Book Expectations

Happy (belated) New Year! We know it's been a while but welcome back to another episode! Today we're sharing our 2023 reads and catching up on life, from our new favorite rom-coms (Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood and Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams) to music artists (Noah Kahan, Laufey, V, etc). Please enjoy this episode and stay tuned for more book reviews!

After a long drought, Book Expectations is back with another book review! Today we'll be discussing "The American Roommate Experiment" by Elena Armas, which is an adorable (if not cuter) sequel to "The Spanish Love Deception". We fantasize about our dream dates and bitterly reflect on how unrealistic Lucas Martín is. Not only does "The American Roommate Experiment" feed our delusional hearts but it also opens the door for discussions about studying abroad, attractive accents, and somehow BTS. As mentioned in the episode, be sure to listen to our book-inspired playlists on Spotify: Book Expectations. We hope you enjoy this fun episode and we'll try to post more often again!

This week we decided to do book recommendations and answering some book questions about our favorites (even books we've read YEARS ago). We talk about books we think are overrated, books that we always recommend, and books that we say are our favorite, but isn't actually. This episode is inspired by Steph Bohrer's book tag, and we decided to take on this as well.

In this episode, we go over one of our favorite books: Beach Read! We gush over Emily Henry's writing and her quotes that make our expectations for boys way too high. We go over our favorite things that a guy can do, like playing piano, and Isabel goes over her list of the most attractive thing a guy can do. We discuss how Beach Read is essentially trauma disguised as a romcom, and how we need to protect Gus at all costs. Listen to the playlist we made for this book: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68P7AOnCTGL0nE9IAmZn7K?si=66f0d2a12c4044c6

Welcome to 2023! In this episode, we reflect upon our favorite reads, characters, music, movies, and TV shows of 2022. From aggressive rereads to newfound loves, we really went through it this year! We also reference our mid-year wrap up so go and give it a listen to see how much we've changed in this short period of time! Thanks for listening to Book Expectations this year and we will continue trying to produce content that you all enjoy!

This week we decided to do an episode suggested by a fan! We matched Taylor Swift's new album Midnights with books and kdramas that have the same storyline. Tune in for the controversial opinions on many of the Midnight songs like Bejeweled and Sweet Nothing while also having lots of fun pairing them with the many books we love. We mention books like Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, It Ends With Us, Inheritance Games, and kdramas like 2521 and Hometown Cha Cha Cha!

This week we partake in an oldie but goodie BookTube challenge: the first line challenge! Each of us took the first line from a book and the other two had to guess which book that line was from. Tensions were high as our competitive spirits rose and Isabel got cheated out of one too many points. Listen to hear Doris somehow get the most obscure lines right and Isabel's redemption arc!

Welcome back to another episode! This week, we discuss Taylor Jenkins Reid's most recent release, Carrie Soto is Back. And, indeed, the b**** is back and better than ever. Carrie's story is captivating and all three of us note how pleasantly surprised we were when we became invested in the world of tennis (despite our bad experiences involving it). We also somehow sidetrack to our Animal Jam past and reminisce about our favorite mini-games, feelings of superiority, and bad financial decisions. Unsurprisingly, we also plug the book playlists that we created recently that you can view here: Book Expectations.

This week's episode is an exciting one because we are finally talking about a fantasy novel, Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, instead of another classic rom-com! Doris talks about how excited she was when she found another fantasy novel to hyper-fixate on and Isabel recaps the traumatic rash she endured while reading this book. We discuss how Sorcery of Thorns has the perfect structure as a fantasy stand-alone, solving all of our series commitment issues (book puns!). We also get into a heated argument about what it actually means to be a YA novel. Listen to this episode to see us gush over the book's aesthetic, seriously judge Isabel's TikTok For You page, and reminisce over our past book Pinterest boards.

This week's episode is an exciting episode because we are talking about Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood! If you haven't watched our Love Hypothesis episode, which you should, you will find that we have a lot to say about her books. Listen to us gush over Levi, talk about the controversy with vegans, and Doris's (odd) liking for grape flavored candies.

Welcome back to another episode! This week, we discuss a popular romcom, People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. We ponder our favorite quotes, reflect upon childhood memories, and learn about Isabel's questionable decision-making. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. Additionally, thank you for sticking around for 50 official episodes! We appreciate all your support and hope we can continue to create entertaining content!

This week we review everything we've read so far and talk about the new books we're obsessed with. Tune in to listen to Doris's various new book boyfriends, Isabel's obsession with Heartstopper, and Anya hating on Doris's choices for k-dramas.

This week we discuss Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch, the most deceiving book we've read in 2022, so far! Doris recounts how she was blindsided when she picked it up from the library, thinking it would be a cute summer read, and found herself sobbing at the end. Anya also reveals how parental relationships would always be a soft spot in her heart, and she remembers her past trauma with a particular viral video from 2017. We also come clean about our numerous secret Pinterest boards, topics ranging from Kdramas, London boys, and... Nam Joo Hyuk?? Listen as we cry over the ending of Love and Olives and go through the most random tangents!

Welcome back to another episode of Book Expectations! This week, we'll be discussing Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan. Doris and Anya discuss the importance of dogs wearing shoes, artsy boys, and cringy relationships. We also elaborate on our favorite tropes in romcoms. We hope you enjoy this episode and learn a lot about us!

In this episode, we discuss a long-awaited book that we've hinted at and gushed at many times in previous episodes, You Deserve Each Other! Doris recounts how she discovered this hidden gem through cryptic Goodreads reviews, and Anya reflects on her miserable journey trying to find a copy of the book to give Doris on her birthday. We obsess over how Nicholas is the ideal boyfriend/fiance, laugh over Naomi's silly silly mistakes, and rant about Deborah, the evil mother-in-law's, annoying meddling. This winter romance gives us hope for love and combines all of our favorite tropes, including second-chance, lovers to enemies to friends to lovers, and "OMG he has dimples!!" This is... dare we say... our favorite enemies to lovers romance??

Welcome back to another episode of Book Expectations! This week we are discussing the final book of the "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" series, "As Good As Dead". With all the full-circle moments, horrifying details, and heartbreaking moments, Anya and Doris have plenty to discuss! Listen as we cry over traumatizing moments (to no one's surprise) and brag about our amazing book-based Spotify playlists. We hope you enjoy! Note: Listener discretion is advised! We discuss gory topics that may be triggering to some listeners, including sexual assault, drug use, violence, PTSD, and more.

This week we compare US covers and UK covers. We get heated over many font and color choices for many of the covers, and when Isabel doesn't like the Elizabeth Lim UK covers as much as Anya and Doris. We talk about many book covers ranging from Divergent to Hating Game to Malibu Rising! Will we like the US or UK versions better? Would we buy these book covers to put on our shelf? Listen to find out! Slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/136C2XP02WLGXKNxU3iBVnkVuhx_WHhWajXIwFJClJ0U/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode, we are back with the second book of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder! This book was... let's just say, interesting. It left us traumatized and #not okay. But that's okay because Ravi saved the day! Listen to this episode to experience Anya and Doris obsessing over Ravi, sympathizing over Stanley, and cursing out Max Hastings. We hope you enjoy hearing the fear in our voice as we recount the events in the second book of this thrilling trilogy! Obviously, this episode contains many spoilers from A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood. Make sure you also search up any potential trigger warnings before listening!

This week we discuss the popular mystery novel A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. In this episode, we talk about being traumatized by true crime podcasts, share our predictions while reading the novel, and gush over Ravi and Pip's relationship. This is the first mystery novel we made an episode for, and we have A LOT to say. We also mention My Little Pony names and leak a possible bonus episode on a popular Disney movie. Warning! Listener discretion is advised! We talk about some dark topics including, but not limited to: murder, animal abuse, death, drug facilitated crimes and sexual abuse. Please proceed with caution!

This week, we discuss The Cheat Sheet by Sara Adams! In this playful rom-com, we cry over adorable nicknames, funny wingmen, clever banter, and amazing dual perspective. We also mention that The Cheat Sheet is the BETTER version of a certain book (listen to find out!!) which is a very bold statement. Meanwhile, Doris uncovers some wild childhood memories that have definitely added to her character. We hope you enjoy this episode!

This week we discuss decided to explore a genre we were wary about: thriller ! We freaked out over the chilling writing of Verity and discuss the ethics of trauma dumping, what qualifies as terrifying, and how deeply disturbed Colleen Hoover must be to write this book. Doris also reveals some childhood trauma related to sleepwalking, which leads to Anya questioning her sanity. Disclaimer!! Verity is a very messed up book (as seen by the episode title lol) and there are a lot of content warnings including but not limited to child abuse, death, and cheating. Viewer discretion is advised!

Welcome back to another week of talking about popular romcom reads! This week we are discussing The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas. In this Love Hypothesis/Hating Game/Unhoneymooners mash-up, there are so many elements that make this book, and Aaron Blackford, perfect! AND, during this episode, you'll hear a live reenactment of emotional scenes, down to the endearing "baby"s. We hope you giggle along with us in this hilarious episode!

This week we talk about a fan favorite on TikTok, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood! It is full of cute tropes and adorable interactions that we couldn't get enough of. Anya also called out Doris for her opinions on ugly hot and hot ugly while we also roast some of your favorite actors.

This week, we do a special episode to celebrate the holidays and the end of the year! We discuss our favorites, least favorites, and much more in whole based on our reading history. While it may start off calm and collected, the more you listen the more you'll hear us descend into chaos! We hope you have a great laugh from our antics! Happy holidays everyone!

Welcome back to our usual content! This week, we will be discussing Five Feet Apart by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott. While it became famous due to its amazing film adaptation, the book is absolutely wonderful and heartwrenching. The beautiful imagery and hopelessness of it are incredibly overwhelming. As you listen, you'll probably hear us gush over it all and wonder about the ambiguous ending. We hope you enjoy it!

This week we celebrate Taylor's album Red coming out by continuing our discussion on several book tropes and relating them to Taylor songs!

This week we celebrate Anya and Doris's birthday while also celebrating our anniversary! We begin with some of the most popular book tropes that we either rant or gush over. And as always, we also talk loads about Taylor Swift tropes that are similar to books! Stay tuned for the second part of the bonus episode coming in two weeks!

We're so excited to share this week's episode, as we interviewed CeCe Dawson, the author of The Chronicles of Brute Creations. Not only do we learn about her unique book, but we also ask her many questions regarding her inspirations and writing style. Never before have we gotten such great insight and it is such an honor to be able to collaborate with such a wonderful guest. We would like to thank CeCe Dawson once again for joining us! Her book, The Chronicles of Brute Creations, will be published on October 31, 2021! Please pre-save, order, and read it! 

This week we talk about The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. We have been deprived of this long overdue episode on contemporary novels and so we decided to talk about one of the many contemporaries on our to-be-talked-about list. Listen to Isabel's traumatic sting ray encounter and several other crazy experiences we've had while we dwell on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Stay tuned next week for a special bonus episode that we have been planning for a while!

This week, we're discussing The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Not only does this book dive deep into the world of Hollywood, but it also creates beautiful characters and relationships. We discuss connections between Evelyn Hugo and Taylor Swift (speaking of which, LISTEN TO THE LUCKY ONE BY TAYLOR SWIFT AND IMAGINE EVELYN), Harry Cameron and Harry Styles, and other big celebrities. We also ponder Taylor Jenkins Reid's iconic writing style, as well as what may lie in her other publications.

In this week's episode, we discuss a super popular YA novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. Since the book is known for being controversial, we dive into many rabbit holes regarding the plot, characters, and other aspects of the book. We even create our own conspiracy that will definitely intrigue both fans and critics. We also gush over V.E. Schwab's writing, but that's a given. We hope you enjoy this episode!

This week we talk about the final book of the Grisha Trilogy, Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo. 

This week, we're discussing Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. Despite many technical issues, we're able to envision Alina's sense of style, laugh about Doris's pronunciation of Nichevo'ya, and obviously gush over Nikolai. We hope you enjoy this playful episode!

This week we talked about Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. From an intense analysis of Alina's questionable wardrobe and style to a strange take on perspective. 

This week we decide to do a mid-year freakout in August. We cover some of the books that we've read this year as well as some books from last year. We also wanted to get this episode out before it ends up being the end of the year. Listen to us talk about some (upcoming episode) books like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Spin the Dawn.

These are some bloopers that we compiled from Book 1 & 2. Enjoy!

This is a farewell to Doris leaving and her starting a new business. As we come to an end to season 2 of the podcast with another contemporary young adult book, we would like to thank all of you for listening to our episodes.

In this episode, we discuss a hidden gem: The Upside of Falling by Alex Light. Not only does The Upside of Falling shed good light on the world of fanfiction, it steals our hearts in the process. Doris and Anya discuss the pain of having book boyfriends, heart wrenching moments somehow feel great, being hopeless romantics, and amazing quotes. AND, Doris's lies are finally caught on tape as she denies making a terrible mistake that Anya tries to correct. This week's episode of full of fun so we hope you enjoy!

This week we talk about Heartless by Marissa Meyers. We begin by gushing over villainous backgrounds and Marissa Meyer's storytelling. Anya and Doris connect Taylor Swift lyrics to Jest while also complain over the Friend activity feature on Spotify. We then verge onto the connection of Clueless and Emma Woodhouse and start fangirling over the Ever After High's Wonderland special.

In this episode, we talk about Red, White, and Royal Blue! We discuss Casey McQuiston's upcoming book, One Last Stop, cutesy contemporary covers, and Doris's brilliant to get her very own private jet to fly around the world.

We're finally talking about the last book in the An Ember in the Ashes series, A Sky Beyond the Storm! This book is full of so much pain and suffering, but it's a worth-while read. Doris and Anya complain about TikTok, staying in touch with friends, and their grandma lifestyles (yet again)! This episode is lots of fun so we hope you enjoy!

This week, we discuss A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir! Doris came up with a beautiful analogy that simplifies all the events and characters of the book! We hope you enjoy the metaphor because it is what we would call "a common theme" throughout this episode!

Join us this week as we talk about A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir! Isabel is officially back and reviewing books with us! For a book of around 450 pages, there's so much action, we can hardly remember all the nitty gritty details. However, we do suspect that Elias isn't the role model Doris pretends he is, afterall, he seems to be an avid anti-MASKer... We hope you all enjoy this episode!

This week is all about exposing Anya and the motto that she lives by: gaslight, gatekeep, and (obviously) girlboss! In this week's episode, you'll hear our ultimate, but not recent, list of book boyfriends and the clash between Doris and Anya's rankings. Will their friendship be able to survive all the manipulation, lies, and arguing? Listen to this episode to find out! Apparently, we also discuss Sabaa Tahir's book, An Ember in the Ashes! We hope you enjoy this playful episode!

This week we do a Q&A in celebration of our 1,000 listens milestone! We talk lots about our childhood and friendship while answering some existential questions. We start off talking about how our podcast started to what our thoughts on soulmates are! Thank you guys so much for listening and supporting our podcast, we are beyond happy and excited to come out with more content.

In this episode, we're discussing the final book in the Renegades trilogy by Marissa Meyer, Supernova! With our super smooth transitions from personality types to grandma habits to Adrian Everhart, this episode is so much fun! Be sure to listen to the whole episode if you want to hear about Anya and Doris' dream lives (hint: we don't want to be human) and our conspiracies about specific characters!

This week, we're discussing the second book in the Renegades trilogy, Archenemies! There's so much to say about our angel, light at the end of the tunnel, ray of sunshine, beacon of hope, shining star, wonderboy, Callum Treadwell... you'll have to listen to this episode to fully understand our love for him. Additionally, we spill our controversial opinions on none other than ADRIAN EVERHART!

We are finally discussing Doris' pride and joy, Renegades by Marissa Meyer! Doris has talked about this series in many previous episodes so we thought it was finally time to unpack all of our thoughts. From childish pickiness to Anya manipulating Doris into confusion, this episode DEFINITELY has it all!

AHHH! This week, we talked about Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare! So much happened in the second book of The Last Hours and we had to share! Of course, it wouldn't be a Book Expectations episode if we didn't gush over Matthew Fairchild but this time Doris is putting herself out there... We hope you all love this episode!

This week, we're talking about the first book in The Last Hours series, "Chain of Gold", by Cassandra Clare. Listen to us talk about gorgeous cover art, our undying love for Matthew Fairchild, and (toxic) friendships/relationships!

This week we do a bonus episode for Isabel's birthday. We talk loads about My Little Pony and crazy things about Astrology.