Pickle Party

Brine Babes, we're back in Cambric Creek for book two of the Steamy Sweet Monster Romance series, and this one opens with a woman putting on an unsolicited solo show for a stranger she later identifies by his chirp . That's the whole vibe. This week Jules and Leslie dig into Sweet Berries by C.M. Nascosta — Grace, her three-year celibacy streak, and Merrick, the nebbishly charming doctoral...

Brine Babes, we need to talk about a Norwegian fairy tale from the 1840s that Sarah J. Maas basically used as a blueprint. This week we're breaking down "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" beat by beat and holding it up next to A Court of Thorns and Roses — the bargain, the cursed beast, the prohibition, the impossible journey, all of it. We map who's who (Feyre, Tamlin, Amara...

The first book in the Crescent City series is going OUT WITH A BANG. 💥 In this episode of Pickle Party, we’re diving into Parts 3 & 4 of House of Earth and Blood — The Canyon and The Ravine — and things get WILD. The mystery surrounding Danika, the Horn, and the Synth finally starts unraveling… but somehow every answer leads to another conspiracy. Bryce and Hunt grow closer, secrets come cras...

We are FINALLY covering Crescent City, and Jules and Leslie are not okay. This week we dive into Parts 1 & 2 of House of Earth and Blood — The Hollow and The Trench — covering Bryce and Danika's friendship, the brutal murder of the Pack of Devils, and Bryce's uneasy new alliance with fallen angel Hunt Athalar as the investigation kicks off. We're breaking down the world of Midgard...

Somebody on the internet asked the dumbest question of the year — "is fairy smut dumbing down literature?" — and Brine Babes, we are NOT letting that one slide. This week Leslie and Jules crack open the whole pickle barrel: real sales stats (romantasy pulled in $610M in 2024 alone), the BookTok-brought-me-back-to-reading pipeline, the "why does romantasy get roasted when thrillers d...

We're back, Brine Babes! Season 2 kicks off with the relationship that quietly makes every romantasy heroine so damn unshakeable: her sisters. We're breaking down the Hathaways, the Ravenels, and Mira & Violet from Fourth Wing to talk about why women who were loved first — no audition required — never settle for less. Featuring a Hot Pickle Cold Take on the most protective big sister i...

The finale episode of A Court of Silver Flames is here and we are NOT okay. 😭 Nesta wields all three Trove items and stops TIME. Cassian turns the dagger on himself rather than hurt her. The mate bond gets said out loud. And then — three words that ended us all: "I give it all back." We're covering the Symphonia, the ribbon getting cut, Gwyn's story (bring tissues), the Pass of...

This week, Jules and Leslie leave the world of fae and shadow daddies behind to dive headfirst into one of BookTok's most infamous monster romances: Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta. What starts as a book about a woman taking an unconventional job to pay off her student loans somehow turns into one of the sweetest, funniest, and most unexpectedly wholesome romances we've ever read. Alon...

This week we're diving into A Court of Silver Flames Part 2 (Chapters 29–55) , and honestly? Nesta Archeron is having the most unhinged character arc in Prythian. We're talking about Nesta's terrifying scrying nightmare, Rhys finally understanding the trauma she endured in the Cauldron, and the pregnancy secret that has the fandom arguing to this day. Then things get even wilder when N...

This week on Pickle Party, Jules and Leslie venture into completely uncharted territory: snowman romance. That's right. We read Frisky the Snowman by Lauren Biel, and somehow this tiny holiday novelette delivered a sentient snowman, a magic beanie, peppermint-scented chaos, questionable life choices, and one of the most bizarre romances we've ever encountered. Was it romantic? Was it terri...

Welcome back, Brine Babes! 🥒✨ This week we're diving into A Court of Silver Flames Part 1 (Chapters 1–28) and discussing Nesta Archeron at her absolute lowest—and the long road back from it. We're talking about the controversial intervention, the magic of the House of Wind, Cassian's relentless persistence, training montages loaded with tension, and the beginnings of the Valkyrie sis...

This week Jules introduces Leslie to one of her all-time favorites — the Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas. Four outcasts of the London social season band together to find love, and what they get is so much better than what they asked for. We're breaking down all four books: a broke beauty and a self-made man, an American firecracker and the most controlled earl in England, the shyest wallflo...

It's the most wonderful time of the year… in Velaris. This week, Leslie and Jules dive into A Court of Frost and Starlight — the bite-sized novella that somehow delivers more emotional damage than books twice its size. We're breaking down the Winter Solstice vibes, the Inner Circle gift exchange, and all the character check-ins you need before ACOSF: Feyre in her "I can fix everyone&q...

🥒 We interviewed Griefcat and it was EVERYTHING 🥒Annie and Louisa joined us to talk about their origin story, viral music, the creative process, and everything in between—including which ACOTAR characters they would be. This episode goes EVERYWHERE:✨ How Griefcat started✨ Creating viral comedy music with emotional depth✨ The new album Dirty Laundry✨ "Grief or Bit?" game✨ Romantasy...

🥒 The war has arrived. And nothing will ever be the same. 🥒 Welcome to ACOWAR Part 2, covering Chapters 43 to the end: the alliances fracture, the battle begins, and the sacrifices that break us all. In this episode: ✨ The continuation of the Dawn Court summit ✨ Hybern's forces attacking ✨ The battle for Prythian—who fights, who falls ✨ Rhysand's death and resurrection (we're STI...

🥒 Before there was Tamlin, there was Tam Lin. 🥒 This week, we're diving into the 500-year-old Scottish ballad that inspired A Court of Thorns and Roses—and spoiler alert: the parallels are EVERYWHERE. In this episode: ✨ The original Ballad of Tam Lin—the full story ✨ Janet, the badass heroine who defies warnings ✨ Tam Lin, the cursed fairy knight held captive ✨ The Fairy Queen as the ori...

🥒 War is coming. And Feyre has a plan. 🥒Welcome to ACOWAR Part 1, covering Chapters 1-43: Feyre's time as a spy in Spring Court, her systematic destruction of Tamlin's court from within, and the desperate race to unite the courts against Hybern. In this episode:✨ Feyre's double life as Tamlin's "captive" High Lady✨ How she destroys Spring Court from the inside✨ The m...

Episode 10 is for the girls—the real ones, the ride-or-dies, the “burn the world down for you” kind of friendships. This week on Pickle Party, we’re making the case that the most important relationships in romantasy aren’t the romances… they’re the female friendships. From Bryce and Danika to the Wallflowers, Violet and Rhiannon, and the Valkyries of the Night Court—we’re diving into the bonds tha...

🥒 To the stars who listen, and the dreams that are answered. 🥒ACOMAF Part 2: The second half that destroyed us all. In this episode:✨ Starfall and the shift✨ The mating bond reveal✨ The cabin scene (IYKYK)✨ Summer Court✨ Hybern's attack✨ The sisters being Made✨ Feyre's revenge plan✨ The ending that set up warThis is why ACOMAF is legendary. The romance. The devastation. The trans...

🥒 All the Feels: The Book Moments That Destroyed Us 🥒Grab your tissues. We're talking about the romantasy scenes that made us ugly cry, the character moments we're still not over, and why we LOVE being emotionally destroyed by fiction. In this episode:✨ The scenes that broke us✨ Quotes that live rent-free in our heads✨ Books that gave us emotional whiplash✨ Why we love the beautiful...

🥒 Welcome to ACOMAF Part 1: The book that changed EVERYTHING. 🥒 We're breaking A Court of Mist and Fury into two episodes because there's simply too much to cover. Part 1 covers Chapters 1-27: from the Spring Court nightmare to discovering the Night Court and beginning to heal. In this episode: ✨ Feyre's PTSD and the darkness of Spring Court ✨ Tamlin's controlling behavior and...

🥒 A Court of Thorns and Roses: The Deep Dive 🥒 We're going back to Book 1. The Beauty and the Beast retelling that started our ACOTAR obsession. In this episode: ✨ Plot breakdown: Feyre, Tamlin, the curse, Under the Mountain ✨ Laughable moments vs cry moments ✨ Character analysis and first impressions ✨ How this book reads differently after ACOMAF ✨ Hot takes: Was Tamlin ever good? That...

🥒 We read a Harlequin romance novel and we have THOUGHTS. 🥒 This week, we're paying tribute to the genre that built the foundation for romantasy: classic romance novels. We picked up a Harlequin, read it cover to cover, and now we're breaking it down and the history of romance novels. In this episode: ✨ Our full review - the plot, the tropes, the steam ✨ What surprised us, what made us laugh,...

Sarah J. Maas sat down with Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy and we have THOUGHTS. 🥒✨ In this episode, Jules and Leslie break down the incredible interview, share their favorite revelations, and spiral over everything SJM teased about the upcoming ACOTAR books. From character insights to release date hype, we're covering it all. If you haven't listened to the interview yet, go do that first...

🥒 The ACOTAR debate that will never end: Azriel or Lucien? 🥒 It's time to settle this (we won't settle this). We're diving deep into the love triangle that has the fandom in a chokehold— and the woman at the center of it all who just wants to garden in peace. In this episode: ✨ Character deep dives: Who is Azriel? Who is Lucien? ✨ The Elain factor: What does SHE actually want? ✨ The mating bo...