Worse Than Strangers: Our Biggest Rating Disagreement Yet

Worse Than Strangers: Our Biggest Rating Disagreement Yet

This week your book besties celebrate Amanda's birthday by diving into Worse Than Strangers by Kyleigh Leddy. And, let's just say we did not have the same reading experience. Amanda fell for the Nantucket setting, second-chance romance, and emotional family dynamics, while Kat couldn't get past the miscommunication, immature characters, and the "Gilmore Girls meets Jane Austen" comparison. We debate whether the marketing set impossible expectations, unpack the Persuasion inspiration behind the title, and somehow end up talking about Christopher from Gilmore Girls. Buddy Read Chat * Worse Than Strangers by Kyleigh Leddy This week we're talking: * Gilmore Girls comparisons * Jane Austen's Persuasion * Mother-daughter relationships * Second-chance romance * Miscommunication as a plot device * Small-town charm (or lack thereof) * Whether marketing can hurt a book ⭐ Kat: 2.5 stars ⭐ Amanda: 5 stars What's On Our Shelf * Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman * I'll Tell You in Person by Chloe Caldwell * Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer * The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston * This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum New Releases We're Adding to our TBR * Wasp's Nest by Kat Stoddard * Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay * The Top of the World by Ethan Joella * Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne * Songbird inthe Gallows by Alta Hensley * Rules for Aging and Larceny by Julia London Bookish News This week we're talking about: * Newly announced book-to-screen adaptations * Whether upside-down bookshelves are genius or a disaster * The debate over "easy words" in books and whether readers should look up unfamiliar vocabulary * Gilmore Girls leaving Netflix Whether you’re here for the books, the chaos, or the unfiltered opinions- we’re glad you’re here. Want to join our book club? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can signup here [https://canibringmybook.kit.com/signup] Can I Bring My Book Social Links: Instagram: @canibringmybook_club TikTok: @canibringmybook_club Facebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook [http://www.facebook.com/canibringmybook]

Tropesick: The Book We Couldn't Quite Agree On

This week your book besties are diving into Tropesick by Lauren Okie, a romance built around every trope imaginable. Did it work? Well... let's just say Amanda and Kat didn't exactly have the same reading experience. We discuss grief, second chances, childhood friends-to-lovers, ghostwriting, magical realism (or was it?), and whether a book can become a victim of its own premise. Along the way, Kat develops an unexpected vendetta against excessive description, Amanda defends the romance, and we both try to make sense of that ending. Buddy Read Chat * Tropesick by Lauren Okie This week we're talking: * Friends-to-lovers romance * Writing about writers * Grumpy sunshine dynamics * Excessive description * Magical realism expectations * Family grief and healing * Whether the ending actually worked ⭐ Kat: 3 stars ⭐ Amanda: 5 stars What's On Our Shelf * Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman * The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman * Let's Not Go Overboard Here by Erica Hendry * The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1 by Beth Brower * This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum New Releases We're Adding to our TBR * Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein * Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances * The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit * Thrilling Tales of Modern Men by Danny McBride * Worse Than Strangers by Kyleigh Leddy Bookish News This week we're talking about: * Modernized editions of older books and whether classic references should be updated * The return of Pizza Hut's Book It! reading program * The newly announced Dungeon Crawler Carl animated adaptation coming to Peacock Whether you’re here for the books, the chaos, or the unfiltered opinions- we’re glad you’re here. Want to join our book club? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can signup here [https://canibringmybook.kit.com/signup] Can I Bring My Book Social Links: Instagram: @canibringmybook_club TikTok: @canibringmybook_club Facebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook [http://www.facebook.com/canibringmybook]

Harvest Season: Murder, Mayhem & a Public Service Announcement

This week your book besties are diving into Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver, the second installment in the Cape Carnage series. And, we have thoughts. Lots of thoughts! We discuss shocking reveals, serial killer theories, Arthur's fate, Harper and Nolan's relationship, and whether that ending was genuinely shocking or just frustrating. Along the way, we speculate about who might secretly be a murderer, debate the future of Cape Carnage, and accidentally turn part of the episode into a public service announcement. Spoiler alert: we are not fans of the miscommunication trope. Buddy Read Chat * Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver This week we're talking: * Cape Carnage theories * Arthur's storyline * Harper and Nolan * Yates and his mysterious motives * Cliffhangers we didn't ask for * Spice ratings * Why communication solves most problems * The possibility that everyone in this town is a serial killer ⭐ Kat: 3 stars ⭐ Amanda: 4 stars What's On Our Shelf * Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman * Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore * Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It by Brooke Averick * Heather by Caitlin Mullen New Releases We're Adding to our TBR * Play It Again by Georgia Clark * The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston * Tropesick by Lauren Okie * Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi * West of Forever by Corinne Michaels Whether you’re here for the books, the chaos, or the unfiltered opinions- we’re glad you’re here. Want to join our book club? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can signup here [https://canibringmybook.kit.com/signup] Can I Bring My Book Social Links: Instagram: @canibringmybook_club TikTok: @canibringmybook_club Facebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook [http://www.facebook.com/canibringmybook]

Alan Opts Out: Consumerism, Chaos + Trademark Drama

Your book besties are back, and this week we're discussing a book that asks an important question: What happens when the high-achieving ad executive who's built his entire identity around success suddenly... opts out? This week's Buddy Read Chat is Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum, a sharp, funny satire about consumerism, ambition, family, status, and what really matters when life doesn't go according to plan. We discuss talking-to-animals children, secret social clubs, doomsday communities, surprise betrayals, and why every member of this family desperately needed therapy (and maybe a hug). Buddy Read Chat * Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum This week we're talking: * consumerism and keeping up with the Joneses * career burnout and work-life balance * family dysfunction * suburban social politics * secret clubs and status symbols * talking-to-animals children * and one betrayal we absolutely did not see coming ⭐ Kat: 4.5 stars ⭐ Amanda: 5 stars What's On Our Shelf * When Sparks Fly by Monica Murphy * Honey. by Imani Thompson * Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York's Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist by Jennifer Wright * The Wedding People by Alison Espach * Costalegre by Courtney Maum * The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower * Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman New Releases We're Adding to our TBR * Heather by Caitlin Mullen * Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer * Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See * Cat Love by Tomas Q. Morin * Lost in the Summer of '69 by Eliza Knight * Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver Bookish News and Other Tangents This week we're discussing the internet meltdown surrounding the attempted trademarking of the phrase "Hot Girls Read," the backlash from readers and small businesses, and the surprisingly long list of bookish phrases that are already trademarked. Spoiler: we have opinions. Plus! A... fun?! soda spiral!  Whether you’re here for the books, the chaos, or the unfiltered opinions- we’re glad you’re here. Want to join our book club? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can signup here [https://canibringmybook.kit.com/signup] Can I Bring My Book Social Links: Instagram: @canibringmybook_club TikTok: @canibringmybook_club Facebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook [http://www.facebook.com/canibringmybook]

The Ballad of Falling Dragons: Dragon Theories + Library Advocacy

This week, your book besties are wrapping up The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker, and we have thoughts. We're talking favorite characters, heartbreaking moments, confusing plot twists, dragon lore, family trees, theories for book three, and the many questions we're still trying to untangle. Plus, we discuss whether this series is best experienced in audio, ebook, or physical format, and why some fantasy books practically require a dedicated study guide. Then we shift into some book world news, including a viral discussion about Libby, libraries, and author compensation, why library users should never feel guilty about borrowing books, and a Goodreads post that has us questioning whether book covers and titles are all starting to look the same. Buddy Read Chat * The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker (Chapters 50-book completion) ⚠️ This episode contains spoilers forhe Ballad of Falling Dragons and When the Moon Hatched What's On Our Shelf * Credence by Penelope Douglas * Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn * The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth * On Looking by Alexandra Horowitz * A Cute Little Murder by Molly Harper New Releases We're Adding to our TBR * Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore * Girl’s Girl by Sonia Feldman  * Let’s Not Go Overboard Here by Erica Hendry * Marion by Leah Rowan * Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum Whether you’re here for the books, the chaos, or the unfiltered opinions- we’re glad you’re here. Want to join our book club? Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. You can signup here [https://canibringmybook.kit.com/signup] Can I Bring My Book Social Links: Instagram: @canibringmybook_club TikTok: @canibringmybook_club Facebook: www.facebook.com/canibringmybook [http://www.facebook.com/canibringmybook]