Entertainment
7 Romance Novels That Pair Perfectly With Hit Podcasts Like Normal Gossip and Las Culturistas (Exclusive)
I love romance novels, first and foremost, for the characters. Falling in love is one of the most healing and vulnerable experiences a person can have, and getting to follow two or more realistically rendered characters through that experience is my greatest literary pleasure. The characters, not the tropes or the premise or the plot, are where I start with my own work, and I fill in the rest from there.
I also love podcasts, believe it or not, for many of the same reasons. There are many different media through which I could get my cultural commentary, literary analysis or news. But what I keep coming back to is the medium where the hosts present their ideas or stories or research to us, longform, through our headphones. Where we can hear them laugh and banter and change intonation to get their point across. Where we can form parasocial attachments to the sliver of their personalities that they present.
It was natural for my hidden identity/in love online romance novel to surround a podcaster and her producer. Because in listening to and editing Yael’s podcast episodes on top of the hours that he spends emailing with her, Ravi gets to know another part of her, and it helps him fall for her all the more easily.
So here is my pitch to you: if you listen to podcasts primarily because you love the host(s), I think you should give romance novels a try. I’ve picked out a few to get you started.
Las Culturistas x ‘The View Was Exhausting’ by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta and ‘Some Kind of Famous’ by Ava Wilder
You fell for Bowen and Matt because of their wit, and you love to think critically about popular culture at the same time as you indulge in it.
These are two of my all-time favorite celebrity romances for their sharp commentary alongside the immersive dream of jetting about as a famous actress with your model fake boyfriend or buying a gorgeous house in a small town with the money you made as a rockstar, only to find yourself falling for the local handyman.
5-4 x ‘Triple Sec’ by TJ Alexander
You know that sometimes three isn’t a crowd. Rihannon, Michael and Peter each bring something different to the table — every time an episode is missing one of them, it just isn’t the same. And romance doesn’t have to be between only two characters! TJ Alexander’s voice always sparkles, and Mel, Bebe and Kade’s varying degrees of optimism about love strike the perfect balance.
Maintenance Phase x ‘August Lane’ by Regina Black
You love how committed to thorough research Aubrey and Michael are, and find comfort in the way they manage to gently craft upsetting topics into a highly listenable, often hopeful package. That’s exactly what Regina Black does in August Lane — dig through the complexities of being Black in the country music scene with care and precision. This is the podcast that got me into podcasts, and I think this is a romance novel that could win over even the most steadfast literary fiction fanatic.
Normal Gossip x ‘Mistakes Were Made’ by Meryl Wilsner
If you can’t believe how Kelsey, and now Rachelle, manage to have crackling chemistry with each and every guest host, I know you’ll love a one-night-stand-to-lovers romance. And face it, you listen because you love mess. The moment when Cassie realizes the hot older woman she slept with was actually her best friend’s mom? Classic Normal Gossip jaw-drop.
Into It with Sam Sanders x ‘When I Think of You’ by Myah Ariel
You love sinking into Sam’s dreamy, calming voice, you love pop culture and you definitely love a second chance. Myah Ariel’s romance about a woman who wants to be a filmmaker becoming the assistant to her former flame who is now a famous director has a dreamy voice, Hollywood and second chances in spades.
If Books Could Kill x ‘Isn’t It Obvious?’
Maybe it’s the witty back-and-forth between a cynical optimist (Michael) and a flat-out cynic (Peter) that draws you in, or maybe it’s the cutting reviews of popular nonfiction books that make you laugh and self-reflect. Regardless, Isn’t It Obvious? will have something for you. Yael and Ravi have plenty of banter as they butt heads in real life, while their alter egos, Elle and Kevin, fall in love online. And while the tone is different, Yael’s fictional podcast also critiques the conservative ethos of popular books.
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