Make Out Already

Hi Smooches! This episode we were thrilled to welcome back Shantel to the podcast! Chantel won the bidding for the second year in a row to be a guest on this pod in the Romance for Reproductive Justice Auction. It's a damn shame that we need such an auction, but we're grateful to Meet Cute Romance Bookshop for creating the fundraising opportunity, which raised in the neighborhood of $15,00...

Hi, Smooches! Liz is back, baby! And so is our author bestie, Courtney Clark Michaels! This episode we are giving our top recommendations for retellings of classic stories, from Greek mythology to Arthurian legend to Jane Austen to Disney classics. Meg also learns the term "Why Choose" and that Courtney has 1,202 unread books on her Kindle. And that's just the tip of the unhinged ice...

Hi Smooches! It's the return of Liz! But this is more like a time-capsule-Liz. We recorded this episode very shortly before she went into labor a few months ago, so some of our topical references are already a bit dated and there's a tiktok we mention that I simply could not find. Mea culpa. In this episode, we revisit a couple of our favorite books from when we were very young adults:  An...

Hi Smooches! I'm Meg and this is Make Out Already. While my co-host Liz is out of office taking care of brand new Baby Liz, I invited our friend Bryson on to talk about a trio of rom-coms: You People, Your Place or Mine, and Ghosted. All three came out this year and are streaming now. Bryson, in addition to watching just about every movie that comes out, also hosted Liz and I for an episode ab...

Hi Smooches! This is Make Out Already and I'm Meg, here to take you on a mimosa-fueled journey through Emily Henry's latest release, Happy Place, which came out in April of this year. I invited my bff and fellow Emily Henry lover, Leslie, onto the podcast to talk about this friends-to-lovers-to-second-chance-romance story that's, frankly, pretty heartwrenching! So pour yourself a mimos...

Hi Smooches, this is Meg and you're listening to Make Out Already. While Liz is out, tending to her wee babe, I've invited two new friends onto the podcast--co-authors Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. Their new book is Emma of 83rd Street, a retelling of the classic Jane Austen tale, but set in modern times on the upper East Side of Manhattan. Trust me, you are going to LOVE this contemp...

Hi Smooches! This is Meg, and I am continuing my solo hosting stint while Liz is on maternity leave with a special guest-visit from Deanna, our spooky season correspondent and horror wh*re! We chat about Hell Followed With Us, the debut novel from Andrew Joseph White. It's a dystopian horror romance, and its rife with religious trauma. If that happens to be a trigger for you, you may want to s...

Hi Smooches, Meg here. While Liz is out on maternity leave, I've invited Benno, aka Mr. Meg, on to the podcast to share his expertise. If I'm a book person, he is a movie person. And his favorite kind of movie lately? The erotic thriller. I asked him to join me and educate me on the genre, and he spent actual hours writing paper notes and an outline for the episode, so I hope you enjoy it....

Hi Smooches! This is Meg, and I am continuing my solo hosting stint while Liz is on maternity leave with a special guest-visit from Sarah! You might recognize her from our episode on the amazing movie "Practical Magic." She's joining me to lend her slutty daddy expertise to this episode about season 2 of the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, based on the YA books by Leigh Bardugo. So m...

Hi Smooches! We are happy to share that our newest cohost has entered the world! That's right, our Queen Liz has welcomed her princess and is now sailing away on maternity leave, and Meg is beginning a solo expedition. Batten down the fucking hatches, smooches! In this episode, my friend and colleague Teddy was kind enough to share their fanfiction expertise with me, an absolute fanfic newbie....

Hi Smooches! On this episode, we’re recommending romances with mental health themes, whether the characters are explicitly diagnosed with a mental illness or living with a neurodivergence, or are coded as such. If you have mental health recs you’d like to share, we’d love to add them to our list! Let’s get into it.  Where to find us Website: www.makeoutalreadypod.com Instagram: https://www.instagr...

Hi Smooches! On this episode, we’re recapping a YA romance by one of our favorite authors, Talia Hibbert. It’s called “Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute,” and it’s a friends to enemies to lovers romance about two high school seniors who join the same highly competitive wilderness enrichment scholarship program. We also talk about how most conspiracy theories have super fucked up roots, children’...

Hi Smooches! On today’s episode, which was actually recorded a few weeks before our most recent episode, I sat down with my Internet friend Kate to talk about Sierra Simone’s New Camelot series through the lens of Stucky fanfiction. Stucky of course is the ship of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes in the MCU. It’s less of a reach than you might think to compare that ship to Simone’s presidential, Arth...

Hi friends! Today we have a little bit of a switch-up! We have our very own Liz (Elle Diaz) in the hot seat to talk about her debut novel, “How That Makes You Feel.” It’s going to knock your socks off when it drops on February 14. Joining me as my temporary co-host is author R.M. Virtues. So listen in as we discuss “How That Makes You Feel,” how it made us feel, and how we think it’s going to make...

Hi Smooches! On this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with author Emma Barry about her book “Chick Magnet,” which comes out January 24th. It’s about a social media influencer who raises backyard chickens, and the grumpy small-town vet who has been hate-watching her content long before she moved into town. Meg and I both loved this book, and we put Emma through a game of Would You Rather bas...

Hi Smooches! It’s the last episode of 2022. Was it a delightful or dud year for you? Are we going into 2023 excited or terrified? We’re hoping it’ll be a fantastic year for you, but first let’s finish things off with some latkes. We’re recapping Hallmark’s “Hanukkah on Rye” with author Ieshia Wiedlin. Big spoiler alert: It’s “You’ve Got Mail” with delis instead of bookstores. Did it piss us off as...

Hi friends! Slight delay due to holiday hecticness: Our recap of "Hanukkah on Rye" with author Ieshia Wiedlin will be out tomorrow, 12/28. Thanks for your patience. Air kisses!

Hi Smooches! 2022 is almost out the door, so we’re doing our podcast version of Wrapped. We’re going to reveal our most-read trope, shout out our favorite (and your favorite) episodes, and reminisce about memorable quotes in a game of Who Said It? On the subject of the inspiration for this episode, we do get our own Spotify Wrapped for the podcast. Our little podcast has reached 46 countries this...

Hi Smooches! Today we’re recapping another Netflix Christmas movie, “The Noel Diary.” Despite some truly baffling story choices, this was an interesting film. It’s about a famous writer who returns to his childhood home after his mother’s death, and meets a woman who seeks answers to her past linked to his family. Spoilers ahead. Where to find us Website: www.makeoutalreadypod.com Instagram: https...

Hi Smooches! Today we’re recapping “Kiss Her Once for Me” by Alison Cochrun. This book is a sapphic Christmas second chance romance with a fake engagement to the love interest’s brother. It sounds complicated, and it is. It’s the perfect holiday read for you if you loved the movie “Dan In Real Life,” if you wanted Kristen Stewart and Aubrey Plaza to end up together during “Happiest Season,” and if...

Hi Smooches! On this episode, we welcome back author Courtney Clark Michaels to recap Lindsay Lohan’s triumphant return in “Falling for Christmas.” It checks all the Netflix Christmas cinematic universe boxes, with an amnesia plot and a rugged outdoorsman love interest thrown in (and we’re actually not talking about the guy Lindsay’s character falls for). Courtney’s next book “Game Changer” is out...

Hi Smooches! We’re doing our part for capitalism by giving you the best bookish, romance-inspired and Smooch-tailored gift guide we could come up with for the holidays. There are romance novels. There’s a cookbook. There’s tech. There’s tarot. There are craft projects. There is money flying out of your wallet and buying the love and devotion of the people around you! Let’s get into it!  (For some...

Hi Smooches! I am so nervous to upload this episode, because I’m afraid that I hate something a lot of you love. Meg and I recap the classic romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail,” and it made me mad. If you love this movie, please, forgive us. We still love YOU! Where to find us Website: www.makeoutalreadypod.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeoutalreadypod/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.co...

Hi Smooches! We’re getting the other side of the story in that whole Romeo and Juliet drama. We’re recapping the Hulu original “Rosaline.” Shakespeare was definitely a messy bitch, and we think he’d approve of this classic/modern mash-up. Spoilers ahead. Where to find us Website: www.makeoutalreadypod.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeoutalreadypod/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/ma...

Hi Smooches! Today we have a special guest, Katie, who recommended the game Arcade Spirits to us, about the visual novel and other romance-themed games. If you played The Sims just to get them to “woo-hoo!” your wallet might feel lighter after this episode. We talk console games, freemium phone games, and choose-your-own-adventure books. And Meg gives us a quiz to find a paranormal paramour. ...