energy, and excellent banter. A classic Emily Henry win.

Stacey: Quicksilver — Callie Hart
Romantasy with rich world-building, true enemies-to-lovers tension, and a standout side character we desperately need more of.

#8

Rebecca: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone — J.K. Rowling
A reread that felt like coming home. Cozy, nostalgic, and always five stars.

Stacey: Every Summer After — Carley Fortune
A dual-timeline, deeply nostalgic romance that felt painfully real. Heartbreaking in the best way.

#7

Rebecca: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets — J.K. Rowling
Still cozy, but noticeably darker. A reminder of when the series starts to shift.

Stacey: Throne of Glass (the series) — Sarah J. Maas
A slow start that paid off big time. Trauma, magic, and commitment issues — but worth it.

#6

Rebecca: The Intruder — Freida McFadden
A thriller that actually surprised us. Strong twists, dual timelines, and a satisfying read.

Stacey: The Nightingale — Kristin Hannah
Historical fiction that was difficult, devastating, and unforgettable. A five-star read that hurt — respectfully.

#5

Rebecca: Five Brothers — Penelope Douglas
Dark romance, why-choose, no notes just vibes. Penelope Douglas doing what they do best.

Stacey: One Golden Summer — Carley Fortune
Lake life, nostalgia, and a helpful man. A standout contemporary romance that felt warm and immersive.

#4

Rebecca: The Twisted Ones — T. Kingfisher
Unsettling, creepy, and permanently burned into our brains. Horror that lingers long after you finish.

Stacey: The Seven Year Slip — Ashley Poston
Magical realism, grief, love, and timing. Possibly our favorite contemporary romance ever.

#3

Rebecca: How Does It Feel — Jeneane O’Riley
Fae, trials, obsession, and immediate sequel downloading. Addictive and vivid.

Stacey: Rose & Chains — Julie Soto
Dark romantasy with heavy themes, beautiful writing, and characters that still felt deeply familiar. Absolutely stunning.

#2

Rebecca: The Only One Left — Riley Sager
Creepy, atmospheric, and twisty. A thriller that had us flipping back pages in disbelief.

Stacey: House of Flame and Shadow — Sarah J. Maas
Urban fantasy perfection. Emotional payoff, unforgettable characters, and exactly why we love this genre.

🏆 #1 — Our Shared Top Read of the Year

Alchemised — SenLinYu

For the third year in a row, we agree that Dramione wins out.

This book is massive. Dark. Brutal. Beautifully written.
It destroyed us — and we loved every second.

Yes, it’s heavy.
Yes, it requires checking content warnings.
Yes, it absolutely earned the top spot.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to read it: this is it.

🚫 Books That Missed the Mark

Not every book works for every reader, and that’s okay.

Some of our lowest-rated reads this year included:

• The Crash

• Dating After the End of the World

• He Sees You When You’re Sleeping

Sometimes you finish a book because you love it.
Sometimes you finish it out of spite.
Both are valid reading experiences.

💬 Final Thoughts

This year reminded us why we love reading:

• to escape

• to feel deeply

• to connect

• and occasionally to emotionally devastate ourselves on purpose

Whether you read 5 books or 95, you’re doing it right.

Thank you for reading with us, listening with us, and screaming about fictional characters with us all year long. We’ll see you next year — with more books, more chaos, and some movie magic!

💚

It’s cozy. It’s chaotic. It’s the ideal headspace for romance readers who want comfort, chemistry, and a little magic… which brings us, naturally, to the meet cute.

What Is a Meet Cute, Anyway?

A meet cute is the first encounter between two characters who will eventually fall in love—and it’s anything but ordinary. It’s memorable, emotionally charged, and often laced with humor, tension, embarrassment, or outright chaos. This is the moment the story quietly says, pay attention—this matters.

It’s not just meeting.
It’s meeting with narrative intention.

A good meet cute isn’t accidental, even when it pretends to be. It’s carefully designed to introduce chemistry, establish conflict (or comfort), and hint at the emotional journey ahead. Sometimes it’s soft and charming. Sometimes it’s sharp and antagonistic. Sometimes it’s so awkward you physically have to close the book for a second.

Meet cutes often look like:

• Bumping into each other in a bookstore while reaching for the same book

• Publicly embarrassing one another… then realizing you’re stuck together

• Accidentally insulting the love of your life in chapter two and spending the rest of the book emotionally recovering

But beneath the trope, the meet cute serves a deeper purpose. It reveals character. Who speaks first? Who apologizes? Who doubles down? Who is secretly intrigued but pretending not to be? In a handful of pages (or sometimes a single scene) we learn how these two people clash, complement, or collide.

Most importantly, a meet cute sets the tone.
It whispers (or screams): this connection matters.

Whether it’s cozy, chaotic, hostile, or fated, that first meeting becomes the emotional origin story—the scene readers return to, quote, reread, and defend with their whole chest. And if it’s done right? We’re invested for the long haul.

Where Did the Meet Cute Come From?

The term “meet cute” comes from classic Hollywood romantic comedies, particularly those made in the 1930s and 1940s. These films understood something fundamental about storytelling: if you can make an audience care about the first moment, they’ll stay invested through every misunderstanding, argument, and dramatic rain-soaked confession that follows.

Golden Age rom-coms leaned hard into charming, slightly absurd first meetings—think missed connections, mistaken identities, or chance encounters that felt equal parts fate and farce. Movies like It Happened One Night and The Philadelphia Story perfected the formula: throw two strong personalities together in an unexpected situation, let sparks fly, and trust the audience to root for the inevitable romance.

The philosophy was simple:

If you make the meeting memorable, the audience will believe in the love story.

And literature, naturally, saw this and said: hold my quill.

Long before the term “meet cute” existed, books were already doing the work. Jane Austen didn’t call it a meet cute, but when Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy collide at that first assembly in Pride and Prejudice, the blueprint is unmistakable. Sharp dialogue, instant judgment, and a first impression that sets the emotional stakes for the entire novel.

As storytelling evolved, the meet cute adapted with it. Regency ballrooms became college campuses. Carriages became coffee shops. Formal introductions gave way to chaotic, modern mishaps. But the purpose stayed the same.

In fantasy, meet cutes might involve curses, weapons, or accidental kidnapping. In contemporary romance, they’re more likely to include spilled drinks, workplace tension, or public humiliation. Either way, they act as a narrative anchor—a starting point the entire relationship can trace itself back to.

No matter the setting, era, or genre, the meet cute remains one of the most effective storytelling tools we have. Because once readers witness that first spark, they’re not just reading to see if the characters fall in love—they’re reading to see how they get back to that feeling again.

Why Meet Cutes Work (And Why We’re Obsessed With Them)

There’s a reason meet cutes stick with us long after we finish a book. Long after the third-act breakup. Long after the epilogue babies. That first meeting isn’t just a cute moment—it’s the emotional hook.

Meet cutes work because they give us instant stakes. In just a few pages, we’re shown who these characters are when they’re unguarded, uncomfortable, or unexpectedly intrigued. We see sparks before the characters do, and that dramatic irony keeps us turning pages.

They also give us hope baked into the narrative. Even when the story gets messy—miscommunication, angst, enemies-to-lovers nonsense—we always know it started here. With this moment. This connection. This almost.

And for romance readers especially, meet cutes scratch a very specific itch. They promise:

• chemistry without commitment

• tension without heartbreak

• possibility without consequence

It’s the safest part of falling in love—on the page, at least.

A good meet cute also invites rereads. We go back knowing what’s coming. We catch the foreshadowing. The throwaway line. The glance that suddenly means everything. It becomes the scene we defend, quote, highlight, and say “THIS is when it all started.”

Which is why, when a meet cute hits? It hits. And when it doesn’t… we feel it immediately.

Our Favorite Meet Cutes (a Completely Biased, Emotionally Invested List)

Now that we’ve established what meet cutes are and why they have such a chokehold on us, it’s time for the fun part: our favorites. The ones that made us pause mid-read, reread the scene immediately, and whisper oh no because we knew we were done for.

A Court of Thorns and Roses — Spoiler & Spoiler (IYKYK!)

This one is subtle. Dangerous. And retroactively devastating.

Their first meeting isn’t loud or traditionally romantic—it’s layered, tense, and easy to underestimate on a first read. At the time, it feels like a strange, slightly unsettling interaction. On a reread? It’s a masterclass in long-game storytelling.

Their meet cute isn’t about immediate romance—it’s about curiosity, power imbalance, and something unspoken sparking beneath the surface. It sets the tone for everything that follows: intrigue first, obsession later. And the fact that it only gets better with context? Elite behavior.

Slammed — Layken & Will

Proof that sometimes a meet cute doesn’t need spectacle—just timing and tenderness.

Layken and Will’s first meeting is grounded, intimate, and emotionally sincere. There’s no grand chaos, no dramatic mishap… just two people connecting in a way that feels honest and real. Which somehow makes it hit harder.

This meet cute works because it mirrors real life: quiet moments that change everything without announcing themselves. It’s soft, it’s meaningful, and it lays the emotional foundation for a story that will absolutely wreck you later.

The Viscount Who Loved Me — Kate & Anthony

Enemies-to-lovers excellence. No crumbs left.

Kate and Anthony’s first encounter is sharp, antagonistic, and immediately electric. It’s clear from the jump that these two are going to clash, and that neither of them is prepared for how deeply. The banter is biting, the tension is thick, and the chemistry is undeniable.

This meet cute works because it establishes their dynamic instantly: equals, adversaries, and eventual soulmates whether they like it or not. It’s the kind of first meeting that makes readers sit back and think, oh, this is going to be fun.

The Seven Year Slip — Clementine & Iwan

Soft. Magical. Emotionally ruinous.

Clementine and Iwan’s meet cute is quiet and surreal in the best way. Tender, unexpected, and tinged with longing from the very first moment. There’s an instant sense that this connection exists outside normal time, which makes it feel both fleeting and monumental.

This meet cute sets the emotional tone for the entire novel: love as something fragile, precious, and worth holding onto even when it hurts. It’s the kind of meeting that feels like a gift—and readers know immediately they’re going to pay for it in feelings later.

Why These Meet Cutes Live Rent-Free in Our Heads

What all of these moments have in common (despite wildly different genres and vibes) is intention. Each meet cute tells us exactly what kind of love story we’re stepping into.

They promise tension, softness, conflict, or magic.
They establish connection before commitment.
They make us care early—and that’s the real power of a great meet cute.

And honestly? We’ll never stop chasing that first spark on the page. 💫📚

At the end of the day, meet cutes are more than just a trope… they’re the spark. The moment everything shifts. The scene that makes us sit up a little straighter and think, oh… this is going to matter.

They remind us why we love romance in the first place: the possibility, the tension, the hope that one moment can change everything. Whether it’s soft and tender, sharp and antagonistic, or wildly unhinged, a great meet cute stays with us long after we’ve closed the book.

Now it’s your turn.

Tell us in the comments - what’s your favorite meet cute?
The one that lives rent-free in your head. The one you reread. The one you defend with your whole chest. Bonus points if it made you gasp, laugh, or immediately text a friend.

We’ll be here. Probably still in stretchy pants. Definitely taking notes. 📚✨

If you’ve been wondering where our December Featured Read wandered off to… don’t worry, we address that immediately (and dramatically).

🎄 Where Is the December Featured Read?

Did we forget it? Did it fall behind the couch? Was it kidnapped by Krampus?

Nope — we intentionally set it free.

December is doing what December does best: Decembering aggressively. Between schedules, travel, burnout, and the general end‑of‑year scramble, we decided not to half‑read something just to say we did. Instead, we’re saving all that energy for a big, sparkly, slightly unhinged Year‑End Wrap‑Up episode — which we’ll be recording together, in person (finally not through Discord 😭).

So the December Featured Read is officially Missing in Action, frolicking in the snow, and living its best life. We’ll catch up with it next month.

Release Radar: What We’re Eyeing This Month

December releases were… sneaky. Not a ton, but a few caught our attention and demanded a spot on the TBR.

• 👻 Seeing Other People — Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund‑Broka

  Paranormal romance | 352 pages | December 9

  A woman being ghosted by her ex — literally. He died. And now he’s haunting her. Add in a support group for humans and their haunters, a man whose ghost‑fiancée is slowly fading, and a romance that blossoms while exes linger in spirit. Emotionally messy in the most intriguing way.

• 🏔️ Bluebird Gold — Devney Perry

  Romantic suspense | 316 pages | December 30

  Set in 1983 Montana (which we immediately loved), this small‑town romance blends grief, mystery, a single‑dad sheriff, and legends of lost gold. There’s a winter cabin, unresolved questions about a father’s death, and enough suspense to keep things interesting alongside the romance.

  Small town ✔️
  Single dad ✔️
  Sheriff ✔️
  Mystery ✔️

  Say less.

• 🕶️ The Bodyguard Affair — Amy Lea

  Contemporary romance | 432 pages | December 2

  A personal assistant to the Prime Minister’s wife secretly writes romance novels… one of which sparks a scandal involving the PM. Enter: her former one‑night stand turned bodyguard, fake dating, workplace tension, and a summer‑long plan that definitely won’t stay fake.

  Cartoon covers remain undefeated in this house.

• 🕯️ An Arcane Inheritance — Kamilah Cole

  Dark academia fantasy | 400 pages | December 30

  Ivy League school. Occult history. Secret societies. Deja‑vu‑soaked hallways. A freshman who knows she’s been here before — and a brooding legacy student who might help her remember.

  This one gave serious eerie‑academic vibes and immediately went on the TBR.

• 🧛 We Who Will Die — Stacia Stark

  Romantic fantasy with vampires | 432 pages | December 10

  An arena. A binding vow. A mission to kill an ancient vampire emperor. Political intrigue, court dynamics, broken hearts, and morally complicated alliances.

  Also the tagline: “Bow before the God of Ruin.”

  Enough said.

• ❄️ Needle Lake — Justine Champine

  Mystery / coming‑of‑age | 256 pages | December 2

  Two cousins. One winter. One death beneath the ice on Christmas Eve.

  This one feels quiet, unsettling, and deeply character‑driven — a story about girlhood, secrets, and the dangerous intensity of adolescence. Short, sharp, and likely emotionally devastating.

The Bookish Grapevine

Not a huge news month, but a few notable moments stood out:

• Sophie Kinsella, author of the Shopaholic series, sadly passed away at age 55 after battling brain cancer.

• The Goodreads Choice Awards wrapped up, with wins including:

  • Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Romance)

  • Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Historical Fiction)

  • Alchemised by SenLinYu (Debut Novel)

  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Romantasy)

  Some wins surprised us, some didn’t — and some are now firmly on the “approach with caution” list.

What’s On Our Nightstands

December reading = vibes over structure.

Stace’s Stack:

• Empire of Storms / Tower of Dawn (Tandem Read) — Sarah J. Maas

  This tandem read is still very much a full emotional commitment. We’re deep in the political maneuvering, long-game plotting, and POV hopping that makes this stretch of Throne of Glass both rewarding and exhausting. Empire of Storms is bringing the chaos, the heartbreak, and the “everything is about to go wrong” energy, while Tower of Dawn is quietly doing the important character work that hurts more than expected. We’re so close to the end… and yet emotionally unprepared for what comes next.

• The Fix — Mia Sheridan

  This one is hitting harder than expected. The Fix is a romantic thriller that blends emotional trauma, suspense, and a ticking-clock mystery in a way that keeps the tension constantly simmering. Stacey is about halfway through and fully stressed — in a good way. It’s emotionally heavy, deeply unsettling at times, and absolutely a book where content warnings matter. That said, the storytelling is gripping, and it’s already shaping up to be a standout.

• Rose & Chains — Julie Soto

  Currently listening on audiobook, and the fascination level is high. Rose & Chains is the traditionally published version of The Auction, and a big part of the fun has been noticing how Julie Soto has reworked the story away from its fanfic roots. It’s easier to sink into than expected, the worldbuilding feels more distinct, and the emotional beats are landing differently this time around. It may not dethrone Alchemised as our collective baby, but it’s still very, very good.

• Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love

  This one has finally entered the chat — and it’s living up to the hype. This fic reads shockingly polished, with clever, classic-inspired prose, low-stakes humor, and a slow burn that feels intentional rather than indulgent. Featuring a hyper-competent Hermione and a lazy-but-dangerous Draco, it feels less like fanfiction and more like an extremely smart romantic fantasy that just happens to wear a familiar face. Long, yes. Worth it? Absolutely.

Reb’s Stack:

• The Intruder — Freida McFadden

  Rebecca is officially past the warm-up phase and into the something is very wrong portion of this book. Multiple POVs, shifting timelines, and super short chapters are making this one fly by — while also cranking up the unease. The storm is here, the vibes are eerie, and there are moments that feel like they’re daring you to keep reading. So far, it’s delivering the tension we want… with cautious optimism about how it’ll stick the landing.

• Merry Little Kissmas — Lauren Blakely

  A holiday romance palate cleanser has entered the scene — complete with fake dating, hockey, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, and brother’s best friend energy. This one is unapologetically festive and trope-forward, with lots of banter and small-town Christmas chaos. The FMC is very Christmas (possibly too Christmas), the MMC is a full Scrooge, and the hope is that they meet somewhere in the middle. Cozy, predictable, and exactly what December sometimes requires.

Heavy books everywhere. Burnout pending. Fluffy holiday reads may be deployed as needed.

☕ Final Thoughts

This month was cozy, chaotic, and exactly what we needed. Lots of book talk, no pressure to perform, and permission to read what feels right — even if that means pausing half your Goodreads shelf.

Our Year‑End Wrap‑Up is coming next, and it’s going to look a little different (and a lot more unhinged). Keep an eye on Instagram for updates.

Until then… Keep your mugs warm, your blankets close and your TBR gloriously chaotic!

Happy reading, friends 💚✨

We’re Stacey and Rebecca, your fav sister duo sliding into your feed with our November Wrap-Up! This month felt like someone hit fast-forward on the calendar. It flew by, but somehow we still managed to squeeze in thrillers, smutty novellas, dark romances, and one very intense featured read that we needed a full therapy session to process.

Stacey swore she had a “slow month” (five books… okay overachiever), while Rebecca devoured a cliffside murder mystery mid-flight like it was an airport snack. And then, of course, we both dove head-first into Alchemised by SenLinYu, which had us spiraling into discussions about necromancy, fanatic cults, trauma, war crimes, and the smell of resurrected bodies. You know, normal sister bonding.

Let’s break it all down:

📚 What We Read in November

Stacey’s Stack (5 Books)

🖤 We Are All Guilty Here — Karin Slaughter — ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)
Not normally a thriller girlie, but what the book club picks, that’s what she reads. And this one did.not.disappoint. Dark, twisty, compulsively readable, classic Karin. Highly recommended for mystery fans or anyone who wants to question everyone’s motives.

🖤 Cash — Jessica Peterson — ⭐⭐✨ (2.5 stars)
A romance with potential… but also with one fatal flaw: the word “honey.” When the MMC says it 10+ times on a single page, the ick writes itself. Emotional maturity was there; the chemistry… less so.

🖤 The Deal — Elle Kennedy — ⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars)
A collage-aged, spicy, surprisingly sweet novel that did exactly what Stacey needed: cleanse the palate. In preparation of the upcoming adaptation, a re-read was needed!

🖤 Tourist Season — Brynne Weaver — ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5 stars)
Enemies-to-lovers meets dark romance meets seaside murder-tourism. Cape Carnage is quirky, colorful, and extremely deadly. Weaver’s writing is “effortlessly funny” according to Stacey.

🖤 Alchemised — SenLinYu — ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)
More on this masterpiece below 👀

Rebecca’s Stack (3 Books)

🩷 The Only One Left — Riley Sager — ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)
Devoured. Consumed. Inhaled between airports. A gothic cliffside mansion, a decades-old massacre, unreliable narrators, and twists galore. Rebecca was obsessed and will be influencing everyone she knows until further notice.

🩷 Don’t Get Caught — Jaye Pratt — ⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars)
Masked men. Haunted house. Small town. Surprisingly emotional relationships. Rebecca gave this one a solid 3 stars and described it as “a spicy quick read with actual plot,” which is high praise from the queen of “I need a palate cleanser.”

🩷 Alchemised — SenLinYu — ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)
One brain cell shared between sisters, both screaming.

✨ November Featured Read: Alchemised by SenLinYu

5 stars from both sisters
(Yes we yelled. Yes we paced. Yes we compared every emotion to Manacled.)

This wasn’t just a book. This was a journey through trauma, war, fanatic religion, necromancy, forbidden love, and political rot. It’s bleak, gritty, and overflowing with tension in every corner — emotional, magical, and literal.

Where Manacled shattered us with emotional intimacy and character deaths that felt personal, Alchemised punched us in the stomach with worldbuilding density, cult dynamics, scientific-vs-spiritual warfare, and an oppressive atmosphere so vivid you could smell the necromancy.

Set the Scene:

Helena is thrust into a brutal world carved from the bones of war, working under a system designed to break her and remake her as something obedient and useful. Kaine (our broody, morally fractured, walking-red-flag-of-a-man) is equal parts protector, prisoner, and weapon.

That dynamic wrecked us.

Every interaction crackled with tension: devotion twisted through necessity, affection braided with trauma, loyalty carved out of survival. You don’t just read their relationship — you sit in it. You marinate in it. You wonder why your standards are ruined.

Meanwhile, the Order of the Eternal Flame delivers fanatic religious intensity that makes real-world cult documentaries look soft. Science and faith are pitted against each other in the background, boiling over with political manipulation and corruption.

This book said: “What if morality was a suggestion and survival was the assignment?”
And we said: “Okay, pop off.”

Why We Loved It

💀 Vivid, disgusting, unforgettable necromancy
The corpses? The smell? The descriptions? We’re changed.

🔥 Fanatic cult energy
The Order weaponizes faith in the most chilling way.

📚 Dense, rich worldbuilding
Politics, magic, trauma — you could write an academic paper.

❤️ Kaine + Helena
The yearning? The devotion? The “I LOVE THEIR LOVE” moments? Unhinged. But sidenote… don’t come to this for the romance. This is DARK FANTASY.

🧠 Manacled comparisons
We had thoughts and charts and opinions and probably a dissertation’s worth of analysis.

Final Verdict:

If you want a dark, atmospheric, morally complex story that blends trauma, alchemy, faith, war, and twisted devotion… read this immediately.

If you loved Manacled, this scratches that itch, but with its own flavor:
less “emotional apocalypse,” more “scientific horror + cult extremism.”

Come scream with us. We’ll bring snacks. And charts.

That’s a wrap on November!

Thank you for hanging out with us for this wild ride through thrillers, masked men, seaside serial killers, and necromantic warfare.

Whether you read five books or barely clawed your way out of a reading slump, we see you, we love you, and your TBR pile forgives you.

Stay tuned! We’ll announce our December Featured Read soon (once we stop changing our minds every five minutes).

Make sure to:
🩷 Leave us a comment on Spotify
🩷 Follow us on Instagram @mysisterstbr
🩷 Subscribe on www.MySistersTBR.com
🩷 Read along with us for whatever chaos December brings

Toodles! ✌️📚

There’s something magical (borderline spiritual) about the moment a trope appears on the page and we immediately curl our toes like, “Oh, we know EXACTLY where this is going.” And still? STILL?
We feel absolute joy every single time.

It doesn’t matter how predictable it is. It doesn’t matter if we’ve read this exact moment in fifty books, three fanfics, and one novella. If it’s done right, we will devour that moment like the feral little gremlins we are.

So let’s talk about the clichés (or tropes) that own us, embarrass us, and have us kicking our feet like teenagers discovering Wattpad.

✨ 1. The Accidental Touch

There is no reason a simple brush of hands should make us lose our minds, and yet here we are - melting into our couches.

Authors write this moment with such intensity you’d think they were describing the forging of a mythical sword, not two people reaching for a coffee cup at the same time.

But ohhhh, when it hits? The breath catches, the world slows down, those silly little butterflies show up like “hey queen <3”. We, the readers, ascend like we’re being summoned by the book gods

Bonus feral moments inside this cliché:

• Hands touching accidentally under any circumstance

• Fingers grazing while passing something over

• The “Oops I need to steady you, here’s my chest” moment

We are weak. We are predictable. We are thriving.

✨ 2. Only One Bed, Oh no…

Ah yes, the Holy Grail of romance clichés. The trope so iconic it should have its own national holiday.

Authors will literally burn down an entire inn, flood a campsite, or conveniently misplace ten available rooms just to make this happen.
And we thank them for their service. 🫡

The setup is always the same:

• There’s only one bed.

• One of them panics.

• The other pretends not to panic.

• We develop chronic heart palpitations.

• “You can have the bed.”

• “No, YOU take the bed.”

• “Fine, we’ll both take it but stay on your side.”

• Blankets are shared.

• Someone rolls over in their sleep.

• Someone wakes up face-to-face, emotionally unwell.

We are truly at our worst-best selves here.

Recommended books:
A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) - Sarah J. Maas
People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry

✨ 3. “Who Did This to You?” (Reader Down, Reader DOWN.)

This trope walks so “Touch her and die” could run.

The moment the love interest sees a bruise or a tear-streaked face and their entire personality becomes “I am calm :) until I find who did this :)” we become feral woodland creatures.

This trope is 30% protective instinct, 30% emotional vulnerability, and 40% “oh no I’m falling for you harder than planned and now I have feelings about it”

This is also the moment we yell things like “MARRY THEM.” “KISS.” and “THIS IS WHAT DEVELOPMENT LOOKS LIKE.”

If it happens in the rain or in the aftermath of a battle? We’re gone. Just bury us with our annotated copy.

Recommended books:
From Blood and Ash - Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Deal - Elle Kennedy

✨ 4. Touch Her and Die

Listen.
We try to be evolved.
We try to be emotionally mature.
We fully believe in therapy, drinking all the water, practicing healthy communication in our real life…

… but in fiction?

A little unhinged protectiveness?
A dash of territorial energy?
The faintest whiff of “I would level a kingdom for you”?

Yeah. We’re feral for it.

There’s something intoxicating about the moment the love interest steps forward, jaw clenched, voice low, body language screaming: “this one is mine.”

• The “stay behind me” gentle shove

• The “if anyone hurts you, I will personally rearrange their day” vibes

• The deadly calm tone that says, “Try it. I dare you.”

• The arm around the waist that communicates 87 emotions at once.

And yes… While we do enjoy a MMC that straddles the controlling edge… it’s the kind that stays firmly in the fictional sandbox where it belongs.

It’s dramatic. It’s delicious. And if the author pulls it off right… WE. ARE. SCREAMING.

Recommended books:
Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros
Corrupt - Penelope Douglas

✨ 5. The Height Difference Dynamic (We’re a Simple People.)

Why does this get us so bad?
Why do we swoon like Victorian people seeing an exposed ankle?

Because:

• Being lifted effortlessly? Hot.

• Being able to fit under someone’s chin? Hot.

• Them bending down to hear your whisper? Hot.

• Them resting their chin on your head? Hot.

• Arguments where she’s tiny but mighty and he’s tall but soft? Hot.

Also, if the girl jumps to reach something and he gets it with one hand?
We combust.

Recommended books:
Lights Out - Navessa Allen
Ice Planet Barbarians - Ruby Dixon

✨ 6. Grumpy vs Sunshine: The Blueprint

This is romance biology at this point. He’s logical, grumpy, quiet, brooding. She is… a disaster, but like, a charming, sparkly, absolute-gremlin disaster.

He’s like: “Why are you like this?”
She’s like: “Because it’s fun.”
We’re like: “Kiss.”

There’s nothing like the moment he smiles (not fully, just that little half-smirk) because SHE got to him.
It’s over. We’re on the floor.

Recommended books:
Twisted Love - Ana Huang
It Happened One Summer - Tessa Bailey

✨ 7. The Slow Burn That Burns Us

This is emotional exercise. Cardio. A psychological journey.

The author will spend 300 pages building tension so thick you could use it as a duvet.
We are sweating.
We are screaming.
We are DOG EARRING PAGES.

By the time the kiss finally happens, we’ve survived three almost-touches, one argument that changed everything, two late-night conversations, a jealousy subplot and at least one traumatic event that forced them to bond or die.

Slow burns are the reason cortisol exists and we will read them every day of our lives.

Recommended books:
All Rhodes Lead Here - Mariana Zapata
Darkfever - Karen Marie Moning

✨ 8. “I’m Not Jealous.” (Babe, Yes You Are.)

There is nothing -NOTHING- like the moment a love interest tries to pretend they’re not jealous.

Lines include:

• “I’m not jealous.”

• “Why would I care?”

• “Who is that?”

• “No reason, I’m just asking.”

Meanwhile their jaw is clenched, eyebrow is twitching, they’re crossing their arms like a temperamental toddler, avoiding eye contact and suddenly has opinions about the career, personality and future choices of The Other Person.

We are GIGGLING.

Recommended books:
Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire
Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood #3) - J.R. Ward

✨ 9. Found Family — The Bonus Romance We Didn’t Know We Needed

We came for the love story.
We stayed for the crew of chaotic side characters who adopt the love interest against their will.

We will absolutely swoon for the grumpy friend who secretly ships it. The mom friend who knows EXACTLY what’s going on. The sibling who gives the “hurt them and we riot” speech. and especially the pet that chooses the love interest first!

Found family is the warm blanket of romance fiction.

Recommended books:
Happy Place - Emily Henry
Next of Kin - Hannah Bonam-Young

✨ 10. The “Say It Too Early” Confession

Ah yes. The unplanned, unprepared and messy “I love you.”

This is the trope that sneaks up on YOU the way it sneaks up on the character.
One minute they’re arguing over who was supposed to bring the dessert, and the next minute someone blurts out a full declaration of eternal affection like they’re reading vows at a wedding we did NOT RSVP to.

Top-tier moments include:

The accidental whisper: said softly, almost like a secret, and the other person freezes like someone unplugged them.

The panic confession: danger, chaos, adrenaline, and suddenly the truth is OUT THERE like an emotional jump scare.

The “you’re not supposed to hear this” moment: we love a good overheard admission; the drama is *chef’s kiss*.

The regret spiral: the one who said it immediately tries to shove the words back into their mouth while the other stands there blinking.

This trope grabs your heart, shakes it around like a snow globe, and leaves you staring at the page wondering why authors enjoy emotionally waterboarding us.

(We’re not complaining.)

Our Personal Trope Confessions

We’ve dragged all these clichés lovingly into the spotlight, so it’s only fair we expose ourselves too. Because yes, we absolutely have favorite tropes we will drop everything for.

🕰️ Rebecca’s Pick:

Favorite Trope: Age-Gap
Favorite Book in This Trope: Older by Jennifer Hartmann

Rebecca is a sucker for an age-gap romance where the dynamic isn’t just “older/younger” but layered with respect, tension, and a whole lot of emotional mess.

Why she loves it:
Age-gap has that baked-in imbalance of experience and perspective, and when an author uses that to explore vulnerability, growth, and power dynamics without making it icky? Chef’s kiss. It’s the perfect storm of longing, “we shouldn’t,” and “oh no, we already did.”

Why Older:
Older by Jennifer Hartmann takes the age-gap trope and drenches it in feelings. It’s emotional, a little taboo, and very character-driven. The push-and-pull, the guilt, the wanting, the “I know this is messy but I can’t stay away”… this is Rebecca’s personal catnip. If you love age-gap stories where the angst hits just as hard as the romance, this one belongs on your TBR immediately.

🐶🐈 Stacey’s Pick:

Favorite Trope: Golden Retriever / Black Cat
Favorite Book in This Trope: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Stace will fall to her knees instantly for a soft, sunshiney, golden retriever love interest paired with one moody, guarded, emotionally constipated black cat.

Why she loves it:
Golden retriever/black cat is the ultimate personality-contrast romance. One partner is all open warmth, enthusiasm, and supportive chaos, while the other is dry humor, rolled eyes, and carefully guarded feelings. It’s grumpy/sunshine but with extra emotional nuance and more “I don’t trust easily, but I trust you.”

Why The Dead Romantics:
The Dead Romantics gives us that perfect mix of melancholy, grief, humor, and swoony-soft vibes. Florence is very much the black cat—burnt-out, guarded, a little ghost-haunted (literally), and deeply tired. Benji is structured and serious on the surface, but underneath? An absolute golden retriever in human form: kind, steady, unexpectedly soft, and quietly ride-or-die. The way their energies bounce off each other, her cynicism and his patience, makes every interaction feel like a warm hug wrapped in a sarcastic comment. This is peak “you make the world bearable again” romance energy.

Now It’s Your Turn

We’ve spilled our trope obsessions and the books that absolutely own our souls… so now we want to hear from you.

What’s your favorite romance trope or cliché and what book does it best?

Drop your comments below so we can all collectively scream, add to our TBRs, and enable each other’s reading habits like the responsible bookworms we are.

We cannot WAIT to see which tropes you’re feral for. 💕📚

Leave a comment

📚 Life Lately (AKA Our Mid-Season Plot Twist)

If our podcast were a book, this would’ve been the dramatic “unexpected detour” chapter.

Rebecca’s Side of the Story:
Since July, life has been a bit like one long, chaotic montage. There was a major job shift (in true fantasy fashion, she now works remotely for half the year), a return to living with Mom and Dad (which honestly comes with some perks… like strep throat cuddle care and having your car cleared off without even asking). It’s been one of those seasons where everything changes at once, but somehow the dust settles and you realize you’re still standing.

Stacey’s Side of the Story:
Meanwhile, absolutely nothing changed… except the mounting books read, near-burnout energy, and the ongoing commitment to living that fully chaotic goblin-core lifestyle. No major life updates, no dramatic changes, just vibes, TBRs, and raw-dogging adulthood with the determination of someone trying to carry all their groceries in one trip.

But the biggest highlight?
Our Cover to Cover Book Retreat!

And ohhhhh baby, was it a weekend.

Nine readers, one fancy house, a snack table that would make even the Inner Circle weep, and a Starfall Ball that left us sparkling (literally… we’re still finding glitter).
We played bookish charades, Family Feud, sipped themed drinks, and cozied up for warm-and-quiet reading sessions that somehow worked despite nine chatty bookworms.

It was magical. It was iconic. It was everything a reader’s soul needs.

Release Radar: What We’re Eyeing This Month

November came in HOT and our TBRs may never recover. Here’s what caught our eye this month (and by “caught our eye,” we mean snatched it, kissed it, and added it immediately to Goodreads).

• ❤️ Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck

  Rom-com vibes / forced proximity / 352 pages / Nov 18
  This one grabbed our attention immediately thanks to its comic-style cover and early-2000s rom-com energy. It follows Sam, who’s trying desperately to escape Ohio and her mid-twenties limbo, and Nick, the surprisingly dependable single dad next door. Their worlds collide through thin walls, shared frustrations, and the slow discovery that maybe the stable, grounded man you never saw coming might be exactly the one you need.

• 🌿 Violet Thistleweight Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz

  Cozy fantasy / sentient houseplants / 368 pages / Nov 18
  This one is for the cottagecore girlies who love a reformed-villain arc. Violet is determined to leave her villainous past behind, open a flower shop, and grow into the soft, kind person she wants to be. Cue a prickly, handsome alchemist sharing her greenhouse, a magical blight threatening the community, and a sentient houseplant with murderous tendencies.

• 📚 The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan

  Dark academia mystery / Scotland / 304 pages / Nov 18
  Set in Scotland’s rugged Western Hebrides, this story intertwines a mysterious death, a long-running rivalry between secret women’s organizations, and an ancient manuscript with dangerous implications. It has all the hallmarks of atmospheric dark academia — secrets, symbolism, scholarly tension — but set against a windswept coastal backdrop that gives it a fresh, haunting edge.

• 🖤 Blackthorn by J.T. Geissinger

  Dark romance / gothic fantasy / 368 pages / Out now
  If you love beautifully tortured romance with gothic undertones, this is your moment. Maven returns to her hometown after years away, only to confront past trauma, a missing body, and the boy she once loved… who also happens to be her greatest danger. This one promises forbidden longing, family secrets, generational curses, and that deliciously unhinged intensity Geissinger is known for.

• 🌲 Hollow by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

  Dark romantasy / 560 pages / Nov 18
  This is a thicker one, and we mean that lovingly. If you’re craving forest curses, fae princes, deadly competitions, and a heroine who enters the woods knowing she may not come out, this is your next obsession. The writing promises high tension, morally gray characters, trickery, and an ending that leaves you kicking your feet.

• 🔎 The Fix by Mia Sheridan

  Mystery thriller romance / 379 pages / Out now
  A chilling, emotional thriller about a woman whose past trauma resurfaces in the worst possible way — along with a cryptic warning, a missing child, and an old classmate who becomes an unexpected ally. Sheridan always writes with layered emotional depth, and this one blends suspense with second-chance tension in a way that promises to grip you start to finish.

• 🔪 Haven’t Killed in Years by Amy K. Green

  Thriller / serial-killer daughter / 368 pages / Nov 18
  This premise hooked us instantly: the daughter of a serial killer, living under a new identity, begins receiving body parts in the mail. It’s dark, unsettling, deeply psychological, and asks the question no one wants to answer: how much of our parents lives in us?

• 🐍 Snake Eater by T. Kingfisher

  Fantasy horror / 208 pages / Out now
  Kingfisher’s signature blend of unsettling horror and grounded, human characters shines here. A desperate woman travels to a desert town in search of her aunt, only to uncover old gods, haunting spirits, and a debt waiting to be paid. Perfect for those who want creepy but not gory.

• 📌 Honorary Mentions

  • Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy #2) by Callie Hart

  • Brigands and Bread Knives (Legends and Lattes #2) by Travis Baldree

The Bookish Grapevine

This month didn’t bring a lot of news, but what we did get was exciting.

🎬 “It Happened One Summer” Film Update

Tessa Bailey shared casting updates and production news for the upcoming adaptation.

• Nina Dobrev will play Piper

• Tyler Hoechlin will play Brendan

Not quite the picture we had in our heads while reading, but both actors have proven themselves in other roles — so we’re giving this casting our full trust and a cautious little happy dance.

📚 Dramione Fanfic Going Trad-Pub

If you’ve been here for more than five minutes, you already know November is Dramione month for us. So imagine our delight at seeing so many beloved fanfics getting polished, edited, and published as original works.

Some of the big ones:

• Wait and Hope → Once Again, Always

• Secrets & Masks → Under the Red Sky

• Measure of a Man → Sight Unseen

• Meet Me at Midnight → At the Mercy of Midnight

We love seeing fan writers get the recognition they deserve, even if some of these books come with reputations that will emotionally demolish you.

💔 “The Last Letter” Gets an Adaptation

Rebecca Yarros’ heartbreaking novel is officially in development at Amazon. This story shattered us when we read it, so we already know watching it will be a full emotional event. Snacks, tissues, and emotional support buddies will be required.

What’s On Our Nightstands

No judgment here, we’ve got more open books than emotional stability this month. Here’s what’s currently keeping us company at 2 a.m. when we swore we were going to bed early:

Stace’s Stack:

• 📘 Alchemised by SenLinYu (Featured Read)
  We’re saving the deep dive for the end of the month, but let this be said: Alchemised is not a romance. It’s dark, it’s visceral, it’s unflinching — and while it shares bones with Manacled, it tells a story that deserves to be taken on its own terms.

• 📘 Empire of Storms / Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas (Tandem Read)
  This has been an ongoing project thanks to the chapter-by-chapter podcast coverage, and the emotional tension is slowly killing me in the best way. The next book is the final one and the dread is very, very real.

• 📘 Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver
  Because who doesn’t love a romance featuring serial killers? It’s dark, it’s gripping, and the dynamic is so compelling you forget you’re cheering on morally questionable behavior.

Reb’s Stack:

• 📘 Alchemised (Featured Read)
  Paused during travel (relatable), but ready to dive back in.

• 📘 Don’t Get Caught by Jay Pratt (Masked Men series)
  A 146-page novella with a spicy cover she couldn’t resist. A whole series of masked men and chaotic choices? Say no more.

Featured Read of the Month:

This month’s featured read is Alchemised by SenLinYu, and we are both deep in it, emotionally and mentally, against our will but also very willingly.

We’ll save the full deep dive for the end of the month, but here’s what you should know so far:

✨ It’s not a romance.
Despite what some corners of the internet say, this is a dark fantasy, not a dark romance, and definitely not a spicy book with a “kink.” It deals with heavy themes (including on-page assault) and none of it is romanticized.

✨ You don’t need to read Manacled first.
In fact, it might be easier to enjoy on its own without mentally comparing characters or scenes. Once you let it be its own story, it hits so much harder.

✨ It feels like an evolution.
It shares the bone structure of its fanfic roots (Manacled) but stands confidently as its own polished, intense, beautifully heartbreaking novel.

We’re both making our way through it (some of us faster than others 👀), and we can’t wait to unpack the themes, the world, and all the emotional devastation in our end-of-month deep dive.

☕ Final Thoughts

It feels so good to be back.
Back chatting books, back unraveling plot points, back in our cozy corner of the internet where we get to gush, rant, laugh, and occasionally cry over the stories we love.

We’ll see you at the end of the month for our deep dive on Alchemised!

Until then, keep your mugs warm, your blankets close, and your TBRs chaotic (as they should be).

Happy reading, babes. 💚✨📚

Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to our podcast on whatever platform you’re using, and pop over to our Instagram @mysisterstbr.

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So, (as always) grab your favorite mug, and let’s see what’s in your reading stars…

♈ Aries: The Bold Beginner

Element: Fire 🔥
Ruled by: Mars
Vibe: Brave, energetic, impatient, thrives on new beginnings.

You don’t just read books, you conquer them. You’ll pick up a 600-page fantasy on a Tuesday just because someone said “it gets good after chapter ten.” Fast-paced plots, fierce protagonists, and emotional stakes are your love language.

TBR Prediction: You’ll start three books before breakfast and finish the one with the most chaos first.
Cosmic Rec: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. High stakes, high heat, and high voltage energy.

♉ Taurus: The Cozy Collector

Element: Earth 🌿
Ruled by: Venus
Vibe: Loyal, sensual, comfort-seeking, appreciates beauty.

You’re the ultimate comfort reader! Soft blanket, candle lit, snacks within reach. You want lush worlds and characters who feel like home. A slow burn is your jam (in books and in life).

TBR Prediction: You’ll re-read a favorite because no new release could ever top your comfort read.
Cosmic Rec: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Cozy, cottagecore perfection.

♊ Gemini: The Social Reader

Element: Air 💨
Ruled by: Mercury
Vibe: Curious, witty, dual-natured, thrives on conversation.

Your TBR changes daily, and you love every second of it. One day it’s romance, the next it’s true crime. You’re the friend everyone texts for book recs, but you’re too busy giving them to finish your own stack.

TBR Prediction: Expect to join multiple buddy reads and forget which chapter you’re on in each.
Cosmic Rec: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Gossip, glamour, and Gemini-grade intrigue.

♋ Cancer: The Heart-First Reader

Element: Water 💧
Ruled by: The Moon
Vibe: Intuitive, emotional, nostalgic, protective.

Books aren’t just stories to you, they’re experiences. You’re drawn to character-driven plots, found families, and emotional gut-punches that leave you sobbing at 2 a.m. (and texting your bestie about it).

TBR Prediction: You’ll find a book that destroys you emotionally… and thank it.
Cosmic Rec: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Equal parts heartbreak and healing.

♌ Leo: The Dramatic Devotee

Element: Fire 🔥
Ruled by: The Sun
Vibe: Bold, magnetic, loyal, the main character (obviously).

You read like you live… big, loud, and with excellent lighting. You’re drawn to charismatic characters and epic romances that deserve a standing ovation.

TBR Prediction: You’ll post at least one shelfie captioned “It’s giving heroine arc.”
Cosmic Rec: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Passion, power, and fae-level theatrics.

♍ Virgo: The Analytical Reader

Element: Earth 🌿
Ruled by: Mercury
Vibe: Detail-oriented, organized, quietly chaotic perfectionist.

Your Goodreads shelves are immaculate. You love annotated paperbacks, literary fiction, and complex worldbuilding that rewards close attention. If you’re not making a spreadsheet about it, are you even reading?

TBR Prediction: You’ll balance your stack perfectly; one romance, one fantasy, one nonfiction.
Cosmic Rec: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. A precision-crafted dark academia masterpiece.

♎ Libra: The Aesthetic Reader

Element: Air 💨
Ruled by: Venus
Vibe: Charming, balanced, hopelessly indecisive.

You’ve got an eye for beauty and a soft spot for aesthetics. You love stories that are as gorgeous on the outside as they are on the inside… and yes, you’ve absolutely reorganized your shelves for the aesthetic.

TBR Prediction: You’ll buy three new books because “they’d look cute together.”
Cosmic Rec: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Beauty, mystery, and magic in perfect harmony.

♏ Scorpio: The Intense Investigator

Element: Water 💧
Ruled by: Pluto & Mars
Vibe: Mysterious, passionate, drawn to the dark and deep.

You crave stories that peel back layers… morally gray characters, secrets, and emotional wreckage are your jam. You read like you love: all-in, all-or-nothing.

TBR Prediction: You’ll find a new OTP that consumes your entire existence.
Cosmic Rec: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake. Dangerous magic and dangerously hot geniuses.

♐ Sagittarius: The Wanderlust Reader

Element: Fire 🔥
Ruled by: Jupiter
Vibe: Adventurous, philosophical, free-spirited.

You love stories that expand your horizons like big quests, wild journeys, or deep existential rabbit holes. You read to explore new worlds (and maybe escape this one).

TBR Prediction: You’ll DNF something slow in favor of a 700-page fantasy epic.
Cosmic Rec: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Dragons, destiny, and daring adventure.

♑ Capricorn: The Disciplined Devourer

Element: Earth 🌿
Ruled by: Saturn
Vibe: Ambitious, goal-oriented, thrives on achievement.

You’re the one actually finishing your reading challenge. You love dense books, big series, and anything that gives you bragging rights for surviving it.

TBR Prediction: You’ll finally tackle that intimidating classic or long-running fantasy series.
Cosmic Rec: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. A commitment worthy of your discipline.

♒ Aquarius: The Visionary Reader

Element: Air 💨
Ruled by: Uranus
Vibe: Innovative, rebellious, big-picture thinker.

You read outside the box. Experimental fiction, indie authors, and genre-bending stories are your vibe. You love books that make you question everything (including why you haven’t slept yet).

TBR Prediction: You’ll recommend a weird, wonderful book that no one’s heard of… and they’ll love it!
Cosmic Rec: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Mystical, philosophical, unforgettable.

♓ Pisces: The Dreamy Bibliophile

Element: Water 💧
Ruled by: Neptune
Vibe: Empathetic, creative, beautifully delusional.

You read with your soul. You’re drawn to lyrical prose, fantasy worlds, and bittersweet love stories that ruin you emotionally but look gorgeous doing it.

TBR Prediction: Expect tears, tabs, and texts to your bestie saying “I’m not okay but also this was perfect.”
Cosmic Rec: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. Pure Pisces poetry.

🌠 Final Chapter:

Here’s the thing… no matter your sign, your TBR is probably never getting smaller. And honestly? That’s kind of beautiful. Because reading isn’t supposed to be a checklist; it’s this constellation of little moments. It’s stories that find you when you need them, characters who wreck you (in a good way), and the comforting chaos of knowing there’s always another great book waiting.

Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), you’re the adrenaline junkies of the book world. You’re out here chasing danger, romance, and dragons like it’s your full-time job. You say “one more chapter” but it’s already 2 a.m., and we love that energy for you.

Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), you’re our grounding force! Organized, loyal, and probably the only ones actually finishing your reading challenges. You’re the type to romanticize a quiet night in with tea, a blanket, and that one book you’ve been saving for the perfect mood.

Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), you’re the curators. You bring the vibes, the aesthetics, the deep book discussions that spiral into therapy sessions. You’ve probably started three buddy reads this month and are thriving in all of them.

Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)… oh, our emotional support readers. You don’t just read books, you feel them. You’re annotating quotes, crying over fictional characters, and already drafting your Goodreads review titled “I’m not okay but thank you.”

Together, you make up the galaxy of the bookish world… chaotic, passionate, and beautifully obsessed. So whether the stars are guiding your next pick or you’re just vibing with whatever BookTok throws your way, remember this: the best books are the ones that find you.

Now go check your sign, update your Goodreads, and tell us your current read in the comments. Because the cosmos just told us your next five-star read is closer than you think… 😉🌙💫

Leave a comment

Disclaimer: We’re definitely not astrologers! Take it all with a grain of salt, because this post is for fun, not fortune-telling. ✨

So grab your favorite mug (pumpkin spice or peppermint mocha, no judgement here!), and let’s talk about how to crush your reading challenge without crushing your joy.

Step One: Check In With Your Goal

Before you panic-scroll your TBR or start reading a bunch of children’s books to catch up (we’ve all been tempted), take a deep breath. Ask yourself:
Is my goal still realistic for where I’m at right now?

Life changes. Reading slumps happen. You might’ve started the year with “100 books or bust” energy, but if you’re currently surviving on caffeine and vibes alone (hi 👋) it’s okay to adjust your number. Seriously. Lowering your goal doesn’t make you less of a reader. It makes you a self-aware one.

Step Two: Embrace the DNF

This might sound like blasphemy, but hear me out: if you’ve slogged through 50 pages and you’re still not vibing with the book… it’s time to kick it to the DNF (Did Not Finish) shelf.

There’s no prize for forcing yourself through a book you’re hating. You’re not breaking up with the author, you’re just saying, “It’s not you, it’s this book, and I value my time.” Free yourself from the guilt and move on to something that actually sparks joy (or tears, or rage, or romantic yearning… whatever your reading heart desires).

Step Three: Mix Up Your Formats

If your TBR pile looks like it could crush a small village, it’s time to get strategic.

• Audiobooks: Great for walks, commutes, or pretending to clean.

• Ebooks: Perfect for sneaky late-night reading under the covers.

• Graphic novels or novellas: Short, snappy, and they count.

Switching formats can reignite your motivation and help you sneak in more reading time without even realizing it.

Step Four: Read What You Want, Not What You “Should”

This is your gentle reminder that reading is supposed to be fun. You don’t have to read the “it” book everyone’s raving about if you’d rather dive into a cozy fantasy or a steamy small-town romance. The “shoulds” can wait. Follow your current mood! Whether that’s haunted houses, holiday romcoms, or fae royalty chaos.

Mood reading might just save your challenge and your sanity.

Step Five: Get a Little Competitive (In a Healthy Way)

If you’re a goal-oriented reader, gamify it!

• Join a readathon.

• Set mini-challenges like “Finish 3 indie titles” or “Read 1 book by a debut author.”

• Reward yourself when you hit milestones (new bookmark, fancy coffee, or that special edition you’ve been eyeing 👀).

Sometimes, a little friendly competition with yourself (or your sister) is exactly what you need to stay motivated.

Step Six: Remember Why You Started

Whether you set a reading goal to track your habits, stay consistent, or just join the fun — remember that reading challenges are meant to inspire, not stress you out. The number at the end of the year doesn’t define you as a reader. The stories you loved, the characters who wrecked your heart, the late-night “just one more chapter” sessions… that’s what counts.

So if you finish your goal, amazing! If you don’t? You still spent your year in worlds full of words, and that’s a win in our book.

Your turn:

How’s your reading challenge going? Are you on track, falling behind, or embracing the chaos? Drop a comment or tag us on Instagram! We want to hear how your final stretch is going!

Leave a comment

In this episode, we’re recapping all the reads from July: the sweet, the swoony, the mysterious, and the murdery (yep). We’re also diving deep into our featured read, Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, which had us unpacking grief, gossip, secret NDAs, and sisters (both fictional and very real—hi!). Let’s get into it:

What We Read in July:

Stacey's Stack (3 Books)

• 🖤 Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas – 5 stars. “John Wick but make her an assassin with sarcasm and daggers.” Obsessed. The Throne of Glass series continues to wreck lives and we love that for us.

• 🖤 Every Summer After by Carley Fortune – also 5 stars. The nostalgia? Immaculate. The lake house summers? Dreamy. The emotional fallout? Gut-wrenching. It’s the reason Stacey’s in a slump now—nothing can compare.

• 🖤 Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry – our featured read!

Rebecca’s Stack (4 Books)

• 🩷 With Any Luck by Ashley Poston – 4 stars. A Valentine’s Day novella with magical realism, missing grooms, rekindled hookups, and a lovable best man. Tiny book, big charm.

• 🩷 Beach Read by Emily Henry – 5 stars. Augustus + January = banter-fueled brilliance. A rom-com that also tackles grief and writer’s block. Romance, but make it layered.

• 🩷 The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth – 3 stars. A short mystery with a Dark Places-adjacent dual timeline vibe. Celebrity chef found in the freezer. Sass, ex-wives, and a little The Other Woman energy.

• 🩷 Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry – More on that below 👀

July Featured Read ✨

5 stars from both sisters 💫

Every July, we feature an Emily Henry novel—and this year we got hit with a curveball. This isn’t your typical rom-com Henry. It’s less “kissing in beach houses” and more “dual biographies, generational trauma, and the truth-vs-story tightrope.” We loved it. Hard.

Set the Scene:
Alice is a hopeful, heart-forward writer with a people-person superpower. Hayden is a Pulitzer-winning literary thundercloud. They’re both vying to write the biography of Margaret Ives—a scandal-shrouded heiress who’s finally ready to tell her story. But Margaret isn’t making it easy. Both writers get different pieces of the puzzle, wrapped in ironclad NDAs, and they can’t share notes. Oh, and there’s some serious slow-burn yearning happening across their respective notebooks.

Why We Loved It:
💬 Banter.
💔 Grief and complicated family dynamics.
👯‍♀️ Sibling drama, cults, and a huge twist we didn’t see coming.
💞 Romance that simmers in the background but isn’t the point.
📖 Quotes that had us screaming into the void:

“I think you live in a world that's more interesting than the one most people live in... I wish I could live in it too.”
“It’s yours,” he offers. “You can have mine.” [World. Heart. Whole damn cosmos.]

We unpacked it all in the episode—from Alice’s complicated relationship with her mom, to Margaret’s tragic backstory, to how we'd react if one of us joined a cult. (Spoiler: The other would immediately fly in and drag us out by the ear.)

Final Verdict:
If you’re in a romance slump, if you love a layered narrative with dual timelines and unreliable narrators, or if you’ve ever loved someone so much it cracked you open a little—read this. Then come scream about it with us.

That’s a wrap on July!

Whether you read five books or fought your way through a slump like Stacey (we see you 💕), thanks for being here. We’ll be back in two weeks with more chaos, new releases, and a fresh stack of TBR hopefuls.

Make sure to:
🩷 Leave us a comment on Spotify
🩷 Follow us on Instagram @mysisterstbr
🩷 Read along with our next featured pick (TBA 👀)

Toodles! ✌️

Think of this as our virtual coffee date where we talk about all our favorite things…books, duh!

So pour yourself a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let’s catch up!

Release Radar: What We're Eyeing This Month

• The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a multi-generational horror fantasy

  Release: July 15, 2025

As a grad student researching horror literature, Minerva digs into the life of Beatrice Tremblay, a forgotten author whose most famous novel was inspired by a real-life disappearance in the 1930s. But as Minerva investigates, strange echoes from her great-grandmother’s tales of witches in 1900s Mexico begin to resurface—suggesting the same dark force that haunted Tremblay may now be stalking her across the halls of her 1990s Massachusetts campus.

• Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson is a mystery thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder.

  Release: July 22, 2025

After a brutal Halloween attack leaves Jet Mason with a ticking time bomb in her brain, she’s told she has just seven days to live. With her memory fading and suspects all around—family, exes, even old friends—Jet teams up with her childhood companion Billy to solve one final mystery: who wants her dead… before time runs out.

• A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna is a whimsical and heartwarming novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her life back on track.

  Release: July 15, 2025

Once a powerful witch, Sera Swan now runs a chaotic enchanted inn with her undead aunt and a snarky talking fox. Stripped of her magic and exiled from her Guild, she’s resigned to her new life—until a mysterious spell and an even more mysterious (and annoyingly handsome) magical historian, Luke Larsen, offer her a chance to reclaim what she lost. But with the Guild watching and feelings brewing, Sera might just find that the greatest magic is the family—and future—she never expected.

• The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley is the first in a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy duology, Dearly Beloathed.

  Release: July 8, 2025

He’s an assassin in need of healing. She’s a scientist who loathes everything he stands for. When Osric bribes Aurienne into saving his life, their uneasy alliance sparks chemistry neither of them wants to admit. But as they race to cure a deadly pox, hatred turns to heat—and enemies may become something much more dangerous: lovers.

• Rose in Chains by Julie Soto is the first in an all new romantasy trilogy, The Evermore Trilogy.

  Release: July 8, 2025

The war is lost, the chosen hero is dead, and Briony Rosewood—stripped of her magic—is sold at auction to the enemy. Her captor? Toven Hearst, a powerful Bomardsun and the man she once secretly loved. As Briony navigates a world ruled by darkness and political cruelty, she must decide whether to play the pawn… or become something far more dangerous.

• Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava is a new romantic comedy by the author of The Truth According to Ember.

  Release: July 22, 2025

After a scandal leaves Native pop star Avery Fox disgraced and directionless, she retreats to her estranged grandmother’s ranch on the rez—only to clash hard with brooding horse trainer Lucas Iron Eyes. He thinks she’s everything wrong with the world; she’s determined to prove she’s more than a headline. When the ranch’s future is threatened, the two strike a deal: she'll help save it, and he’ll teach her what it really means to come home. No strings, no sparks… yeah, right.

• Maid for Each Other by Lynn Painter is a new romantic comedy of a millionaire and a house cleaner, a match maid in heaven.

Release: July 15, 2025

When overworked cleaner Abi secretly crashes at the penthouse she tidies, she never expects to be mistaken for the owner’s girlfriend—especially by his parents. Declan, a career-obsessed exec, is horrified… until he realizes fake-dating Abi could solve both their problems. One week, one deal, zero feelings. Totally professional… until it’s not.

• Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge is Fourth Wing meets Iron Widow in this debut enemies-to-lovers, YA romantasy.

Release: July 15, 2025

On an island of ash and flame, phoenix racing is everything—deadly, lucrative, and fiercely competitive. Kel Varra and her underdog team need a win, and teaming up with cocky rival Coup might be their only shot. But when Kel’s home is destroyed and a shadowy tech mogul takes interest in her phoenix, she’s pulled into a conspiracy that could burn her entire world to the ground—including the boy she’s starting to fall for.

The Bookish Grapevine

While July's new releases have been blessing our TBRs, the book world has been just as spicy off the page as it is on it. Here's everything we talked about in this episode that's lighting up the bookternet right now.

🔥 Freida McFadden’s The Tenant is Heading to the Screen

Even though both of us DNF’d this one (oops?), it’s still big news that Amazon MGM Studios has picked it up for a screen adaptation. Not the Freida book we would’ve chosen, but hey, good for her!

🌞 The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Drops This Month

Mark your calendars, because Belly and the brothers are back July 16. The new season is supposedly going off-book with a major twist… and now we're nervously side-eyeing our favorite brother. Weekly episodes though? The audacity.

🕵️‍♀️ Lisa Jewell's None of This Is True Is Becoming a Movie

We didn’t even realize this was happening until it popped up on our feeds, but apparently a movie adaptation is in the works! One of us already owns the book, so I guess it’s officially moving up the stack. 👀

🎓 My Oxford Year Is Coming to Netflix

Coming August 1, this swoony novel is being adapted into a Netflix film starring Sofia Carson (Purple Hearts). It’s about a political rising star who gets derailed by a hot professor with a secret… yes please. Bonus points for the dreamy UK setting and the promise of tears.

🐉 Fourth Wing Series Faces a Shake-Up

Here’s the tea: original showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett (Anne with an E, Breaking Bad) has exited the Fourth Wing TV adaptation. But Amazon is reportedly in talks with Jack Schaefer (WandaVision, Agatha All Along) to take the reins. If that happens, production might finally start moving… though we probably won’t see anything until 2027. Let that sink in. We’ll just be here, aging gracefully and re-reading.

🏖️ Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Is Headed to the Screen

This one's officially getting adapted too! The showrunner from Amazon’s The Wilds, Amy B. Harris, is now helming the project after a creative shake-up. We know this is old news, but it’s new to us, so colored us intrigued! Especially since one of us just finished the book (and couldn't stop reading).

✈️ People We Meet on Vacation Gets a Netflix Release Date

Emily Henry stans, rejoice! The adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation is hitting Netflix on January 9, 2026. Yes, it hasn’t even started filming yet, but a release date is a release date. Cast has been announced, we’ve talked about that before, and honestly, we’re just thrilled the Emily Henry Cinematic Universe is expanding!

What’s On Our Nightstands

No judgment here, we’ve got more open books than emotional stability this month. Here’s what’s currently keeping us company at 2 a.m. when we swore we were going to bed early:

Stace’s Stack:

• Bourbon & Lies by Victoria Wilder

Small-town secrets, cursed families, and one extremely tempting ex-cop. There’s a lot of bourbon and even more tension… and yes, someone definitely skinny dips in a horse trough.

• Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver

One single dad, one emotionally exhausted country star, and more small-town swoon than we were emotionally prepared for. Elsie Silver is out here writing men that simply shouldn’t exist, and yet…

• Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta

Yep. That one. It won our book club's Most Unhinged TBR prompt for July, and listen... it’s actually weirdly wholesome for a monster romance about minotaur milking. I said what I said.

Reb’s Stack:

• With Any Luck by Ashley Poston

A short-but-sweet gem from the Improbable Meet Cute series. Audrey’s cursed to be the girl before the soulmate (ouch), but when her bestie vanishes right before his wedding, she retraces the night with the best man. Enemies to lovers? Kinda. Chaotic energy? Absolutely.

• Beach Read by Emily Henry

Finally diving into the OG of Emily Henry heartbreak. Augustus kills his characters, January believes in happily ever after, and they’re both stuck next door for the summer. Writer’s block? Gone. Feelings? Unavoidable.

Featured Read of the Month:

Our featured read for this month is Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Yes, we’re still deep in our Emily Henry era, and no we’re not even a little bit sorry about it. This marks our third time featuring her on the pod, and honestly? She earns it every single time.

Want to revisit our past episodes featuring Emily Henry?

• Season 1: Happy Place

• Season 2: Funny Story

Great Big Beautiful Life is already hitting differently. We’re not diving into full spoilers just yet (you’ll have to wait for our end-of-month episode for that juicy breakdown), but let’s just say: the vibes, the voice, the characters… we’re obsessed. Again. Emily writes places and people that feel so real it’s like bookish déjà vu, and this story is no exception.

Sprinkle in a little longing, a little heartache, and the kind of magic that makes you nostalgic for a life you’ve never lived, and you’ve got a story we can’t stop annotating.

Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to our podcast on whatever platform you’re using, and pop over to our Instagram @mysisterstbr.

Thanks for tuning in!

Leave a comment

In this episode, we’re wrapping up all the reads from June: the hits, the flops, the age gap cowboys, and one very controversial YA tearjerker. Plus, we’re spilling some bookish tea with adaptation news and announcing our July featured read! Buckle up: it’s a long one.

Bookish News!

• People We Meet on Vacation is getting a movie adaptation starring Tom Blythe and Emily Bader (screaming!).

• The Mindfck Series* by S.T. Abbey is getting a TV adaptation (!!!)

• Tom Felton is BACK as Draco Malfoy in the Cursed Child Broadway production.

• Elsie Silver's Rose Hill series and Lauren Roberts' Powerless are getting the screen treatment.

• Aaaaand we’re about to live in a golden age of Emily Henry adaptations. Bring it on.

What We Read in June

Stacey's Stack (9 Books!)

• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins – 5 stars across the board. Reading this as a 30-something hits way harder than it did at 16. Still obsessed with Peeta. Still ready to fight President Snow in the street.

• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – Another 5 stars. Haymitch’s story broke our hearts and then broke them again. Best in the series? Possibly.

• Death Row by Freida McFadden – 2 stars. Frida, babe, go to bed.

• A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole – 3 stars. Religious trauma triggers, but beautifully written. Just... rough waters emotionally.

• Better Luck Next Time by Cara Bastone – 3 stars. Time-traveling romance with emotional damage. Not her best, but still enjoyable.

• Chasing the Wild by Elliot Rose – 3 stars. Age-gap cowboy romance. Spicy and dramatic, but the writing felt a bit green.

• I Died on a Tuesday by Jane Corry – 2 stars. Too many POVs, too many timelines, too many headaches.

• Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood – 4 stars. Age-gap summer fling in Sicily. Sweet, smart, and a little bit sizzling.

Rebecca’s Stack (5 Books)

• Death Row by Freida McFadden – 2 stars. "What the hell did I just read?" —Rebecca

• The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren – 5 stars. Email banter romance PERFECTION.

• The Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez – 5 stars. Anonymous Valentine’s Day notes. Grandma wisdom. Neti pot revenge.

• Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne – 5 stars. Float pod disaster turns firefighter flirtfest. We approve.

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - we'll discuss this one soon ;)

July Featured Read ✨ We're back on our Emily Henry bullsh*t. This month's pick is Great Big Beautiful Life – a summer-set contemporary romance featuring rival biographers, secret NDAs, and a whole lot of slow-burn energy. It's giving enemies-to-lovers at an island writing retreat. Let’s gooooo.

That’s a wrap on June!

Don’t forget to leave us a comment on Spotify, follow us on Instagram, and read along with our July featured read pick. We’ll be back in two weeks with more chaotic updates and some July new release chatter.

Toodles!

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Hey, everyone, and welcome back to My Sister's TBR Podcast! We're Stacey and Rebecca, and we were so thrilled to have you join us for our monthly wrap-up episode – one of our favorite times of the month. This time around, we're diving into all the books we read in May... and April, and March! We've got some hidden gems, some real page-turners, and even some bestsellers we just couldn't put down.

Before we dive into the books, just a quick heads-up: our regular deep dive into our featured read will be in a separate episode coming out in a few days, so keep an eye out for that! There was also a little technical difficulties with Rebecca’s mic, so this episode sounds a little on the “underwater” side.

Bookish News!

We did have some exciting bookish news to share, especially since it relates to our featured read: the Golden Trio has been cast for the HBO series! Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alistair Stout will be playing Harry, Hermione, and Ron, respectively. And get this – over 30,000 children auditioned! Incredible!

What We Read!

Now, for the main event: the books!

Stacey’s Reads:

Stacey had a very busy March and April! She finished seven books in March, though two were fan fictions she didn't have the names for (obviously Dramione…). Her March reads included:

• Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros: A bit slow, but "gut punchy".

• Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young: A phenomenal five-star read!

• The Only One Left by Riley Sager: A great book club pick, earning four stars.

• Beach Read by Emily Henry: A five-star, "deadly, deadly book" – and the only one by her Stacey hadn't read yet!

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling: A no-brainer, obviously!

April was just as packed, with eight books!

• Love at First Psych by Cara Bastone: Three stars, didn't hit the same as her others.

• Wild Love by Elsie Silver: Four stars, and Stacey is loving Elsie Silver lately!

• Quicksilver by Callie Hart: A fantastic five-star book club read!

• 1984 by George Orwell: A five-star, terrifying read that hits differently as an adult. Stacey highly recommends it for its relevance.

• Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone: Another great four-star from Cara Bastone.

• Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas: Five stars, obviously.

• Seatmate by Cara Bastone: Four stars.

• Leave Me Behind by K.M. Moronova: A "huge f***ing letdown" and probably closer to a one-star read. Stacey was hooked for the first three quarters, but then it just really went off the rails. Her Goodreads review sums it up: "had me hook, line, and sinker until 85%. WTF was that ending?"

May was a little slower, with six reads.

• Fight by Sloan St. James: The cover looked fantastic – rugged man, chainsaw, tattoos! But sadly, it was more like a 2.5-star read for Stacey, despite the good description. The miscommunication was a killer, making it feel "so toxic". She won't be continuing the series.

• Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez: A book club pick and a romance. While popular with the book club, Stacey didn't really like it. She found the female character, Samantha, difficult to like, which is a recurring theme with Abby Jimenez's female characters for her. While she liked Xavier and the insta-love, the excessive conflict was a letdown.

• The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager: Stacey highly recommends this one, giving it five stars! She's not usually a huge mystery thriller reader, but this book had her hooked from page one, filled with anxiety and plot twists. It's a story of voyeurism, suspicion, and dark truths. If you're looking for a more "mature and refined" thriller than Freida's, Riley Sager is your guy!

• First Time Caller by B.K. Borson: Stacey devoured this one, giving it five stars! It's a cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story about a hopeless romantic and a jaded radio host. The daughter calls into a radio show for dating advice for her mom, and sparks fly between the mom and the radio host. So much good about this book, with great chemistry and a man who keeps a list of your favorite things!

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: A re-read for Stacey, and it's still a five-star read! Reading it as an adult (30-plus) hits differently than reading it as a teenager. The book does a better job at fleshing out Katniss's character outside of the games compared to the movie. If you haven't read it in the last 15 years, read it!

Rebecca’s Reads:

Rebecca read one book in March:

• The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden: Rebecca gave it three stars and described it as "meh." She fully predicted the plot twist, and it even had a happily ever after, which was bizarre.

And she’s picked up the pace for May:

• Height by SenLinYu: A short story, which Rebecca struggled with. She gave it three stars mainly because it's a Dramione fanfic by SenLinYu. It just didn't have enough storyline and was "too quick". Lesson learned: stop reading short stories if you want more!

• Dead Med by Freida McFadden: Rebecca had talked about this one on the mid-month episode. Originally published as Suicide Med, it was re-released with 20% new material. Rebecca rated it a two, finding the writing awkward and "corny and cheesy". She almost DNF'd it early on.

• The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas: A four-star contemporary romance, and Rebecca loved the banter. It has fake relationship, office romance, one bed, grumpy/sunshine, and slow burn tension! She’s officially off her "distaste for romance" ban!

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The featured read, and obviously five stars! We'll be doing a deep dive on this in a separate episode, comparing the movie and the book, talking about new characters like Colin Creevey, Dobby, and Moaning Myrtle, and more about Hagrid's past! Rebecca will also share some stories from Harry Potter World!

What We're Currently Reading:

• Rebecca: Currently reading The Tenant by Freida McFadden, but is putting it on hold because she feels like she needs a break from Freida!

• Stacey: Still reading Bloody, Slutty and Pathetic, but the repetitive use of "love" when Draco talks to Hermione is a bit excessive. She's also reading Queen of Shadows and Catching Fire, the second Hunger Games book.

That's all folks! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow! And if you're listening on Spotify, you can now leave comments on our episodes – please do! We'll comment back and might even feature your comment on our next episode!

Toodles!