We return from our break with tales of GCLS and family trips, before diving into our deep backlog and emerging with fresh recommendations to get you through the end of summer.
Official Recommendations
From Kris: Crash Into You by E. J. Noyes
Kris’s official recommendation this week is Crash Into You by E. J. Noyes. This powerful book is about a twin overcoming the loss of her sister and her struggle to rebuild her life in the aftermath of that loss. Kris was absolutely wowed by this one, considering it less of a romance and more of a deep character study with romantic elements. It’s a heavy book, so check the tags and trigger warnings before you dive in. If and when you do? Kris is confident that you’ll find something powerful to get lost in.
From Tara: Never Date a Celebrity by Claire Forsythe
Tara’s official recommendation this week is Never Date a Celebrity by Claire Forsythe. Imogen is brutally dumped by her influencer girlfriend online, causing her to withdraw from social media and get talked into taking over a pub in a small Irish town with her two closest friends. Celebrities are everywhere these days, though, and an increasingly famous actor can’t help but be charmed by the way Imogen has no idea who she is. Tara loves the chemistry in this book and the smalltown setting.
Works/People Discussed
- Josh Johnson
- Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert: A Novel by Bob The Drag Queen
- Conan the Barbarian (1982)
- The Other Bennet Sister (BBC One)
- Welcome to Ero-TEA-Ca by Alyson Root
- Those Who Wait by Haley Cass
Support & Follow the Show
Transcript
>> Kris Bryant: Hello everyone. Welcome to Queerly Recommended, the podcast where we recommend queer books, films, TV shows and more. I’m Kris Bryant, a contemporary romance writer for Bold Strokes books. And this week I’m recommending a sapphic novel from May.
>> Tara Scott: And I’m Tara Scott. I review sapphic fiction at the Lesbian Review and Smart Bitches Trashy Books. And this week I’m recommending a recently released Sapphic romance. Nice. Kris. Yes. We took a break. I haven’t seen you in a month. What has been up?
>> Kris Bryant: so I just got back from GClS.
>> Tara Scott: How was it?
>> Kris Bryant: It was good. I mean it was Florida. It was hot.
>> Tara Scott: Well, that was the. Yeah. When I heard it was gonna be in Florida in August. I mean, I’ve never experienced Florida in August, but I am Canadian and it just sounded like miserable from a temperature perspective.
>> Kris Bryant: I didn’t leave the hotel except in the evenings when I went to dinner.
>> Tara Scott: Good.
>> Kris Bryant: Yes, good.
>> Tara Scott: Don’t melt on a sidewalk in Orlando.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, so I never left. I got there, And yeah, it was. Yeah, yeah, it was, it was.
>> Tara Scott: Was. Was it everything I. I. Was it everything I imagined it was very.
>> Kris Bryant: So like, it was very chill this year.
>> Tara Scott: Okay, good.
>> Kris Bryant: It was very chill this year. It wasn’t as big, I don’t think. I think it was maybe 250 people. Usually they’re about 300 or so.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: And it was a huge place. Like this convention center, hotel slash whatever had two towers. It was just massive. Like I, I think I averaged like 10,000 steps and I never left the hotel. Like, how does one do that?
>> Tara Scott: What other conventions were happening at the same time? Because, the year I went there was like the big old Christian conference that was also happening.
>> Kris Bryant: That’s where we all got sick. Yeah.
>> Tara Scott: And I’ve heard it at other previous ones. There’s been like furry conventions.
>> Kris Bryant: And I don’t recall seeing anybody other than people who were there on vacation. Like, my flight was full of kids and it was funny. I was like, why are there so many kids on this flight? And it was because we’re right. Like the Hotel Orlando. It’s. It’s Disney World, it’s Epcot center, it’s Universal Studios. It’s all of that. Yeah. Which I could see from my window and did not dare go to. And it rained every day.
>> Tara Scott: Oh no.
>> Kris Bryant: I mean, and it wasn’t just like Florida rain. It was like stormy rain.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, damn. Yeah, no. So it was hot and humid.
>> Kris Bryant: Yes, it was terrible. Like I thought I would do cute things with my Hair. And I was wrong.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, that’s okay.
>> Kris Bryant: That’s okay.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, that’s okay.
>> Kris Bryant: It’s okay. I was all right. I was all right with that.
The audio narration panel that I attended was phenomenal. It was packed. Like, there was standing room only
So.
>> Tara Scott: So were there any conference highlights?
>> Kris Bryant: The audio narration panel that I attended was phenomenal. It was absolutely fantastic. Quinn Riley, Laurie Prince, and Abby Crayton did readings, and Melissa Braden was the perfect moderator for it because she didn’t just say, here, reach apart, reach apart, reach apart. Like, she broke it apart so well. And like, it was just perfect. And it was funny because I congratulated her on a great panel, and she’s like, I finally got to put my theater.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, that’s great. Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: Theater background. Yeah, it was kind of fun. It was great. And I think that really helped elevate the whole panel. It was packed. Like, there was standing room only. You know, it was a pretty big room, too. So, you know, narrators always draw a. A. Ah. Big. Because audiobooks is, you know, they are. Audiobooks are. Are growing so much, and there’s so much interest in it. And it was just a great panel. I really enjoyed that one. I missed. I was actually on a panel when there was a panel about AI, So I missed it and I wanted to go to it, but I was on a panel, so I couldn’t, you know, just up and leave.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: The award show, I was kind of sad because not a lot of people who won were there.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, no.
>> Kris Bryant: Okay. Yeah. so it went fast. It’s like, yeah, UCLS accepts their award on. On their behalf type thing. And that happened quite a bit. So that part was sad. But overall, I mean, for me, it was a good. It was a good con. Wasn’t in my top five, but it was a good con, you know, And I didn’t get to see my friends as much as I wanted to, but I got to see some friends that I hadn’t seen in years. So, I mean, it was a, it was a give and take. It was good.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah. That’s amazing.
>> Kris Bryant: And I met new readers, which was fantastic.
>> Tara Scott: Very good.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, that was really nice. It’s always really nice to talk to new readers because they’re. They don’t know a lot about you, but they’ve read your books. And so it’s just nice to sit down and talk about, like, where an idea came from, and I miss that. And so it’s so nice to. To be around people who are there for your craft. So it was a good time.
>> Tara Scott: Very good.
What else happened in the last month?
>> Kris Bryant: In the last month. Yeah, because it’s been a while.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: So Teddy is getting bigger. And guess who is playing with him still better.
>> Tara Scott: Is it Black Kitty?
>> Kris Bryant: It is not Black Kitty. Black Kitty is like you very much.
>> Tara Scott: Okay.
>> Kris Bryant: But Orange Kitty plays with him.
>> Tara Scott: Okay.
>> Kris Bryant: And they all can be in the same room because Teddy’s learning boundaries. Good.
>> Tara Scott: the hard way.
>> Kris Bryant: But it’s absolutely just like the cutest, fluffiest thing. And he’s getting big. Well, he’s going to the vet. I’m taking him to the vet tomorrow for some more shots. And I bet you he’s gonna weigh over four pounds. Can you believe I got him when he was under two pounds?
>> Tara Scott: I know. He was such, a teeny weeny little dude.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah. And now he’s. He’s like a lanky teenager. He’s got. He’s all legs. All legs. Yeah. And it was so funny at the con. People would go, would walk by if I’m like talking to somebody and you hear those team Teddy. It was so funny. I just love that so much. That was great.
>> Tara Scott: So cute.
>> Kris Bryant: So, yeah, it was, it was a good time. And he’s so cute and he’s very. He’s starting to settle down. He still like runs in front of me and tries to murder me by tripping me like that.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, sure. Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: Yes. But he’s not as into everything like he used to be. Like, he would try to dive on your plate.
>> Tara Scott: What’s this?
>> Kris Bryant: Is this food? What is this? Can I eat this? Can I eat this? And now he’s more like, hey. I’m like, absolutely not. No. Okay, fine. You can just see like the teenager, you know, the sweeping ass hair. Okay, fine. Yeah. So he’s been, you know, and I missed him. He. He looked bigger in five days.
>> Tara Scott: He probably was.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, he did. I was kind of sad that he got bigger.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah.
And some more news that I got today. Today. You don’t even know this. I have. I’m springing this on you last night.
>> Tara Scott: I’m ready. This is my genuine. For everybody.
>> Kris Bryant: This is, this is my. And I’m okay with this information. So I am going to Iceland.
>> Kris Bryant: For vacation.
>> Tara Scott: Yes.
>> Kris Bryant: This is happening.
>> Tara Scott: This part. I know.
>> Kris Bryant: Yes.
>> Tara Scott: But.
>> Kris Bryant: But I am going to be doing a reading and question and answer at the, one of the libraries.
>> Tara Scott: That’s so cool.
>> Kris Bryant: Isn’t that? That I don’t even know what to do with this information.
>> Tara Scott: How does that happen? Did you just reach out and say like, hey, you want to do a thing?
>> Kris Bryant: You know, I. I reached out to the library. And, I said, hey, can I drop off some books? Like, can I donate some books to the library? Because, you know, Iceland’s very LGBTQ friendly. I think it’s the friendliest country in the world, actually. I think that’s true.
>> Tara Scott: I think it might be. Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah. And so that’s why I was like, oh, I’ll just bring some books and drop them off. And then it became like, you know, I said, you know, if you want, I can hang around.
>> Tara Scott: Mm.
>> Kris Bryant: If that’s even a possibility. Because I just don’t know how things
>> Tara Scott: are done and this could be a business expense. Could your flight be very much so.
>> Kris Bryant: And so I’m just like.
>> Tara Scott: And.
>> Kris Bryant: And they’re like, yeah, we’ll give you an hour. I’m like, oh, my God. Like, I usually get like 10 minutes,
>> Tara Scott: 15 minutes, so that’s amazing.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, so I’m gonna have to like. And I said I would. I’ll talk about my craft, I’ll talk about the publishing process, the writing process, editing process. I’ll do a reading, whatever it takes, you know, just to get in front of people. And then, you know, this helps because then I can recommend my friend’s book. You know, other people who I admire, I can recommend their books. And so maybe there might be like a. An, upswing in like some Sapphic romances and, and queer literature in Iceland.
>> Kris Bryant: So, yeah.
>> Tara Scott: That’s awesome.
>> Kris Bryant: Exciting.
>> Tara Scott: Very exciting.
>> Kris Bryant: I know. Very exciting.
What about you? What’s been going on with you? We haven’t talked in a month. Tell me. All right.
>> Tara Scott: We haven’t. I had a birthday and that was pretty great. And this year on my birthday. So usually on my birthday, it’s like, what do you want to do? It’s like, I don’t know, give me a cupcake. I don’t really care. Like, just give me food that I like to eat. But one of my favorite standup comedians was actually in town performing on the night of my birthday. Do you know Josh Johnson?
>> Kris Bryant: Yes. You sent me, you told me his name.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, so he’s for people that don’t know. He does stand up. he has a podcast with Ashley Gavin, but he also is one of the correspondents on the Daily show. And so he does a lot of topical content. And like, I watch his show every week. And the standup section was like, it was good. It wasn’t like the funniest show that I’ve ever seen, but it was very good. But what was so cool is he’s curated this whole experience on this tour, and I didn’t know what to expect. I just expected to go see a dude with a microphone.
>> Kris Bryant: Right.
>> Tara Scott: And that is not what happened. He had an opener that he brought from New York. She was great. She. She had an excellent. Like, a really tight, polished five minutes. It was great. But then he brought out a, They had a band come out and perform, like, five songs or something like that.
>> Kris Bryant: Wow.
>> Tara Scott: It was. They’re called Gangsta Grass because it started with these three guys playing a bluegrass song, and then these rappers came out to join them, and I was like, what is happening? And it was so cool. They were so good. And then I looked them up and found out they did the theme song of the TV show Justified. And I was like, oh.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, interesting. I have that show.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah. Oh, you might like that show. Neil loved it. My mom loved it. That’s not. That’s the sample size of two of people that I know. But I know that it’s one that, like, a lot of people, Neil and
>> Kris Bryant: I, we usually buy pretty well on shows.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah. And if you like Timothy Olyphant, he’s great in it. Yes.
>> Kris Bryant: He looks like somebody else. Josh somebody. No, not Josh. Yeah, I get the two mixed up. There’s somebody who looks just like him.
>> Tara Scott: There’s another guy in it who’s really, really good, whose face I’m literally picturing. Perimenopause brain is the most fun ever in the world. It doesn’t matter anyway, It’s a good show. I just.
>> Kris Bryant: Diamond Phillips. I don’t know who’s all in it Now. I’m curious now. You let. You set this little.
>> Tara Scott: I will look it up.
>> Kris Bryant: Rabbit.
>> Tara Scott: That. I can’t think of the name, but I will see in a second. Walton Gogin.
>> Kris Bryant: Yes.
>> Tara Scott: That guy. He’s. Yes.
>> Kris Bryant: He’s in the white, Lotus. He’s done the White Lotus. Yeah. Okay.
>> Tara Scott: and then. Okay, so there was the band. And then after that, the dancers came out, and they. They performed, like, four or five things, and I was just like, I didn’t know any of this is happening. This is amazing. And it kind of felt like it’s for my birthday. No, it’s the. It’s not for my birthday, but, like, what a great surprise on my birthday. And he opened by saying, you’re probably all wondering, like, what this is about. And he said. Because the theme was Josh. It was, around the idea of, like, summer camp. And he said that when he was growing up, he didn’t have any money to go Away to do camps for like, music or theater or dance or any of those kinds of things. But he said that as an adult, as he’s become successful, he’s become friends with all these people who can do these things. And so he likes to bring them along and give that vibe of a camp.
And I just thought it was so cool. So that was really fun. And then two days later, we hopped on a plane and we went to visit my family.
>> Kris Bryant: Yay.
>> Tara Scott: In another province for nine days. That’s part of why I had no FOMO other than the weather. The other reason why I had no the weather in Florida, the reason I had no FOMO around, GCLS this year is that it just the end of our trip overlapped with the beginning of gcls. And it was really mostly so good. The part that was less good was I threw my back out. Oh no. What a great time. That’s also why you. You’ve been watching me fidget this whole time. We’ve been on Zoom together. Because I. It’s like, it’s mostly better, but it’s just like, okay, do I have the right pillow behind my back? And we’re gonna put one here and pull one here.
>> Kris Bryant: Whatever, Worse. And then you gotta fly.
>> Tara Scott: M. But I’m taking it as my body’s way of saying, slow down, lady. Just slow down. You’re not working. It was so good. I fully unplugged from work. I took two weeks off. I completely unplugged. I did not check Slack, I did not check email. I didn’t check in with anybody. I figure there’s so many people at work that have my number, they can text me if they need to. But like, we’re not saving babies. We’re not. I believe in what my company does. I feel really good about, you know, that what we do is, is important, but like, also nobody’s gonna die, so that’s fine. And yeah, I got to spend really good time with my parents. My one brother lives there in town, but my other brother and his wife came to visit from. They live in the States.
>> Kris Bryant: It’s a family reunion.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah. So we all got to hang out. I got to see my favorite cousin. When you have more than 30 cousins, you get to have a favorite. I think crazy. It was French Canadian Catholic grandparents. I don’t know what to tell you. No birth control. And I got to see my favorite aunt on my mom’s side and my favorite aunt on my dad’s side. So it was good. I got to have pizza, which is a big deal there because, like, the. The pizza scene there is so specific. It’s not the same as anywhere else in the world. Wow. I was interviewed in an article about how people from that area are so nuts about the pizza ones. So I was happy to have it. The kids were very happy to have it. we did. When we did the family reunion, like, with my brothers and all that, my mom roasted a turkey, and I made my grandmother’s dumplings.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, my gosh.
>> Tara Scott: That was really good. That was also part of how I re. Fucked up my back. I stood way too long doing it. It was one of my best batches ever. So it’s like, if you’re gonna hurt yourself, make it real, real good. Baking in their. So in their town. It’s not very big, but they have this amazing bookstore that’s super queer friendly. Absolutely loved it. The person working there. I don’t think my mom clocked it, but my kids and I did that. Like, the person working there is trans. Like, it was just. It was such a good.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, that’s so nice.
>> Tara Scott: It was a good place to go, a good experience.
I bought Bob the Drag Queen has a book that I’m reading. And it’s so good. It’s so good. I’ll probably talk more about it later, but it’s called Harriet Tubman Live in Concert. The idea being that there’s. It, doesn’t really explain how. But basically, historical figures are back in contemporary times, and Harriet Tubman finds a music producer, and she’s like, you’re gonna help me tell my story through rap. And it’s just such an interesting way to learn about that period and some of the experiences of people escaping enslavement. And I think what I loved about. I’m about halfway through, and I think one of the things I loved starting to read it there is that the town I grew up in is actually one of the key stops on the Underground Railroad.
>> Kris Bryant: Wow.
>> Tara Scott: Because it was the narrowest point of the Detroit River. And so my dad and I went to, There’s a black history. Well, it was formerly called the Black Historic Museum. It’s now called the Amherstburg Freedom Museum. And I had actually never been there before. I had always meant to go. And I was like, I’m there for nine whole days. Let’s go. And that’s where I learned 40,000. There were roughly 40,000 people who had escaped enslavement that came through. Wow. My hometown. And we got to go to. As part of the museum They’ve reconstructed a cabin that would have been lived in by a, you know, a family that had formerly been enslaved. And there’s a church on site, and it’s right across the street from the church that I went to in high school. And it was all constructed by formerly enslaved people.
>> Kris Bryant: Wow.
>> Tara Scott: so it was a very cool, very powerful. And I got it at that same bookstore. When I finish it, I’ll probably mention it as well. I’m still reading it. Okay, Kris. Okay, here’s the thing that’s developed since the last time we’ve talked. I’ve started saying, what if I actually don’t hate poetry, if you can believe it. I know, right? And so I was looking, and I found a book of poetry. It turns out, I think I just wasn’t. The stuff they tell you to read in school was not working for me. And when you find the right books. Amazing, eh? You find the ones that are. Are good for you. But I found one that was written by a, trans woman who. Who used to be local to that area, put out by a press that’s all run by trans women. It’s very. I don’t know what the it is. As I’m reading it, I’m like, what is happening? Like, it’s kind of bananas, but also great. So I loved it. So, yeah, it was a good busy time.
We’ve been back for a week, and, oh, my God, thank goodness we made it home on time because the airline that we were going to fly back on went on stray.
>> Kris Bryant: But, yeah, you lucked out.
>> Tara Scott: That strike only lasted for one day. and you know what? We fully. We fully supported it. It was the flight attendants. They. It was WestJet, and they went on strike for the same reason that the strike happened with Air Canada last year, which was that flight attendants were only being paid for the hours where the doors were closed.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, my gosh. Right. all.
>> Tara Scott: They were not getting paid for any of that. And last year when it happened, Trudeau, the Prime Minister at the time, he ordered them back to work, and they were like, fuck you. And they kept striking for a few more days. And I don’t understand why WestJet let it get as far as a strike on the busiest weekend of the whole summer. I don’t know exactly what happened. It only lasted a day. But I suspect they hoped that Carney would order them back to work, and he did not, which I think was smart because the public was fully behind the flight attendants. So we were very lucky. We came back on Wednesday, and that was the first day where like none of the flights were affected anymore by the cancellations. So it’s been a good summer.
>> Kris Bryant: It sounds like it. It sounds like it.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, I’m pretty happy.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, did I tell you? I don’t know if I mentioned that
>> Tara Scott: it’s been a while.
>> Kris Bryant: So I don’t remember what we talked about last time or not, but I did go see the Berlin Wall exhibit.
>> Tara Scott: No. How is that?
>> Kris Bryant: I didn’t tell you this, did I not? I touched it. They say don’t touch it.
>> Tara Scott: You know, it’s gonna be so. It’s gonna be so funny if somebody writes in and says, yeah, Kris, 100 talked about in the last episode. You just forgot, right? You perimenopausal person who can’t really like. I feel like, I don’t think you did that.
>> Kris Bryant: No, I feel like I’ve said that I’ve touched it before. Well, that could be applied to anything. I feel like I’ve touched it before.
>> Tara Scott: I’m leaving it alone.
>> Kris Bryant: right. They had several different things and, and I didn’t tell you this. Maybe it was my sister. So anyway, so we learned about the history of it. You know, you walk through. It’s the kind where it has the, headset and you walk through and you go, station 11. And it tells you all about what’s going on. On this.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: And it was actually really depressing. Like the whole thing was very depressing. Like when. After the war. And it was just terrible. Anyway, so I walk into this room and you know, most people here know that my mom is German.
>> Kris Bryant: Okay. So I walk into this room and this whole wall has like old photos. Like people at a, like at a kind of a nightclub type thing. They dress, they’re dressed really well and you could tell, you know, they’re smoking and drinking and have a good time. And there’s this person that looks like my mom. It’s not my mom, but it could have been a relative. I mean. And I looked at Deb, I’m like, who does that person look like? I just look like my mom. She’s like, oh my God, it does look like your mom. So I took a picture and showed my sister. My sister was like, I can see it. I could definitely see it. So it was just, it was like interesting. Like what? You know, I know part of my family had to have been affected by this. Yes, it was, you know, it was just, it was just a lot. So it’s a good exhibit, but it’s like two and a half Hours of like pure depression. Yeah. And then at the very. Near the very end, they have a big huge section of the wall. And it’s interesting. On the east side there’s nothing. It is just concrete. And then on the west side, of course, it’s graffitied and you know. Yeah. Because it’s. Yeah. So. And then I like fell for it and I bought a little piece of the wall. Like you could it. Whatever the money goes for, I don’t know, is a good cause.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: Then I have a piece of the wall now.
I touched it and I have a piece of it. So there we go. Sorry, I didn’t mean to like.
>> Tara Scott: No, that’s cool.
>> Kris Bryant: I totally forgot about that. But yeah, that was. That was really interesting. M Very sad though.
>> Tara Scott: All right, Kris. Yes. Now that we’ve caught up, let’s catch up on what you’ve been reading or watching.
>> Kris Bryant: Okay. So I’m really into WNBA because we love women’s sports, right? Oh, look what you did. And I gamble a little bit on the games just for fun, until it’s time for football, you know, why not?
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, sure.
>> Kris Bryant: I learned about the players, I learned their stats. It’s stuff I like to. I’m trying to get in the rhythm for football season, which, you know. Yeah, why not? And then there are so many new shows that have started up, like Ted Lasso started up. And it takes place predominantly in Kansas City. At least that’s what people are telling me. And I know that because I filmed it here. Like I was around when they filmed it. So I do know that that’s true.
>> Tara Scott: That’s fun.
>> Kris Bryant: And you know, like Silo started up. I just, I have been traveling so much and I have just been out of. I haven’t been able to watch anything. Like my backlog for jeopardy. Was like three weeks, four weeks. It was like 18 episodes. I had to like get through. I didn’t get through them, by the way.
>> Tara Scott: You did. So you don’t give up on it at any point.
>> Kris Bryant: Whoa. No, not at all.
>> Tara Scott: You’re hardcore. I am hardcore.
>> Kris Bryant: For sure.
>> Tara Scott: You’re hardcore for Jeopardy.
>> Kris Bryant: I am, I am. And so it’s just real hard to, you know, watch tv. There’s so much going on. And I think, you know, starting in September, my life will go back to normal, you know, and then all the shows will come out. So I haven’t really been watching a lot of TV other than women’s basketball.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: And I read one book. I did pick up some books at gcls.
>> Kris Bryant: I picked up a, ah, a book from a debut author. And then I picked up the the one I’m going to talk about today. Today. Today. And I get picked up a couple more. So, so I’m m going to get back into reading because apparently I’m just never going to write. That’s where I’m at right now.
>> Tara Scott: Well, I heard you have a flight to Iceland coming up anyway.
>> Kris Bryant: That’s true. But also I plan on sleeping, which I never sleep on an airplane. It’ll be terrible. But I’ll try it. Who knows?
>> Tara Scott: It’s too bad you can’t sneak an edible on board.
>> Kris Bryant: I mean, I could, right?
>> Tara Scott: I would not want to fuck around with tsa, but that’s just.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, good point, good point. Yeah. So. And you know, it was weird down in Florida because only medicinal marijuana is available.
>> Tara Scott: What?
>> Kris Bryant: Right. That’s what I said. I’m like, are you kidding me? But here’s the deal. They had THC drinks, infused drinks, like, at a hotel. I’m sorry, at the restaurant.
>> Tara Scott: Those are my favorite.
>> Kris Bryant: I love them.
>> Tara Scott: That’s my favorite method of delivery at this point. And I found one of tastes genuinely
>> Kris Bryant: delicious, like an orange sickle. I had one that was like an orange sickle.
>> Tara Scott: Well, that’s.
>> Kris Bryant: So they bring it out and it looks like Fanta without ice. I’m like, what is this? Let’s try it. Here’s how bad it hit me. Or how good it hit me. However you want to look at it. This is a funny story. Yeah. So I have to go to the bathroom. I’m like, I’ve got to go to the bathroom. Can I walk? Do my legs work? I don’t even know at this point. You know, when you get to that
>> Tara Scott: point, you’re just like, how many milligrams was in it?
>> Kris Bryant: So it was only five, but it was like five fasts. It was fast five. Okay. so Cheryl, who’s sitting next to me, she’s like, I have to go to the bathroom. Like, oh my God, so do I. Let’s go. So we leave, we go to the bathroom, and I’m sitting there and I’m like, Like something’s wrong with me because I am peeing forever. Like, literally, I’m going to the bathroom forever. Like, I’m sitting there and I’m just like, is there something wrong with my body? Because time means nothing. Time is absolutely abstract. I have no concept of it. So I finish, I wash my hands, I go out, and I’m so relieved to see that the whole table is still there, there’s still eight tables. And I’m like, I go up and I’m like, I am so sorry. I do not know how long I was gone for. I have no idea. I had no idea. And so everybody starts laughing at me and I’m like, oh my gosh, how long was I gone for? I’m still standing because I’m like, I don’t even know what’s happening. And somebody’s like 25 minutes. Like, shut up. I was gone 25 minutes. And they’re stupid with you, right? She’s like, you were gone for three minutes, baby. Yeah, so like, but no concept of time. When I take those on those drinks, I drink those drinky drinks. Yum, yum.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, it’s a good time.
>> Kris Bryant: It was, it was good. I’m like, I. I want to go back to this restaurant. Even though it was like super far away, I wanted to go back, just have another one. But then I was scared because really it took me for. I can’t even tell you. I. I’ll. So much happened that night with that and everything. It was very comical. So. But anyway, Yes.
Where are we? What are we doing? What are we talking about?
>> Tara Scott: We’re in the. What are you reading and watching stuff.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, that’s right. Oh yeah, that’s right. I was talking about books. I’m like, see, this is.
>> Tara Scott: Did you have a drink tonight?
>> Kris Bryant: I did not. I. I am like as sober as can be. It’s just been a long day. Yes. Yeah, so it’s been a long day. It’s been a long week because I hit the ground running and I have Friday off and because I’m. I’m leaving town and so it’s just, there’s just a lot going on right now. So anyway, enough about me and me going on and on. What about you? What’s what have you been watching? Reading, playing.
>> Tara Scott: Okay.
So before we went on vacation, every so often it’s kind of fun to have. Speaking of cannabis drinks, it’s fun to have one and watch, you know, certain types of movies. And so the one that I watched with Neil, while I had had a drink was Conan the Barbarian.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, the first one.
>> Tara Scott: I had never seen it before. It is the first one with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Oh my God, that movie.
>> Kris Bryant: I was like, what, 80 or 79 or something?
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, somewhere in there, like 81 or 82. Yeah, it was kind of bananas. I think the thing that made me. There were aspects that I Loved a lot. There were some, you know, less good just based on the time it was in. Of course there’s going to be problematic stuff, right? But I loved how seriously everybody took it. Like James Earl Jones plays the villain and he plays it as serious as if he is doing Shakespeare. And it’s just kind of magic. Now, I don’t know how much of that was a drink or not, but I had expected it to. To be honest, I. I thought we were gonna be having a bad movie night. I don’t actually think it’s a bad movie. I think it’s cheesy in a lot of ways.
>> Kris Bryant: Cheesy. It’s very cheesy, yes.
>> Tara Scott: And Neil pointed this out, while we were watching. I was like, oh, yeah, it feels very much like a movie about a Dungeons and Dragons storyline. Like it with an adventuring party, because there’s him, he’s obviously the barbarian in the party. And along the way he picks up a thief and a wizard and a fighter and they have adventures. but yeah, that was pretty fun. We watched a TV series from the UK called the Other Bennet Sister and really, really enjoyed that. It’s just, it’s about Mary Bennett from Pride and Prejudice and her kind of story of like finding herself and becoming so much more than, you know, what the, what the book describes about her. Because in the book she’s just very, like sad and religious and mousy and kind of in the background.
>> Kris Bryant: I was gonna say mousy.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I thought they did a really fabulous job with it. Although as we were watching it at first, I’m like, oh, she’s such a sad sack and I want to punch the mother. But like, by the end of it, it was really wonderful. And I think it was only eight or 10 episodes and they were 25 minute episodes. So it’s one that like, yeah, you can get through it super fast and it’s just really charming and really lovely. And we, when we were visiting my family, we watched all three of the previously released Tom Holland Spider man movies. So. Wow, that was good. I had seen the first two. I hadn’t seen the third. I really liked the third. And then we were supposed to go see Spider man on the weekend and I got a migraine, so they all went to see it and I stayed home. I’m yet to see it, but I’m looking forward to it. In terms of books, I read one called welcome to. It’s funny, it’s. I think it’s supposed to be pronounced welcome To Erotica by Alison Root. But it’s welcome to Arrow dash T T E A dash CA because the idea is that it’s somebody who opens. It’s set in the uk, I think in Oxford. And Harriet is somebody who is opening a tea room but also selling like dildos. And it’s just kind of like a spicy. Like it’s kind of the Yeah, it’s supposed to be like a classy tea room slash sex toy shop,
>> Kris Bryant: of course, if you will. Yeah.
>> Tara Scott: But the problem is that next door there’s a coffee shop and one of the owners is extremely uptight and hates this very much and is a real bitch about it and even tries to call town council to like over some kind of nonsense. And so it’s a grumpy sunshine age gap. I really actually enjoyed it. It was very, I don’t know if it’s fair to say enemies to lovers. Because, you know, the woman opening the tea shop didn’t see the other one as an enemy even if she saw her. That. That’s where I think like the whole definition around enemies to lovers can get weird sometimes because it’s like sometimes they see each other as enemies. I think that’s enemies to lovers. But sometimes one of them sees the other as the enemy and the other one doesn’t. And I don’t think that counts.
>> Kris Bryant: M. Right. No, I think you’re right. That doesn’t count.
>> Tara Scott: I had a good time reading that one and there was some really interesting character growth that happened in it. Like the, the woman who was one of the part owners of the coffee shop. Cass. It doesn’t say that she’s neurodivergent, but I’m almost positive that she is. And she, it was interesting also seeing that she thought she, she was asexual and she’s probably demisexual, like which is still on the A spectrum. But you know, she’s not somebody that would like easily have sex with just anybody, but she found the right person. And seeing that journey, I thought was really interesting. And then I finally, finally read the book that so many people told me to read for years and years. Those who Wait by Haley Cass.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, you finally,
>> Tara Scott: I finally read it because I thought I have a long ass flight to my parents and a long ass flight back and I’m on vacation and sure, I can start a 600 page book. I see why people recommended it. It was very, it was very good.
So, you know, it’s Sutton and Charlotte. Sutton’s friend, best friend signs her up On a dating app. Justice Charlotte is about to quit being on the dating app because she’s running for some one of. I can’t remember which part of Congress it is. But anyway, she’s running for Congress or she’s about to announce her campaign and Sutton is like, can you teach me how to date? I don’t know what I’m doing. Because she’s, you know, recently discovered she’s bisexual. And so this is supposed to be like her mentor. and then, you know, feelings happen and they’re just gonna be friends and then it’s like, but are they. Maybe they’ll be friends with benefits. But are they? And it’s, it’s lovely. I really enjoyed it. And I’m reading the follow up novella right now. So those are all the things from the last month.
So Kris, what is your official recommendation?
>> Kris Bryant: So my official recommendation is a Sapphic book that was released in May of this year, Crash into youo by E.J. noyes. So I didn’t know this book existed. And that’s terrible of me because we’re friends and it was only, it was. To be fair, I haven’t really been on the socials much. Like I haven’t.
>> Tara Scott: They’re not fun to use anymore.
>> Kris Bryant: Well, the only one I use is threads and, and that’s such a quick thing. And I don’t really use it to promote book stuff, so I don’t really see a lot, if that even makes sense.
>> Kris Bryant: I use it to post Teddy. Really? And then across the it might go across the socials, like a picture of Teddy, like on Instagram or something.
>> Kris Bryant: So you have to picture this. So I land in Florida. It’s like 1:30. I get my luggage, I get to the hotel. It’s a little after 2. I have a panel at 2:45, so I can’t. One of my sweet dear friends let me put my luggage in their room. And then I ran to this panel and it was a reading panel and EJ read from this book and it was interesting because she read, I think first or second. She was first or second. So she reads the scene and it’s kind of funny because it’s about twin. Not funny. I mean it’s not. It’s interesting that we both picked a book about twins. So she read from her book about twins and I read from my book about twins. So she was kind of ribbing me about like, oh, you actually, you stole my idea. And it was just kind of funny because like my book was Last November was made. So it’s kind of. It was actually really cute.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: So what she read was very powerful and it was sad, but I’m like, I’m in. I’m in. Like, why the not. Like, I bought a copy there and I read it over the last couple days and I cried my eyes out. Like, I cried so hard. several times. And, you know, I think most of her books are categorized as kind of romance. Like.
>> Tara Scott: Hm.
>> Kris Bryant: I think so. But I wouldn’t really call this one a romance.
>> Tara Scott: Okay.
>> Kris Bryant: people will fight me on this. Let’s go. I think it has romantic elements and I think this is probably like a romantic blend book, you know, that we categorize at gcls.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: So I’m gonna read the, Just so everybody’s aware before we get into this.
This is what this is about.
>> Kris Bryant: Beth Hollis never imagined a future without her twin sister, Andy. But after a tragic accident takes Andy from her, Beth is left shattered, struggling to figure out how to live with a grief that feels impossible to survive. Then Fia, the woman who was first at the scene of the accident, steps back into Beth’s life. Steady, compassionate, and undemanding. Fia becomes a lifeline just when Beth needs one most. But as their connection deepens, Beth can’t ignore the painful truth that Fia is tied to the worst moment of her life. So. And it goes on. But like, we’ve all experienced loss. I think. And, I think most of us are old enough to where we’ve all experienced some loss and some of us have extreme loss. I mean, I lost my mother in 2022. You know, it was terrible time for me. Like, it fractured me. And I will absolutely never be the same. I will not be the same person I was before. And I know this and I recognize this about me. And there’s nothing I can do about it.
>> Kris Bryant: In this book, EJ did not hold back at all. Like, at all. M. It is raw. It is painfully raw. And it’s in first person. And that really like elevates the whole emotional, reaction to a book so much, you know? And Beth is shattered. Like, her character is absolutely shattered. Mm. It’s really. It’s very private and personal. Like, I don’t know how to say this. You know, you think that EJ kind of wrote it for yourself as you’re reading it, so that if you don’t know grief, you sure know grief now. Or if you do know it, it’s like squeezing your soul again. Like there were so many times that I could have like, highlighted because I loved the word so much. But then the whole book would have been absolutely highlighted. There was not a word out of place. Every word was there for a reason and every word was necessary. So I haven’t read a book like that in a very long time. Yeah, yeah, it actually just, it was amazing. So this character Beth is. She’s clawing, she’s scratching. And sometimes she’s like, fuck it. I should just throw in the towel at, life. She doesn’t know how to live without her sister. And it’s just her struggle. Like, how do I deal with this? Nobody understands my relationship with my sister. Nobody. My parents don’t. My brother. I mean, this is a twin M. And the cool thing, we get to know her twin, Andy, because every chapter EJ starts with like a memory of them. It goes back in time. And so you, you get to learn about Andy and the support that she gave Beth and vice versa, you know, because Beth comes across us like this. So I’m too busy for romance. I don’t have time. I’m working too hard. But you know, sometimes I like to party and let loose. And she considers herself, Beth kind of considers herself the fuck up. And she’s like, I should have been the one that died. Like that’s, it’s, it’s very heavy. And I, you know, I’ve always wanted. I think a lot of us have sometimes thought about, wouldn’t it be cool if I had a twin? I don’t know. Like I have. That’s why I wrote twins, because I think it’s so cool. So I wrote a twin book because I really wanted a twin.
>> Kris Bryant: You know, and in this case, they, they’re codependent because they’re twins and, and they have only ever relied on each other in life. They have friends. But like the deeper connection, you will never have that, you know, your siblings, you have that connection, you know, from birth. You have this, this relationship, whether it’s good or bad. And this is an extremely powerful relationship that they have about everything. This book is about grieving, so you know that the, the sister dies. So I mean, there are some triggers here. Like. There is. Yeah, of course. So you’re gonna have death, there’s thoughts of self harm, there’s sexual assault, and there’s a couple other things. So there are trigger warnings. It’s a very powerful book. It really is. And I know it. The look on your face right now, you’re like, oh my Goodness. But it is that good that I can’t. I have to recommend it. It’s, it’s, it’s. I did this once before on a book that I love so much. and a lot of people didn’t give it the chance because it’s about death. People don’t like to read about death. But as you’re getting into it and you’re deep down there and you’re rock bottom with her, you realize that this really is a book about hope.
>> Kris Bryant: Like, it takes a long time to get there, but it takes a long time for the character to realize it too. Like, Beth has just gone through some like, terrible. Like I said, she hit rock bottom. And I love. There’s actually a description about rock bottom. You only know it’s rock bottom because you stopped digging. M. So like, this book just for the literature alone, this book is phenomenal for that. But the message is even better. Like I said, each one starts with a scene. Each chapter starts with a scene with the twins. And you get to know her and it’s kind of a sweet, sweet. Sometimes it’s a sweet moment and then boom, reality hits again. And you remember that she’s no longer here. And Beth has such a hard time with it. Like she’ll break down at like for no reason at all or something that triggers something and she just like falls apart. And it’s m hard. Like you have to watch this character struggle. And you know, some of us have our own personal struggles with it. So it’s, it’s. It was a lot of bam. Like you’re not ready for it. And then it hits and you’re just like, fuck, that hurt. That hurt so bad. I think I cried more in the last quarter of the book when she was improving. When you could see that she realized that there is hope and there’s the sliver of hope.
>> Kris Bryant: And you’re like, yes, get it, go for it. Ride that, take it. Get out of this. You know, like, work on yourself. And you know, she had a business with her sister and that business was kind of put on hold for a really long time. Yeah, it was, it was. It’s an amazing book. And people are calling it a romance. I don’t know that I believe it. There is a love interest. There isn’t a lot of focus on it because that’s not what this book is about. The character has to heal first before she can, just accept everything. Before she can open herself up to another person. Oh yeah. One of the other Triggers is drug use. So there’s drug use in this too. So I hated that. I love this book so much. There’s so much going on in this book, but I literally couldn’t put it down. And I, I can’t say that I say that about a lot of books. Like, and then I think about it. So throughout the day today, because I finished it last night, throughout the day, I kept thinking about, oh, I can’t wait to get back to that show I was watching. And I was like, wait a minute. It was a book I read and I have it. It’s done. But you know, little scenes stick with you. And it just plays it in my mind. And then I’m like, oh, yeah, there’s that show I was watching. Oh, no, it wasn’t. It was a book I read. So.
>> Tara Scott: Hm.
>> Kris Bryant: It was like absolutely perfect. It was such a good book. And I understand that Abby Crayton, you know, she did such an incredible job on the audiobook.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, cool.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, EJ said that, she listened to it once and she will never listen to it again because Abby nailed it. Yeah. I mean, it is a heavy. I’m not, I’m not lying. It is a heavy book, but it is so worth it. It is absolutely so worth it.
>> Kris Bryant: I personally could not listen to an audiobook only because I heard EJ read from it. And so as I was reading it, it was EJ’s voice in my head. So to give it to Abby, it.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, that’s why. Interesting, I thought you were gonna say. So. I find books with really difficult subject matter are sometimes harder for me on audio because I can’t skip through it as quickly like. Yeah, you can, you can adjust your speed settings, but if you speed it up too quickly to try to get through a difficult scene, you just won’t hear what’s happening.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, for sure.
>> Tara Scott: You’ll kind of like it can distort it to where it’s just too hard to hear what’s happening versus if I’m reading on my Kindle, I can choose to like. Okay, it’s that kind of a scene. And I can kind of just like skim.
>> Kris Bryant: You can put it down too, or you know. Yeah, you can do that too. It’s.
>> Tara Scott: Yes.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah. I mean, truly a powerful book. And I swear, if she doesn’t win all the awards, I’m going to punch people like, it is that good. And I know people have a hard time reading the hard stuff, but I mean, you, you people, you people read angst.
>> Tara Scott: You, you be What I do, what I do. As, my 14 year old says,
>> Kris Bryant: what I do would. Yeah.
So I just feel like, give it a chance. I, I, I have already recommended it to some of my upper peeps. Like, this is really good. You should try it. Read this book. It’s really good. It’s satisfuck. And I’m sure it’s draining to everybody, but it’s is some sort of, like, it can’t be cathartic. You know what I mean? Like.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, I think that just means that I need to, like, pick my moment.
>> Kris Bryant: Yes. Pick your moment to, to read this book. But I do recommend it. Like I said, if you, if you disassociate yourself and just read it for, for the words. Like, if you can do that. It’s so beautifully written. I know.
>> Tara Scott: No, I cannot. Which is why I came here.
>> Kris Bryant: I was like, oh, I’m gonna read all these. I’m gonna read, you know, like, bits and pieces of it. But no, because, like, every time I’d read something, I’d be like, oh, that’s great. I’m gonna have to highlight that. And then I turned the page. I was like, oh, that’s even better. And then I turned the page and I was like, oh, m my, this is the best thing I’ve ever read. So it was like the whole book long. And I just, I feel like if you. How m. Do I want to say this and not offend anyone? Like, like I said, read it for literature, if nothing else. Like, if you can somehow disassociate and read it as a piece of literature and not as like, like a shredder, a heart shredder of a book which has hope and, you know, a hopeful ending, a good ending. I think then.
>> Tara Scott: Well, it sounds like it’s about the human experience.
>> Kris Bryant: It really is. Very much so. Very much so. And, and we don’t get that a lot, you know? M. When we read books on romance and write the books, it’s more like, oh, I like her. I wonder if she likes me. And, and you don’t really get too deep into things because most of the time people don’t want to read that when they’re reading a love story, they want to read the love story. They don’t want to get into the backstory too much. Yeah, it’s either they, they just want it to keep it the way it is, or they want so much of a backstory. You’re like, this will be an 800 page book. If I write it the way you want it. So anyway, that is my official, recommendation. Crash into youo by E.J. noyes and do it. I recommend it. So.
All right, what about you? What’s your official recommendation?
>> Tara Scott: Okay, so mine is a new release from, well, one of your fellow BSB authors, and it’s called Never Date a Celebrity by Claire Forsyth. And I had been skipping through NetGalley and I saw the COVID and I was intrigued and I ended up really liking this one because here’s the thing I love. I love a celebrity romance also, I’m gonna say Kris was just talking about a book that’s angsty as deeply about the human condition, about grief, about all. No, this is a fun romance. This is a fun, fast paced. There’s nothing wrong with that there. And there are like. Of course there’s like good feelings, good chemistry, all the things.
>> Kris Bryant: But I.
>> Tara Scott: What was interesting too. I’ve read nothing by this author before. I think it’s her first, fourth book. I was checking her out on the BSB site today and I somehow had missed kind of all of her other ones, but there was just something about the title that got me. And then I read what it was about and I was like, ooh, I do love. And it says never date a celebrity. And the thing that I actually love about this title, I was saying this to Neil, is that it’s one that, like, you kind of get the premise a little bit or like the. The bare bones basics about the premise from this in that somebody is going to date a celebrity.
>> Kris Bryant: Celebrity.
>> Tara Scott: A normal person is. A normal person is going to date a celebrity. And that might be a problem. But why is it a problem? Right. So. Because I was talking to him about there are certain books in this sector. And I was like lovingly joking with him about Radcliffe’s books. Oh, I can’t remember. If you tell me the name of a Radcliffe book, most of the time I won’t remember which book it is. So instead I’m like, you know the one with the President’s Daughter and the Bodyguard.
>> Kris Bryant: But everybody knows it. Everybody knows.
>> Tara Scott: I know. And that’s. That’s not a fair one because it’s the Honor series. But I can’t remember what. I can only remember the first one is like, called but like, which fucking book is Tomorrow’s Promise? That is one of her books, right? Could not tell you. Like, there’s just something about these titles that, like, they’re. They’re not bad titles. I just can never. Because of the way my brain works, I can connect. Never connect. The premise to the title. And then when I want to go find a book again, I’m like, oh, no. Which is the one with the blind musician.
>> Kris Bryant: I. I have to memorize the book cover.
>> Tara Scott: Now.
>> Kris Bryant: We say don’t judge a book by its cover. But we know better.
>> Tara Scott: Yes, we know better.
>> Kris Bryant: But, yeah, I go by covers. You know the one cover with the mask? You know that one?
>> Tara Scott: Yeah. And there are other. Like, there. There are other. There are tons of books in our sector that are kind of like that, where it’s a little hard to remember. But with this one, never date a celebrity. You know exactly what it is. And so I’d like to try.
Right. It starts with Imogen. She, So the book starts actually in Belfast in the prologue. So it all takes part in Ireland, but starting in Northern Ireland, in Belfast. Prologue is. We see Imogen, and she’s kind of needs some kind of a change. She’s not loving her life. Things have been kind of weird and shitty since her ex broke up with her because her ex was and still is an online influencer who sprung a breakup on her. And I mean, I suppose it’s a. I guess it’s like, I don’t know that. Actually, I don’t think it’s that much of a spoiler, because even the blurb says her influencer ex turned their breakup into viral content. And so truly, like, she had no idea this was coming. And her ex would, like, remix it and release, like, different versions of it and really painting her as the villain in their breakup. And honestly, I was reading it and, like, I felt it in my stomach. It was just this, like, viscerally painful thing to read. This kind of like the. The shame she was feeling. And now she’s trying to work a normal job at an insurance company. And like, her two best friends who also work there are like, okay, what if we quit these jobs and we’re gonna buy this pub at a seaside. At a seaside town?
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, yeah, Fuck, why not?
>> Tara Scott: And she. Well, and at first she’s like, what? No, you’re nuts. But then they’re like, you’re not happy. Like, what if we do this? And so the book takes place at this, like, really small town, kind of close to. Kind of close to the sea. It’s not clear if it’s in Ireland or Northern Ireland, but kind of the big thing that’s happening. They’re like, slowly but surely refurbishing this restaurant. No, sorry, pub. It’s not a restaurant at all. It only serves booze at first. They eventually introduce Food. But the. The kind of. The big thing that’s happening around the village is about five miles or so away. This big Hollywood film that’s a lesbian romance is being filmed. She doesn’t care because she doesn’t care about the celebrity world, because she’s like, fudge everything. Because after that breakup, she deleted all of her socials. She wants nothing to do with anybody famous for any reason. And her friends, though, are super excited because they love the actors in it. And so, you know, there’s this one actor who’s, like, straight and super famous, but the other actor is. I kind of see her as, like, a Kristen Stewart type, you know, like, super famous lesbian playing lesbian.
>> Kris Bryant: Ruin it for me.
>> Tara Scott: I know. I’m sorry, but who’s another, like. Who’s another super famous. Who’s, like, as famous as Kristen Stewart and as a lesbian actor?
>> Kris Bryant: Why are you springing this on me? You know that I’m like.
>> Tara Scott: I know, but I’m. I’m just saying in terms of fame level.
>> Kris Bryant: Fame level. Come on. Come on, now. Well, I mean, Angelina Jolie.
>> Tara Scott: Is she a lesbian?
>> Kris Bryant: Bye. No, but I mean. Bye.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, this character is not by. But that’s okay.
>> Kris Bryant: All right, so lesbian. I don’t. I can’t help you. I’m drawing a complete blank, and you sprung it on me.
>> Tara Scott: Do you see now why I sprung your least favorite lesbian actor on you
>> Kris Bryant: knew it blocked me.
>> Tara Scott: No, it was just for comparison sake.
Okay, so this character’s name, you know, Amelia Whitlock. And she’s, like, getting even bigger and more famous to the point where her. Her team is like, you need to take security with you. Like, that kind of level of going from, like, mid famous to famous famous. And, you know, she’s kind of a little tired of being recognized all the time. And there’s this big sort of meet and greet event where they open up the set so locals can go and check it out. And so Imogen’s two friends go, and she’s like, you have fun. I don’t give a fuck about any of that. I don’t know who these people are. I don’t care about it. I don’t watch movies. It doesn’t. None of it matters. I will keep the pub open. And who comes into the pub but Amelia Whitlock, who has the day off, but she doesn’t know who that is. She just thinks it’s some, beautiful woman who walks into their pub. And they have good chemistry, and Emelia loves that. Imogen doesn’t recognize her because she’s a little tired of being famous. And it’s like, oh, this person just
>> Kris Bryant: thinks, I’m just a normal, beautiful woman, middle of the day, wanting a drink. M. Because that happens.
>> Tara Scott: And so she tells her that her name is Amy, because that’s what her closest friends and family call her. And they set up a, ah, date, and things sort of happen from there. So it’s this question of, like, okay, how can this work when the first, Imogen’s in Ireland, Amelia is American, Imogen hates fame. Amelia is famous, and Imogen doesn’t know this. And so I had a great time with this book. I thought it was, very cute. I found the pace on it to be quite quick. It’s like. I guess it’s like a bit of a medium paced book, but it was the kind of book, you know, where you’re reading. Do you read on a Kindle or do you only read paperbacks?
>> Kris Bryant: I do both.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah. So I. I mean, I read everything. I read everything on Kindle except those books that I bought at that bookstore locally and other poetry books, I guess. But I was reading it, and it was one where I would look down to see the progress and go, whoa, when did I read 15 more percent of this?
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, wow.
>> Tara Scott: Like, it just moves so quickly. And the. I think for me, like, the chemistry was just so good. It so worked. But at the same time, I was like, you’ve gotta tell her. And she’s. I’ve got to tell her. And she knows she’s got to tell her. But it’s this, like, it was also so understandable why she would be taken in by Imogen not recognizing her because she is so famous. The idea that, like, she gets to just be normal and just be a person and doesn’t have to be so image conscious. And she would, like, kind of psych herself up for, okay, I’m gonna tell her. And then it’s like, oh, no, we’re having a moment. I can’t tell her. We’re having a moment. And so it’s this, like.
>> Kris Bryant: But when she finds out.
>> Tara Scott: Right, right. And on the flip side, I also found it completely understandable why Imogen wouldn’t want to date a celebrity. Because, like I said, that breakup scene was so brutal. Like, so, so brutal. But then we find out that because of how that went down and how it was shared and how it was exploited, this woman’s fans came after her. And so it’s kind of a good reminder that, like, influencer culture can be kind of Sick. And. And fans can be kind of nuts sometimes with, like, how they treat people and that reminder that, like, what you see online might not actually be real, that might not be the full story, but there are still, like, people’s lives being impacted. And once she does find out, there is also this interesting, like, I don’t know if I can be with you. I don’t. I don’t. Again, the title. Never date a celebrity. I don’t. I don’t want that touch with fame. But also, what do you do when you feel feelings about somebody?
>> Kris Bryant: Right, right.
>> Tara Scott: And you’ve never had those kinds of feelings before. Like, the click is just so real and the connection is so real and it’s so good. And I liked that it took place in this small town. And I really loved how she brought it to life. I did kind of wish I knew whether it was supposed to be Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland a long, long time ago, but I got to spend time in some, like, seaside towns in Northern Ireland, like on a couple of trips. And, like, it’s just this beautiful area and very chill. And the local community is a really great, strong part of this book. Like, I felt like the landscape and the area was kind of like almost its own character, but we get to see some of the regular customers. We see them working with local businesses. And it’s that reminder that, like, in a small town, things are just different than they are in cities.
>> Kris Bryant: So true.
Sam: I enjoyed this book so much that I will definitely read next one
>> Tara Scott: the other thing I noticed is on the COVID it says it’s a never say never romance. So it sounds like there are hopefully crossing fingers going to be more books set in this world. What I’m very curious to see is, is it Imogen’s best friends, like our Piper? And I don’t know how to pronounce the name that’s spelled N. I A M H. Is it. Is it Neve?
>> Kris Bryant: N?
>> Tara Scott: I A M M H. It’s a very Irish name.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, yeah, I. I’m not up on my Gaelic. I. I don’t know.
>> Tara Scott: Nope. So nope. And that’s okay. We have other fine quality. So it’s kind of that, like, I wonder, is it them that are going to get, like, are they the ones that are going to get romances? Is there any chance? so Bridget has a co star who’s this, like, real pain in the ass, kind of arrogant woman who she only sleeps with, like, a man in this book. But, like, does she maybe discover some aspect of herself and get a romance? I don’t know. But honestly, I enjoyed this book so much that I will definitely read whatever comes next in the series. So, yeah, like I said, never say Never by Claire Forsyth. I had a really great time with this one. I’m super glad I stumbled across it and read it.
>> Kris Bryant: So the correct pronunciation for everybody invested is Neve.
>> Tara Scott: I was right.
>> Kris Bryant: You were right, Neve.
>> Tara Scott: Who knew? I must have seen it somewhere one time and scrolled it away in my brain and then immediately questioned myself anyway.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, Neve. Yeah, Neve. Yeah, Neve. That’s right.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: So now I’m like reading this whole thing and I need to focus.
>> Tara Scott: that’s all for this episode. If you’ve made it this far. Thank you so much for listening. and if you have a friend that you think would like it, would be interested in any of what we talked about, especially the books we recommended, please, you know, tell them about it, send them a link, whatever it might be. And if you want to support us, we do have a link in our show notes to our coffee.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, yeah. And if you want to connect with us on your favorite social media sites, we have links for the show notes for that as well.