Designated Reading Buddies

A man who makes a deal with the devil to get extra days of life after finding out he only has months to live. The catch…. For every day he gets he has to choose one thing to disappear from the world. Join us as we chat about our April pick If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura.

1984, NASA, Love. Joan is a woman trying to get into a NASA space program while figuring out family and love. Join us as we chat about Alex’s March pick, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

You have one chance to have dinner with 5 people alive or dead. Who would you choose? Join us as we chat about Kaitlin’s March pick, “The Dinner List” by Rebecca Serle.

Fake dating? ✔️Steamy scenes? ✔️Fun banter? ✔️Join us as we talk about Alex’s February pick “Hoax and Kisses” by Elodie Colliard

As a single mom Lucie Stone has put her love life on the back burner. But when her twelve year old daughter has conveniently intervened by calling into Heartstrings, Baltimore’s dating hotline, Lucie decides to take a chance at finding love. Join us as we chat about Kaitlin’s February pick, “First-Time Caller” by B.K. Borison.

Katarina Shaw has one goal in mind: to become a Gold Medalist in the Olympics for the US Ice Skating team… no matter what it takes. Join us as we discuss our first book of 2026, “The Favorites” by Layne Fargo. 

Happy Holidays! We’re wrapping up 2025 with a cozy romance “The Christmas Tree Farm” by Laurie Gilmore.

Join us as we chat about our November pick, Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross, a Divine Rivals prequel. 

Wrap up spooky season with Alex’s October pick “Bunny” by Mona Awad.

Cozy season is officially in full swing! Join us as we chat about Kaitlin’s October pick “If It Makes You Happy” by Julie Olivia.

Join Alex and Kaitlin as they chat about the last installment of the Powerless trilogy “Fearless” by Lauren Roberts.

Life for Ari is already messy and adding a serious relationship into her life is out of the question. But of course, life has thrown Ari a Josh sized curveball. The moody chef who is searching for his one true love. Join us as we chat about Katilin’s pick, “You, Again” by Kate Goldbeck. 

Another book to add to our Hunger Games obsession, sign us up! In this episode, Kaitlin and Alex discuss Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins, a Hunger Games prequel that dives into Haymitch Abernathy’s time as a tribute.

Evelyne has lived a thousand different lives, and in each life she begins to remember fragments from her past. There’s one person in each lifetime that always comes back to Evelyne, Arden, her one true love and enemy. Cursed to kill each other before their eighteenth birthdays. Join us as we chat about Kaitlin’s August pick, “Our Infinite Fates” by Laura Steven.

Sadie Wen has her whole life planned out, graduating at the top of her class, attending only the best ivy league college and work in a career that will financially support her family. There's only one thing standing in her way, her academic nemesis, Julius Gong who is just as smart as her and annoyingly perfect at everything he does. A coming of age story filled with snark and cringe. Join us as we discuss Alex’s July pick “I Hope This Doesn’t Find You” by Ann Liang.

Evie has always been a dutiful person and very rarely causes anyone trouble. With her father sick and her sister still young, it’s up to Evie to financially support her family. So when she loses her recent job, she’s desperate enough to take any job no matter how terrible the working conditions may be. As luck would have it, she quite literally runs into the village's local villain who takes pity on her and offers Evie a job as his assistant. Join us as we discuss Kaitlin’s July pick, “Assistant To The Villain” by Hannah Nicole Maehrer.

In the small town of Jasper, North Carolina the Farrow women have always kept the locals busy with gossip. “Those odd women and their sickness” “I bet they’re witches” “they were sent to Jasper to curse us all.” While not all of the rumors are true, the locals are correct about a few of them, and June Farrow plans to be the end of the rumors and generational trauma. But what will it cost her? Join us as we discuss Alex’s June pick “The Unmaking of June Farrow” by Adrienne Young.

Team Conrad! Alex and Kaitlin are super excited for the 3rd and final season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” so to kickstart the summer, we decided to yap all about the show and the books.

Poppy has always known that she is “the weird girl”. She wears clothes that were not from her time, sometimes says her inner thoughts out loud, and generally enjoys life by always finding the positives in any situation. Alex, her best friend, is the complete opposite, in fact, they have only a few things in common. But you know what they say, opposites attract. Join us as we discuss Alex’s May pick “People We Meet On Vacation” by Emily Henry.

Margaret Ives grew up as Hollywood’s sweetheart and was one of the most photographed women at the time. That all changed after the death of her husband Cosmo Sinclair. Margaret decided she’d have one last Hollywood hoorah and would then go on to live her life in solitude. Flash forward 20+ years later, journalist Alice Scott has somehow discovered where Margaret has been all of these years and proposes that she wants to write a book about who Margaret Ives truly was. But as always, there’s a catch and his name is Hayden Anderson. Join us as we discuss Kaitlin’s May pick “Great Big Beautiful Life” by Emily Henry. 

Ivy League school, secret societies, & murder! Join us for Alex’s April pick, Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown.

Growing up Macy and Elliott were inseparable, even when apart they were emailing and thinking of each other. Now as adults, they haven’t seen each other for 11 years. Will rekindling their friendship finally lead them back into love? Join us as we discuss Kaitlin’s April pick “Love & Other Words” by Christina Lauren.

Grimalkin adored his purrfect owner Eilidh, he loved to follow her around the house, get chin scratches and cozy up on her lap after a long day of protecting her. But being a kitty in the streets of Edinburgh meant that bad things can sometimes happen. Join us as we discuss Grimalkin’s 9 lives in “The Ghost Cat” by Alex Howard, Alex’s March pick.

The Nightmare in Elspeth Spindle's mind has taught her to always “be wary, be clever, be good”. But living in a world that is determined to hunt you down and banish you for carrying magic is something Elspeth hopes to never live through. In an attempt to save the town of Blunder and their families, Elspeth must risk sacrificing herself to save them. Join us as we talk about Kaitlin’s March pick One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. 

If you were to read Emma Wheeler’s resume there are a few things you’d find: screenwriter, professional worry-wart and fulltime Charlie Yates fan. Imagine Emma’s surprise when she lands a job with THE Charlie Yates to help him rewrite a romance script, which is Emma’s forté. You know what they say, don’t meet your heroes. Join us as we discuss Alex’s February pick “The Rom-Commers” by Katherine Center. 

Julian and Dahlia have one thing in common, they both love to loathe each other and compete for first place no matter what. But that was when they were kids, now as adults that loathing has shifted into something else. Join us as we discuss Kaitlin’s February pick “Love Redesigned” by Lauren Asher. 

Hannah and Garrett are complete opposites. Garrett is Briar Colleges hockey captain, and ladies man. Hannah attends Briar on full scholarship and is a straight A student who doesn’t have time for distractions. The one thing they both have in common? When they set goals for themselves, they always score. Join us as we discuss Alex’s January pick “The Deal” by Elle Kennedy.

Paedyns has spent her whole life running away from The Elites. But now that she’s killed their king, she has no choice but to hide away from Kai Azer, Ilya’s enforcer, and pray he doesn’t ever find her again. But as luck would have it, Kai won’t stop searching for Paedyn no matter the cost. Join us as we discuss Kaitlin’s pick “Reckless” by Lauren Roberts.

Stella has always dreamed of owning a Christmas tree farm and creating core memories for families. But when she realizes her finances are not doing as well as she hoped she enters a holiday contest hosted by famous influencer, Evelyn St. James. When applying for the competition Stella said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend.. who currently does not exist. That’s where her best friend Luka of 10 years comes in. Join us as we chat about Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison.  Happy Holidays from Designated Reading Buddies! See ya in 2025.

After the sudden death of her father Bethany is trying her best to keep his legacy alive, but the reality of running a cafe and dealing with grief is harder than Bethany expected. Join us as we discuss Alex’s November pick “Coffee Shop Girl” by Katie Cross.

At the age of 25, Takako feels like she’s finally finding her way in the world; she has a great job, a loving boyfriend and friends to last a lifetime. But when her perfect world is rudely interrupted by a cheating boyfriend, Takako finds herself lost. With the help of her uncle Satoru and his bookshop, she begins to find that life isn’t always perfect, but there are ways to always find joy in the hard times. Join us as we chat about Kaitlin’s November pick “Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” by Satoshi Yagisawa

In the summer of 1998, Chloe Davis turned 12 years old, which meant she was cool enough to hangout with her older brother Cooper. One thing that was not on Chloe's summer bucket list was watching her father be arrested for the murder of 6 local girls. She also was not expecting to learn how to live life known as a daughter of a murderer or that something always felt off about his arrest. 20 years later, Chloe is determined to uncover the truth and track down the true culprit. Join us as we discuss Alex’s October pick “A Flicker In The Dark” by Stacy Willingham. 

When Jeanie moved to Dream Harbor, her life goals changed from climbing the corporate ladder, to slowing her life down as much as possible. She decides to reinvent herself by running a local cafe, joining town hall meetings and wearing jeans regularly. But like every small town romance novel, Jeanie’s plans shift when she bumps into hunky local farmer Logan. Join us as we discuss Kaitlin’s October pick “The Pumpkin Spice Cafe” by Laurie Gilmore.

Molly adores her job at the Regency Grand Hotel. She loves seeing new guests and following all of the rules exactly how her manager likes it, some may say she’s the perfect employee… until she is the number one suspect for the murder of the guest Mr. Black. Join us as we talk about Alex’s September pick “The Maid” by Nita Prose.

Five years ago a local girl named Andie Bell went missing, and all signs pointed to her boyfriend Sal Singh as the number one suspect. But with both Sal and Andie gone, the town still believes that Sal’s guilty of the murder of Andie Bell.. well almost the whole town. Flash forward to present day, Pip Fitz-Amobi believes that Sal has always been innocent and plans to solve the Andie Bell murder and clear Sal’s name. Join us as we kick off the ‘Ber months with Kaitlin’s September pick “A Good Girl's Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson.

Thea and Margot were once the best of friends, but after the summer of 1967 the two never heard from each other again… that is until Margot shows up 10 years later begging for Thea’s help. Join us as we discuss Alex’s August pick “All Of The Summers In Between” by Brooke Lea Foster.

From a young age Paedyn has been living an alter ego, one that will protect her from the Ilyra Elites. But when her name is added to Ilyra’s Purging Trials, her goal to survive and protect her loved ones is put to the test. Join us as we chat about Powerless by Lauren Roberts.

Per my last email, I Hope This Finds You Well.. or not because I’m sick of stale donuts and office pizza parties as a reward. Jolene has been working at Supershops as an office admin for most of her adult life and it’s all that she has going for her. At her age, Jolene should be married with a white picket fence by now. But alas, she has no friends, not a drop of romance, and is pretty sure the people at work all hate her. Join us as we talk about Alex’s July pick “I Hope This Finds You Well” by Natalie Sue. 

Growing up Fern Brookbanks loved spending the summers working at her family’s lake resort and she always knew that one day ownership would pass down to her. But how was she supposed to tell her mom that’s not what she wanted to do with her life? A few days before she’s supposed to return home from college, she bumps into Will Baxter, an artist hired to paint a mural at the cafe she works at. Together, they decide to give each other the ultimate tour of Toronto and show each other around their favorite spots. In just that one day, both Fern and Will change each other's lives, they even made a promise to meet again the following summer. 10 years later, Fern never heard from Will Baxter and always wondered what happened to him. That is until after her mothers death, he shows up to the resort to save the business. Will they rekindle their romance? Or will it be short lived again leaving both wondering “what if”? Join us as we chat about Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune.

After the death of her best friend Lily Morgan, Emery has spent the last 14 years wondering what truly happened. Secrets start to unravel when Emery’s high school boyfriend August Salt returns to Saoirse Island. When the truth starts coming to the surface the island is not the same. Join us as we chat about Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young.

Two weeks after the battle of Avalon Bluff, Iris is back in her hometown Oath, but this time without Roman. Separated by two Gods and what feels like worlds apart, Roman and Iris are fighting for each other and a way to end the war. Join us as we chat about Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross.

Daphne has spent her whole life making sure that the happiness of her loved ones comes first, and sets aside her own. When she finally feels like she’s paving her own path with her fiance Peter, life of course, decides to throw a curveball. With the help of her roommate Miles, Daphne learns that it’s okay to put herself first and live life by her own rules. Join us as we talk about Alex’s May pick, Funny Story by Emily Henry.

After years of bad luck, Opal is at her wits end. She’s trying her best to make life easier for her younger brother Jasper, but life has other plans. Until one day, she’s offered a cleaning job at Starling House - the creepy house at the top of the hill. Will luck finally be on her side? Or will she have more problems to face? Join us as we chat about Starling House by Alix E. Harrow.

In the year 1877, Carlotta is living her normal life in her home in Mexico. She’s taking care of her siblings, learning the family business and falling in love for the first time. But once she begins to uncover the truths of her fathers science experiments - The Hybrids - and what they were created for, her normality begins to crumble. Join us as we talk about Alex’s April pick, “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Kaitlin’s rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Alex’s rating: ⭐⭐

What would you do if you received magical notes that say how long a relationship will last? Daphne has been getting these notes since she was 8 years old and one day she receives a note with the name Jake, but no expiration date. Join us for Kaitlin’s April pick, Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle.  Thank you to NetGalley and AtriaBooks for our ARC copy of Expiration Dates!

Annaleigh is just trying to live out a normal life, but the curse on her family and the mysterious deaths of her sisters, haunt her everyday. When she begins to realize that the deaths of her sisters are not accidental, the hauntings begin to escalate. She starts to uncover family secrets with the help from Cassius. Join us as we talk about Alex’s March pick, House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig.  Kaitlin’s star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Alex’s star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

At only nineteen years old, Signa Farrow has only one constant in her life - death. That is until she is placed with her distant family, the Hawthornes. With Signa’s abilities to sense death and see spirits, she quickly realizes that something is haunting Thorn Grove and she plans to figure out who and why. Join us as we talk about Kaitlin’s March pick, Belladonna by Adalyn Grace.  Kaitlin’s star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Alex’s star rating: ⭐⭐⭐

After a house explosion leaves Bree and Eason without their spouses or best friends, they lean on each other to figure out life after loss. But little do Bree and Eason know, the fire is not actually over. Join us as we talk about Alex’s February pick, “From The Embers” by Aly Martinez.  Kaitlin’s star rating: ⭐⭐ ⭐ Alex’s star rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨

In this week's episode Kaitlin and Alex talk about their first February pick “The Perfect Marriage” by Jeneva Rose. What better way to spend Valentine’s day than a wife out for revenge on her cheating husband?

Welcome to Chatty Book Chats! Where we’ll be obsessing over some of pop culture’s hottest book series. We are starting with A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Kaitlin, who has read this series several times, is asking Alex , who has never read them, what she thinks it is about.