What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads

Fake NOT Dating: A Bollywood-Inspired Romcom Debut | Lavanya Lakshmi

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. A debut romcom inspired by Bollywood, built around one of the most delicious twists on fake dating you'll ever read — fake NOT dating. If you love big Indian weddings, chaotic families, and slow-burn tension between two people who desperately want each other but have to pretend they've never met, this episode is your sign to add Leave and Come Back to your TBR immediately. Debut author Lavanya Lakshmi joins the show to talk about her journey from Twilight fanfiction to landing a publishing deal, the Bollywood film that inspired her novel, and why she made the bold choice to get her characters together at the start of the book. We also dig into her reading life and the books she returns to again and again — including a romance she calls her holy grail. 📚 BOOKS MENTIONED Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4aQZQVR] | Romcom / South Asian Romance | Audio ✅ Seven Days in June by Tia Williams — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4vGFR4m] | Contemporary Romance / Literary | Audio ✅ The View Was Exhausting by Mikaellla Clements & Onjuli Datta — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4otgUqI] | Celebrity Fake Dating Romance | Audio ✅ Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/3QpiKfv] | Literary Fiction / Women's Fiction | Audio ✅ (highly recommended on audio per guest) Summer Sisters by Judy Blume — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4oMtlOF] | Women's Fiction / Coming-of-Age | Audio ✅ Refuse to Be Done by Matt Bell — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/3S8Kh5B]| Craft / Writing Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4fLDQix] | Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4a3BmbM] | Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4eIaMHH] | Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/3RZGXK3] | Contemporary Romance ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Welcome & introducing Lavanya Lakshmi [00:01] Growing up across 4 countries & life in Toronto [00:02] Writing journey: from casual writer to Twilight fanfiction [00:04] Getting an agent early — and walking away from writing [00:05] How a best friend's publishing deal reignited the dream [00:06] Leave and Come Back — the "fake NOT dating" concept explained [00:07] Why the characters get together at the START of the book [00:08] The Bollywood movie that inspired the story (DDLJ) [00:10] Building an Indian wedding timeline & structuring the plot [00:12] Lavanya's reading life — what she reads and why [00:13] Summer Sisters by Judy Blume — a summer re-read tradition [00:14] Book recs begin: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams [00:16] The View Was Exhausting — celebrity fake dating & public life [00:18] Craft tip: retyping your draft to change POV (first → third person) [00:19] Refuse to Be Done by Matt Bell — a craft book recommendation [00:20] Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin [00:22] Annabel Monaghan — and how she got a blurb from a favorite author [00:23] Where to find Lavanya online + wrap-up JOIN THE CONVERSATION Subscribe to our Substack [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/] for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/]) Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog [https://www.whattoreadnext.com/] | YouTube: What to Read Next [https://www.youtube.com/@WhattoReadNextBlog] Subscribe & leave a review!

Sun-Drenched Thrills: A New Summer Mystery + 4 More Reads You Need | Jaclyn Goldis

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What if your thriller author and your meditation teacher turned out to be the same person? That's exactly how this conversation started — and it only gets better from there. Laura sits down with author Jaclyn Goldis, whose upcoming novel The Last Time We Saw Her follows a group of former campers who return to the volcanic Azores Islands a decade after one of their own vanished — only for another death to shatter the reunion. It's a twisty, sun-drenched thriller full of unreliable narrators and cold-case documentary vibes, perfect for summer reading. They also dig into Vedic meditation, the creative benefits of boredom, and a stack of thriller and mystery recommendations you'll want to add to your TBR immediately. 📚 BOOKS MENTIONED The Last Time We Saw Her by Jaclyn Goldis — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4uyDVtu] | Thriller My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4evPYlI] | Psychological Thriller We Solve Murders by Richard Osman — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/3SH7T1d] | Cozy Mystery Magpie Murders (series, Book 1) by Anthony Horowitz — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4uFo78l] | Mystery Rewilding by Jane Green — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/43wcbLh] | Memoir / Nonfiction ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Welcome & how Laura and Jaclyn know each other [01:00] Jaclyn's background: lawyer turned novelist, life in Tel Aviv [02:00] The Last Time We Saw Her — summer camp, the Azores, cold case documentary [04:00] Vedic meditation — what it is and why Jaclyn swears by it [08:30] The creative benefits of boredom & phone-free walks [10:00] Jaclyn's reading tastes — thrillers, rom-coms, nonfiction [10:30] My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney [11:30] The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman [12:00] Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz [13:00] Rewilding by Jane Green — memoir, Jane Green's reinvention [15:30] Where to find Jaclyn online JOIN THE CONVERSATION Subscribe to our Substack [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/] for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/]) Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog [https://www.whattoreadnext.com/] | YouTube: What to Read Next [https://www.youtube.com/@WhattoReadNextBlog] Subscribe & leave a review!

Democracy in Retrograde: Civics Tips That Don't Make You Spiral | Non-Fiction

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. If politics feels overwhelming, chaotic, or just plain exhausting right now — this episode is for you. Emily Amick, the attorney-turned-Instagram creator behind Emily in Your Phone, joins the show to talk about her book Democracy in Retrograde (co-authored with Sami Sage) and why civic action doesn't have to feel hopeless. From calling your actual representative (not Chuck Schumer) to showing up for your local library board, Emily breaks down the concrete, manageable things readers can do to engage with democracy right now — including a real talk about the 2026 midterms. If you've been doom-scrolling and wondering what to do, this conversation is your next step. 📚 BOOKS MENTIONED Democracy in Retrograde by Emily Amick & Sammy Sage — Buy on Amazon [https://go.shopmy.us/p-64279754] | Nonfiction / Civics / Political Education | Audio ✅ Note: This episode focuses on a single title. The paperback edition is currently available. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Welcome & intro — what this episode is about [00:45] Emily introduces herself: Senate counsel, lawyer, Instagram creator [01:30] Why Democracy in Retrograde was written — answering "I feel hopeless" [02:30] How Emily started Emily in Your Phone during the first Trump term [05:00] What actually works: calling your representative (and why it has to be yours) [07:30] Other ways to engage: town halls, letters to the editor, local Facebook groups [08:45] Local elections matter — school boards, library boards, running for office [10:00] Becoming a poll worker: what it involves and why it matters [11:00] Staying focused: how to pick your one issue and advocate for it [12:00] Auditing your news diet — from the workbook section of the book [13:00] Laura on libraries, Medicaid, and using your expertise as advocacy [14:00] Why library boards need people who actually love books [15:30] Libraries as third spaces — more than just books [16:30] The 2026 midterms: what's at stake (House, Senate, Supreme Court) [17:30] Swing Left, Vote Forward, and relational organizing explained [19:00] Having hard political conversations — and why most people aren't as extreme as you think [20:30] Where to find Emily online JOIN THE CONVERSATION Subscribe to our Substack [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/] for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/]) Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog [https://www.whattoreadnext.com/] | YouTube: What to Read Next [https://www.youtube.com/@WhattoReadNextBlog] Subscribe & leave a review!

YA Historical Fiction That Adults Need to Read Right Now with Karyn Parsons

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when a beloved actress becomes a storyteller of forgotten Black history? Karyn Parsons — yes, the Hilary Banks from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — joins us to talk about her powerful historical fiction for young readers, her nonprofit Sweet Blackberry, and why books like hers matter more in 2026 than ever. In this episode, we dig into Blue Beach, a YA murder mystery set on a segregated Black beach in 1929 that is equal parts page-turning thriller and gut-punch history lesson. We also talk about Clouds Over California, Karyn's middle grade novel set in the 1970s that reframes the story of the Black Panthers. Whether you're a longtime reader of YA or someone who thinks "that's not for me" — this conversation will change your mind. Adults: these books are absolutely for you. Plus: Karyn shares what she's been reading lately, including a deeply unsettling thriller about smell, murder, and obsession, a darkly funny book that involves... cannibalism (?!), and why Kindred by Octavia Butler is a required read for every human. 📚 BOOKS MENTIONED Blue Beach by Karyn Parsons — Buy on Amazon [https://on.ltk.com/+-ACzMcguFCn68FScNfML8A] | YA Historical Fiction / Mystery | Set in 1929 on a segregated Black beach; a murder mystery with powerful themes of race, community, and colorism Clouds Over California by Karyn Parsons — Buy on Amazon [https://on.ltk.com/+tNB-eXtP7IUz1rcFf4ZRZg] | Middle Grade Historical Fiction | 1970s California; reframes the Black Panthers through the eyes of a young Black girl Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind — Buy on Amazon [https://on.ltk.com/+WoKNcwdV__I0pJ_pHvNirw] | Literary Thriller | A man with a preternatural sense of smell pursues an obsession with devastating consequences — dark, rich, and unforgettable Kindred by Octavia Butler — Buy on Amazon [https://on.ltk.com/+Oz_kb6BaFtjnxYYizPRXsQ] | Speculative/Historical Fiction | A modern Black woman is pulled back in time to the antebellum South — a masterclass in writing and a required read A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers — Buy on Amazon [https://on.ltk.com/+jjDj1-eO_sxwwTaOum2NWQ] | Dark Satire / Literary Fiction | A witty, darkly funny novel about a food critic with a very particular appetite — not for the faint of heart (cannibalism warning, delivered with humor) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — Buy on Amazon [https://on.ltk.com/+Lmn5h7Tm1718xMtvRUkQlw]| Fantasy / Romantasy | Book 1 of the ACOTAR series A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas — Buy on Amazon [https://on.ltk.com/+4xapePWhBVw7xRVm4TulBQ] | Fantasy / Romantasy | Book 2 — where the series truly takes off Pet Sematary by Stephen King — Buy on Amazon [https://on.ltk.com/+PM9VMO2xnw9IyYqEj9vsAQ] | Horror | A meditation on mortality and grief as much as a horror novel — deeply unsettling Femme Feral by Sam Beckbessinger — Buy on Amazon [https://on.ltk.com/+swHEH_4E_tfQ5fWElgCMig] | Horror / Dark Fiction | Female rage, perimenopause, and werewolves — Laura's current read ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Welcome & intro — Karyn Parsons, aka Hilary Banks from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air [01:00] How Karyn became a historical fiction author and the origin of Sweet Blackberry nonprofit [04:00] Why she writes truthfully — empathy, history, and what literature can do [05:00] Blue Beach — the real story of Bruce's Beach that inspired the novel [07:00] Growing up in Santa Monica on a beach that had been segregated — and not knowing it [10:00] Elevator pitch for Blue Beach: the setup, the murder, the stakes [12:00] Colorism, community, and the paper bag test in the story [13:00] Clouds Over California — reframing the Black Panthers for middle grade readers [16:00] The parallels between the 1970s, Black Lives Matter, and today [18:00] Karyn's reading life: what she reaches for and why [19:00] Perfume: The Story of a Murderer — obsession, scent, and murder [22:00] Pet Sematary and revisiting Stephen King; Misery memory [24:00] Kindred by Octavia Butler — why it's a masterclass and a required read [27:00] A rec for A Court of Thorns and Roses and the ACOTAR series [28:00] Femme Feral — female rage, perimenopause, and horror as a new genre for Laura [29:00] A Certain Hunger — a darkly funny, very specific rec (you'll know when you hear it) [31:00] Where to find Karyn online and info about Sweet Blackberry JOIN THE CONVERSATION Subscribe to our Substack [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/] for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/]) Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog [https://www.whattoreadnext.com/] | YouTube: What to Read Next [https://www.youtube.com/@WhattoReadNextBlog] Subscribe & leave a review!

Game Set Match: The Tennis Romance You Need to Read with Jennifer Iacopelli

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you've been sleeping on sports romance, this episode is your wake-up call. Tennis romance is officially having its moment in publishing — and the author who was writing it a decade before anyone else is finally getting her flowers. In this episode, Laura chats with Jennifer Iacopelli, author of Game Set Match and its sequel Wild Card — new adult tennis romances newly re-released through Little Brown's Requited imprint after Jennifer's YA novel Finding Her Edge was adapted into a Netflix series. They dig into Jennifer's 15-year publishing journey, the ensemble cast storytelling structure of the Game Set Match series, the road from canceled Olympics to Netflix, and why tennis provides the perfect natural force-proximity setup for romance. Plus, Jennifer shares her top sports romance recs (including a few you can grab right now) and a YA F1 romance that's coming in 2027 that you'll want to add to your TBR immediately. Perfect for fans of Challengers, sports romance, and anyone who loves a resilience arc — in fiction and in real life. 📚 BOOKS MENTIONED Game Set Match by Jennifer Iacopelli — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4alIwIi] | New Adult Romance / Sports Romance / Tennis | KU ✅ (backlist) | Audio ✅ (check availability) Wild Card by Jennifer Iacopelli — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4akmeGR] | New Adult Romance / Sports Romance / Tennis | (sequel to Game Set Match; releasing June 2026) Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4fea3il] | YA Romance / Sports Fiction / Olympic Figure Skating | Now a Netflix series ✅ Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/43B3HT0] | YA Romance / Sports Fiction / Olympic Gymnastics | Audio ✅ (check availability) Thirty Love by Tom Vellner — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4uGelUi] | Adult Romance / Sports Romance / Tennis | MM Romance | (recently released) The Open Era by Edward Schmit — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4uKWP1o] | Adult Romance / Sports Romance / Tennis | (recently released) The Fast Track by Angelica Chang — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/43CFziP] | YA Romance / Sports Fiction / F1 Racing | (releases summer 2026 — add to your TBR now!) The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4u4um5y] | Adult Romance | Secret Garden vibes | (upcoming — release date June 2026) ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Welcome & intro — Jennifer Iacopelli joins the show [00:45] Jennifer's background: YA and new adult sports romance author [01:30] Game Set Match debut in 2013 — the pre-BookTok era of publishing [02:30] How the 2008 financial crisis led Jennifer to write her debut novel [04:30] Publishing journey: aging the book down, small digital publishers, and a closed imprint [06:00] Break the Fall — writing in response to the USA Gymnastics scandal [07:30] The COVID Olympics cancellation and its impact on her publishing career [08:30] Finding Her Edge and the road to Netflix [10:00] Little Brown's Requited imprint and bringing Game Set Match back as new adult [11:30] Tennis romance having its moment — the publishing landscape then vs. now [13:00] The ensemble, serialized storytelling structure of the Game Set Match series [14:30] The tennis calendar as a natural force-proximity story engine [15:30] What's next: could a US Open book be coming? [16:00] Jennifer's involvement in the Finding Her Edge Netflix adaptation [19:00] Writer's room, ensemble TV storytelling, and the evolution of teen drama [21:30] The non-linear reality of publishing careers [23:00] The book format conversation: mass market paperbacks, special editions & reading culture [25:00] Book Recs: Thirty Love by Vellner— tennis rivalry MM romance [26:00] Book Recs: The Open Era by Edward Schmit — tennis romance [26:30] Book Recs: The Fast Track by Angelica Chang — YA F1 romance (2027) [27:30] Book Recs: The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston — Secret Garden vibes [29:00] The rise of women's sports and niche sports fandoms [31:00] Where to find Jennifer online [31:30] Wrap-up JOIN THE CONVERSATION Subscribe to our Substack [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/] for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/]) Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog [https://www.whattoreadnext.com/] | YouTube: What to Read Next [https://www.youtube.com/@WhattoReadNextBlog] Subscribe & leave a review!