Unread and Unfiltered

Besties. I’ve officially spent more time this week thinking about red flags in romance novels than I have in actual therapy. And honestly? That feels on brand. Because let’s be real; my real-life dating history has been beige on beige with a splash of oatmeal. Boring. Predictable. Nobody has ever growled “you’re mine” at me in the Target candle aisle (thank GOD). But my fictional dating life? Pure...

So… here’s the thing: my toxic trait isn’t just falling in love with fictional men who would ruin my credit score. It’s falling in love with them, knowing they’re walking red flags, and still calling them my book boyfriend while I make playlists about their emotional damage like it’s therapy homework. ✨ Welcome to this week’s episode of Unread & Unfiltered — Trauma Bonds & Book Boyfriends...

Pop culture loves to tell us that once you survive something together, you’re bonded for life. From golden trios to TikTok edits set to Phoebe Bridgers, it’s always the same: chaos + loyalty = forever family. But let’s be real. Most of us don’t have a sitcom couch of forever friends. We have survival families — temporary, duct-taped chaos goblins who appear during crisis, burn bright, and then van...

The “found family” trope isn’t just cozy dinners and group hugs. Sometimes it’s messy, chaotic, and built out of shared scars. In A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), Sarah J. Maas gives us a Night Court full of trauma survivors, reluctant allies, and fierce loyalty. In this episode of Unread & Unfiltered , we dive deep into: Feyre finding a home (and herself) after everything burned down. Ca...

She’s hot, deadly, and emotionally unavailable—but does that make her strong , or just badly written? This week, we’re dragging the “strong female lead” trope by its leather boots and asking why strength in fiction so often means violence, trauma, or just being “one of the boys.” From badass babes to flat-out flops, we’re unpacking what happens when female characters are written for power instead...

In this episode of Unread & Unfiltered , we’re riding dragons straight into the feminist firestorm that is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. We’re unpacking what strength really looks like when the world expects you to break, and asking the hard questions: When does protection become control? Why do we romanticize red flags? And what does real power look like when you’ve been told you don’t belon...

Witches are hunted, secrets are deadly, and fear keeps the world turning. In this episode, I’m diving into Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli to explore how culture uses fear, silence, and performance to keep people in line. From magical oppression to real-world parallels with censorship and identity politics, this isn’t just a fantasy critique. It’s a conversation about survival.

Soooo, I started a podcast. Unread & Unfiltered is where we spiral about books that hit a little to close to home and dig into what they're really saying about the world around us. It's part cultural commentary, part emotional unspooling, and fully supported by caffeine. Whether you have read the books or just love to over analyze, you're welcome here. This intro set the tone for what's coming...