This week, we’re back with Emma Brodie, whose second novel, Into The Blue, is April’s Reese’s Book Club Pick - and Emma and Danielle are going down aaaaall the rabbit holes. From what makes a good fandom, to how improv comedy is, in fact, inherently sexy, to the BTS secrets of filming reality TV, their convo is just as lush as Emma’s decade-spanning, sci-fi tinged, “will they, won’t they” romance.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Into the Blue by Emma Brodie

Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie

Hitmakers by Derrick Thompson

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

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This week, Danielle is chatting with Veronica Roth, who’s fresh off a major announcement: Divergent. Is. Back. The original trilogy has sold over 35 million copies since it debuted 15 years ago. Veronica has been publishing countless novels and short stories ever since, but now she’s ready to revisit the Divergent universe — with a new twist. “The Sixth Faction” is an alternate universe retelling that dares to ask: what if Tris never left Abnegation, and joined Dauntless? Danielle and Veronica talk about hot tubs, dystopian fiction, and learning to love your own work in all its imperfections. And don’t worry — Tris and Four will still have a meet-cute.

Books Mentioned:

Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Sixth Faction by Veronica Roth

Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth

1984 by George Orwell

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

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This week, Danielle is joined by Alex Aster, the prolific, Romantasy Queen of Booktok. Coming out of 2025, in which she published four novels, Alex is back with Starside, her first foray into adult fiction – and, later this year, Barbie: Dreamscape, a YA retelling of the beloved Mattel doll. Alex and Danielle talk perseverance in publishing, the power of storytelling, and which romantasy tropes give Alex the ick (spoiler: hardly any of them do).

BOOKS MENTIONED:

A Guide to Literary Agents by Robert Lee Brewer

Lightlark Series by Alex Aster

Starside by Alex Aster

Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster

Curse of the Forgotten City by Alex Aster

Summer in the City by Alex Aster

Barbie Dreamscape by Alex Aster

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On this week’s episode, Danielle sits down with Rufi Thorpe, the author of Margo’s Got Money Troubles, the wildly original novel that’s now been adapted into a highly anticipated Apple TV+ series. They talk about the chaos and comedy of motherhood, the reality of being in your twenties with no roadmap, and the power of choosing your own path even when it makes people uncomfortable. Plus, Rufi reveals her delightfully messy writing habits and gives some fun BTS details from the show.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver

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This week, Danielle is hanging out in an icon’s closet. And not just any icon – Lisa F*cking Rinna. Fresh off her book tour for her new memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, Lisa is here and ready to show up as her full self – silly, joyful and growing — always growing! Lisa takes Danielle behind the scenes of writing her memoir, deep dives into some juuuicy Real Housewives drama – and even devises a little acting role for herself, should, you know, the opportunity arise.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It by Lisa Rinna

Pretty Mess by Ericka Jayne

Believe Me by Yolanda Hadid

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This week, we’re talking with author (and puzzle entrepreneur) Rachel Hochhauser about the March Reese’s Book Club Pick, Lady Tremaine. It’s not just a re-telling of Cinderella — it’s an un-telling that dares to ask: what if the wicked stepmother wasn’t wicked … but a mom trying her best to provide for her children? And what if a marriage isn’t a happily ever after … but the beginning of a whole new story? Danielle and Rachel talk puzzle-solving strategies, falconry, and decentering men and romance in women’s stories. You may think you know the story of Cinderella, but you’ve never read it like this.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

Cinderella by Charles Perrault

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault

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This week, we’re time traveling with Phillipa Gregory, prolific author and feminist historian (and maybe Danielle’s new bestie???). Philippa is the woman behind over 50 historical fiction novels that trace narratives across Medieval and Tudor England, including The Other Boleyn Girl, which was adapted into a film starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Her latest novel, The Boleyn Traitor, follows the infamous Anne Boleyn’s sister-in-law, Jane Boleyn, through her life as a spy in the English court. And this story, as so many of Philippa Gregory’s do, brings a complicated, sometimes unlikeable, largely forgotten woman to the forefront. Because Philippa doesn’t really trust pure, pious women. She’s drawn instead to the truth – that women in from history are just as layered and diverse as we are today.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

The Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory

Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History by Philippa Gregory

Wild Acre by Philippa Gregory

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Richard III by William Shakespeare

This Little World: A New History of Tudor and Stuart England by Nandini Das

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Little Grey Rabbit by Alison Uttley

The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer

Ulysses by James Joyce

Mine Own Executioner by Nigel Balchin

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This week is a big one. For the first time ever, three romance royals sit down together: Beverly Jenkins, Tia Williams, and Kennedy Ryan. They talk about pioneering Black love stories when the industry didn’t make space for them, reshaping modern romance with depth and desire, and why a happily ever after is anything but predictable — it’s powerful. From writing Black female desire without apology to protecting your creative vision, this conversation is funny, honest, and deeply moving.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Night Song by Beverly Jenkins

Iola Leroy by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Frances Harper: Poems, Prose, and Sketches – This collection features “Bury Me in a Free Land”. by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

The Perfect Find by Tia Williams

Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Through the Storm by Beverly Jenkins

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

Hazard and Somerset by Gregory Ashe

Ghalen by Walter Mosely

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

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