Fifty Percent

In this episode, Abigail and Katey discuss Kate Goldbeck’s “You Again.” Other topics include the $5 DVD bin at Walmart, who they’d want to be friends with in the “When Harry Met Sally” universe, taking photos of food, counting how many Taylor Swift references are in this book and Abigail’s childhood improv comedy experiences.

Abigail and Katey are finally wearing sweaters and leaning into cozy fall vibes with “Payback’s A Witch” by Lana Harper. This book has everything they want out of fall, including an excellent bar and some witchy “John Tucker Must Die” shenanigans. They also discuss Katey’s adventure getting Halloween decorations, ghosts interrupting hook-ups and growing up watching a lot of PBS.

In this book club episode, Abigail and Katey discuss Kristina Forest's "The Neighbor Favor." Other topics include how fall is simply a state of mind in Texas even as the weather continues to hit 100 degrees, how IKEA is a perfect date spot, and how many books we added to our TBR after seeing all the book recommendations *within* this book.

In a Very Special Episode, Abigail and Katey interview Sarah Adler, author of “Mrs. Nash’s Ashes.” Conversation topics include Jose Napoleoni’s gritty backstory, taxidermy, how Sarah comes up with names for her characters, unique small-town festivals, Steely Dan, and Sarah’s upcoming novels (!!).

In this episode, Katey and Abigail get more ~academic~ and analyze a book Katey found at her office. Published in the 1984, Janice Radkey’s “Reading the Romance” studies why the genre was so popular among women. In their analysis, Katey and Abigail wonder whether Radkey’s research holds up in the contemporary romance genre and discover more about their own relationship to romance.

Katey and Abigail take on a book outside of the romance genre simply because they couldn’t resist the title and premise of Leesa Cross-Smith’s “Goodbye Earl” (and yes, it’s inspired by the song). Other topics include friend group names, early 2000s nostalgia, the privilege of having a cattle guard, black eyed peas and our love-hate relationships with our respective small towns.

Buy the book here!

Abigail and Katey forced their respective fiancé and husband to read their first-ever romance novel, Tessa Bailey’s “It Happened One Summer.” The boys join as guests on the podcast to discuss the book. Shenanigans ensue, including discussions of the lack of hot men on “Deadliest Catch,” “Vanderpump Rules,” seductive jeans shopping, secret millionaires, and Joe’s Crab Shack.

In this episode, Abigail and Katey read Carley Fortune’s first novel “Every Summer After” and her latest release, “Meet Me at the Lake.” They break down how the books tackle Big Teenage Feelings, the mild online controversy surrounding the first book and the merits of judging books based on characters’ decisions.