{"podcast":{"title":"What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads","slug":"what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873","podcast_index_feed_id":9873,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/whattoreadnext/","website_url":"http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/f7acd6df-7bd5-4b9f-bdcd-cc1c6c790629/4osSDj37v6rAcBIBBysi07ET.png","author":"Laura R Yamin","episode_count":928,"summary":"You know you want to read. You just don't know what. What to Read Next is the podcast for readers who love romance, thrillers, and women's fiction — and spend more time staring at their TBR than actually reading it. I'm Laura, and twice a week I bring you book recommendations built around one thing: how you actually feel right now. Not what's new. Not what's trending. The right book for this exact mood, this exact moment, this exact week of your life. Some weeks that means asking an author what they read for joy — not what they wrote, but what they reach for when they need to escape. Their answer is always your next discovery. Some weeks it means me telling you exactly what I read, what stayed with me, what I DNF'd at 40% and why, and which one I'd press into your hands right now if we were having coffee. Romance across every subgenre. Psychological thrillers. Beach reads with actual substance. Women's fiction that makes you feel seen. The books that give you the escape you came for — and a few that'll quietly change how you see things too. New episodes every Monday and Wednesday. The Reading Receipt — my weekly reading log — drops every Thursday on Substack. Start anywhere. The r…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T20:17:08.396085+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873"},"episode":{"title":"Romance, Sisterhood and How Simi Got Her Groom Back with Sonali Dev","slug":"romance-sisterhood-and-how-simi-got-her-groom-back-with-sonali-dev","published_at":"2026-03-23T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/romance-sisterhood-and-how-simi-got-her-groom-back-with-sonali-dev","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873","url":"http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/1776b571-e038-4c9a-802a-747118d5f8ac.mp3","summary":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when romance meets real life—immigration, identity, and the courage to choose joy anyway? In this episode, I sit down with Sonali Dev to talk about her latest novel How Simi Got Her Groom Back —a deeply emotional story about sisterhood, love, and what it really means to belong. We dive into the themes behind the book (including immigration and chosen family), plus a powerful conversation about romance as a tool for healing, self-worth, and rewriting the rules we’ve been given. If you love romance with depth, second chances, and stories that make you feel something real—this episode is for you. 📚 Books Mentioned How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction The Caste and the Star by Leylah Attar — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance / Second Chance Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai — Buy on Amazon | Romantic Comedy / Second Chance / Heist Romance ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome back Sonali Dev 01:00 – Behind the scenes of her latest book release 03:00 – Writing process & juggling multiple books 04:30 – What How Simi Got Her Groom Back is about 06:30 – Immigration, legality vs. morality, and storytelling 08:00 – Why joy is an act of rebellion 10:00 – How books build empathy 11:00 – Romance novels and self-worth 13:30 – Raising your standards in love & life 15:00 – Choosing joy in everyday decisions 17:00 – Visibility, bravery, and showing up authentically 19:30 – What Sonali loves to read 21:30 – Reading across genres vs. sticking to romance 24:00 – Book rec: The Caste and the Star 27:00 – Book rec: Partners in Crime 30:00 – Where to find Sonali Dev Join the Conversation Subscribe to our Substack for…","meta_description":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when romance meets real life—immigrati…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1937,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/episodes/romance-sisterhood-and-how-simi-got-her-groom-back-with-sonali-dev/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/romance-sisterhood-and-how-simi-got-her-groom-back-with-sonali-dev.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}