In this episode of Good Girls, we dig into our questionable summer reading. We review Liv Zander’s Crown Me Dead and Crown Me Yours (complete with skeleton sex, maggots, and unexpected emotional depth), compare it to her darker raven-shifter work, and debate whether beautiful writing can save truly unhinged premise choices.

We also dive into Jessica Kane-style age-gap novellas versus weaker imitators like Jenna Rose’s Stepbrother’s Obsession, roast the overstuffed “sharknado of contemporary romance” that is Claire Contreras’ When We Lied (billionaire + NHL player + sex-club owner + mystery death + college basketball player… why?), and consult a live male panel of one about whether men can actually feel their balls “filling back up.”

If you’ve ever opened a spicy book expecting pure escapism and instead gotten plot overload, baby batter descriptions, or bony fingers, this one’s for us.

In this episode of Good Girls, we talk he mysterious phenomenon of “the ick”...that sudden, visceral turn-off you get toward someone you were previously attracted to. We share our personal ick lists, discuss celebrity examples like Nick Cage, Adam Levine, Harry Styles, and even our newfound appreciation of Timothee Chalamet.

We explore whether the ick is a helpful defense mechanism, a form of strategic essentialism (yeah...too much of a term for the ick???), or just the natural disenchantment that happens in long-term relationships. Along the way we talk about how to handle it when your partner gives you the ick, the difference between fixable pet peeves and dealbreakers, and why some things (like Kay's...sunflower seeds) might be unforgivable.

If you’ve ever gone from “he’s hot” to “ehhhh...nevermind” in 0.2 seconds, this conversation is for you.

In this episode of Good Girls, we talk about keeping the romance and sexual chemistry alive in long-term relationships, especially as parents. Drawing heavily from Emily Nagoski’s Come Together, we explore her ideas around pleasure as the real measure of a good sex life, responsive versus spontaneous desire, and why constantly chasing “the spark” can actually make things worse.

We talk about sexual seasons (including those deep winter phases), scheduling sex without killing the vibe, and shifting from obligation to mutual enjoyment.

Whether you’re in a long-term monogamous relationship or just trying to keep things hot after years together, this episode is full of practical wisdom (thanks to Queen E), garden metaphors, and reassurance that it’s normal for desire to ebb and flow. Emily Nagoski continues to be our favorite sex educator.

In this episode of Good Girls, we go down multiple rabbit holes to explore the science (and pseudoscience) of attraction and chemistry. We talk everything from evolutionary biology and MHC molecules to the smell of ovulation shirts, bad first kisses, and why tall oak-tree romance heroes with chiseled jaws dominate books but don’t always match real life.

We discuss social exchange theory, self-essentialism, and why pop science advice like “wear red and stand by a sports car” feels more like Jessica Kane book than actual research. Along the way we discuss questionable Ted Ed talks, celebrate lesbian monkey girl gangs, question romance tropes, and share our personal thoughts on vibe matches, and aura mismatches.

If you’ve ever wondered why certain people give you the ick while others spark instant chemistry, this chaotic mix of science, smut references, and monkey polycules is for you.

In this episode of Good Girls, we review the classic sex-positive bible The Ethical Slut by Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy. We discuss what it was like reading this foundational (and delightfully cringy) book written by old hippie occasional lovers, and how their boomer perspectives on sluttiness, non-monogamy, consent, jealousy, and pleasure landed with us as monogamous women.

We explore the book’s strengths, with its approachable, reclaiming energy and thoughtful exercises around intimacy and love muscles. But we have some critiques...the overly broad approach, casual attitude toward cheating, dated examples, and occasional culty historical shoutouts. Along the way, we share personal reflections on brunching with situationships, exercising our own love muscles in monogamy, and what we actually took away as vanilla listeners.

Whether you’re curious about opening things up or just here for the hippie sex wisdom, we break down why this book remains influential even if it’s not our new lifestyle handbook.

We read Esther Perel’s Mating in Captivity and came out the other side with way more questions than answers, and a whole new appreciation for erotic fruit bats. In this episode, we talk why steamy romance in marriage is a surprisingly modern invention, how uncertainty and separateness fuel desire, and why the very things that make a great partnership (equality, familiarity, teamwork) can sometimes kill the lust. We explore touched-out parents, the pitfalls of hookup culture, power dynamics in the bedroom, cultural differences in how we approach sex, and whether a little mystery keeps things hot....though we both stink at that. Along the way we debate what counts as erotic and overshare. If you’ve ever wondered how to stay both best friends and lovers, this one’s for you...maybe, we don't land on any answers.

After talking about AI-generated romance, we put AI's romance-writing abilities to the test with ridiculous prompts, questionable book concepts, and a few attempts at crafting the perfect sex scene. From billionaire bosses and secretaries to unhinged romantasy plots, we're sharing the best, worst, and weirdest results we could get from AI. ...With a magical sentient butt plug with anxiety taking the cake for best.

We confirm that AI is completely incapable of building sexual tension, and is deeply committed to phrases no actual human being would ever say out loud. For now, we feel safe saying the future of romance is definitely not artificial.

Join us as we ask the important questions: Can AI write smut? Nah. Should AI write smut? Well...it should definitely write what Emily Weinstein thinks romantasy (romastasy) is as the AI-generated unicorn sparkly book summary is untopped.

In this episode of Good Girls, we talk about the New York Times article "The New Fabio is Claude" and how AI is shaking up the romance industry. We discuss Coral Hart, the author churning out 200 AI-assisted romance novels a year under multiple pen names, and share our honest reactions after reading her work.

We break down what feels missing in AI-generated stories...that human connection, emotional depth, and organic tension...and talk about the ethics of it all, from AI scraping existing books that go uncredited to authors not disclosing their use of AI. We also cover the survey showing a third of authors are quietly using AI, the challenges of writing sex scenes with guardrails, and why tropes like forced proximity just don’t hit the same with AI --- based off the mess of Coral Hart's books.

This is our take on whether AI can truly write romance, and why we’re still betting on human romance writers for the good stuff. Stay tuned for our follow-up where we test it ourselves!

We rewatch of the early 2000s teen drama The O.C. and break down the things that aged surprisingly well...iconic Y2K fashion, Seth/Ryan bromance, Sandy & Kirsten’s awesome marriage, and killer soundtrack.

But we don’t hold back on what didn’t age well...ridiculous financial plot holes that somehow predicted the subprime mortgage crisis, questionable women’s workwear, wild age inconsistencies, and the heartbreaking real-life struggles faced by Misha Barton. Packed with laughter, fashion nostalgia, and adult realizations about a show we once binged on DVD, this is a comfort rewatch discussion for fellow 2000s kids.

We’re back with another round of bad sex advice, where we dive into relatable (mostly...few curveballs thrown in) Reddit sex questions and give our zero-credentials take. From the virgin who’s scared her fast-and-hard clit rubbing style will exhaust guys’ wrists, to the woman wondering if she’s even had an orgasm because she doesn’t “explode into a million pieces,” we break it all down with help from Emily Nagoski, Nicole Prause’s research, and way too much romance novel knowledge.

We tackle size insecurities and selfish partners, debate hotpast kinks, discuss husbands who love giving oral when their wives don’t enjoy receiving it, and give some tough love to the guy fantasizing about other women while sleeping with his girlfriend. Along the way we talk realistic expectations vs. romance novel orgasms, doggy style tips, and why most of us are just figuring this stuff out as we go.

As always, we’re laughing, oversharing, and reminding you that you’re not broken but social media probably is.