Bad On Paper

Today we're diving into a topic we've been wanting to cover for a while: first lines in books! We chat about preferences as both a reader and a writer, our own first lines, and play a guessing game to name the book by its first line.

August's Book Club Pick - The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

Summer of Sol Bonus Book Club Picks

• 8/20 - One and Only by Maurene Goo

• 9/17 - The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza

Obsessions

Becca - Sour patch peaches

Olivia- "Untangling" by Angie McMahon

Events

Get tickets for our Miami Bonus Book Club on August 24

Get tickets for our NYC Bonus Book Club on September 30

Sponsors

Sol de Janeiro - One of the best parts about our Summer of Sol partnership is that we could not love Sol de Janeiro products any more. Don't forget, you can go to soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10, and the 10% discount will be auto-added to your first purchase on most of their bestselling items, like our favorite Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and the Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist. That's 10% off at soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10. We are so excited for you to try all of their bestsellers, if you haven't already!

If you missed out on tickets or don't live in one of the cities we're visiting, we want to spoil one lucky listener with a box of our favorite Sol de Janeiro products and some Bad on Paper swag. You can enter here anytime between now and Tuesday August 11 at noon EST. The giveaway is open to US listeners 18+ only. Find the information for event tickets and the giveaway plus bonus book club episode dates can be found at badonpaperpodcast.com/summerofsol.

Quince - shop at quince.com/bop!

Wayfair - Head to Wayfair.com to shop all things home.

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Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

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Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

We are so ready to discuss our July Book Club Pick, The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff. This was our listeners' pick that beat out 27 other nominations, and we're bursting with thoughts about this book! Keep listening to hear every single one of them.

August's Book Club Pick - The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

Summer of Sol Bonus Book Club Picks

• 8/20 - One and Only by Maurene Goo

• 9/17 - The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza

Obsessions

Becca - Beautiful by Drew Barrymore Air Fryer

Olivia - NYT Cooking App

Sponsors

Sol de Janeiro - One of the best parts about our Summer of Sol partnership is that we could not love Sol de Janeiro products any more. Don't forget, you can go to soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10, and the 10% discount will be auto-added to your first purchase on most of their bestselling items, like our favorite Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and the Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist. That's 10% off at soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10. We are so excited for you to try all of their bestsellers, if you haven't already!

Cozy Earth - Head to cozyearth.com and use code BOP for an exclusive 20% off.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our BFF Group!

Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

In today's ep we're assigning reading syllabi to some of our favorite celebrities and telling them what we think they should be reading! And if you didn't already guess, we took the assignment VERY seriously.

Becca's Celebs

Glen Powell - Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, The Guncle by Steven Rowley, The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett, The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Tree Paine - The Boys' Club by Erica Katz, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan

Anne Hathaway - All Fours by Miranda July, Famesick by Lena Dunham, The Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland, Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino

Olivia's Celebs

Alicia Carmody - Strangers by Belle Burden, The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Noah Kahan - The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett, The Wedding People by Alison Espach, Good Material by Dolly Alderton

Pedro Pascal - Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, John of John by Douglas Stuart,

Bonus Travis Kelce Pick - Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

July's Book Club Pick - The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

Summer of Sol Bonus Book Club Picks

• 8/20 - One and Only by Maurene Goo

• 9/17 - The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza

What we read this week

Olivia - The Children by Melissa Albert, London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

Becca - Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan, Once, Again, Always by Amanda Gayle (out Oct 6)

Obsessions

Becca - MapTap.gg

Sponsors

Skims - Shop our favorites at SKIMS.com. Let them know we sent selecting "podcast" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.

Caraway Home - Visit Carawayhome.com/BOP or use code BOP at checkout to take an additional 10% off your next purchase.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our BFF Group!

Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

We're so excited about the first installment of our Summer of Sol Bonus Book Club, discussing The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand! We break down our thoughts on the book, our favorite Elin Hilderbrand novels, and how the TV adaptation compares!

Summer of Sol Bonus Book Club Picks

• 7/16 - The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

• 8/20 - One and Only by Maurene Goo

• 9/17 - The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza

Sponsors

Sol de Janeiro - One of the best parts about our Summer of Sol partnership is that we could not love Sol de Janeiro products any more. Don't forget, you can use go to soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10 and the 10% discount will be auto-added to your first purchase on most of their bestselling items, like our favorite Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and the Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist. That's 10% off at soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10. We are so excited for you to try all of their bestsellers, if you haven't already!

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our BFF Group!

Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Happy Three Things Day! We have some hot topics to discuss, from T&The pop culture wedding of the century, the Odyssey movie, drafting habits, Gen Z fiction, and more!

Becca's Things

Mayflower or Oregon Trail?

Resisting the urge to write backwards

Gen Z authors entering fiction

Olivia's Things

The Odyssey movie

Ideal book lengths

The T&T Wedding

July's Book Club Pick - The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

Summer of Sol Bonus Book Club Picks

• 7/16 - The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

• 8/20 - One and Only by Maurene Goo

• 9/17 - The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza

What we read this week

Olivia - People in Love by Claire Daverley

Becca - Abby Offsides by Anna McCallie

Obsessions

Becca - Emack & Bolio Mudpie Ice Cream

Olivia - Woman singing in minionese (@ellamott)

Sponsors

Sol de Janeiro - One of the best parts about our Summer of Sol partnership is that we could not love Sol de Janeiro products any more. Don't forget, you can use go to soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10 and the 10% discount will be auto-added to your first purchase on most of their bestselling items, like our favorite Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and the Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist. That's 10% off at soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10. We are so excited for you to try all of their bestsellers, if you haven't already!

BetterHelp - get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER

Master Class - get at least 15% off any annual membership at masterclass.com/BOP

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our BFF Group!

Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

We're back with more book recs! We asked friends of the pod Corey Ann Haydu, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, Sanjana Basker, and John Glynn to share the books they're most excited about in 2026. Amazing book recs ahead!

Becca's Picks - Habits of the Sea by Shea Earnshaw (Out July 7), Sophie Standing There by Meg Mason (Out September 8)

Corey Ann Haydu's Picks: Luna, Phoenix, Queen by Julie Oringer (Out Oct 13), Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour (Out Aug 4)

Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's Picks - Villa Coco by Sean Greer, American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee (Out Sept 29)

Sanjana Basker's Picks - The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas (Out July 21) and Just a Highland Fling by Naina Kumar (Out July 21)

John Glynn's Picks - The Open Era by Edward Schmidt and Whale Harbour by Marybeth Keane (Out Nov 5)

Olivia's Picks - John of John by Douglas Stuart, The Seekers of Deer Creek by Thao Thai (Out 8/4)

July's Book Club Pick - The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

Summer of Sol Bonus Book Club Picks

• 7/16 - The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

• 8/20 - One and Only by Maurene Goo

• 9/17 - The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza

What we read this week

Olivia - Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, John of John by Douglas Stewart

Becca - Crash Into Me by Robinne Lee, The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

Obsessions

Becca - Cumulus Coffee Maker

Olivia -The Other Bennet Sister

Sponsors

Cozy Earth - Head to cozyearth.com and use code BOP for an exclusive 20% off.

Sol de Janeiro - One of the best parts about our Summer of Sol partnership is that we could not love Sol de Janeiro products any more. Don't forget, you can use go to soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10 and the 10% discount will be auto-added to your first purchase on most of their bestselling items, like our favorite Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and the Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist. That's 10% off at soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10. We are so excited for you to try all of their bestsellers, if you haven't already!

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our BFF Group!

Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

We are SO thrilled to chat with Bad on Paper all-star, Robinne Lee! We caught up with Robinne all about her experience seeing The Idea of You go from book to film and her new book, Crash Into Me, out July 7! She shares the seedlings of inspiration for her new book, how it differs from writing The Idea of You, and more!

July's Book Club Pick - The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

The July 16 bonus book club pick - The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand, and we'll have an in-person event in Chicago in July!

The August 20 bonus book club pick - One and Only by Maurene Goo, and we'll have an in-person event in Miami in August.

The September 17 bonus book club pick - The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza, and we'll have an in-person event in NYC in September.

What we Read this Week

Olivia - June Baby by Shannon Garvey

Becca - Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It by Brooke Averick

Obsessions

Becca - Mary H.K. Choi on Forever35

Olivia - eBay charm shoes

Sponsors

Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

Wayfair - Head to Wayfair.com to shop all things home.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our BFF Group!

Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

It's time to discuss our June Book Club Pick, Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave! We chat about how our feelings on the characters evolved as we got deeper into the book, whether we view this as a romance (and if the characters were MTB), and break down the jarring ending.

July's Book Club Pick - The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

The July 16 bonus book club pick - The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand, and we'll have an in-person event in Chicago in July!

The August 20 bonus book club pick - One and Only by Maurene Goo, and we'll have an in-person event in Miami in August.

The September 17 bonus book club pick - The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza, and we'll have an in-person event in NYC in September.

Obsessions

Becca - Olivia Rodrigo "You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love" especially Stupid Song and Expectations

Olivia - Widow's Bay

Sponsors

Caraway Home - Visit Carawayhome.com/BOP to take an additional 10% off using code BOP on your next purchase.

Cozy Earth - Head to cozyearth.com and use my code BOP for an exclusive 20% off.

Skims - Place your order at SKIMS.com and select "podcast" in the survey, and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.

Friperie - use code BOP50 when you sign up for your capsule at friperieberkshires.com and get $50 off!

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our BFF Group!

Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Whether you're traveling this summer, or want to do so without leaving your couch, we're reporting for duty as your book travel agents! This week we're sharing some favorite reads that take place in popular (and personally beloved) travel destinations.

London

Olivia - Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler, Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, Good Material by Dolly Alderton

Becca - Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings, Sorrow & Bliss by Meg Mason, Wahala by Nikki May, The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage

Paris

Olivia - Almost Life by Kiran MIllwood Hargrave

Becca - The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl, The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy, The Pairing by Casey McQuiston, The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah

Italy

Becca - Villa Coco by Sean Greer, Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Olivia - In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka

Beach

Olivia - The Wedding People by Alison Espach, Sea Wife by Amity Gaige, Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin

Becca - Sandwich by Catherine Newman, The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

Ireland

Olivia - Foster by Claire Keegan, Land by Maggie O'Farrell

Becca - The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue, Normal People by Sally Rooney

Maine

Olivia - Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark

Becca - Happy Place by Emily Henry, Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore, Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein

Woods + Mountains

The God of The Woods by Liz Moore, Heartwood by Amity Gaige

Asia

Becca - Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo, Fake by Erica Katz, If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

Olivia - Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Boat Trip/Cruise:

Becca - Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan, American Fantasy by Emma Straub,

Hawaii:

Becca - Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle, Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

June's Book Club Pick - Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

One of the best parts about our Summer of Sol partnership is that we could not love Sol de Janeiro products any more. Don't forget, you can use go to soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10 and the 10% discount will be auto-added to your first purchase on most of their bestselling items, like our favorite Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and the Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist. That's 10% off at soldejaneiro.com/discount/BOP10. We are so excited for you to try all of their bestsellers, if you haven't already!

The July 16 bonus book club pick - The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand, and we'll have an in-person event in Chicago in July!

The August 20 bonus book club pick - One and Only by Maurene Goo, and we'll have an in-person event in Miami in August.

The September 17 bonus book club pick - The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza, and we'll have an in-person event in NYC in September.

What we read this week

Olivia - Foster by Claire Keegan, Loved One by Aisha Muharrar, Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns

Becca - Whistler by Ann Patchett

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our BFF Group!

Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

It's somehow halfway into the year, and we are ready to check in with our annual goals! Keep listening for personal and professional updates for 2026.

June's Book Club Pick - Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

What we read this week

Olivia - Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, Wait for Me by Amy Jo Burns

Becca - The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, Ungodly Rich by Katharine McGee

Obsession

Becca - Utensil Holder and Williams-Sonoma Olivewood Utensils

Sponsors

Cozy Earth - Head to cozyearth.com and use our code BOP for an exclusive 20% off.

Ritual - Save 25% on your first month at Ritual.com/BADONPEPER.

Wayfair - Head to Wayfair.com to get your outdoor space ready for way less.

Better Help - Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our BFF Group!

Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.