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Today’s episode is all spoiler free and fun vibes filled with unpopular opinions, hot takes, and even a bookish AITA! We’re doing our first book influencer interview and collab episode with none other than bestie of the pod: Kat over @littleblondebooks! We’re sure that you know her from her excellent book recommendations, impeccable taste in music, and her vegan advocacy over @littleblondevegan! Grab an Alani and join the party!

Today she’s here to talk a little bit about herself, the book community she’s built, and her favorite books and authors, but we think the best way to get to know someone is just by inviting them to a hang and chill sesh, so that’s what we did. And guys… turns out Kat has now been hired as our third cohost because we couldn’t stop the yapping! (We joke… but honestly, if we did want a third cohost (or to start a band), Kat, you’d be her. 🫶🤘)

You guys love unpopular opinions, smash or passes, unhinged questions, and am I the a hole situations… so this episode is us talking ALL of those things. Kat even springs some on us that we didn’t prepare for ahead of time, and boy was it fun! We hope you love this episode and feel like hanging out with your book girlies heals you, cuz we know that’s what it does for us!

We’re bring you all this and of course a few FMK sessions for good measure!

Follow Kat over @littleblondebooks on IG! | https://www.instagram.com/littleblondebooks?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)

• Shop our Merch line | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com

Check out these narrator interviews? ⬇️

Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger!

https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️

We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4

Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNE

____

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Ashley & Liz are Both Wearing our Besties Antisocial Crow Gray Zip Hoodie: https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com/products/zip-hoodie-grey-besties-anti-social-crow

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Remember two years ago (almost to the day!) when this new dragon book came onto the Romantasy scene called When The Moon Hatched, we voted for it as a Besties & the Book Club read (going in completely blind), and it took us all by storm?! Well, we do!

We’re here today to officially deep dive When the Moon Hatched by the amazing Sarah A. Parker to finally do one of our favorite dragon books of all time justice. Hey… it might even be our most favorite dragon book to date. Just sayin’… The world building is insane, the magic system complex, the writing immaculate, and the CHARACTERS?! Don’t even get us started on Raeve and Kaan… they are unmatched.

However, we understand that this isn’t necessarily a book that everyone can digest easily. This was a reread for both of us and as we took notes, looked over the index, and mapped this episode out for you it became increasingly clear exactly how much vital info. we missed the first time. So today is all about recapping, talking our faves and fails dragon edition, sharing lore, speculations, and Easter eggs with you in preparation of the release of book two in the Moonfall Series: The Ballad of Falling Dragons out on May 19th!

If you’ve already read it and you need a refresher, we hope this helps! If you’re new to Moonfall and you want our spoiler free reviews at the top of the episode, we’ve got you! And don’t forget to jump into our free Fable book club chat for When the Moon Hatched (book two coming soon!) if you need to debrief and check out our initial reactions to book one at the beginning of episode 11! YES, ELEVEN. Linked below.

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)

Shop our Merch line | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com

Check out these narrator interviews? ⬇️

Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger!

https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️

Penn Cole talks with us about Strong Female Characters, Feminist Themes, and her debut bestselling Spark of the Everflame Series! https://youtu.be/7ukNImyoObw?si=7C3Y9kOUMN4hfcKb

We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4

____

Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:

Ashley is wearing a Fly or Die Dragon T-shirt from @CaffeineandCurses | https://caffeineandcurses.com

Liz is wearing “I’m a Book Dragon” Clash of Tides tee from the Author Alivia Maar @livesbookshelf (gifted in PR)

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

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Our 2026 Classics Series is coming to a close with today’s very special episode covering not only the 1868 novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, but also the 1994 and 2019 film adaptations. We deep dive, rate and review, and rank them all. Was the book our favorite this time around? Or did Christian Bale’s hair or Greta Gerwig’s feminist-leaning script steal our hearts?

This episode is our response to the many things that so many female authors across centuries have been using literature to say. Women’s lives are important when examining the simple mundanity of their day to day experiences, as well as their extraordinary contributions and achievements. Not just because we are people, but because to exist in society as a woman is to understand that our personal lives are never separate from politics, religion, gender constructs, economics and all the other systemic influences that determine one’s position.

All three iterations of this amazing story hold such important lessons and criticisms, not unlike the other two novels we previously covered: Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. We hope that you enjoyed our reading guides as well as our deep dive coverage into these classic novels because we plan to cover more next year!

ANNNND… Stick around till’ the end for some fun Little Women lore and our very first announcement of what HIGHLY REQUESTED and POPULAR dystopian science fiction series we’ll be covering this summer, beginning in July! We’re switching gears and we hope you’ll join us.

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)

• Shop our Merch line | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com

Check out these narrator interviews? ⬇️

Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger!

https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ

____

Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:

Ashley is wearing: A Troop Beverly Hills Sweater from @Etsy | * https://go.magik.ly/ml/2g6nn/

Liz is wearing : An Impressive Wingspan Crop Tee by @downthebondofficial | https://www.downthebond.com/product-page/impressive-wingspan-baby-tee | Code: BESTIESANDTHEBOOKS

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

Support the show

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Liz
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Did you read The Hunger Games or Divergent and love it with your whole heart but want more adult romance… or maybe even some fantasy? Do you love dystopian shows like The Walking Dead and Fallout but wish the entire time for those main characters to just kiss already!? We know we’re not alone in this, and we know that Above the Ashes by K.M. Lister, book one in her Survivors of the Smoke series, will scratch that itch.

Today’s episode is our follow up deep dive into this dystopian romantasy after our spoiler free author interview! We talk about all things post-apocalyptic and dystopian with one of our favorite indie authors, get to know her story and inspiration, and discuss themes, sequels, characters, and even some fun announcements. So today we’re diving into ALL the spoilers, giving our five sentence summary and reviews, and basically convincing you all to read this book!

Above the Ashes has multi-pov, found family, hidden identity, witches, fae, a curse, multiple realms, a slowww burn, and all the amazing world building we expect from the first fantasy book in a series! It leaves us with an amazing cliffhanger and the promise that book two will take us to other realms and expand this dystopian hellscape in the most unique ways. And we cannot wait!

Stick around for all this, a fave and fail Disney cruise and upcoming reads edition, and a smash or pass with a really big lumberjack selling paper products, and a classic tiger from a childhood classic.

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)

• Shop our Merch line | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com

Check out our interview with K M Lister ⬇️

https://youtu.be/lgcGfz_NxXY?si=mBNyhs1l8FCC6OS8

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️

Penn Cole talks with us about Strong Female Characters, Feminist Themes, and her debut bestselling Spark of the Everflame Series! https://youtu.be/7ukNImyoObw?si=7C3Y9kOUMN4hfcKb

Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNE

____

Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:

Ashley is wearing: Besties and the Books merch and a custom jersey made by Etsy account: @CustomJerseyGood

Liz is wearing : A “Books are Trashy” tank by @darkanddisturbedshop |

https://darkanddisturbedshop.com/products/trashy-micro-rib-racer-tank-top?_pos=3&_sid=eccd2768a&_ss=r | Code: VEGAN10

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

Support the show

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@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
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Liz
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Ashley
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Let's travel back to Oz in this West of Wicked Book! The day we’ve been waiting for since we started this podcast has come… the day when one of our favorite authors of all time’s people pop into OUR inbox to talk with our people (just us) for some crazy reason and invite us to yap about her new book. After we passed away, revived ourselves, and regained composure we immediately sent an email back to let them know that yes… we’d love to have NIKKI ST. CROWE on to promote West of Wicked!

Today we’re completely fangirling over chatting with originally indie published and now trad published queen of spicy Romantasy reimaginings Nikki St.Crowe! We’re here to celebrate her newly released spicy Oz retelling: West of Wicked, book one in The Great and Terrible Land Series! Think: Oz but Dorothy is badass, there are four witches, and the tinman, scarecrow, lion, and wizard are hot AF… You know, just exactly what all of us fairytale girlies have been fantasizing about our entire lives.

Today's episode will be completely spoiler free, so stick around to get to know Nikki better and to find out what you’ll be getting into when you pick up West of Wicked, or any of her other spicy fairytales, like her Vicious Lost Boys Series which begins with The Never King. We talk about what inspires her, how the transition from indie to trad publishing has been, themes, strong female characters, her audiobooks being unmatched in the romance genre, and what she has planned for the future.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this possible.

Follow Nikki on Instagram for the latest updates https://www.instagram.com/nikkistcrowe?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Get your copy of West of Wicked today! https://go.magik.ly/ml/3pvxs/

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️

Penn Cole talks with us about Strong Female Characters, Feminist Themes, and her debut bestselling Spark of the Everflame Series! https://youtu.be/7ukNImyoObw?si=7C3Y9kOUMN4hfcKb

Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNE

____

Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:

Ashley is wearing a Wicked OZ shirt from @TrendyStreetCouture but no longer makes this t-shirt

Liz is wearing our Besties and the Books Cropped hoodie from our Merch Drop | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd/products/cropped-hoodie-besties-anti-social-crow

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

Support the show

YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife

Ashley
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Send us Fan Mail

We read Little Women and we want you to too! Even if after all is said and done we feel the unrelenting urge to store this beloved text in the freezer instead of on the bookshelf. IYKYK… and if you don’t, you will soon. We promise.

Welcome to our newest bonus series where we’re taking deep dives into some of the most beloved classics of our time. We kicked it off with Wuthering Heights, followed it up with Pride & Prejudice, and today we’re moving on to the final book in this classic series journey with our “Phone a Friend’ mini reading guide covering Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

We decided that rather than attempt to become overnight experts we would send an SOS signal out into the universe and rope a friend in to assist! So today Nicole @neuroticallybookish is here to flex her teaching skills and give us a little help with Little Women, providing us with the tips and tricks we need to really understand this novel.

Nicole expertly breaks down the three character categories, the genre and themes, gives us some background on Louisa May Alcott herself, contextualizes the time period and relevant history, and gives us all her advice on how to truly immerse yourself in this story, and get the most out of it.

We hope that you enjoy this bonus mini episode, and will join us for our future deep dive into the novel and movies! And don’t forget to go follow @neuroticallybookish for some more amazing bookish content!

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)

• Shop our Merch line | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com

Check out these narrator interviews? ⬇️

Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger!

https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️

We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4

Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNE

____

Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:

Ashley is wearing: A Anne of Green Gables T-shirt from Amazon | *https://amzn.to/41eXnA2

Liz is wearing : A “So Lorcan Did” Tank by @swoonandspineshop | swoonandspine.shop

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

Support the show

YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix

Send us Fan Mail

Well, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried; we’ve gasped and screamed and waited with breath that was bated… and now here we are, at book six: Goldfinch, the final installment and official conclusion to the Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy.

What an incredible journey this has been. So today, to commemorate the ending of our coverage, we’re bringing you our final deep dive AND our official book ranking, our rating of the series as a whole, our thoughts on the ending, and our premonitions for the future!

We discuss our favorite and least favorite parts, characters, and tropes, but also get into deeper themes, feminist and societal issues addressed, and why this Romantasy series is particularly important (and one of our favorites of all time). We also talk audiobook deets, Goodreads reviews, and potential openings for a spin off series. And… we introduce a new tool in the Besties workshop: the Cryometer™.Yes, it’s a gauge designed to track and quantify how many tears Raven Kennedy collected from us during this 706 page rip-your-heart out finale.

Tune in for all that, our recent Disney trip fave and fails and a smash or pass, rapid fire Plated Prisoner edition.

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)

Check out these narrator & author interviews? ⬇️

Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger!

https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ

We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4

+ so many more!

____

Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:

Ashley is wearing: A Custom FireHeart Cropped Tee from @DownTheBondofficial | Use Code: BestiesandtheBooks for 15% | https://www.downthebond.com

Liz is wearing : The Female Gaze Petrifies the Men Crop Tank by @feralreaderco | https://feralreaderco.com

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

Support the show

YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix

Send us Fan Mail

You’ve heard us scream her praises over and over for the last two years and finally… She's here with a new book and big news to spill! K.M. Lister, the author behind one of our very favorite Romantasy rip-your-heart-out one offs The Shackled Serpent is here to chat with us about her newest release Above the Ashes, a post apocalyptic Romantasy and book one in her Survivors of the Smoke Trilogy. So sit back, get those book orders in, and prep to read with this spoiler free look behind the curtain!

Above the Ashes is a dystopian post apocalyptic story about an FMC who cannot touch any living thing without turning it to ash. We have different realms, found family, a perfectly written slow burn, and a bleak landscape inspired by dystopian settings. Think: Fallout, but in K.M.’s version we might get some romance, a magic system, and some compelling world building with our horrific curse-riddled hellscape! We know you all will eat this up just like we did!

We know that K.M. is an absolute master at making us feel ALL the feelings, and we can’t wait for you all to jump on this bandwagon. We talk about the writing process, self publishing pros and cons, additional works coming down the pipeline, character inspo, deep themes, and drop two BIG pieces of news. One is disguised as a smash or pass, and the other is an exciting announcement you’ll hear here first!

Follow K M Lister on Instagram @EarthToKace | https://www.instagram.com/earthtokace?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)

• Shop our Merch line | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️

Penn Cole talks with us about Strong Female Characters, Feminist Themes, and her debut bestselling Spark of the Everflame Series! https://youtu.be/7ukNImyoObw?si=7C3Y9kOUMN4hfcKb

Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNE

____

Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:

Ashley is wearing: a Twilight Vintage style t-shirt from LambComedy | * https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT9JWeP68q2yk-I0EzA/

Liz is wearing : our Besties and the Books branded Cropped Hoodie | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com

Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!

Support the show

YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix