{"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":"The Angsty Romance You Need This Year | The Write Off by Kara McDowell","slug":"the-angsty-romance-you-need-this-year-the-write-off-by-kara-mcdowell","published_at":"2026-04-11T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/the-angsty-romance-you-need-this-year-the-write-off-by-kara-mcdowell","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/0cd65468-f1de-4327-acdd-aa79006a30e6.mp3","summary":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when the one that got away becomes the inspiration for your bestselling book boyfriend… and then walks back into your life? In this episode, I sit down with Kara McDowell to talk about her latest novel, The Write-Off —a second chance romance packed with college nostalgia, writer drama, and all the angst we love. We dive into dual timelines, messy twenties, and why sometimes love only works the second time around. We also chat about balancing writing and motherhood, the “glass vs. plastic balls” metaphor for life, and Kara shares her favorite contemporary romance reads right now. 📚 Books Mentioned The Write-Off by Kara McDowell — Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Sophie Cousens — Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center — Romantic Comedy | Audio ✅ Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood — Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia — Small Town Romance | Audio ✅ Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb — Contemporary Romance | Audio ✅ ⏱️ Time Stamps [00:00] – Meet Kara McDowell & writing from the sidelines [01:00] – Balancing writing, motherhood & deadlines [02:00] – The “glass vs. plastic balls” life metaphor [03:00] – Inside The Write-Off (plot + inspiration) [05:00] – Book boyfriend inspired by real life [06:00] – Why second chance romance hits differently [07:00] – College vs adult love stories [08:00] – Kara’s reading habits & favorite genres [09:00] – Is She Really Going Out With Him? rec [10:00] – Why The Rom-Commers is a perfect romcom [12:00] – Ali Hazelwood & dual timeline romance [14:00] – Cozy small-town vibes in If It Makes You Happy [17:00]…","meta_description":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when the one that got away becomes the…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1143,"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/the-angsty-romance-you-need-this-year-the-write-off-by-kara-mcdowell/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/the-angsty-romance-you-need-this-year-the-write-off-by-kara-mcdowell.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}