The Readirect Podcast

We're summoning summer reading energy to get us out of reading slumps and to balance our sorrow at the Beach Read casting news. 

CONTENT WARNING: In this episode, we discuss themes from David's book, which include sexual abuse, parental abuse, suicidal ideation, and homophobia. Please take care when listening!  We are joined by special guest Jubilee Dawn for today's book club, focusing on David Archuleta's memoir, Devout.  About Jubilee: You can find Jubilee on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok @jubileedawns. Her podcasts are Healed-ish and The Overshare Hour.  Recent Reads:  The Love of My Afterlife The Night We Met

Today we're talking about the Project Hail Mary movie adaptation! Plus: Bridgerton season 5 announcement & All the Young Dudes being published (gross!!!) 

For today's episode, we're crawling deep into the trenches of our youth group past and revisiting the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn. Let's discuss why we hate Todd, love/hate Bob and Marti, and question all of Christy's decisions.  Recent Reads: The Complete Maus No Matter What

Join us for a very special book talk episode starting off with BIG NEWS!!!  Links:  Readirect Podcast WEBSITE!!! SHOP MERCH!!!!!! Recent Reads:  Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone Ready or Not by Cara Bastone I Think They Love You by Julian Winters Old Dogs Fest on AO3 The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan Futbolista by Jonny Garza Villa The Sweet Spot by Amy Poppel Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Dearest Gentle Reader,  For this episode, we are deep-diving Julia Quinn's An Offer From a Gentleman, as well as Bridgerton Season 4 (part one). We have been THOROUGHLY charmed by Benedict and Sophie, and had just the best time discussing their season, the changes from the book, and our excitement for part 2.  Recent Reads:  Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee One Day in December by Josie Silver Crash Test by Amy James You can follow The Readirect Podcast on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok at @readirectpodcast! 

Heavy content warning for this episode, please listen with care! While we do not go into gratuitous detail in our recap, this book does contain references to many serious subjects. Proceed with caution & definitely don't listen to this episode around children!  Today we're revisiting Redeeming Love and...we did not like what we read!  Skip to the recent reads: To hear our letters to our future husbands following our fraught Redeeming Love discussion, skip to 53:11. Recent reads start at 59:33.  Recent Reads:  The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things? by Pierre Novellie Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor

We're going to be honest, we were not fans of Netflix's People We Meet on Vacation adaptation. This was not helped by us loving the book! But we're here to deep dive the movie and share all of our thoughts.  Just a fair warning if you loved the movie, this episode may not be for you.  Plus:  New Game Changers book, Unrivaled!  Wuthering Heights trailer reactions Recent Reads: The Favorites by Layne Fargo, leave the ruins where they fall by sharpa, and Question of the Day by wilmonstan12345 Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast, shoot us an email at thereadirectpodcast@gmail.com, and leave us a five-star review if you love the show! Plus, follow Emily everywhere at @emilyrojasreads and Abigail on TikTok at @fabigail11. 

We're dropping in with a mini-episode to catch up before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming. Hear more about our recent reads, our 2026 book goals, and our thoughts on upcoming book adaptations. See you next week to our return to regular episodes with our recap of People We Meet on Vacation! 

We&apos;re back for one last deep dive of episode six of Heated Rivalry, aka the FINALE!!!! How did we get here so soon???  It&apos;s been an absolute blast recapping these with you. If you&apos;ve enjoyed our show, consider following us into the new year. We&apos;ll be back every other Tuesday with more book goodness.  We&apos;re also on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast. Emily is everywhere at @emilyrojasreads and Abigail is on TikTok @fabigail11. We love you see you soon!!! <3

Here is our recap of episode 5. In exchange for editing this insane episode down to something consumable, please leave us a 5-star review, follow us on IG and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast, and tell a friend to tell a friend to listen.  We love you, we love Hollanov, we&apos;ll see you next week!!!!

All the things she said, all the things she said, running through my head, running through my head!!!! We&apos;re back with a DEEP-DIVE of episode 4, and WOW! Did we have a lot to talk about!  Join us to unpack the whole episode: ginger ale, tuna melt, hockey, montages, and that f***ing club scene. This whole episode was catharsis for us all.  We&apos;ll be back with our recap of episode 5 & more regular episodes soon!! Until then, you can leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and let us know you&apos;re enjoying the show. You can also follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast. 

We recap Episode 3 of Heated Rivalry!  You can follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast. You can follow Emily on all platforms at @emilyrojasreads and Abigail on TikTok at @fabigail11.

It&apos;s not quite the end of 2025, but we&apos;re checking in for our annual year-in-review episode.  We celebrate a breakout year of reading and real talk: how to hit big number goals, diversify authors with intention, and find joy reading. We share five-star favorites, surprising hits, and a few fears about the 2026 release drought (let&apos;s not talk about how no new books are coming from Ali Hazelwood, Casey McQuiston, Talia Hibbert, Alison Cochrun, OR Emily Henry so far in 2026 - SAVE US!!!)  Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast. Emily is on Instagram and TikTok @emilyrojasreads, and Abigail is on TikTok @fabigail11.  See you later this week for another Heated Rivalry Bonus Episode !!!! 

We&apos;re popping in with a check-in chat quickly discussing our initial thoughts on episodes one and two of Heated Rivalry!  This long-awaited adaptation is finally here. If you were sick of us (Emily, mostly, let&apos;s be honest) before, it&apos;s only going to get worse from here!  In this brief bonus episode, we&apos;re talking our expectations, viewing experiences, initial reactions, and even discussing the popularity of MM romance as a genre.  Let us know what you thought & if you&apos;d like us to keep doing this for future episodes. We are ever at your service <3  Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast.  You can also follow Emily on TikTok and Instagram at @emilyrojasreads and Abigail is on TikTok at @fabigail11. 

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Twilight&apos;s release AND to commemorate our origins as a podcast, today&apos;s episode is all about Twilight! Hear our experiences attending screenings in the theater and our updated thoughts now that we are fully formed adults and not Edward-obsessed tweens. Plus Emily&apos;s 14-year-old self&apos;s unedited thoughts on the Breaking Dawn of it all.  Read: Why We Love (and Hate) Twilight by Sarah Gallagher Recent Reads:  Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast! You can also email us at thereadirectpodcast@gmail.com  If you really, really love the show, feel free to leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or (even better) share our show with a friend and help us grow our community of book loving nerds.

We&apos;re back with another series of book recommendations as submitted by our listeners!  PLUS: Breaking news from Abigail, recent reads, Mate reactions, the Louvre heist (???) and more chaos!  BOOK REC LINKS:  Heated Rivalry  The Long Game  COZY MYSTERIES: Wrong Place Wrong Time Famous Last Words Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone You Can Run Station Eleven, The Glass Hotel, and Sea of Tranquility The Ministry of Time Conclave PALATE CLEANSERS: A Witch&apos;s Guide to Magical Inkeeping Summer Romance Ali Hazelwood The Raven Boys Kiss Her Once for Me wading in waist-high water TRICK YOUR PARENTS: Margo&apos;s Got Money Troubles Beartown  Wool  Careless People  Leave the World Behind The Will of the Many LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND: Bride and Mate  Wolfsong Fourth Wing Brown Sisters Trilogy  The Duke and I  The Paradise Trilogy HOLIDAY BOOK RECS: Winter Street Only Santas in the Building Merry Inkmas The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year Time to Shine A Home for the Holidays 

We&apos;re back for a chill book talk episode where Emily is definitely not going insane about Heated Rivalry for the 40th time this year.   We catch up after travel, compare notes on The Thursday Murder Club film, and share a stack of recent reads.  Here for the links?  Request Heated Rivalry on your favorite streaming services. DO IT FOR EMILY IF NOTHING ELSE!!!! NETFLIX – https://help.netflix.com/en/titlerequest HBO – https://help.hbomax.com/us-en/Home/Index HULU – https://help.hulu.com/feedback Amazon Prime – https://digprjsurvey.amazon.com/api/feedbacks/AIV/website Heated Rivalry official trailer Heated Rivalry and The Long Game books Thursday Murder Club book wading in waist-high water by colgatemintybluegel  Recent Reads Play Nice by Rachel Harrison The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas The Beartown Trilogy by Fredrick Backman Come & Get It by Kiley Reid Tough Guy by Rachel Reid The Compound by Aisling Rowle The Fall by Tal Bauer

Join us for a discussion on Jen Hatmaker&apos;s newest book, Awake. Unlike our other book club episodes, this is less deep dive and more vibes based discussion. That&apos;s because we enthusiastically recommend reading this book for yourself and then coming back to join us for our discussion.  You&apos;re more than welcome to use this as a TLDR, and trust we are spilling the tea, but it is also impossible for us to capture the true generosity, beauty, and impact of this book in one simple episode. So listen & read & enjoy!  PLUS Twilight non-news, a buzzy Wuthering Heights trailer, and adaptations we’re excited to watch (*ahem* HEATED RIVALRY!!!!)  Important Links Stephenie Meyer Q&A Livestream recording Rachel Reid Blog Post - An Attempt to be Earnest Recent Reads Little Bosses Everywhere by Bridget Read Why We Love (and Hate) Twilight by Sarah Elizabeth Gallagher Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Every Step She Takes by Alison Cochrun To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow @readirectpodcast on Instagram and Bluesky. Share our show with a friend because that is by far the best way to grow our community of book-loving nerds! 

Today, we&apos;re doing a deep dive into Christine Brown Woolley&apos;s memoir, Sister Wife. As longtime fans of TLC&apos;s Sister Wives, we were SEATED for this tell-all from Christine. Read along or listen in for our TLDR version of this explosive book.  Plus recent read from Emily, Beartown by Fredrick Backman Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @readirectpodcast, and if you&apos;re loving the show, please leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Sharing our show with a friend is by far the best way to grow our community of book-loving nerds!