Fictionally Unhinged

Welcome to Fictionally Unhinged — the podcast where every opinion is unfiltered, every spiral is dramatic, and your TBR is permanently out of control. 

Hosted by two emotionally unstable (but well-read) besties, this is your go-to space for chaotic book talk, unhinged hot takes, and deep dives into the stories that completely wreck us—in the best way.

From cozy comfort reads to dark, twisty thrillers… from swoony romances to full-blown emotional damage—we’re breaking down what to read based on your mood, your mindset, and your current level of instability.

Expect:

•  Book recs for every “nervous system state” 
•  Laugh-out-loud chaos and relatable spirals 
•  Honest, no-BS reviews (we will DNF publicly 👀) 
•  Fangirl moments, feral reactions, and questionable life choices inspired by fictional men 

Consider this your official warning label: spoilers, sass, and zero chill ahead.

🎧 Press play… and let’s spiral together.

You are listening to Fictionally Unhinged — where every opinion is unfiltered, every spiral is dramatic, and every TBR is dangerously out of control. Consider this your official warning label: spoilers, chaos, and wildly honest takes ahead.

✨ Welcome to Season 2. ✨

After a few months of being very MIA (because… life), we’re finally back with a much-needed catch-up episode. In this season premiere, we’re sharing real-life updates, big changes, and the behind-the-scenes chaos that pulled us away — including moves, new jobs, family transitions, sleep deprivation, puppies, and everything in between.

We also ease back into book talk with what we’ve been reading (and not reading), including:

• Brimstone (the opinions are… mixed)
• Cozy Christmas reads
• Once the Stars Fall
• The Coven
• Easy comfort reads vs. heavy fantasy when your nervous system simply cannot cope

This episode is part life update, part bookish brain dump, and fully unhinged — exactly the way we like it. Consider this the soft re-entry before we dive deeper into books, tropes, spirals, and full-blown opinions in upcoming episodes.

We’re so glad you’re here.
 We’re so glad we’re back.
 And welcome to Season 2 of Fictionally Unhinged 🖤📚

Marita’s flying solo to shout from the rooftops about her all-time favorite rom-com series: Lucy Score’s Riley Thorn universe—aka reality-adjacent mayhem with dead bodies, psychics, and enough coffee to power a small city. If you’ve ever wanted a rom-com that doesn’t reset every book, this one lets you live with Riley and Nick as their relationship grows through visions, murder investigations, meddling retirees, and one extremely lovable PI who chooses love without angsting for 400 pages.

Expect: witty one-liners that make you snort-laugh, heartfelt gut-punches that sneak up on you, and a cozy-chaotic world that somehow feels like home. Marita breaks down why Nick Santiago deserves his own fan club, why Riley is the relatable messy queen we root for, and how Lucy Score balances humor and heart like a pro—no new couple every book, just one delicious slow-build relationship you actually get to stay in.

In this episode:

• What makes Riley & Nick the rom-com gold standard
• Found family shenanigans (hi, retirement-home detectives)
• Freedom vs. “shoulds,” and why this series hits deeper than cute banter
• Favorite quotes and laugh-till-you-cry moments (Halloween party chaos, anyone?)

Fictionally Unhinged: Fall Book Chaos, Fantasy Boys in Corn Mazes, and TikTok Book Betrayals 🍂

You’re listening to Fictionally Unhinged — where every opinion is unfiltered, every spiral is dramatic, and every TBR is dangerously out of control. Consider this your official warning label: spoilers and unhinged chaos ahead.

It’s fall… sort of. In this episode, we’re pretending we don’t live in 85° Florida and fully leaning into fantasy fall vibes. We’re playing games like Fantasy Fall Activities (carving pumpkins with Violet? Getting lost in a corn maze with Cassian?), stealing apple cider donuts with book characters, and of course, putting books on trial for not living up to the hype. 📚⚖️

We dive into the most popular books BookTok made us read — and whether or not they were worth it. From Zodiac Academy and Ruthless Boys, to Quicksilver, The Ritual, The Housemaid, Butcher & Blackbird, Incon and Fantasma, The Things We Never Got Over, and Verity — we’re spilling the tea, throwing shade, and roasting every letdown along the way.

Expect spicy takes, chaotic laughter, tangents about secret societies, fall book recs, and a little bit of therapy for all the morally gray men who ruined us.

Books mentioned:
🖤 Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
🖤 The Ritual & The Sinner by Shantel Tessier
🖤 Zodiac Academy + Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac
🖤 Quicksilver by Raye Wagner
🖤 The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
🖤 Verity, November 9th, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
🖤 The Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
🖤 Incon + Fantasma by Kaylie Smith
🖤 The Silent Patient, Behind Her Eyes, Dead Guy Next Door, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, and more…

Whether you’re team “worth the hype” or team “BookTok betrayed me,” this episode is cozy, chaotic, and full of fall book energy.

You’re listening to Fictionally Unhinged — where every opinion is unfiltered, every spiral is dramatic, and every TBR is dangerously out of control. Consider this your official warning label: spoilers and unhinged chaos ahead.

Episode eight is an emotional wrecking ball — we're diving into the scenes that broke us, gutted us, and made us sob so hard we had to put the book down and reevaluate life. From fantasy heartbreaks to thriller-induced chills, this episode is all about the quotes, deaths, betrayals, and sacrifices that hit way too hard.

We talk Verity, Throne of Glass, Crescent City, Fourth Wing, Quicksilver, Ruthless Boys, and even a few underrated gems that made us question if our tears were worth it (spoiler: they were). Expect dramatic readings, therapy-level rants, and our unfiltered love for the characters who deserved better.

Also on the docket:
 😵 The Verity abortion scene and why it still haunts us
 🩵 LaHaba’s death: a small fire sprite with the biggest heart
👑 Aelin’s girl’s girl moment on the bridge (we sobbed)
💔 The fiancé death that wrecked us in You're Always
🔥 Liam’s final words in Fourth Wing and why we’ll never recover
📚 Our working theory: SJM has a red-string murder board in her office

Whether you’re crying over fictional characters, rewriting the plot in your head, or Googling “does he come back?” at 2am — this episode is for you. Bring tissues. You’ve been warned.

You’re listening to Fictionally Unhinged — where every opinion is unfiltered, every spiral is dramatic, and every TBR is dangerously out of control. Consider this your official warning label: spoilers and unhinged chaos ahead.

Episode seven is a hot mess (in the best way): we're talking real-life reading expectations, the guilt of unread Book of the Month picks, the endless Zodiac Academy spiral, and why we keep adding books to our TBR like we don’t already have 67 unfinished ones.

We get brutally honest about what it’s like being book-obsessed working moms—caught between wanting to read for hours and bingeing Netflix with our husbands because our brains are fried. And yeah… we went there: we share why we pulled certain authors from our shelves after their horrific reactions to recent events. Empathy > ego. Always.

Expect chaotic tangents, book recs you’ll instantly add to your Kindle, and a long overdue DNF confessional.

Also on the docket:
 📚 Why we can’t finish Ruthless Boys but can’t quit it either
👀 Is “Silver Elite” secretly written by Rebecca Yarros??
🧠 Audiobooks, mental load, and the war on concentration
🙅‍♀️ Authors we no longer support (and why)
🔥 Our fall TBRs, fantasy faves, and spicy thrillers we’re eyeing next

Whether your reading time looks like 5am sprints with coffee or hiding in the bathroom with your Kindle—this episode is for the readers doing their best in the chaos (and still buying more books).

You’re listening to Fictionally Unhinged — where every opinion is unfiltered, every spiral is dramatic, and every TBR is dangerously out of control. Consider this your official warning label: spoilers and unhinged chaos ahead.

Episode six is all about romance — the sweet, the spicy, and the straight-up deranged. We’re talking rom-coms, dark romance, and the chaotic in-between where murder and banter somehow lead to healing.

We spiral through Colleen Hoover gateways, Lucy Score obsessions, and why we’ll always simp for a man who says “you’re mine” (as long as it’s fictional). Expect unfiltered takes on Haunting Adeline, Lights Out, Ruthless Boys, The Ritual, Blackbird & Butcher, Riley Thorn, and more. We get real about mental health in dark romance, the comfort of predictable tropes, and how some books make us feel like emotionally spiraling golden retrievers (with knives).

Also on the docket:
 ✨ Romance books as pink donuts vs. espresso martinis
 💀 The Saints & Sinners Ball scandal (yikes)
 📚 The age-old debate: enemies to lovers or friends to lovers?

Whether you're here for the fluff, the trauma bonding, or the espresso martinis with lipstick stains — this episode is for the readers who love love… even when it’s a little unhinged.

You’re listening to Fictionally Unhinged — where every opinion is unfiltered, every spiral is dramatic, and every TBR is dangerously out of control. Consider this your official warning label: spoilers and unhinged chaos ahead.

Episode five is pure chaos (shocking, we know). This week, we’re diving into the unhinged world of Goodreads one-star reviews — the savage, the hilarious, and the ones that made us say “wait, are we even reading the same book?”

We go back and forth guessing books from their worst reviews, spilling tea on fan favorites like Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, Ruthless Boys, Crescent City, Throne of Glass, ACOTAR, Verity, Quicksilver, and more. Expect dramatic readings, questionable hot takes (yes, apparently dragons were “the only characters with depth”), and plenty of laughter as we roast reviews that went way too hard.

Whether you love these books, hate them, or live for the chaos in between, this episode will make you want to scroll Goodreads just for the drama.

⚠️ Spoilers inside for: Fourth Wing series, Zodiac Academy, Ruthless Boys, Crescent City, ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, Quicksilver, and more.

You’re listening to Fictionally Unhinged — where every opinion is unfiltered, every spiral is dramatic, and every TBR is dangerously out of control. Consider this your official warning label: spoilers and unhinged chaos ahead.

In today’s episode, we embrace the chaos (because Kristina decided two kids under two wasn’t enough and added a puppy 🐶). We somehow find time to dive into:

-Pulling random books out of a hat (yes, literally) and giving our first thoughts: love it, hate it, or what even was that ending?
-Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm — the miscommunication tropes we despise, the dragons we adore, and why Zayden will forever test our patience.
-Which fantasy worlds we’d actually survive in (spoiler: not many, unless there’s wine in Polaris).
-Bang-Marry-Banish featuring our favorite (and not-so-favorite) book boyfriends.
-Wild crossover ideas — imagine Darius meeting Tairn or Manon crashing Crescent City.

Basically, it’s vibes, tangents, and questionable opinions — but that’s why you’re here.

⚠️ Spoilers inside for: Fourth Wing series, Zodiac Academy, Ruthless Boys, Crescent City, ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and more.

You’re listening to Fictionally Unhinged — where every opinion is unfiltered, every spiral is dramatic, and every TBR is dangerously out of control. Consider this your official warning label: spoilers and unhinged chaos ahead.

In this episode, we’re diving headfirst into the female main characters who run our fantasy worlds — from the Chaos Queens like Tori Vega, Bryce Quinlan, and Violet Sorrengail, to the Strategists and Quiet Blades like Darcy Vega, Feyre, and Nesta. We talk archetypes, villains we love to hate (looking at you, Lionel), the pain of character deaths that broke us, and the friendships, rage, and redemption arcs that made us scream, cry, and highlight entire chapters in glitter pen.

Expect chaotic tangents (yes, including buttery bagels and dragons that act like dogs), plenty of book boyfriend sidebars, and lots of unhinged opinions about why some FMCs deserve their own spinoffs.

✨ Spoilers inside for: Zodiac Academy, Ruthless Boys, Crescent City, ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and Fourth Wing.