The SSR Podcast

Whether you’re looking for lessons in beating your competition in business, being an advocate for your own health, designing a Kid Kit, or simply being the best babysitter (AKA person) in the game, you can find your answers in The Truth About Stacy. The book covers Stacy McGill’s journey to find her voice as her parents seek more support for her diabetes and the BSC’s war against the competing Baby-Sitters Agency (how DARE they?). Alli and her guest share all of their thoughts and feelings!

Rochelle Bilow is a romance and food writer. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, she’s worked as a baker, a line cook, and the social media manager for Bon Appetit and Cooking Light magazines. Her articles about home cooking, restaurants, food news and trends, spirits, groceries, and products have appeared in a variety of national publications. Rochelle’s memoir — The Call of the Farm — was published in 2014, and her fiction debut Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year hit shelves earlier this year. Follow her on Instagram (@rochellebilow).

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Episode 239 takes a close look at the polarizing 1979 novel by V.C. Andrews, Flowers in the Attic. Alli and her guest work through the complicated nature of the discourse around the book and talk about its triggering content, as well as the author’s quirky behavior and incredible talent.

TW: attempted murder, child abuse, child death, incest, poisoning, rape, religion, starvation

Carley Fortune is the New York Times-bestselling author of Every Summer After and the forthcoming Meet Me at the Lake. Follow her on Instagram (@carleyfortune) and Twitter (@CarleyFortune).

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There’s never a dull moment in Sweet Valley, California… and there’s never a dull moment on SSR when Alli and her guests dive into the Sweet Valley High series! On Episode 238, book podcasts collide as hosts of Double Love Anna and Karyn join the pod to discuss Dear Sister, the seventh book in Francine Pascal’s series. Tune in to hear conversations about self-awareness (or lack thereof), weird relationships between teens and adults, motorbike accidents, bad parenting, and lots of unhinged behavior from the Wakefields and their pals.

TW: sexual assault, fatphobia, eating disorders

On the Double Love podcast, hosts Anna and Karyn explore the strange and terrifying world of Sweet Valley High, book by book. Find it wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts! Follow Double Love on Instagram (@svhpodcast) and Twitter (@svhpodcast).

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Baby-Sitters Club Super Specials take the standard BSC format and make them even more, well, super… by alternating POVs so readers get takes from all of the club members and taking the gals on bigger and better adventures so they have great stories to tell. Baby-Sitters On Board! was the first installment in this series extension — and it does not disappoint! In it, the Club sets sail on a cruise and then ventures to Disney World, basically living the dream of every kid ever. There are crushes, new friends, treasure maps, and, of course, baby-sitting. On Episode 137, Alli and her guest discuss the book as a whole. Guest Sara Shepard also reflects on the ways in which it may have inspired her own writing career!

Sara Shepard is the author of bestselling, iconic series for teens, including Pretty Little Liars, The Lying Game, and The Perfectionists. Her new book — Wait for Me — is now available. Follow her on Instagram (@saracshepard) and Twitter (@sarabooks).

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Published in 2013, Catching Fire was the follow-up to Suzanne Collins’s wildly popular The Hunger Games… and on Episode 236, we’re back in the proverbial arena to discuss it! Tune in to hear conversations about love triangles, celebrity culture, trauma bonding, PTSD, movement-building, and more. Alli’s guest is an expert in public policy and economic disparity with a unique take on the world and culture of Panem.

Heather McGhee designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. Her award-winning, New York Times-bestselling book The Sum of Us was adapted for young readers in February of 2023. It was also adapted into a podcast by Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company. Follow her on Instagram (@heathermcghee) and Twitter (@hmcghee).

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Ann M. Martin has written more than just the 100+ titles in the beloved Baby-Sitters Club series. She’s also authored a range of other books, including 1987’s Just a Summer Romance, a book that inspires lots of juicy conversation on Episode 235 . On this episode, Alli and her guest cover all kinds of ground, including the maturity of teen characters, meet cutes, dating red flags, celebrity love stories, diet culture, and pre-social media nostalgia.

Falon Ballard is the author of Lease on Love and Just My Type. Follow her on Instagram (@falonballard) and Twitter (@FalonBallard).

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In one word, Episode 234 is ICONIC. It brings together YA superstar Meg Cabot with a book written by our queen Judy Blume, Blubber. Meg shares her love for and personal connection with this complicated book, which offers a unique, real take on bullying. She and Alli talk about queen bees, banned books, fatphobia, diet culture, and more.

TW: fatphobia, racism, bullying, abuse

Meg Cabot is the author of beloved, award-winning books, including the Princess Diaries series, the Mediator series, the Heather Wells Mystery series, and Avalon High. The Quarantine Princess Diaries hits shelves in March 2023. Follow Meg on Instagram (@officialmegcabot) and Twitter (@megcabot).

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On this episode, author Carlyn Greenwald joins Alli to discuss one of the weirdest books they’ve ever read: Libba Bray’s Going Bovine. They talk about the novel as a 2009 time capsule and consider why bizarre stories like this one are so captivating for readers. Other discussion topics include road trip narratives, existentialism, OCD representation, unlikable characters, drug use, and toxic positivity.

Carlyn Greenwald is the author of two forthcoming novels: Sizzle Reel and Time Out, which she co-authored with Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. Follow her on Instagram (@carlyn_gee) and Twitter (@CarlynGreenwald).

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On Episode 232, Alli and her guest attempt to analyze her bizarrely vivid memory of Jan Slepian’s The Broccoli Tapes. They discuss loneliness, death, different kinds of grief, the main character’s sexual awakening, and the book’s bizarre racial undertones. They compare and contrast the multiple covers of The Broccoli Tapes and consider the deeper questions Slepian explores about love and loss.

TW: death, abuse

Nikki Payne is the author of Jane Austen remixes, including Pride and Protest. Follow her on Instagram (@nikkipaynebooks) and Twitter (@NikkiPayneBooks).

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If you thought we’d made it through all of Judy Blume’s iconic kid lit, you thought wrong! As you’ll discover in Episode 231, Alli and her guests still have plenty of gems to enjoy, including Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson, the 1993 follow-up to Just As Long As We’re Together. Like all of Judy’s work for tweens, the novel takes seriously the seemingly silly concerns of tweens and teens: acne, frustration with siblings, being called “too sensitive,” and the pressures of perfectionism. Listen to learn more!

TW: suicide

Kwana Jackson is a USA Today bestselling author, who also writes as K.M. Jackson. Her latest novel is Knot Again and is the second installment in her Real Men Knit series. Follow her on Instagram (@kwanawrites) and Twitter (@KwanaWrites).

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