Besties and the Books Podcast

• 50 Shades Freed…BUT FROM WHAT?? | Book 3 Review & Summary | Bonus Minisode

  Send us a textIn this third episode of the Besties in the Books mini-series Fifty Shades of May, hosts Ashley and Liz dive deep into Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James, the final installment of the original Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. They explore how the controversial dark romance series influenced pop culture, the rise of dark romance in mainstream fiction, and why Freedmight not mean what you think it does. The episode teases what's next in the series, including a parody read of Fifty Shades of Earl Grey by Andrew Shaffer and a full wrap-up comparing the books to the films. Join the Besties for unfiltered reactions, spicy cover art commentary, and plenty of laughs—plus behind-the-scenes chaos from their Fable book club chats. Perfect for fans of romance, satire, and pop culture deep-dives.It’s Fifty shades of May over here on the Besties and the Books podcast. Welcome back to our spring mini episode series all about the extremely popular yet widely discredited book series: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. We’re officially concluding the original trilogy with book three, Fifty Shades Freed. Freed from what exactly, you might ask? And to that, we say… we have no idea.Start from the beginning??WATCH OUR 50 SHADES OF GREY PLAYLIST HERE | https://youtu.be/vykksEF9PJw?si=phSGimqOBOXXgfJaWe think that whether you find these books problematic or not, credit must be given where credit is due. The fact that these books have been stigmatized, criticized, and repeatedly knocked down is indicative (we think) of a larger societal problem: misogyny. Because as a society, it seems we just can’t stand it when women are successful… or when they enjoy something. Whether it’s objectively “good” or “profitable” or not. And don’t miss next week’s final mini episode in this series where we give our final thoughts, cover the parody book Fifty Shames of Earl Grey by Fanny Merkin, and discuss the movies! We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk!  https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKMShop bookish apparel worn in this episode!Ashley is wearing: “The Suriel” Tee from Amazon | * https://amzn.to/4h2v5imLiz is wearing “Obey Me” Tee by @darkanddisturbedshop | Use Code: VEGAN10 to save! | https://darkanddisturbedshop.com/products/praise-me-tee?_pos=2&_sid=81592a902&_ss=rAny link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast Besties and the Book Club on Fable!https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358Liz Instagram | TikTok@TheRealLifeVeganWife AshleyInstagram | TikTok@AshleyEllix

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• Ep 61 MILLENNIAL NOSTALGIA | Books That Made Us “The College Years”

  Send us a textWhat iconic things from millennial “yesteryear” do you miss? We kick off this super nostalgic episode with an ode to simpler times. Let’s take a moment of collective silence for: the mall (in general), Borders Books (and more!), cheap concert tickets (like $50!??), and makeup when it was creative (what a time to be alive!). Our faves and fails of the week are all about those things that we miss as we amp up to share our favorite reads from the early to mid 2000’s.Ashley and Liz present their top five college-age reads that influenced them during this pivotal time, and helped shape them into the readers (and people!) they are today. We bring memoirs, sci-fi reads, some horror and even some feminist theory to the table, put all ten titles in our trusty BATB Beanie and pick one to reread with all of you! Which one will it be?! We can’t wait to share it with you! And, don’t worry! We’ve got a great smash or pass taking us back to the college days with a smorgasbord of silver foxes, and a man who exploded porta potties for a legit living. Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)Check out these author interviews? ⬇️We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! | https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk!  https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKMLooking for your next murder mystery Romantasy? Preview This Monster of Mine with our interview with debut author Shalini Abeysekara! | https://youtu.be/dMoOSLW1vTE?si=n6z3RXxSutNXN2oa____Shop bookish apparel worn in this episode!Ashley is Wearing: Fourth Wing Dragon T Shirt “Fly or D!e” from @caffeineandcurses | https://caffeineandcurses.comLiz is wearing:  (Vanna White style) our exclusive Bestie and the Books Beanie! DM us to be added to preorder list! | https://www.instagram.com/bestiesandthebookspodcast?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast Besties and the Book Club on Fable!https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358Liz Instagram | TikTok@TheRealLifeVeganWife AshleyInstagram | TikTok@AshleyEllix

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• 50 Shades DARKER?…YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?? 🤨 | Book 2 Review & Summary | Bonus Minisode

  Send us a textGuess What? It’s officially grey! We are in it. Oh my! It’s Fifty shades of May over here on the Besties and the Books podcast. Welcome back to our spring mini episode series all about the extremely popular yet widely discredited book series: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. We’re officially into book two and things are not exactly going as planned…If you’ve been following along and watched our “Dark Romance Enters the Chat” episode then you know, we trace romance novels wayyy back to their origin so we can discuss what societal conditions helped to produce this canon of works mostly written by women, for women, with women’s stories, pleasure, and lived experiences at the center. We examine what influence romance books have had on literature and the publishing world as a whole, and then specifically discuss what impact Fifty Shades had on the genre! It just happens to be a BIG bonus that Ashley and Liz have never read it before. So this is all new information to us.We think that whether you find these books problematic or not, credit must be given where credit is due. The fact that these books have been stigmatized, criticized, and repeatedly knocked down is indicative (we think) of a larger societal problem: misogyny. Because as a society, it seems we just can’t stand it when women are successful… or when they enjoy something. Whether it’s objectively “good” or “profitable” or not. Episode 2 covers book 2: Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James. The first five-ish minutes are spoiler free with our one sentence rapid star and spice ratings. Then we jam pack this mini episode with an entire plot summary in five sentences (with a special classical surprise!), discuss what our faves and fail characters and plot points are, our feelings, notable quotes, red flags, problematic elements, and end with a fun piece of Fifty Shades trivia.Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday… and sometimes Friday! Check out these author interviews? ⬇️We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! | https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk! | https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKMLooking for your next murder mystery Romantasy? Preview This Monster of Mine with our interview with debut author Shalini Abeysekara! | https://youtu.be/dMoOSLW1vTE?si=n6z3RXxSutNXN2oShop bookish apparel worn in this episode!Ashley is wearing: “The Right Way Isn’t The Only Way” Fourth Wing Sweater from @TheBeanWorkshop (use our affiliate code “BOOKBESTIES10”)  | * https://www.thebeanworkshop.store/BOOKBESTIES1Liz is wearing “Praise Me” Tee by @darkanddisturbedshop | Use Code: VEGAN10 to save! | https://darkanddisturbedshop.com/products/praise-me-tee?_pos=2&_sid=81592a902&_ss=rAny link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eYouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast Besties and the Book Club on Fable!https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358Liz Instagram | TikTok@TheRealLifeVeganWife AshleyInstagram | TikTok@AshleyEllix

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• Ep 60 Sarah J Maas’ “SECRET BOOK” CATWOMAN | Unpopular Books by Popular Authors

  Send us a textWelcome to our newest series reading “UnPopular Books by Popular Authors”! Today we’re kicking it off with Sarah J Maas and Catwoman: Soulstealer! ***A huge thank you to The Bookish Queen for Sponsoring this episode!*****Check out the ultimate bookish shop and use discount code “BESTIEBOOKS15” to save 15% on your order @ https://bookishqueen.com/discount/BESTIEBOOKS15 Follow and get Inspo from them on Instagram @bookishqueenshop**Have you already read this somewhat “secret” book by Sarah J. Maas and just want to hear more? Or will you now be picking up this book to read it yourself after hearing our reviews?We can’t believe booktok and bookstagram forgot to mention this semi secret book by SJM! In this episode we give you our spoiler free reviews and explain why we think this DC Comics collab was a bit of a flop.First we’ll set the scene, explaining what type of book Catwoman is, what type of series it’s a part of, how the book is rated on Goodreads, and how it stacks up in comparison to SJM’s other notoriously successful works. Then we’ll get into the deep dive, our 5 sentence book summary, our personal thoughts, some outside reviews, and ultimately if it’s worth reading, and if we’ll continue the series. You might be surprised at what we found. 😉We plan on throwing Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games Genius) and Rebecca Yarros (Romance Author Turned Fourth Wing Sensation) into the mix. But please throw any other suggestions into a comment or our DMs. And just as it should be, we’ve got a fav and fail allergy / vampire season? edition and an appropriately DC Comics themed character smash or pass and marry, f, 💀. So stick around for that! Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)Check out these author interviews? ⬇️We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! | https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk!  https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKMLooking for your next murder mystery Romantasy? Preview This Monster of Mine with our interview with debut author Shalini Abeysekara! | https://youtu.be/dMoOSLW1vTE?si=n6z3RXxSutNXN2oa____What we are wearing?*This episode is sponsored by The Bookish Queen*Ashley and Liz are both wearing bookish tees sent complementary in PR by the Bookish Queen for this sponsored episode! Shop bookish apparel worn in this episode! ⬇️⬇️⬇️save 15% at https://bookishqueen.com/discount/BESTIEBOOKS15 with code: "BESTIEBOOKS15" for 15% off your entire purchase! And follow her @bookishqueenshop on Instagram!Any link with an * is used to designated a sponsorship or to signify an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast Besties and the Book Club on Fable!https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358Liz Instagram | TikTok@TheRealLifeVeganWife AshleyInstagram | TikTok@AshleyEllix

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  1:12:14
• OUR FIRST TIME🤭… Reading 50 SHADES OF GREY! | Book 1 Review & Summary | Bonus Minisode

  Send us a textGuess What? It’s gonna be grey…It is grey! It’s Fifty shades of May over here on the Besties and the Books podcast. Welcome to our spring mini episode series all about the extremely popular yet widely discredited book series: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. If you’ve been following along and watched our “Dark Romance Enters the Chat” episode then you know, we trace romance novels wayyy back to their origin so we can discuss what societal conditions helped to produce this canon of works mostly written by women, for women, with women’s stories, pleasure, and lived experiences at the center. We examine what influence romance books have had on literature and the publishing world as a whole, and then specifically discuss what impact Fifty Shades had on the genre! It just happens to be a BIG bonus that Ashley and Liz have never read it before. So this is all new information to us.We think that whether you find these books problematic or not, credit must be given where credit is due. The fact that these books have been stigmatized, criticized, and repeatedly knocked down is indicative (we think) of a larger societal problem: misogyny. Because as a society, it seems we just can’t stand it when women are successful… or when they enjoy something. Whether it’s objectively “good” or “profitable” or not. Episode 1 covers book 1: Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James. The first five-ish minutes are spoiler free with our one sentence rapid star and spice ratings. Then we jam pack this mini episode with an entire plot summary in five sentences (with a special classical surprise!), discuss what our faves and fail characters and plot points are, our feelings, notable quotes, red flags, problematic elements, and end with a fun piece of Fifty Shades trivia.Join our Virtual Book Club & Buddy Read on Fable! | https://fable.co/club/50-shades-of-grey-pod-read-with-bestiesandthebookclub-487898954653Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday… and sometimes Friday! Check out these author interviews? ⬇️We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk!  https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKMLooking for your next murder mystery Romantasy? Preview This Monster of Mine with our interview with debut author Shalini Abeysekara! | https://youtu.be/dMoOSLW1vTE?si=n6z3RXxSutNXN2oShop bookish apparel worn in this episode!Ashley is wearing: “I’m a Book Dragon” Clash of Tides tee from the Author Alivia Maar @livesbookshelf (Gifted in PR.)Liz is wearing “Good Girls Read Smut” Crew by *Shop Closed* and “Praise Me” Tee by @darkanddisturbedshop | Use Code: VEGAN10 to save! | https://darkanddisturbedshop.com/products/praise-me-tee?_pos=2&_sid=a2aa935cf&_ss=rAny link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast Besties and the Book Club on Fable!https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358Liz Instagram | TikTok@TheRealLifeVeganWife AshleyInstagram | TikTok@AshleyEllix

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