In this episode of The Jolly Reader Podcast, we’re wrapping up Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig, covering Part 3: Chapters 21–29 (pages 218–324).

The mystery surrounding January’s disappearance finally reaches its breaking point as Flynn gets closer than ever to the truth. Every secret, accusation, and half-truth from the earlier sections starts crashing together, forcing Flynn to confront what really happened, and what he may have missed all along.

Will we finally learn what happened to January, or will this story leave us questioning everything right up to the last page? The theories are peaking, the pressure is on, and this finale gave me plenty to spiral over.

This episode includes discussion of suicide and sexual assault. If you or someone you know needs support, help is available.

For suicide and crisis support, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 (U.S. and territories).

For sexual assault support, contact RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673), text HOPE to 64673, or chat online at RAINN.org.

📚 Grab the book here:

https://amzn.to/4bWnn9n

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!

🎧 If you need a good laugh or just want to hang out with me between episodes, find all my chaos here:

https://linktr.ee/thejollyreader

💜 Support The Show

If you’d like to support The Jolly Reader, you can donate!

Your support helps me buy new books and keep this chaotic book club going. Thanks, Crew!

🌹 Produced by Neon Rose LLC

This podcast is a Neon Rose production. All rights reserved.

We continue Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig, covering Chapters 10–20 (pages 99–217).

January is still missing, the investigation is heating up, and Flynn is quickly learning that the story everyone thinks they know about his relationship might not match reality. As police questions intensify and the town’s suspicions grow louder, new details begin to surface, details that make January’s life look far more complicated than it first appeared.

This episode also includes discussion of sexual assault and consent. If you or someone you know needs support, confidential help is available through the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or via online chat at rainn.org. You are not alone, and support is available.

📖 Heiress of Nowhere by Stacey Lee

At the 55:10 mark, I read the inside cover.

If it sounds like your kind of mystery, you can learn more here:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Heiress-of-Nowhere/Stacey-Lee/9781665978965

📚 Grab Last Seen Leaving here:

https://amzn.to/4bWnn9n

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!

🎧 If you need a good laugh or just want to hang out with me between episodes, find all my chaos here:

https://linktr.ee/thejollyreader

💜 Support The Show

If you’d like to support The Jolly Reader, you can donate!

🌹 Produced by Neon Rose LLC

This podcast is a Neon Rose production. All rights reserved.

We are starting the book Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig, covering Chapters 1–9 pages 1-98.

When Flynn’s girlfriend January disappears without a trace, he becomes one the last person to see her alive, and immediately the spotlight turns on him. The police have questions. The town has opinions. And the cracks in Flynn and January’s relationship start looking a lot deeper than anyone realized.

As suspicion builds and secrets begin surfacing, we unpack the pressure Flynn is under, what this opening section reveals about their relationship, and the uncomfortable realization that the truth might be far more complicated than it first appears.

This episode also includes discussion of mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 in the United States to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You are not alone.

📚 Grab the book here:

https://amzn.to/4bWnn9n

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!

🎧 If you need a good laugh or just want to hang out with me between episodes, find all my chaos here:

https://linktr.ee/thejollyreader

💜 Support The Show

If you’d like to support The Jolly Reader, you can donate!

🌹 Produced by Neon Rose LLC

This podcast is a Neon Rose production. All rights reserved.

The road trip officially goes off the rails.

In this episode, we finish Five Survive by Holly Jackson, covering chapters 31–40 (pages 264–386). Someone is kicked out of the RV, shots are fired, and it becomes clear that the most dangerous threats may not be outside at all. The title of this book is starting to feel a lot less metaphorical.

📚 Grab the book here:

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!

🎧 If you need a good laugh or just want to hang out with me between episodes, find all my chaos here:

https://linktr.ee/thejollyreader

🌹 Produced by Neon Rose LLC

This podcast is a Neon Rose production. All rights reserved.

💜 Support The Show

If you’d like to support The Jolly Reader, you can donate!

Your support helps me buy new books and keep this chaotic book club going. Thanks, Crew!

We’re back in the RV with even more tension, more secrets, and yes, still six people… for now. In part two of Five Survive by Holly Jackson, we’re covering chapters 17–30 (pages 128–263), and the paranoia is getting real. Allegiances are shifting, trust is evaporating, and the group's “plan” is basically, panic and yell.

Is anyone telling the truth? Who’s really being targeted? And how are there still six people alive?

📚 Grab the book here:

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!

🎧 If you need a good laugh or just want to hang out with me between episodes, find all my chaos here:

https://linktr.ee/thejollyreader

🌹 Produced by Neon Rose LLC

This podcast is a Neon Rose production. All rights reserved.

💜 Support The Show

If you’d like to support The Jolly Reader, you can donate!

Your support helps me buy new books and keep this chaotic book club going. Thanks, Crew!

🎙️ Author Interview: Katie Bernet | Beth Is Dead

Little Women reimagined in this twisty, emotional thriller about sisterhood, secrets, and murder....

In this special interview episode of The Jolly Reader, I sit down with debut author Katie Bernet to talk all things Beth Is Dead, the inaugural release from Sarah Barley Books, hitting shelves on January 6, 2026.

We dive into how Katie reimagined Little Women as a modern YA murder mystery, what drew her to the March sisters, and how she brought each character to life in a world of true crime obsession, family secrets, and online fame. Katie shares behind-the-scenes insight into her writing process, her journey from creative director to published author, and advice for aspiring writers (especially my listener crew dreaming of writing their own books someday).

🛍️ Preorder/Beth Is Dead Links & 📆 Katie’s Book Tour Dates:

📚 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Beth-Is-Dead/Katie-Bernet/9781665988698

📱 Follow Katie Bernet:

🔗 https://linktr.ee/katie.bernet

Thanks again to Katie for joining me and to YOU, listener friends, for showing up, screaming about books, and demanding justice for Beth March. 💜

We’re kicking off Five Survive by Holly Jackson, and things are already going off the rails. In this episode, I break down chapters 1-16 (pages 1–127), where six friends on a spring break road trip find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere… with a flat tire, no signal, and a lurking sense that this was no accident.

📚 Grab the book here:

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!

🎧 If you need a good laugh or just want to hang out with me between episodes, find all my chaos here:

https://linktr.ee/thejollyreader

🌹 Produced by Neon Rose LLC

This podcast is a Neon Rose production. All rights reserved.

💜 Support The Show

If you’d like to support The Jolly Reader, you can donate!

Your support helps me buy new books and keep this chaotic book club going. Thanks, Crew!

Seven Dirty Secrets – Part Three: Chapters 21–31 (Pages 210–313)

Alright crew… it’s the final stretch, and the chaos is peaking.

In this episode, we’re tackling the last section of Seven Dirty Secrets by Natalie D. Richards and everything we thought we knew is getting turned upside down. Secrets are exploding into the open, trust is completely shattered, and the danger hits way too close. We even get what I can only describe as an accusing people pizza party, before it all circles back to where it began for a dramatic and dangerous finale.

💜 If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse:

Please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit thehotline.org for 24/7 confidential support.

📚 I highly encourage you to read this book. You can find it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Dirty-Secrets-Natalie-Richards/dp/1728215781

Thanks to our sponsor TK Books, TKBooksLLC.com

If you need a good laugh you can find me on social media:

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If you want to support The Jolly Reader you can donate, which goes towards buying new books and allows me to keep making new episodes. Thanks, Crew!!