PODCAST · arts
Thinking Straight
by Lena Wilson and Nadine Santoro
Lena Wilson is a culture critic. Nadine Santoro works in publishing. They're lesbians, they're dating, and they want to explore the world of contemporary heterosexual romance novels. What's the appeal behind this booming new world of major bestsellers and viral indies? Has smut finally gone mainstream? (And more importantly: Is this smut actually good?) Do women really want guys who will throw them around like rag dolls?All this and more on everyone's favorite gay podcast about straight romance, THINKING STRAIGHT!
Episodes
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Episode 26: So Sweet by Rebekah Weatherspoon
We tried to go as far in the opposite direction of Wuthering Heights as we could for this one, and we landed on SO SWEET, a sugar daddy/sugar baby novella where #representation is the name of the game. For better or for worse? Well… Talking points include: Sexy Jesus, Randomly Generated Sims…
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Episode 25: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Like our heroine, we’re suffering fits of madness in this one, listeners… in the hopes of getting to the bottom of the swirling discourse surrounding Emerald Fennel’s latest film, we read WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Brontë. Is it, indeed, “the greatest love story ever told,” or is it something…
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Episode 24: Exes and O's by Amy Lea
This February, in honor of the season, we dove into a Valentine’s themed romance with Amy Lea’s EXES & O’S. Fittingly, its heroine is the exact kind of woman we’re on a mission to figure out on this podcast: a romance-genre aficionado and book influencer looking for love IRL. Join us as we…
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Episode 23: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
We’re back from hiatus, coming to you live as married women! For our triumphant return, we read THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY by Jenny Han to see how the source material measures up to the TV show that had all the girlies (and Taylor Swift) obsessed this summer. Love triangles, brooding heroes, and...
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Episode 22: Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson
Kilts, magic, and bonnie lasses abound this week as Lena and Nadine travel to Scotland via Lana Ferguson’s UNDER LOCH AND KEY. Yes, the Loch Ness Monster is a man in this one, and yes, that is predictably disappointing to us. But hey, at least there’s some fun monster sex! Talking points include:...
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Episode 21: Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
Holiday magic is in the air this week as Nadine and Lena return to the first author they read for this podcast, Tessa Bailey, and dive into her holiday rom-com WRECK THE HALLS. Were we too harsh on Tessa in episode one? Have our standards been lowered after plumbing the depths of Kindle Unlimited...
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Episode 20: A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Welcome to Eloraton, NY, where the burgers are always slightly burnt, it rains in the afternoon, and there’s a moody stranger with ~minty green eyes~ ready to charm his way into your heart. This week, Lena and Nadine dove into A NOVEL LOVE STORY by Ashley Poston, where our heroine takes a wrong...
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Episode 19: A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne
If you’re looking for a book that will really scare you this week, look no further—Opal Reyne’s A SOUL TO KEEP has all kinds of frights up its sleeve, like almost comically poor writing and a heroine who thinks reading is boring. Oh, that’s not the kind of spooky season fright you were looking…
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Episode 18: Bride by Ali Hazelwood
You do KNOT want to miss our latest episode, where we dive into Ali Hazelwood’s latest best-seller and first foray into paranormal romance, BRIDE. (Don’t worry, everyone—there are still plenty of petite girlboss women in STEM to go around.) This book has it all: cringe one-liners! Evil villain...
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Episode 17: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
We’re back! We’re 💍 ENGAGED! 💍And we’re diving into the highly requested oeuvre of Emily Henry with People We Meet on Vacation, a friends-to-lovers romance that your favorite friends-to-lovers lesbian couple was probably primed to enjoy. Talking points include: justice for Sarah, I’m not like...
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Episode 16: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is… a horny 20 year old! Join Lena and Nadine as they unpack the romantasy sensation that took TikTok and the NYT bestseller list by storm. Talking points include: Tall Dark and Shadow-Wielding, Rebecca Doesn’t Know What a...
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Episode 15: Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau
Ready, set, bake! Lena and Nadine read their first baking romance of the podcast for this episode, and it’s a little… undercooked. Tune in for matcha tiramisu, conversations about representation and diversity in the romance world and beyond, and a shocking revelation about Lena’s late-night...
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Episode 14: Rules for Heiresses by Amalie Howard
Good day, lords and ladies… in this episode, Lena and Nadine dive into their first true historical romance novel of the pod, complete with a classic bodice-ripper style cover, high-class Victorian English slang, and an unsurprising but still disappointing dearth of respect for women. Could a...
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Episode 13: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon
Things get a little spoooooky as Lena and Nadine discuss A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor, a gothic Victorian monsterf*cker romance! (Or, maybe it’s just straight up erotica. You decide!) Ever look at a guy and think, “Man, I wish he had some fur or, like, a super weird penis”? If yes, you’ll be 100%...
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Episode 12: A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday
Ho ho ho! Merry January 21st! Lena and Nadine read A Princess for Christmas like a week too late to begin with, and then Lena got COVID and everything got annoying but we're back now. Ever wished Hallmark movies had more dirty talk? Love yourself some good Bronx people? Have you read no less than...
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Episode 11: Wildfire by Hannah Grace
Uuuuuuugh. On this episode, Lena and Nadine read one of the Goodreads Choice Award nominees for Best Romance of 2023. That book is "Wildfire" by Hannah Grace, a 400-page cautionary tale about the hubris of the publishing industry and the dangers of skipping English class. Are we being too harsh?...
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Episode 10: Priest by Sierra Simone
As a heads up, we discuss sexual violence in this episode. Today on the pod, Lena and Nadine go toe to toe with a misogynistic priest who almost minored in Women's Studies, Catholic implements are used in ways they never should be used, and Lena gets just plain mad. Was Sierra Simone possessed by…
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Episode 9: A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager
We try to get the real romantasy experience with a niche KU title, A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager. Nadine hates the lack of detail, Lena is glad not to have to deal with lore, Kat (our heroine) is a deeply ambiguous trama queen, and Bastian (our hero) is such a gentleman we never even see his...
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Episode 8: Neon Gods by Katee Robert
Gird your loins for another surprise weekday episode, a.k.a. EPISODE 8, where Lena and Nadine...actually...really like???? The book???? For the first time???? What is HAPPENING?! If you thought the book that would get us would be poorly-plotted Hades x Persephone smut, that makes one of us!…
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Episode 7: The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn
Thanks for your patience as Lena battled two colds, the New York Film Festival, and a demanding part-time job to get you EPISODE 7, where we encounter a completely unforeseen phenomenon. Also featured in this episode: Lena and Nadine's Therapy Corner; the word "frottage," mispronounced; puppy...
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Episode 6: The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
FYI! This episode discusses infertility. If that's a sensitive topic for you, you may want to skip, even though the discussion is mostly lighthearted. On our latest safari, we encounter yet another Cool Girl, Lena is actually moved to read a straight romance in her free time (!), and our upstairs...
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Episode 5: Pucked by Helena Hunting
Thanks for joining us for this (slightly late — sorry!) episode about Pucked, a hockey romance that is light on both hockey and romance but heavy on creative nicknames for genitalia. We laugh out of joy instead of nervousness in this one, so definitely an upgrade! Here is the Jia Tolentino essay...
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Episode 4: Twisted Love by Ana Huang
If you want to skip some serious talk about dating violence, including stalking and sexual abuse, that discussion takes place from 32:22-1:03:22. Twisted Love is absolutely a book, we absolutely read it, and now, we are absolutely terrified for the female population! Join us for a deeply...
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Episode 3: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
If the publishing industry was a dinosaur, Colleen Hoover was a meteor shower. If the girlies who love basic-ass fiction were a house in Kansas, she was an u n s t o p p a b l e tornado. We had, believe it or not, a borderline-pleasant time reading one of her books. On this glorious day, we're...
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Episode 2: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
In this episode, follow Lena and Nadine down several rabbit holes, including relationship insecurity, the fascination with Kylo Ren, and big ol' schlongs. Thanks, Ali Hazelwood! Many thanks to Deoxys Beats for our intro and outro music, "RedLips." Creative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0...
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Episode 1: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Lena Wilson and Nadine Santoro are gay, in love, and fascinated by contemporary romance novel culture. On their pilot episode, they do their best to unpack the GRUFF STOIC MASCULINE MALE ENERGY at play in Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer. Discussion topics include Luke from Gilmore Girls…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Lena Wilson is a culture critic. Nadine Santoro works in publishing. They're lesbians, they're dating, and they want to explore the world of contemporary heterosexual romance novels. What's the appeal behind this booming new world of major bestsellers and viral indies? Has smut finally gone mainstream? (And more importantly: Is this smut actually good?) Do women really want guys who will throw them around like rag dolls?All this and more on everyone's favorite gay podcast about straight romance, THINKING STRAIGHT!
HOSTED BY
Lena Wilson and Nadine Santoro
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Thinking Straight have?
Thinking Straight currently has 26 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Thinking Straight about?
Lena Wilson is a culture critic. Nadine Santoro works in publishing. They're lesbians, they're dating, and they want to explore the world of contemporary heterosexual romance novels. What's the appeal behind this booming new world of major bestsellers and viral indies? Has smut finally gone...
How often does Thinking Straight release new episodes?
Thinking Straight has 26 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Thinking Straight?
You can listen to Thinking Straight on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Thinking Straight?
Thinking Straight is created and hosted by Lena Wilson and Nadine Santoro.
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