Advertise on podcast: Genre’d: A Book Podcast

What if Groundhog Day took place at a wedding, except every reset dropped you into a completely different horror movie? This week, Elyse and Katy are talking Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison, a time-loop horror comedy with masked killers, supernatural creatures, wedding drama, one very questionable rebound, and a surprisingly emotional story about starting over in your thirties. We’re also discussing why “bubblegum horror” may be our new favorite genre, whether Katy has officially become a Rachel Harrison reader, and why sometimes the only way out really is through. Listen now, then come tell us which horror loop you think you’d survive. Follow Genre’d on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @genredpodcast.

This week on Off Book, Elyse and Katy are joined by author Elizabeth Richardson, creator of Trad, a serialized novel about a woman who pretends to be a tradwife online, goes viral, and takes things way too far. Elizabeth gets into why Trad found a second life on Substack after dying on submission, the very blurry line between lifestyle and performance online, and the question we can’t stop thinking about: when does the scam actually become a scam? Plus, Elizabeth introduces us to her favorite genre, pop fiction, books that pull directly from internet culture, celebrity, reality TV, and whatever the zeitgeist is obsessing over right now. Naturally, we leave with a much longer TBR. Find Genre’d on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at @genredpodcast. Read widely. Judge freely.

What if another version of you became exactly the person you always thought you’d be? This week, Elyse and Katy are talking Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel, a literary speculative novel about a collapsed America, parallel universes, mysterious disappearances, and one very morally gray woman who is exceptionally good at surviving. We’re talking nature vs. nurture, freedom vs. safety, whether we actually believe in multiverses, and the most important question of all: if you had to choose between the lawless A side and the highly controlled B side, where would you live? Spoiler-free to start, then we sound the alarm. Follow @genredpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and visit genredpodcast.com for more. Read widely. Judge freely.

We’re going Off Book with debut romance author Katie Jung, author of You’re the One That I Haunt, a paranormal romance she describes as Gossip Girl meets My Best Friend’s Wedding with a hot ghost love interest. Katie joins Elyse and Katy to talk about her road to publishing, bringing her Polish heritage into the book, why romance deserves more credit, and the art of writing yearning, slow burns, and sex scenes that actually sound like the characters involved. Plus, we get into fanfiction, second-chance romance, the books that made Katie fall back in love with reading, and a truly unavoidable conversation about why nobody would ever casually say “my folds” to a friend. You’re the One That I Haunt is out September 22. Follow Genre’d at @genredpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Read widely. Judge freely.

This week on Genre’d, Elyse and Katy are talking about Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan, a fake dating romance set against a very dreamy New England summer. Dolly is thirty-nine, a single mom, and the kind of woman who can solve basically any problem herself. Stuart Whitfield is a wealthy New England heir who needs to prove he has a life outside of work. She needs $50,000 for a new roof. He needs a girlfriend. Naturally, they fake date. We’re talking coastal Rhode Island vibes, old-money family drama, sailboats, eldest daughter syndrome, the world’s loosest NDA, and why Dolly might be one of our favorite contemporary romance heroines in a while. And then we get to the third-act breakup. Let’s just say we both came into the episode at four stars and somehow talked ourselves down. Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½ from both hosts Spoiler-free first, then the spoiler alarm goes off and we get into everything. Follow Genre’d on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @genredpodcast. Read widely. Judge freely.

This week on Off Book, we’re joined by debut author Michelle Eileen to talk about A Real Paige Turner, her cowboy romance with a mystery, bookstore vibes, strong female friendship, and one very qualified book boyfriend. We also get into Michelle’s unusual publishing journey, the fantasy books that shaped us, romance as a comfort genre, books we definitely read too young, adaptation anxiety, and her “seven-layer dip” approach to reading every genre imaginable.

This week, we’re talking about Last Night Was Killer by Mary Pauline Lowry, a funny mystery about a struggling comedian, a dead man in her trunk, and a beginner pole dancing class that somehow turns into an amateur detective squad. We get into Tilly’s very questionable decision not to call the police, the found family that completely won us over, the romantic subplot with one very helpful ATF agent, and why this worked so well as a fast, cozy-ish palate cleanser. Spoiler-free first, then we sound the alarm and get into the twists, the mansicle, and how exactly one man ended up having the worst night imaginable. Follow @genredpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more book reviews, recommendations, and strong opinions.

We’re going Off Book with romance author Kate Robb, author of This Spells Love, Prime Time Romance, Kitty St. Clair's Last Dance and the upcoming Solar Eclipse of the Heart. We talk magical realism, the comfort of 90s rom-coms, why romance deserves way more respect, the books Kate would recommend to new romance readers, and the very specific joy of knowing everyone will be out of the basement and happily in love by the final page. Plus: Crown Duel nostalgia, Hallmark movie opinions, book trophies, mood-reading problems, and why Kate may or may not be trying to locate several Canadian romance authors. Follow Genre’d on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @genredpodcast.

We’re wrapping up Kalie Cassidy’s Siren Mage duology with In the Wake of the Ruined, and while we still love the gothic siren world, this one left us a little more mixed. We’re talking Theo’s aggressively devoted POV, Imogen stepping fully into her power, a political marriage nobody seems especially concerned about, and enough lore to make us lose the family tree several names ago. Then we get into spoilers, including Eusia’s deeply strange master plan, the ending, and why the epilogue ultimately worked for both of us. Follow Genre’d on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @genredpodcast.

Our little sister Amanda finally gets her own Off Book episode, and she has a lot to say about MM romance. We talk about how Heated Rivalry turned someone who claimed books put her to sleep into a full-fledged reader, plus forced proximity, stepbrothers, hockey romance, gentleman witches, Omegaverse, and the books she recommends for beginners. Also discussed: why men take so long to talk about their feelings, accidental TikTok messages, missing lip gloss, and several unofficial sponsorship pitches made after multiple glasses of wine. Books mentioned include Heated Rivalry, The Kennedy Rule, Don’t You Dare, For the Fans, The Mercenary and the Mortician, God of Fury, Kiss the Villain, Hunt the Villain, and Malum Discordiae.

This week, we’re talking about Thornbird by E. Kennedy, a dark YA thriller about a serial killer’s daughter returning to the small town her family destroyed. We get into the love triangle, the true crime obsession, the deeply suspicious bird imagery, and the return of the bad boy with a heart of gold. We also debate where BBWHG ends and morally gray begins, because apparently murder is an important line. The first part of the episode is spoiler-free. After the spoiler alarm, we break down the missing bodies, the final twist, and why this ended up being a five-star read for both of us. Listen and follow @genredpodcast on TikTok, Instagram & YouTube.

This week on Genre’d Off Book, we’re joined by author Brooklyn Rose to talk about her debut romance, Sex Positive, out August 4th. We get into the book’s college romance setup, Charlie’s mission to take on abstinence-only sex ed, and why stories about pleasure, purity culture, and agency feel especially relevant right now. Brooklyn also walks us through her publishing journey, from querying and revise-and-resubmits to choosing self-publishing and building a professional indie release. Plus, we talk writing smut, romance misconceptions, Dramione, fanfiction as accidental sex ed, hockey romance, literary romance, and why fictional men continue to raise the bar for everyone. Find Brooklyn at @brooklynrosewrites and preorder Sex Positive wherever you get your books.

A missing dog. A creepy London mansion. One very chic amateur PI. This week, we’re talking about It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell, a psychological thriller about Jane Trevally, a missing girl, a deeply suspicious family, and the secrets buried inside Thornwood. Katy loved Jane, the audiobook, and the slow unraveling of the mystery. Elyse had more questions, especially about the many POVs and whether the twists were actually twisting. We also discuss I Will Find You on Netflix, the ongoing mystery of the next Sarah J. Maas book, generational trauma, emotional abuse, creepy clown children, and why Olivia Colman should obviously play Jane Trevally. Listen now, and follow @genredpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

It’s our 2026 mid-year reading check-in, which means we are taking a very official look at the books we loved, the books we regretted, the genres that surprised us, and the reading habits we are pretending to have under control. Katy and Elyse talk Goodreads goals, audiobook math, romantasy fatigue, dystopian awakenings, cozy fantasy surprises, horror rom-coms, memoirs, and why some sequels simply need to stop sending everyone on a quest. Plus, we rank our favorite books of the year so far, hand out mid-year superlatives, and discuss the books that felt like personal attacks. No genre shaming unless it’s funny.

Bryanna is back for our one-year anniversary episode, and obviously we had to make it emotional, suspicious, and deeply unserious. This week, we’re talking Broken Dove by Dani Francis, the sequel to Silver Elite, aka the very first book we ever covered on Genre’d. This episode is not fully spoiler-free. Because Broken Dove is book two, we do spoil Silver Elite, and once the spoiler alarm goes off, we are very much in it. We’re talking Wren, Cross, Gray, the Dagger, the Hollow, hidden powers, rebellion politics, one extremely effective love triangle, and why this book is basically grown-up New Moon with psychic warfare. Plus, we spiral over the Dani Francis pen name mystery, debate whether the final 20 percent did too much or did exactly enough, and pick sides in the Wren/Cross/Gray situation. Team Cross, but Gray, we see you.