Plans Are Booked

This week we're solving a mystery with Holly Jackson's debut adult thriller. We discuss the expert pacing of the story, the interesting use of past and present tense, the endearing friendship between Jet and Billy, and our desire for this to become a TV miniseries. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin starts researching 55+ communities, and Molly admits her new obsession with her local "Buy Nothing"...

Our "I'm coming to the cottage" candle is lit and we're talking about books 4 - 6 of the Game Changers series. We gush about the cherub of a person that is Harris, Ilya as a dog dad, the wedding scene we hope makes it to screen, the final book as a "love blimp," Kaitlin's desire for Kingfisher merch, and how the Heated Rivalry fandom rivals the Swiftie fandom for most dedicated. In our catch up th...

We've got all the feels like week after reading Emily Henry's homage to annual traditions. We talk about her gift for conjuring nostalgia, the way she creates intimacy without relying on the physical, the beauty with which she captures the evolution of friendship, and the setting details she chose for the state of Maine. In our catch up this week, we break down the Tell Me Lies series finale, shar...

This week we're talking about a deeply emotional book. Lily King is a Massachusetts native, now living in Portland, Maine, who has written a book about a love triangle that evolves over several decades. We praise the brevity of her writing, the way she trusts the reader to fill in the gaps, how expertly she handles two big time jumps, and the way she accurately captures life in your early twenties...

It's a giggle fest this week as we explore one of our favorite topics: books we'd love to see become TV shows or movies. Each of us share our top picks for stories we'd love to see make it to the screen. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin reviews two restaurants in Cambridge, Molly recaps her trip to North Carolina, and Steph asks a Heated Rivalry question that leads to a lively debate. In what we...

We have a special treat for you this week. Stephanie interviews Vanessa Lillie, author of Blood Sisters, The Bone Thief, Little Voices, and For the Best. She is also the coauthor of the Young Rich Widows series. Lillie shares the stories she treasured as a child - fairy tales, Greek mythology, The Boxcar Children, and anything by R.L. Stine, her love of historical fiction, and how moving to Rhode...

This week we're talking about a powerful and moving book by Woody Brown, an author who is non-verbal. This is the story of the clients, parents, and caregivers at a facility for adults with disabilities. Brown does an incredible job of sharing the inner monologues of individuals who cannot communicate with speech, and educating the reader on the common misconceptions surrounding this particular ch...

Heated Rivalry fans, this week's episode is for you! We are breaking down our thoughts on the first three books in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series. We talk about her hockey universe, the complexity of her characters, the spice level, and our sincere belief that the Heated Rivalry page-to-screen adaptation may be the best in history. In our catch-up this week, Kaitlin gets the DNA test results f...

This week we're under the spell of the beautiful and lyrical writing of Amy Jo Burns. We talk about her upcoming novel featuring two women trying to find their place in the world, and how they unexpectedly find "home" in each other. We praise Burns' creativity, character development, and unique ability to showcase love without the typical tropes. We also share ideas for who could play these charac...

We're in a hockey state of mind this week with Fake Skating by the queen of banter, Lynn Painter. We talk about her signature storytelling style, share about our favorite character (hello, Grandpa Mick), praise her use of the fake dating trope, and confess to the power of a flirtatious wink. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin visits local icon Town Spa Pizza, Steph deals with a pest problem and be...

This week we are toasting to 100 episodes and to our very own Stephanie, as we discuss her newest book, Golden Hour. We ask questions about her writing and editing process, spotlight the characters we adored, applaud the deep sense of place, and read aloud some of our favorite moments in the story. In our catch up this week, we reflect on 2025 and share some goals for the new year. In what we're r...

It's our final episode of 2025 and we have so much to share with you. Our featured book this week is Malala's new memoir. Kaitlin reminisces about teaching Malala's heroic story to her students and we discuss the many relatable moments Malala shares from parental pressure to first crushes to trying to fit in at college. We admire her vulnerability in sharing about her anxiety and PTSD, and talk ab...

This week we're headed to Memoir Land, chatting about internet superstar and mental health advocate Elyse Myers. We discuss her vulnerability around her anxiety, rewriting conversations in our heads, her incredibly romantic love story, and her talents as both a content creator and illustrator. In our catch up this week, Molly recaps her week-long trip to North Carolina and Steph shares about her h...

This week we're talking about a mystery that took us by surprise. Author Karin Slaughter has written dozens of books, and this particular story stands out because it's deeply relationship driven. We talk about the suspects, the teenage girls at the center of the crimes, the unexpected second and third acts, and our hopes for this to become a television mini series. In our catch up this week, Kaitl...

Join us for our third annual holiday gift recommendation episode! This week we are sharing ideas for everyone on your list. We've got coffee table books, cookbooks, young adult novels, memoirs, poetry collections, and books that will instantly upgrade the look of your shelves. In our catch up this week, Molly raves about Friendsgiving, Steph finalizes the cover design for Golden Hour, and Kaitlin...

We've got the giggles this week, reminiscing about past pop culture obsessions. In our catch up, Kaitlin reviews the page-to-screen adaptation of Regretting You, Steph is devouring the new episodes of Maxton Hall, and Molly admits to binge-watching the entire new season of Selling Sunset. Our book this week is E. Lockhart's We Fell Apart. We discuss the Massachusetts setting, the wildly eccentric...

This week we're discussing Buckeye, a relationship-driven book about life in small town America across several decades. We talk about how the story follows both the characters and our country as they move through big changes, the ways in which the writing felt observational, and the themes of duty and repression. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin seeks overalls advice from Steph, Steph recaps her...

This week we are transported to Long Island, literally and via the setting of this debut novel. We are talking about The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O'Neill, which was selected as the Jenna Reads Book Club pick for October 2025. We talk about the family drama genre (and Molly shouts out a few of her favorites), the uniqueness of siblings as narrators, the undercurrent of grief throughout this s...

This week we're gushing about the first novel from an author we all adore: Rainbow Rowell. We reviewed Rowell's Slow Dance (Chapter 49) and were excited to go back in time to the book that started it all. We talk about the power of coming-of-age stories, this sweet relationship that blooms on the school bus, the potent mix of excitement and nervousness of a first crush, how this moment in time (th...

This week we're talking about a very special book with a truly unusual narrator - Marcellus the octopus. We discuss how cover art influences our first impression of a story, emotion-driven vs. action-oriented plots, the beautiful relationship between Tova and Cameron, the moving way this book makes you think about the circle of life, and how it encourages readers to find joy in the small moments....

This week we're praising the pride of Massachusetts, Taylor Jenkins Reid, as we celebrate her latest novel, Atmosphere. We talk about childhood fascination with the stars and space, our deepened appreciation for NASA's Mission Control, how this may be her most romantic story yet, and the 'butter moment' that left us swooning. In our catch up this week, Steph shares an interaction at the bookstore...

This week we're talking about a children's book that rustled up many childhood memories. Pax is the story of a boy and his pet fox, separated but determined to find their way back to each other. We talk about the parallels to Homeward Bound and Toy Story, how an animal as a central character reels in young readers, the importance of found family, and the meaning behind the name Pax. In our catch u...

This week we're discussing a very short book with a powerful punch. Address Unknown is an epistolary novel set in the 1930s that tells the story of two business partners whose relationship is dramatically impacted by Hitler's rise to power. We talk about the letter writing format, the erosion of the characters' friendship, parallels to changes we're seeing in the U.S. government today, and how we...

This week we're transported to a remote island in the Southern Hemisphere. We are talking about the powerful and thought-provoking book Wild Dark Shore. We discuss the specificity of the location, the detailed descriptions of nature, the successful use of multiple narrators, the innocence delivered via a child as a main character, McConaghy's masterclass in brevity, and her gut punch of a first se...

This week we're chatting about a debut novel that surprised and delighted us. Hot Desk is contemporary fiction with multiple timelines, centered around a literary review in 1980s New York City. There's a workplace frenemies situation, a #MeToo revelation, powerful bonds between parents and children, a drunken scoundrel, and a highly coveted posthumous manuscript. We praise the author's ability to...