Busy Girls Book Club

Aiden Thomas lends a voice to the trans, queer, Latinx community in YA urban fantasy, "Cemetery Boys." The Busy Girls dive into the world of the brujx and talk about representation and whether YA correctly carries the message.

The Busy Girls have the latest from Rebecca Yarros, Jessica Knoll, Elena Armas and Rick Riordan in this Busy Girls Bonus.

Romance, comedy... death? What more could a girl want. To kick off a full October of spooky themed episodes, the Busy Girls tackle Ashley Poston's "The Dead Romantics." A ghostwriter can see ghosts and a handsome editor starts to cause her some trouble. What could go wrong?

Many people in a "Fourth Wing" reading slump have turned to Rebecca Ross' "Divine Rivals." This is a YA story, so there's less spice. But is it still worth it? Does it fill the void?

A book dedicated to BookTok? Nothing sounds more perfect for the Busy Girls Book Club. Melissa Blair's "A Broken Blade" plays to every fantasy girl's wishes while doing so much more. It somehow wraps up tricky topics like alcoholism, persecution of indigenous people and self-harm into a fantasy novel. Trigger warning implied - it's a complicated read.

Dark Academia meets Urban Fantasy on Yale's campus in Leigh Bardugo's "Ninth House." The Busy Girls enjoy the Grishaverse, but what about this totally separate series from Bardugo?

For a YA novel, Tracy Deonn's "Legendborn" has a lot of very mature topics. Trigger warnings: racism, rape, loss, etc. And the very brilliant main character deals with that all while becoming part of an Arthurian legend. The Busy Girls have high praise for this YA novel.

In this Busy Girls Bonus we talk latest fantasy news, publishers spoiling their own books and what book is coming soon to TV.

The Busy Girls Book Club has been around for one whole year! Thanks for listening and laughing with us as we take on social media's biggest books. Join the hosts for some fun games looking back on the year and the things we've read and said.

If you're around the age of 30, then "Happy Place" by Emily Henry might be a bit of a punch to the gut. The struggles of the characters hit a little close to home. But does the emotion of the book excuse leaning heavily on rom-com tropes?

Katharine's mom joins the Busy Girls for a discussion of Reese's Book Club pick "The Christie Affair" by Nina de Gramont. This book is historical fiction imagining what happened in the very real 10 days where author Agatha Christie disappeared with no explanation. It's told from her husband's mistress' perspective and tackles war, loss, PTSD and the dark side of Irish orphanages. It also includes...

BookTok is doing its best to fill the SJM void. Another attempt to help fantasy readers is "Trial of the Sun Queen" by Nisha J. Tuli. It's another trial-based fantasy book with sexy fae men. However, there are some very dark undertones with some topics that need a trigger warning.

In the ACOTAR void, many people are recommending turning to Sarah J. Maas' other series, "Throne of Glass." But it may be a really abrupt switch for people expecting more of the same who end up reading YA. So, the Busy Girls tackle the first book and the namesake of the series.

STEMinism and STEM romance was such a hit last time, so it had to make a comeback. This time with Ali Hazelwood's "Love on the Brain." The Busy Girls all agree they prefer it to "Love Hypothesis," but that comes with some caveats.

If you are on social media at all, even if it's not book social media, you've heard about "Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yarros. This is the most viral book in years. So of course the Busy Girls had to read and review. You'll definitely want to jump on this one.

Space necromancers. Do we have your attention? Diving into Tamsyn Muir's "Gideon the Ninth" is confusing, but worth it? The adventures of Gideon and Harrow are crude and comical, yet written with sophisticated language. This is a weird one, but the Busy Girls are intrigued.

What causes a book written in 1992 to suddenly become a lingering BookTok sensation around 2022? "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt is quite the curiosity for that reason. This episode gets down to the answer, and provides a Busy Girl first.

The stakes are high and the food is good in "Six Crimson Cranes" by Elizabeth Lim. A princess is aided by a dragon to break a curse on her and her brothers, and while the adventure is somewhat predictable, it's incredibly wholesome. This YA fantasy read is a good discussion to listen in on, no matter your age.

Carissa Broadbent's second Crowns of Nyaxia book had a lot to live up to after the smashing success of the first. While still a good fantasy book, the hosts pick apart what could have been improved had the books not been a duology within a series.

If you thought the Busy Girls were out of SJM books to review, you were wrong. The second book in the Crescent City series has one of the greatest cliffhangers of all time. Plus a whole lot of other stuff that is hard to even remember because so much happens.

What does Shakespeare have to do with video games? Are some things truly unforgivable? Is it character development or a trauma dump? These are all things the Busy Girls discuss in Gabrielle Zevin's "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow."

Talk about a BookTok viral sensation... Carissa Broadbent's "The Serpent and the Wings of Night" has all of the fantasy girlies in a chokehold. If you're tired of waiting on SJM to pump out another ACOTAR book, this one's for you. It's a totally unique story, but it will scratch that fantasy itch.

The Busy Girls are back in the world of Taylor Jenkins Reid's "Famous Four" with "Carrie Soto is Back." Can you read a book all about tennis if you don't enjoy the sport? Is it possible to overcome the pressures society places on you do to gender, age or race? Time to dive in.

"Babel" by R.F. Kuang has been incredibly popular on BookTok for several months now - so of course it was time to dive in. This book is LONG and written by a very smart author. So buckle up. It's not for everyone.

She's baaaaack! Sarah J. Maas has more than one series, so you can bet the Busy Girls will keep reviewing her writing. If you liked ACOTAR, you'll want to pick up the Crescent City series. The hosts have a lot to say about this one.