Bring Your Own: A Bookish Podcast for Romance Readers

This week we recap our time at the Sweetgrass, a romance book signing that took place in Charleston, South Carolina in March of 2024. We also share our personal Q1 reading journeys and which books are in the running for our top reads of the year so far. Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we take turns imagining some of our favorite books as movies! Brandi pitches Elissa Sussman's "Funny You Should Ask", Kayla does "Check & Mate" by Ali Hazelwood, and Kendra takes on "Ready or Not" by Cara Bastone. We fancast each book, and share are overall creative visions. Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Draft Day! This week we each take turns drafting different romance books, book boyfriends, and book girlfriends to our respective teams. Follow @BringYourOwnPod to see our teams! Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Hannah Bonam-Young(@authorhannahby) is back for an epic bookish game night! We play three mini games while Hannah walks us through what life has been like re-releasing her Next Series with a traditional publisher. Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we air out our listener's unpopular bookish opinions! We discuss if we agree or disagree with your hot takes on 3rd act break ups, book ratings, and more! Huge shoutout to everyone who submitted as we couldn't get get through them all.Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPodFollow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a brand new season of Bring Your Own! To kick off season 3 we're sharing our 2024 reading in's and out's alongside our bookish goals for the year. A new season also means new book recs! We each provide three books that everyone should have on their TBRs this year.Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we reveal our individual Top 10 Books of The Year Lists! We take turns counting down from 10 sharing why these books stood out to us in 2023, and list our honorable mentions as well! Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of the holiday season, we each read a Holiday Romance Novella to share with each another!Full of vampires, tentacles, and elves, we each take take turns recapping our holiday romances in extreme (and at times uncomfortable) detail. MAJOR SPOILERS for the following Holiday Romances: - Haunted Holiday: A Vampire Romance by Mandy M. Roth - Tinsel & Tentacles by Kate McDarris - Seduced by Santa's Elves by Melanie Nyx Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Court is back in session as the Lovelight Farms series by B.K. Borison takes the stand. Major spoilers for all three books in the series (Lovelight Farms, In the Weeds, and Mixed Signals). This week Brandi and Kayla (the defense) talk about why Lovelight Farms is a series they always recommend to people, while Kendra (the prosecution) lays out all the reasons why the series wasn't for her. Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE MAGNOLIA PARKS UNIVERSE SERIES BY JESSA HASTINGS! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ MAGNOLIA PARKS, DAISY HAITES, MP: THE LONG WAY HOME, & DH: THE GREAT UNDOING YOU WILL BE SPOILED FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES. THIS IS YOUR FIRST WARNING! This week we're joined by the one and only Kimmy from @kimmybookss to recap the Magnolia Parks Universe by Jessa Hastings. We reveal our favorite characters, the scenes that will stick with us for the rest of our lives, and bond over all the pain the series has caused us. We couldn't talk about this series without spoiling everything so we spoil everything!For more of the infamous Kimmy follow her on Instagram Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPOILERS FOR LOVE REDESIGNED START AT: ~31:12This week Lauren Asher is here to discuss her latest release Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires #1). We chat about what goes into starting a new romance series, how life as an author has changed since dropping her first book and what goes into producing your own audiobooks. Lauren also gives us a sneak peak at what to expect from the next book in the Lakefront Billionaires series and plays a fun “Most Likely To…” game involving all of her characters. To keep up with all things Lauren Asher follow her on Instagram.Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Its Game Night! This Week we compete against one another while playing three bookish-themed mini games. Games include a Quote Challenge, Guess Who, and Name a Book based off a Trope. Play along and help determine the winner by the end of the episode! Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we're joined by our bookish bestie Selina (@bookish.sel) to recap the Fallen Men Series by Giana Darling. We take turns sharing our favorite books, couples, characters, spicy scenes and more in a hilarious spoiler-filled discussion. For more of the amazing Selina follow her on instagram! @bookish.sel Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of Halloween, we each read a Monster Romance to share with one another!Not a single moment is spared as we take turns recapping each book in excruciating detail from the incredible (and weird) monster smut to the plot points that made our jaws drop. MAJOR SPOILERS for the following Monster Romances: - Love, Laugh, Lich by Kate Prior- Sweet Berries by C.M. Nascosta - The Gargoyle's Captive by Kate RobertFollow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we each take turns building our own romance books! We list out which tropes we'd include, how steamy they'd be, and share our dream fan casts. If you could build your perfect romance novel what would it include? Let us know on our instagram @BringYourOwnPod Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Elsie Silver drops by the pod to talk all things Chestnut Springs, how she crafts near perfect smut scenes, and what readers can expect from her latest release, Hopeless. She also give us a sneak peek at what's to come after the Chestnut Springs series and plays a fun "Who Said It?" game with us! Follow @BringYourOwnPod for more fun bookish content! Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Fall! This week we're chatting all about Fantasy and Romantasy books! We share our fantasy starter packs, favorite fantasy couples, and hand out tons of recommendations along the way. We also (Kendra vs. Kayla and Brandi) get in a little spoiler-filled tussle over the Belladonna series by Adalyn Grace (25:22 - 29:45 if you want to skip).Keep up with the Pod on instagram (@bringyourownpod)Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spoilers for the Right Move start at ~27:13This week Liz Tomforde (@liztomforde.author) is here! We chat all about the Windy City series, her life as an IRL flight attendant for a professional hockey team, and what readers can expect from her upcoming novel, Caught Up! (Windy City #3) Follow @BringYourOwnPod to see us gush more about The Windy City Series! Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week the men of BYO stop by the pod for a fun couples quiz! Hosted by Kendra, Brandi's boyfriend Daniel and Kayla's husband Jared take turns answering bookish questions about their partners. (Spoiler alert: they each struggle a lot) Follow @BringYourOwnPod for more fun bookish content! Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Hannah Bonam-Young (@authorhannahby) drops by! We chat all about her hit summer novel, Out on A Limb, how she got started in the world of indie publishing with The Next Series, and where to find a man who will treat you right (hint: it involves dice)!Follow @BringYourOwnPod to see us talk about Out On A Limb and more of our fav romances of the year! Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra @Kendra.ReadzFollow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Court is now in session; beware of MAJOR spoilers for How To Fake It in Hollywood starting at ~14:30 This week How To Fake it in Hollywood by Ava Wilder is on trial as the first installment of Defend a Book takes place. Brandi and Kayla (the prosecution) express why this book was a miss for them, while Kendra (the defense) explains why HTFFIH is one of her favorite books of the year. Follow @BringYourOwnPod to see more of our fav celebrity romances! Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books Follow Kendra @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mazey Eddings stops by the pod! We fangirl over her adult contemporary romance series “A Brush With Love” (which everyone should read, btw!), discuss neurodiverse joy, sex positivity, and how the heck Mazey managed to break into publishing while being a full-time dental student. Mazey also spills all the tea on her newest release, “Tilly In Technicolor” & tells us what readers can expect from her upcoming 2024 sapphic romance, “Late Bloomer”!Read Tilly In Technicolor Pre-Order Late Bloomer Follow Mazey on Instagram @MazeyEddings Follow @BringYourOwnPod to see our favorite Mazey Eddings Quotes Follow Brandi @Brandos.BooksFollow Kendra On Instagram @Kendra.Readz Follow Kayla on Instagram @Kaylas.Bookshelf Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to season 2! We're kicking things off this season by discussing our summer 2023 reading journeys. Find out our top reads of the season, the books that disappointed us the most, which new authors we're obsessed with, and more! Follow the pod Follow Brandi Follow Kayla Follow Kendra Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we recap our time at Book Bonanza 2023. Taking place in Grapevine, Texas over the course of two days, we go over our favorite moments from the book signing, reveal all the authors we got to meet, and discuss that crazy wristband situation. Great for anyone who is curious into how book signings work and may want to attend the convention next year! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we learn all about Steamy Lit, the adult bookish subscription company that empowers readers to incorporate self love into their reading habits. We’re joined by the company’s founder Melissa (@bookrecsbymel) as she walks us through Steamy Lit’s origins, the Steam Box , and what readers can expect from the upcoming inaugural Steamy Lit Con happening August 18-19, 2023 in Anaheim, California.For more on Steamy Lit follow @steamylit , @steamylitcon , & @thesteamboxco on Instagram@bringyourownpod on Instagram Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the season one finale we’re taking it back to our bookish roots and talking about our #BookTok Favs! Before diving in we discuss how we discovered #BookTok, what we love about the community, the things we wish were different, and mention some of our favorite creators on the platform. Personal picks for this episode include: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman - 44:11 Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - 59:10Legendborn by Tracy Deonn - 1:14:44Stay up to date with the podcast during hiatus by following us on instagram @bringyourownpod Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In celebration of Father’s Day 2023, we’re sharing some of our favorite fictional Dad’s found in romance books (aka the hot fictional DILFs of our dreams). We gush and moan on why we love these fictional daddies, the relationships they have with their kids, and why they’re all worthy of #1 Dad status. Major Spoilers for: All Rhodes Lead Here: 16:40In A Jam: 33:14Funny Feelings: 48:41 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summer is upon us! This Week's mini-episode is dedicated to Summer Reading! We share what makes a good summer read, recommendations, and the books we’re hoping to read as the days grow hotter and longer.Share your summer reading plans with us on Instagram @bringyourownpod Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re throwing it back to the late 2000s and early 2010s by talking about our favorite books from our youth! Kendra tries to explain the ludicrous plot of the Pretty Little Liars franchise, Brandi reveals that she may have been bullied over her Hunger Games obsession in middle school, and Kayla comes out of retirement as the number one Divergent fan on Tumblr. We also discuss some of the books that got us into reading, the golden era of book to screen adaptations, and which other books we’d love to see hit the big screen! Major Spoilers for: - Pretty Little Liars (books and tv show) - The Hunger Games trilogy- The Divergent Series For more BYO, follow us on instagram: @bringyourownpod Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we dissect our personal rating systems, gush our favorite online reading trackers (spoiler alert: it's storygraph), and discuss what makes us give a book five stars! We also chat about our recent five star reads and why they made the cut! No spoilers this episode! Just vibes! Happy listening and tell us your recent five star read on instagram @Bringyourownpod Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we welcome our very first special guest on the pod, Logan of @lcsbookstagram on instagram! Queen of Small Town Romances and audiobooks, Logan walks us through her personal reading journey, how she discovered bookish communities, her favorite parts of content creation, and more! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we talk all things audiobooks! We reveal our audiobook origin stories, dissect our individual listening habits, and foam at the mouth over our favorite narrators. We also each brought our latest audiobook obsessions and provide evidence as to why it should be your next listen!Audiobook picks (no spoilers just vibes): Belladonna: 42:11 Juniper Hill: 52:02Life's Too Short: 1:01:14 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First in our Author Spotlight Series: #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry! While gushing over our favorite novels written by Henry, we also discuss her recent rise in popularity, and how we each came to discover her work. And yes, we're talking all about her latest release Happy Place too! Spoiler-filled discussion timestamps:Beach Read: 28:48People We Meet On Vacation: 48:37Book Lovers: 1:07:41Happy Place: 1:21:20 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we discuss our favorite smutty romance books! Brandi gushes over Give Me More by Sara Cate, Kendra is on her knees for Play With Me by Becka Mack, and Kayla turns bright red reading a scene from Heartless by Elsie Silver. We also go in-depth about our personal smut preferences, how we started reading spicy romances, and more! Things get very NSFW very fast so we recommend listening with your earphones for this one!Spoiler-filled discussion time-stamps: Give Me More - 18:18Play With Me - 42:04Heartless - 58:00 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we're sharing our unpopular bookish opinions. We're giving our thoughts on the pregnancy trope, love triangles, discreet covers and more! For more on our unpopular bookish opinions or to tell us your own, follow the pod on instagram @Bringyourownpod Episode contains spoilers for Heartless by Elsie Silver. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part two of our deep-dive into the #Booktok favorite Addicted/Calloway Sisters Series series by Krista and Becca Ritchie. We’ll be covering the remaining five books in the series: Thrive, Addicted After All, Fuel the Fire, Long Way Down, & Some Kind of Perfect. Follow us on instagram @BringYourOwnPod to keep up on all things happening with the pod! Time Stamps: Thrive:07:39Addicted After All: 33:38Fuel the Fire 50:09Long Way Down: 1:11:33Some Kind Of Perfect:1:31:35 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part one of our deep-dive on the #Booktok favorite Addicted/Calloway Sisters Series series by Krista and Becca Ritchie. We cover our favorite books, characters and couples from the series, followed by and in-depth spoiler-filled discussion of the first five books: Addicted to You, Ricochet, Addiction For Now, Kiss The Sky, and Hothouse flower. Follow the pod on Instagram @BringYourOwnPod Time stamps: Addicted to You: 25:58 Ricochet: 49:00Addicted for Now: 1:00:05Kiss the Sky: 1:14:25Hothouse Flower: 1:35:00 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In celebration of Women's History Month we've each brought our favorite Book Girlfriend. These are the fictional women who inspire us, teach us, and make us fall to our knees. No kidding, we would do anything to spend a single night with many of these women. Have a favorite Book Girlfriend? Tell us on Instagram and give a follow to stay up to date with the pod and see list of spoilers for this episode! @Bringyourownpod Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’ve each brought our favorite trope! From Fake Dating to Single Parent- find out what makes these tropes stand out to us and the books that deliver on them! Have a favorite trope we forgot to mention? Tell us on Instagram and give us a follow to stay up to date with the pod and more! @BringYourOwnPodPotential minor spoilers for: It Happened One Summer, Juniper Hill, The Soulmate Equation, Fallen Men, Happy Place, Terms & Conditions, Yours Truly, In a Jam, Wall of Winnipeg & Me, The Cruel Prince, The Simple Wild, Magnolia Parks, The Addicted/Calloway Sisters series, The Like Us series. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To start things off we’ve each brought our favorite comfort books! What makes you treat a book like your personal safety blanket? When do you find yourself reaching for it the most? We discuss this and tell the story of how we all became bookish besties via the internet! Tell us your favorite comfort book and keep up with the podcast by following us on Instagram! @BringYourOwnPod Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices