Tomes & Tonics

Summer is the season for hot weather and hot takes! This week, Christina and Lauren catch up on their latest reads, their current summer drinks, and of course chat all about this week's book - Devney Perry's romantasy "Shield of Sparrows!" We make the Krisenth Crossing and talk all about Odessa and Ransom, our distrust of the Voster, and of course speculate over what (or who) the true monsters are...

We're officially halfway through the year and Lauren is one book away from hitting her reading goal! To celebrate, we're diving back into the McFreidaVerse with Freida's latest release - "The Divorce!" But first, we go through our latest reads, discuss recent adaptations, and ponder why every movie is so long now. Then we chat all about this wild ride of a book, which of course comes with that sig...

It's no secret we love badass female characters, and this week's book has some of the strongest female characters we've read in a while! But before we head back to the world of Throne of Glass, Christina reveals her free space wheel pick! We also catch up on our latest reads (Christina is COLLECTING those Goodreads badges!), including Lauren's latest unhinged read (spoiler alert - it's a classic)....

This week, a new bombshell enters the villa! June is the month for Love Island, refreshing beverages, and of course tackling your TBR! This week, Christina and Lauren chat all about the new season of Love Island, catch up on our recent reads, share a summery beverage, all before diving in to our latest wheel pick - Jenny Colgan's cozy "The Bookshop on the Corner." This romance has it all - a mobil...

We're kicking off summer with the Goodreads book of 2025 - Fredrick Backman's "My Friends!" But first, we chat all about the new "Off Campus" series, our latest reads, and Lauren's unfortunate mango lipgloss fiasco. Then we dive right into the poignant, heartwarming and heartbreaking story of "My Friends," which made Lauren run out of tabbies and was one of Christina's only five star reads of 2026...

Jell-o? Pretzel Salad? Aspic? This week, we're spending time with the Queen of Molded Foods and diving into "The Mad Wife!" But first, we chat about our latest reads and dissect the latest Odyssey trailer. Then we go right into covering Meagan Church's haunting novel, "The Mad Wife," discussing Lulu's heartbreaking story and the intense, often upsetting history of women's voices when it comes to t...

It may be May, but we're kicking off the month with Junie! Before we discuss this moving novel, we chat about some of our new favorite tonics, including Swoon (Lauren's new fave warm weather drink)! Before we kick off our May books, we dive into recent reads, Christina's Libby deluge, and an update on Lauren's Terror journey. Then we jump into Erin Crosby Eckstine's beautiful debut (with a GORGEOU...

This week we're back in Terrasen to chat all about "The Assassin's Blade!" But first, we chat all about our current reads and favorite spring beverages. Then we dive right in to talk through the four novellas, all the twists and turns, including that HEARTBREAKING ending. So grab your fave beverage and tune in for another episode of Tomes & Tonics! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

This week, we're rounding out our "Page to Production" series by getting some R&R and covering Emily Henry's "People We Meet on Vacation!" Before we dive into Alex and Poppy's story, we chat all about the latest "Sunrise on the Reaping" trailer and our latest reads! Then we jump right into all things PWMOV - from the book to the screen and everything in between, we cover Poppy and Alex's chara...

This week we're heading to the cottage and covering all things Heated Rivalry for another special "From Page to Production" episode! But first, Christina starts tracking her Goodreads badges, Lauren follows up on her homework assignment from the last episode, and we chat about our current reads. Then we discuss the amazing, emotional, and steamy story of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov - our new...

It's all about the he said she said on this week's episode of Tomes & Tonics! Before we kick off our "Page to Production" series, we discuss our latest reads, Christina gets Lauren hooked on the latest Netflix reality show (iykyk), and Lauren gives her thoughts on the Project Hail Mary adaptation (amaze! amaze! amaze!). Then we dive into our first Page to Production spotlight - Alice Feeney's...

All aboard the book bus, witches! This week, we're throwing it back with a special vault episode featuring (the newly engaged!!!) Mary! Join us as we chat about our latest reads, horny millennials, and of course this week's book, and the Goodreads Best Horror novel of 2025, "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls!" We discuss the important history this book explores, a real-life experience, a Gilmore Girls...

Get ready for the 2026 McFreida Madness Finals! This week, we have "Dear Debbie" going against "The Teacher" before we switch to the final match-up: "The Tenant" vs. "The Boyfriend"! Before we get into these exciting match-ups, and crown our winners for the first ever McFreida Madness, we chat about the exciting line-up we have for April, including our "Page to Production" series! So grab a glass...

Y'ALL READY FOR TWISTS? We're so excited to kick off McFreida Madness by covering the first two matchups of this season! But before we dive into the twists and turns, we have to cover all the amazing bookish news that has dropped in the last few weeks! Then we jump right into McFreida Madness and complete the first half of our 2026 brackets! So grab your favorite wine or mocktail, download our bra...

Valentine's Day may be behind us, but we're always excited to talk about a good romance! This week, we have are joined by the incredible Bridget Van der Eyk as we chat all about her holiday romance, "The Husband Wishlist!" We talk all about the tropes, the banter, and of course that wishlist! We also may or may not have unlocked a new possible romance novel idea and Lauren argues the merit of a le...

Baguettes? Newbury Comics? Greek mythology merch brainstorming? A wheel spin? This episode has it all (and is definitely not flaccid - iykyk). Join us as we recap our latest reads, reveal our top reads of January, and of course dive into one of Christina's favorite books of 2025 - " The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid! We cover the massive twists and turns of this iconic star...

This week, we resume our journey through "Throne of Glass" by covering the emotional (and quite timely) Heir of Fire! Before we jump in to the exciting installment, we catch up on our latest reads, chat about the latest Bridgerton season, and of course cover Christina's reread of "Wuthering Heights" ahead of the film release next weekend. Then we dive right back into the world of Throne of Glass,...

We're still in the holiday spirit this week on Tomes & Tonics as we welcome our first indie author, Lauren Flynn, to chat all about her debut, "In My Heart!" We talk all about her spicy Hallmark holiday novella that is set in one of the cutest small towns we've read. Also, we hard launch a new business idea and Lauren gives us a glimpse into her upcoming release, as well as what's next for Tin...

We are kicking off the New Year with a bogo episode! Join us as we catch up on our holiday reads, including an in-depth conversation about Lauren's latest wheel pick, which Christina got to choose (iykyk)! Then we cover the exciting conclusion of Leigh Bardugo's amazing Six of Crows duology: Crooked Kingdom. We chat all about the Dregs, including our favorite morally gray character Kaz, the heart...

We might be a week late, but we're excited to wrap up our favorite books of the year! We collectively read more than 200 books and had some seriously amazing reads! Tune in as we chat through our honorable mentions, appoint some fun superlatives, and of course reveal our top five books of the year! We laughed, we cried, we felt ready to go to war, and of course, had a fun time revisiting our favor...

It's our last book of 2025 and we're in a total holidaze as we scramble to get our shopping done and fit in another book (or two) before the year ends! This week Lauren and Christina talk about Christina Lauren's holiday romance, "In a Holidaze!" Join us as we chat all about this time-travelling, Christmas-meets-Groundhog Day rom com that may have reminded us of another book we covered earlier thi...

We're officially in the full holiday spirit and are so excited to be back! It was great to catch up after a well-deserved vacation, chat about our current reads, and get Christina's thoughts on holiday romances, starting with this week's book, Tessa Bailey's "Wreck the Halls!" Join us as we chat all about Beat and Melody, their famous rockstar mothers, our thoughts on ista-love vs. insta-lust, and...

This week we're celebrating a lot of things! Christina hit 100 books this year, including two Mistborn novels and her first TJR read! Also, we're so excited to conclude another amazing series! We are covering the final installment of Mai Corland's action packed "Broken Blades" trilogy, "Three Shattered Souls." Join us as we talk all about our favorite liars, the role grief plays in this finale, an...

Happy (belated) Halloween (again)! This week, we chat all about our favorite Halloween candy, discuss which candy flavor is the best, and of course our final scary book, the sweeping and historical fiction/horror novel, "Vampires of El Norte" by Isabel Cañas! Join us as we dive into this beautifully written tale of Vampires, Mexican history and folklore, and romance, and discuss the important topi...

Happy (belated) Halloween! We're celebrating by closing out Frieda McFadden's addictive thriller "Housemaid" series by covering "The Housemaid is Watching!" Before we dive in, we chat all about our latest reads, the smoothness of Nitro mocktails, and new releases! Then we cover all things Housemaid as we chat about the final installment (for now??) - from Enzo to Millie's relationship 10 years aft...