This week we’re sharing our favourite reads of the year so far, from the novels we couldn’t put down and 2026’s most-talked about titles to the memoirs that kept us up at night. Consider this your summer reading inspo: including the ultra-hyped Strangers by Belle Burden, Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash and Devil Wears Prada-style thriller Workhorse. As promised, we’re also reviewing the trad-wife thriller Yesteryear again, as well as the addictive true story of how actor Hannah Murray found herself sucked into a creepy wellness cult. Enjoy huns and please do share your book recs in the comments! 

Our next book club will be announced in the next couple of weeks – watch this space hunnies! You can also find our 10 best books of all time over on Patreon, where we drop bonus eps every month and offer our main eps completely ad-free.

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

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Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/ reviews: 

• Strangers, Belle Burden 
• Belle Burden on the Collapse of Her 20 Year Marriage & Her Bestselling Memoir, The Oprah Podcast
• Why I Don't Feel Sorry for Belle Burden, Kathleen Harmer on Substack 
• Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke
• I’m obsessed by the trad wife world — this was the best way to expose it, The Times 
• The Caro Episode, Diabolical Lies
• Lost Lambs, Madeline Cash 
• “I Always Felt Ripe for a Cult”: Meet Madeline Cash, Author of the Year’s Buzziest Debut, Interview Magazine 
• The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness, Hannah Murray
• Workhorse, Caroline Palmer 
• Hooked, Asako Yuzuki

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We have more entertainment than any generation in history, so why does everything feel boring now? Fatigue, the death of originality and digital overwhelm are things we’ve been mulling over a lot recently, after finding ourselves sick of the onslaught of mid-level media, the memeification of politics, nihilism, AI slop and remake after re-release upon algorithm-driven copycat. Is this all just a symptom of the attention economy in overdrive? And what can we do to reclaim our interest? This week we’re deep-diving into why we all feel so bored of everything and how we fight back in the age of average.

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

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Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs / reviews: 

• “Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?” The Atlantic
• The decline of Hollywood talent and originality, Brad Starks on LinkedIn
• This is what it looks like when nothing matters, The Atlantic
• What Does '6-7' Mean? Don't Expect Gen Alpha to Explain It. New York Times
• What Does Boredom Do to Us—and for Us? New Yorker
• When Did Reading Become A Competitive Sport? Elizabeth Day on Substack

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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are supposedly getting married this weekend, so we discuss how much of a spectacle it will be. Plus, what Olivia Wilde’s unfiltered Call Her Daddy episode says about the demonisation of mothers, what the glamourisation of smoking says about today’s weight-loss era, and why the exploitation of Marilyn Monroe feels so deeply relevant today. Also, the return of Caroline Calloway, boyfriend shaming, and why singles nights are revolutionising dating. Thank you to this week’s wise and wonderful guest co-host Olivia Petter, award-winning journalist, author of the brilliant debut novel Gold Rush and founder of Red Lips Dating.

Hear Olivia answer your juicy dating questions in our exclusive bonus ep now on Patreon! patreon.com/StraightUpPodcast

Olivia’s IG: @oliviapetter

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/reviews

• Red Lips, @redlipsdating on IG
• Gold Rush, Olivia Petter
• Olivia’s first Straight Up ep in 2024
• The Unheard Tapes, Netflix
• Marilyn Monroe–The Rest Is History
• Letters from Scamelot, Airmail
• My Week with Marilyn
• I recognise the person in Netflix’s Wellmania — it used to be me, The Times
• Olivia Wilde, Call Her Daddy
• Olivia Wilde has to disappear, The Cut
• Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer
• Two Weeks in August, ITV
• The Invite, in cinemas Friday

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Did Brooklyn Beckham just blow up any chance of a family reunion with his controversial $1m Door Dash ad, or is it straight out of the Victoria Beckham playbook? Also this week: the increasingly fraught discourse about Ariana Grande's weight loss, and whether Emily Ratajkowski is ragebaiting us with her viral new essay and accompanying photoshoot that’s ‘sexualising breastfeeding’. Plus, why women are obsessed with Off Campus, the must-read, five-star book about the Kardashians, and the traumatising experience of reporting sexual misconduct within the Met Police. Thank you to this week’s incredible guest co-host, broadcaster, writer, pop culture queen and OG hun Jackie Adedeji! 

Jackie’s IG: @jackieadedeji

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/reviews

• DeKonstructing the Kardashians, MJ Corey
• The Moment, AppleTV
• Off Campus, Amazon Prime
• Off Campus’s Hannah Finally Makes Me And My Big Boobs Feel Seen, Pedestrian TV
• Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, SkyTV (out July 8)
• Karen Carpenter offers a haunting warning for Ariana Grande fans, Telegraph 
• What if we're not actually worried about Ariana Grande? Liz Plank, Substack
• Reporting ‘police sexual misconduct’ - my traumatic experience, Channel 4 News
• My Big Boobs: Untold, Channel 4
• I Don't Trust My Therapist: Untold, Channel 4

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Pregnant women are being unfollowed in their droves on social media, but at the same time, pronatalist messaging has never been harder to escape. So why is it that both the child-free community and parents alike feel so under siege? We take a look at the celebs at the centre of the discourse, from Margot Robbie facing backlash for “pretending she’s not a mum” and Emma Grede catching heat for her comments on balancing work and motherhood, to Rihanna’s body being under constant surveillance and Nara Smith-style ‘momfluencer’ culture. Plus: K’s personal experience of pregnancy, why society isn’t set up for people to procreate and postpartum representation. 

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/ reviews: 

• Madeleine White Responds to Commenters Who Say They Are Unfollowing Her for Being Pregnant, People
• Margot Robbie, stop pretending you’re not a mum, The Courier Mail 
• The Bump Watch That Won't Quit, Yahoo Entertainment
• Influencers are selling a delusional fantasy of being postpartum. Why is it so easy to believe? Substack
• The Kardashian Whisperer Who Says Three Hours With Her Kids Is Enough, WSJ
• Emma Grede: from the East End to $300m with the Kardashians, The Times 
• The Big Kids Question: does anyone want to be a parent anymore? Straight Up 
• Dispatches from Motherhood, Substack 

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Did Dua Lipa just host the celebrity wedding ‘of the decade’? We rake over all the gossip from the three-day bash in Palermo and debate over whether Callum Turner’s status as ‘Mr Dua Lipa’ is reductive and career-damaging. Also on the show: how former ‘kidfluencer’ Piper Rockelle monetises a Lolita fantasy on OnlyFans (including a countdown to her 18th birthday), Bonnie Blue's 'golden' baby shower and Euphoria star Chloe Cherry’s viral interview about how we’re having the wrong conversations about sex work. Plus, Cara Delevingne’s incredible Call Her Daddy episode, the Right-wing backlash to Alex Cooper’s pregnancy, and the woman selling ‘good wife’ courses to Christian women. Thank you to this week’s very special guest Emma-Louise Boynton, journalist, broadcaster and author of the incredible new book Pleasure: The Reclamation of My Body, about how sex therapy transformed her relationship with her body and broke a 17-year-cycle with bulimia.

Pleasure: A Reclamation of My Body, by Emma-Louise Boynton is available to buy here. 

Come to see Ellie and Emma-Louise at our How to Date Better event next Wednesday in London! Tickets

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/reviews

• Michael Jackson: The Verdict, Netflix
• Margot’s Got Money Troubles, AppleTV
• The strange surveilled life of Piper Rockelle: why did a former child influencer decide to go on OnlyFans?, Guardian
• Euphoria’s Chloe Cherry On Cassie’s OnlyFans Storyline: “Holy Sh*t, That’s Where We Are In Society?”. Refinery29
• The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, Netflix
• Why is the Right so mad about Alex Cooper’s pregnancy? New York Magazine
• Gen Z Women's New "Anti-Woke Voice", Diabolical Lies
• ‘A husband expects a yes’: how wife schools are shaping submissive Christian women, Guardian

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Insecurities from body image in the Ozempic era to aging and whether we’d have cosmetic surgery are first up on the agenda today, huns, as we answer all your juiciest questions! We get deep into changing our minds about having children, gender disappointment, pregnancy, the single life and getting back with an ex, as well as whether incel culture is making dating harder. Also: book recs, subreddits and our absolute fave things about one another! Enjoy and please do let us know any questions you might have for future ‘ask us anything’ eps x

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptagenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

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The BBC’s disturbing new Panorama documentary about Married at First Sight’s abuse allegations should be a watershed moment for reality TV, but will anything actually change? Plus, the problem with Harper Beckham’s new skincare line, the rise of tween skincare influencers and the ‘toe-dipping’ rumours around why Maya Jama split with Reuben Dias. Finally, a big debrief on Rivals s2, from Rupert Campbell Black’s potentially problematic redemption arc to the show’s female stereotypes.

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptagenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/ reviews: 

• 1536, Ambassador’s Theatre
• The Dark Side of Married at First Sight, iPlayer
• ‘An element of exploitation’: the world of TikTok child skincare influencers, Guardian
• Rivals s2, Disney Plus
• Rivals is a depressingly familiar study of women and the toxic workplace, Glamour
• Topology Interiors

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The Guilty Feminist, aka Deborah Frances-White, is on the show this week and we couldn’t be more excited! In this fascinating chat with the OG podcasting queen, we get into everything from whether feminism is currently on the defensive in mainstream culture and the eroding of women's rights, to the rise of the manosphere, ‘brocasters’ and her thoughts on Steven Bartlett. Plus: the threat of Christian nationalism, dating apps, identity politics and Deborah’s culture recs! 

You can buy Deborah’s book Six Conversations We're Scared to Have: How to Change Minds, Including Your Own here. Deborah's IG: @theguiltyfeminist

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon!  patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptagenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/ reviews: 

• Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, Susan Faludi
• Feminism on the defensive in the mainstream culture, The iPaper 
• Money, Lies, and God: Inside The Movement To Destroy American Democracy, Katherine Stewart
•  The Conspiracists, in cinemas
• Manhunt, Apple TV
• Stalked (podcast) 
•  All British Comedy Explained (podcast) 
• ROAD TO GILEAD: Fascism with Desiree Burch and Professor Roger Griffin, Guilty Feminism 
• In The Print, King’s Head Theatre 

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Dua Lipa and Britney Spears have been embroiled in very different legal dramas this week, so we’re breaking down exactly what’s going on with both. Kris Jenner has been raving about peptides – but what actually are these supplements and why are celebs and biohackers alike so obsessed? Plus: the tragic passing of reality TV star Jake Hall and the so-called “TOWIE curse”, those Sarah Ferguson and P Diddy romance rumours, Amandaland series two and gossip from the set of Rivals, from Alex Hassell’s prosthetic penis fitting to Danny Dyer’s return as Britain’s most unlikely heartthrob. 

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon!  patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptagenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod

Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod

Email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Recs/ reviews: 

• But First, Dinner, Eleanor Steafel 
• Amandaland s2, BBC iPlayer
• Legends, Netflix 
• All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now, Ruby Tandoh
• Britney Spears Embraces ‘Spiritual Journey’ After Pleading Guilty to Reckless Driving: ‘All a Blessing in Disguise,’ Singer Says, People
• Alex Hassell: ‘On Rivals we’re all filthy with each other’, The Times 
• ‘Men are so frightened of being too cuddly or affectionate’: Danny Dyer on going from hardman to heart-throb in Rivals, Guardian 
• Kris Jenner Is a Peptides Devotee, Too, The Cut 
• Why Are People Injecting Themselves with Peptides? The New Yorker 
• What are peptides, are they safe and is there evidence to back up the hype? Guardian

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