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From sorority sisters to bookish besties—this episode is all about finding your reading groove and building a community that keeps you turning pages.

In this episode, I sit down with Nathalie Cañadas to talk about her reading glow-up—from occasional reader to devouring 200+ books a year. We chat about audiobooks, immersive reading, Kindle Unlimited, and how joining a book club completely changed her reading life. Plus, we dive into her favorite romance reads, dark twists, and underrated gems you need on your TBR.

If you’ve ever struggled to find time to read—or didn’t know where to start—this episode is for you.

Broken Romeo by Leisa Rayven — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage — Buy on Amazon | Cowboy Romance | Audio ✅

Pen Pal by J.T. Geissinger — Buy on Amazon | Romantic Suspense | Audio ✅

Carnal Urges by J.T. Geissinger — Buy on Amazon | Mafia Romance | Audio ✅

Bourbon Boys Series by Victoria Wilder — Buy on Amazon | Romantic Suspense

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅

[00:00] – Welcome + how Nathalie and I met

[02:00] – What Latin sororities actually look like

[05:30] – Nathalie’s reading journey (pre-2024 vs now)

[07:30] – Discovering audiobooks + Libby + Hoopla

[08:30] – What is immersive reading (and why it works)

[09:30] – Finding your reading groove

[10:30] – Romance genre deep dive + BookTok impact

[13:00] – Library hacks + how to get multiple cards

[15:30] – Supporting libraries + budget reading

[16:00] – Book recommendations begin

[16:30] – Broken Romeo discussion

[17:30] – Cowboy romance (Lyla Sage)

[18:30] – Dark twist reads (Pen Pal)

[20:00] – Mafia romance recs

[22:00] – Dark romcoms + Lights Out

[23:00] – Bourbon Boys series

[24:00] – Abby Jimenez spotlight

[25:30] – Inside the Baddies Book Club

[27:30] – Book club retreat + community building

[28:30] – Nathalie’s Instagram + where to follow

Follow Nathalie on Instagram: Nats Next Book

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What happens when romance meets real life—immigration, identity, and the courage to choose joy anyway?

In this episode, I sit down with Sonali Dev to talk about her latest novel How Simi Got Her Groom Back—a deeply emotional story about sisterhood, love, and what it really means to belong. We dive into the themes behind the book (including immigration and chosen family), plus a powerful conversation about romance as a tool for healing, self-worth, and rewriting the rules we’ve been given.

If you love romance with depth, second chances, and stories that make you feel something real—this episode is for you.

How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction

The Caste and the Star by Leylah Attar — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance / Second Chance

Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai — Buy on Amazon | Romantic Comedy / Second Chance / Heist Romance

1. 00:00 – Welcome back Sonali Dev
2. 01:00 – Behind the scenes of her latest book release
3. 03:00 – Writing process & juggling multiple books
4. 04:30 – What How Simi Got Her Groom Back is about
5. 06:30 – Immigration, legality vs. morality, and storytelling
6. 08:00 – Why joy is an act of rebellion
7. 10:00 – How books build empathy
8. 11:00 – Romance novels and self-worth
9. 13:30 – Raising your standards in love & life
10. 15:00 – Choosing joy in everyday decisions
11. 17:00 – Visibility, bravery, and showing up authentically
12. 19:30 – What Sonali loves to read
13. 21:30 – Reading across genres vs. sticking to romance
14. 24:00 – Book rec: The Caste and the Star
15. 27:00 – Book rec: Partners in Crime
16. 30:00 – Where to find Sonali Dev

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If you’ve ever masked your anxiety while looking wildly “high-functioning,” this episode is going to hit.

Today I’m chatting with returning guest Cat Sebastian about her new contemporary romance Star Shipped — a slow-burn, forced-proximity love story between two actors on a long-running sci-fi show who “hate” each other in the most domestic way possible.

We talk about why Cat took a risk moving from historical to contemporary romance, how fandom and sci-fi shaped this book, and why she wanted to write a character with anxiety, OCD, and migraines who doesn’t magically “heal” by the final chapter. This is a conversation about radical acceptance, surviving in a noisy world, and finding love without fixing yourself first.

If you loved the emotional intensity of hockey romances but want celebrity PR chaos instead, this one’s for you.

[00:00] Welcoming Cat back + what she’s been up to

[00:01] Inside Star Shipped — enemies-to-lovers on a sci-fi set

[00:02] The Gene Roddenberry letter that inspired the book

[00:04] Taking the risk from historical to contemporary

[00:06] Researching fandom vs. TV industry details

[00:08] Writing invisible disability & high-functioning anxiety

[00:12] No “pink cloud” healing — why incremental growth matters

[00:16] Radical acceptance in romance

[00:18] Romance recommendations with buttoned-up/chaos pairings

[00:23] Where to find Cat + newsletter over social media

Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian — Contemporary Romance | Celebrity | Enemies-to-Lovers | Anxiety Rep | Audio ✅

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly — LGBTQ+ Romance | Outdoors Setting | Neurodivergent Rep | Audio ✅

With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson — Workplace Romance | Opposites Attract | Slow Burn | Audio ✅

Chef’s Kiss by TJ Alexander — Workplace Romance | Queer Romance | Polyamory Rep | Audio ✅

A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander — Historical Romance | Queer Romance | Tender Slow Burn | Audio ✅

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What happens when book bans aren’t just headlines — but federal law?

In this episode, I’m chatting with historical fiction author Shelley Noble about The Sisters of Book Row, a novel set in 1915 New York during the height of the Comstock censorship laws. We talk about rare bookstores, banned poetry, Margaret Sanger, and why 100-year-old history feels… uncomfortably familiar today. If you care about protecting books, women’s voices, and literary legacy — this one will stay with you.

We also dive into Shelley’s unexpected path to publishing (spoiler: it started with a dare), why she left mysteries for historical women’s fiction, and her favorite historical mystery comfort reads.

[00:00] Shelley’s journey from dancer to published mystery author

[03:00] Writing historical mysteries vs. women’s fiction

[06:30] Discovering the Tiffany Girls & shifting genres

[07:45] The Comstock Laws explained

[09:30] Margaret Sanger and censorship in 1915

[11:00] The Sisters of Book Row premise

[14:30] Book banning today vs. 1915

[18:30] Research process & using primary sources

[22:00] Historical mystery & romantic suspense recommendations

The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley Noble — Historical Women’s Fiction | Bookstore Drama | Women’s Rights

This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart — Romantic Suspense | Classic Mystery

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley — Time Slip Romance | Historical Fiction

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters — Historical Mystery | Victorian Egypt | Humor

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What happens when influencer culture, megachurch ambition, and algorithm-driven community collide?

This week, I’m joined by longtime friend and fellow early-podcaster Alli Hoff Kosik to talk about her debut novel, Too Blessed to Stress — a sharp, nuanced story about faith, friendship, ambition, and the very online world we’re all living in.

We talk about how her MFA journey led her here, why religion in fiction felt like a “risky” topic just a few years ago, and how influencer culture (hello Mormon wives and MomTok 👀) makes this story more relevant than ever. If you love messy friend groups, big institutions, powerful men, and complicated women trying to build something meaningful — this one is for you.

[00:00] Early podcast days & friendship origin story

[02:00] Alli’s MFA journey and first abandoned manuscript

[05:00] The Christian influencer rabbit hole

[07:30] Influencer monetization & megachurch power

[10:00] Religion, algorithms & modern politics

[14:00] Community after the pandemic

[21:30] Behind the Scenes podcast (BTS-TBTS)

[24:00] Book recommendations: cults, ambition & satire

[37:00] Where to find Alli & audiobook details

Too Blessed to Stress by Alli Hoff Kosik — Book Club Fiction | Influencer Culture | Literary Fiction

Little One by Olivia Muenter — Cult Fiction | Dual Timeline | Psychological Drama

Paper Cut by Rachel Taff — Literary Fiction | Power & Family Dynamics

Tehrangeles by Porochista Khakpour — Satire | Reality TV Culture | Pandemic Fiction

Glossy by Marisa Meltzer — Nonfiction | Business Biography | Millennial CEO

Workhorse by Caroline Palmer — Literary Fiction | Publishing Industry | Ambitious Female Lead

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