In between listening to audiobooks, I often enjoy listening to various bookish podcasts! Podcasts are a great medium to consume information, and they often feel almost like a social experience because the hosts are talking to each other as well as to you.
Here are four podcasts that I think any romance novel lover will enjoy:
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. If you purchase anything through them, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
1. Read It Or List It
This podcast is hosted by Phoebe Wright (@readandwright) and Ashley Chandler (@_shelflove_). They also have an Instagram account for the podcast @readitorlistitpod.
What I love about this podcast is that they have both chit-chat episodes that are just the two ladies discussing a topic, as well as interviews with some AMAZING authors! They also tend to be shorter episodes (around half an hour) which is perfect to listen to during certain tasks.
They have both spoiler-free and spoiler-full episodes where they discuss certain books and series, so you can decide which to listen to based on if you’ve read the books yet or not. For example, if you haven’t yet read the hit series A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, you can listen to a spoiler-free book review, but if you have read them, you might enjoy the full spoiler discussion. I also enjoyed the spoiler-free and spoiler discussions of the Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy.
Favorite episodes:
- S 1 ep. 15 & S2 ep. 12 – author Interviews with Lyssa Kay Adams. If you haven’t read the Bromance Bookclub series, what are you actually doing with your life? Get on it, then listen to these episodes!
- S2 ep. 36 – author interview with Emily Henry. They discuss the two books she had out at the time – Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.
- S2 ep. 16 & S3 ep. 3 – author interviews with Denise Williams. The first discusses her debut How To Fail At Flirting (which was a five star read for me!) and the second focuses more on her sophomore novel The Fastest Way To Fall.
- S3 ep. 6 – author interview with Tessa Bailey. They discussed her career as a hybrid author (both traditionally and self-published) and her most recent release at the time, Window Shopping, as well as her being “the Michelangelo of dirty talk” according to EW.
2. Between The Sheets
This is a newer podcast as of when I’m writing this, but it has been very entertaining so far! It is hosted by two lifestyle/fashion/book bloggers (@withlovedac & @litpls). Podcast instagram: @kdbetweenthesheets.
Denise and Kels have both wine and coffee chats where they discuss romance books as well as their personal experiences with romance. It appears they will have author interviews as well (episode 3 features Sophie Lark and her husband).
Favorite episodes:
- Ep. 1 – Captive for 45 Days…DTF? – this episode discusses The War of Two Queens – the fourth installment in the From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, hilariously recapping the unrealistic circumstances the main characters found themselves in.
- Ep. 4 – The Worst Tropes – this is a fun episode discussing the hosts’ favorite and least favorite tropes!
3. Holy Ship
This podcast is hosted by two “exvangelicals” @esther.reads and @reahdingrainbow. Podcast Instagram: @holyshipromance. They discuss popular romance novels as well as periodically have Wednesday Night chats about faith, the church, deconstruction, etc. It also appears they may have some author interviews, as a recent episode features Ruby Barrett.
Favorite episodes:
- Electric Idol by Katee Robert – so many of the books featured on this podcast are still on my TBR, so I was psyched to listen to this one just after reading Electric Idol! It happened to be a book the hosts had different opinions on, which was fun to listen to.
- The One For Valentine’s Day – This was a fun one because each host brought recommendations for various tropes and themes. It also added so many books to my TBR!
4. No Smut Shaming
This podcast is hosted by two friends, Kristen and Crystal. Podcast Instagram: @nosmutshaming. Most of their episodes are on individual romance novels, but they also have some fun wrap-ups and “awards” episodes!
I also highly recommend following their Instagram for their hottie of the day stories 😉
Favorite episodes:
- S1 ep. 21 & S2 ep. 21 – No Smut Shaming Awards Episodes – I love these awards episodes they wrap up their seasons with! They pick categories and then award first, second, and third place books for each. Watch out – these episodes will grow your TBR exponentially!
- S2 ep. 17 – Ice Plant Barbarians by Ruby Dixon – this was a fun episode because the book is so heinous, so the banter was hysterical! (Ice Planet Barbarians is a super fun series of sci-fi alien romance!)
5. Boobies & Noobies
This is one of the only shows on this list with a single host versus two co-hosts, but she has a different guest on each episode to discuss individual books, and also does author interviews (called “steamy spotlights”)!
Favorite Episodes:
- Steamy Spotlight Tessa Bailey – I love me some TB, so I enjoyed this interview discussing It Happened One Summer (which was out at the time) and Hook, Line, and Sinker (which had yet to be released)
6. Get Lit With Lianna
Lianna is a bookstagrammer recently turned podcaster. This is another show with a single host, and each episode is an author interview! The episodes run about 45 minutes.
Favorite episodes:
- Get Lit With Amy Lea, author of Set On You – Amy is a bookstagrammer turned recent debut author! They discuss representation in romance novels (such as Asian representation and plus-size representation) and Amy’s writing and publishing journey.
- Get Lit With Abby Jimenez, author of Part Of Your World – a fun discussion with Abby about her background as a cake decorator, progress on The Happy Ever After Playlist becoming a movie, a potential Part Of Your World movie (!), and details about her next book!
7. Novelbound
Described as a “comedy book podcast,” Novelbound discusses everything from individual books, to categories (beach reads, Christmas reads, etc.), to general chit chat. Podcast Instagram: @novelboundpodcast. They have some particularly entertaining reels!
Favorite Episodes:
- BLOOM Writing: Self Publishing And The Art Of Romance with Sarah Adams! – As a self-published romance author, I enjoyed this discussion with Sarah Adams, a self-published, recently turned hybrid, author!
8. Fated Mates
I feel like Fated Mates is the OG romance podcast, and its co-hosted by bestselling author Sarah MacLean!
Favorite episodes:
- S4 ep. 22 – Sarah J. Maas on Sailor Moon, Sex, and Second Books – Sarah is the author of the super popular A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City novels. They discuss her evolution from writing YA to NA, including sex scenes in her books, and more!
There are plenty more podcasts out there about romance novels! If you’ve got a favorite, drop it in the comments below 🙂
Boobies & Noobies is GREAT. I also love Under the Covers which is a single host as well!
I will definitely check it out!!