Confessions of a Closet Romantic

Romantic Replay: Romance Road Test

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1322830/fan_mail/new] Life continues to throw a lot at me (I'm sure we can all relate) but I did get to take another road trip to the mountains with my sweetie. We were road tested on a few issues including broken down rental cars and hotel accessibility and I started thinking about what you learn about yourself when you travel. That inspired a new episode (coming soon) about romantic movies featuring characters who leave home to explore new horizons, and in between the ice cream, sightseeing, luxury hotel beds, Tuscan villa renos and arguments with companions of all sorts, learn something important about themselves. Meanwhile, enjoy this revisit with Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg of the Romance Road Test podcast, now hosts of How to Be Fine, a spinoff of their podcast By the Book and their book of the same name. Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/poppyconfesses] If you enjoyed this episode, please click share in your podcast app and tell your friends! Thanks for listening!

Bookish: Wuthering Heights/People We Meet on Vacation

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1322830/fan_mail/new] I survived a bad winter storm that knocked out my heat and electricity for almost a week, so it's good to be back! Speaking of drama, Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books of all time, so I've been following the crazy anticipation for the Emerald Fennell film adaptation of the story that just opened this weekend. Adapting beloved classic stories for the screen isn't easy – filmmakers will never manage to perfectly interpret the story for every fan of the source material, and they have to earn attention in ways that books don't. Some filmmakers really get it right, though, despite the challenges, and when they manage to honor the original story while staying committed to their own version of it, beloved characters live another day. Classic books have survived for a reason, and I think they can handle all of the red latex corsets thrown at them. https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com [https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com/] It was certain that this movie [https://youtu.be/3fLCdIYShEQ?si=Z1k5GjxkOOzxJ-eB] was going to be hot and look stunning, no matter what. I think this is the ultimate review of the film and I haven't even seen it yet. A Tale of Two Hotties. [https://slate.com/culture/2026/02/wuthering-heights-movie-2026-review-margot-robbie-jacob-elordi.html] Is this the greatest love story of all time [https://youtu.be/XmuMd4FnnYo?si=fcakBZViD7tMuWFS]?! Or is that our trauma talking? The 1939 adaptation of Wuthering Heights is full of romance with a R and scenery-chewing, and resembles the book only a little, but it's glorious. I will watch the whole 1939 movie just for this scene [https://youtu.be/x5itUuxq5HE?si=bdJJPV6GUD5Aa_sd]. I think they got everything I loved about this book exactly right [https://youtu.be/m1C9DTOUH5s?si=VRZkc-HiaB_2pzaA]. "Based on the timeless love story by Jane Austen" and after that, they need to sell us on it because we are Fans. Well, personally I bought everything this version of Persuasion [https://youtu.be/Fz7HmgPJQak?si=DIPlq_nyBKfB3iEL]was selling. It's far from a perfect movie, and I haven't read the book, but the casting and direction of Which Brings Me to You i [https://youtu.be/5cK7nSZlebY?si=SDGUE5-0YiGpgtw-]s perfection, and I was glued to the screen from beginning to end. The Pop Culture Happy Hour [https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510282/pop-culture-happy-hour] from NPR is a podcast and newsletter that covers the "buzziest" movies, TV, music, books, video games and more.     Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/poppyconfesses] If you enjoyed this episode, please click share in your podcast app and tell your friends! Thanks for listening!

Frenemies: Heated Rivalry/Plus One

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1322830/fan_mail/new] I'm back from a long break and what a phenomenal show and movie to come back to. I've certainly had a lot of experience with frenemies in my life, and participated in  perplexing, frustrating romances where I bickered, bantered and got annoyed regularly, yet couldn't stay away. These stories embody that frenemies to lovers trope perfectly, so if you crave delayed gratification, casual betrayals and slow burning, combustible intimacy that fixes it all in your romance, start streaming ASAP.  CW: this episode is quite explicit https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com [https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com/] I hesitate to post this trailer [https://youtu.be/ADi1iextoUM?si=z09_HsrpVxWGa1eD] because as usual, it doesn't begin to capture the tone and incendiary hotness of this fantastic series. The hockey romance series that started it all. [https://www.rachelreidwrites.com/books] Excellent interview with Connor Storrie & Hudson Williams [https://youtu.be/j_DO7ZA4bFA?si=o7p4yG67hW51d2FL] with Carly Lane of Collider (a past guest on this show).  "...it’s kind of crazy to have to learn how to skate, play hockey, speak Russian and do the accent and you don’t even know until a week before." If you are as shocked as I am that Connor Storrie did not actually grow up as a hockey playing Russian, here's an interview that explains how it all came about. [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/connor-storrie-heated-rivalry-interview-1236444072/] To survive, they'll have to team up. [https://youtu.be/RZSeK851vZY?si=1hv98Mcrpn7EqBhD] Why yes, this does make the wedding season sound like a contact sport. How was I not aware of Emmy-nominated Maya Erskine? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Erskine] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/poppyconfesses] If you enjoyed this episode, please click share in your podcast app and tell your friends! Thanks for listening!

Outer Limits Love: Love Me

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1322830/fan_mail/new] I don't often read or watch sci-fi stories, but add in a romance and I'm there. I have a specific kink for stories about human-robot love, android love, any kind of machinery that takes on human characteristics and can hug. Forbidden Planet is my jam, I, Robot and RoboCop freak me out a bit, but movies that ask questions about our essential humanity by transferring our ideal characteristics – and our flaws and romantic blunders – onto machines are some of my favorite types of romances. https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com [https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com/] "In here, we can create a world just for us." [https://youtu.be/7llQHCPp1c8?si=tWZskTmuDbH6d5gR] Plus, there's a beautiful house, a dog and lots of ice cream. My episode about Love in Unexpected Places. [https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com/love-in-unexpected-places-hercity-of-angels/] If you haven't seen the movie Her, [https://youtu.be/dJTU48_yghs?si=RtAptioSmSsrMOXH] it's well worth adding to your watchlist. Forbidden Planet [https://youtu.be/HYjbn8f4PEY?si=YyyDM4OCPGKg0HUG] and other sci-fi movies from the 1950s are always good for robot action, though there's no hanky-panky with faithful servant Robby the Robot. Now Klaatu [https://youtu.be/51JoEE_znyI?si=u8j9deK_HUEtlEF5] is one of the sexiest robots ever. A Barnes & Noble round up of stories about Love and Robots. [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/of-love-and-robots-11-stories-of-truly-science-fictional-romance/#:~:text=A%20Long%20Way%20to%20a%20Small%2C%20Angry%20Planet%20is%20very,on%20to%20more%20complex%20questions.] Reddit to the rescue: recs for romances about AI or robots [https://www.reddit.com/r/ScienceFictionRomance/comments/1jjtww5/romances_about_ai_or_robots_that_serve_humans/] that serve humans and learn to love. Smut and kinky robot sex optional. Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/poppyconfesses] If you enjoyed this episode, please click share in your podcast app and tell your friends! Thanks for listening!

Quick Take: Nobody Wants This S2

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1322830/fan_mail/new] (Life continues to kick my behind, so I'll be releasing episodes every few weeks or so through the rest of the year. Follow me on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss a thing. As always, thanks for listening!) Season 2 of Nobody Wants This was just released on Netflix, and it's different show runners, but equally heartwarming, sexy, touching and hilarious – if not more so. I'm only a third of the way through the latest season, but had to pop in and say: it's 100% fresh, so don't miss it.  https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com [https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com/] First comes love, then comes life. [https://youtu.be/B66w_P39wi0?si=O8SXMKgj17D0WIQc] Episode descriptions [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobody_Wants_This], in case you need to catch up. "I didn't know I wrote a romcom...I thought I wrote Fleabag." Fascinating interview with Nobody Wants This creator/screenwriter Erin Foster at the American Film Institute [https://youtu.be/0YmZjGIP8zg?si=-MNjwTnnsA2GMSnA]. Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/poppyconfesses] If you enjoyed this episode, please click share in your podcast app and tell your friends! Thanks for listening!