Silvana Reyes (00:00:26)

Hello!

Kate Marope (00:00:28)

Hi! So I’m super excited to have you on the podcast because one of the things I really wanted to have was a reviewer or a book influencer come on because I think we always talk to authors, as editors, about, you know, really like, you know, communicating a message to a reader but then like we never get the reader’s side or the reaction other than reviews and most authors are like, I don’t do those! 

Silvana Reyes (00:01:53)

Yeah. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:01:53)

So I thought it’d be really interesting to see a different perspective of, are the messages that authors are trying to send through coming across? 

Let’s start with the heavy stuff first: what is a book that came out or what books have come out this quarter that you were like super excited to read based on the back cover copy or like book cover, and then you got into it and you were like, this is not what you sold me.

Silvana Reyes (00:02:17)

Yeah. So the first one, look, I usually read books that I know I’m going to enjoy. I’m very picky in that way. Like unless it has very good reviews or trusted friends and bloggers say it’s really good, I’m not going to pick it up. But if I’m like on the fence about a detail, I leave it on my TBR. So I’m very picky in that way. But if a book has a favorite trope of mine, especially like accidental pregnancy, that we, like, I don’t, I don’t see a lot of them, I don’t know, in my feed or anything so every time it comes up, I’m like, yes, and I grab it. 

So one book that I instantly grabbed, and I, I saw the Goodreads, the Goodreads reviews and they were really, really good, so I was like, okay, everything is looking up, everything’s looking nice, this is going to be a ride. It was, um, Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. It was, uh, a NetGalley, so I think it was a Read Now, so I didn’t need to request and wait. So I instantly like started reading it. 

But everything that said, that it was said in the synopsis, it just didn’t like, got to me, it didn’t deliver in that way. So basically, if I remember correctly, because I DNFed it, I DNFed it because I couldn’t get past more. It was like kind of boring to me, too, so I was like, I, I have too many books in my TBR to keep reading a book that is boring. <laughs> 

So I think it’s about a girl, um, who wants to get pregnant, but she, I think, she doesn’t have any boyfriend or any partner who she is with, so she’s gonna do it alone. She’s gonna do it alone, so yeah. But she has her brother’s best friend or something like that, and he has kind of been around her since childhood so they have kinda a back-and-forth, I think, and yeah, she kinda asked him if he wants to be the father of her baby. But he doesn’t need to be involved or anything, she just needs his sperm, and he’s kinda like, what? What are you talking about? <laughs> But kinda gets into the idea, and he says yes.

But what didn’t work for me, like I was very confused because yes, he is the hero. But you don’t get this until like 20-something percent into the book, and you get like another love interest, and I’m like, this is, this wasn’t in the synopsis so is this book lying to me? So I was very confused, and I didn’t like that there was another guy that she liked because he wasn’t the love interest, then why are, why is the author making us vibe with the other guy if he isn’t, you know? So I was like very displeased about that, so I DNFed it. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:05:26)

Okay, so I also read this book, and I got to like the 67% mark. I think the main issue that I had was– The first thing that occurred to me was first of all, in the back cover copy, it says she has a loving family. Her mom was so horrible– 

Silvana Reyes (00:05:44)

Was so horrible.

Kate Marope (00:05:45)

–the whole entire time! Like okay, so for people listening, um, the heroine has like extreme endometriosis, I think was the issue and–

Silvana Reyes (00:05:56)

Mmhmm.

Kate Marope (00:05:56)

–um, so, she has a, she was thought to be completely infertile and so that was part of the reason why she got divorced like after a 10-year marriage to this guy who also seems very horrible, um–

Silvana Reyes (00:06:13)

Yeah.

Kate Marope (00:06:13)

–and he was cheating on her or something and she like walked in on him cheating on her in her own bed and like that was the end of the thing. So part of the reason she wanted to have a baby was like, I’ve been living for other people and what I really want is somebody who I can pour love and affection into, and then they will love and, you know, give me love in return, too, like it’s like no more one-way relationships. 

But my thing was, the way she went about asking Josh about how to have the baby was like the rudest thing ever.

Silvana Reyes (00:06:45)

Yeah. 

Kate Marope (00:06:46)

And like his reaction was very much the same, right? Like he’s like, I am not a stud in a breeding stable! And I was like, yeah, that’s– And like you say, he’s been around, and she treats him like a lamp that’s been around.

Silvana Reyes (00:07:00)

Yeah. 

Kate Marope (00:07:00)

And I think that’s part of the why, like the romance really wasn’t taking off–

Silvana Reyes (00:07:06)

Yeah.

Kate Marope (00:07:07)

–and like you said, there was also the boss/love interest who was also very concerning, was weird in so many different ways.

Silvana Reyes (00:07:18)

<laughs> He was so weird! Also, I remember that he became interested in her when she did like the video call, that meeting, and she was like in her bra–

Kate Marope (00:07:29)

Bra!

Silvana Reyes (00:07:29)

–and panties, and he instantly became interested. Before that, there was no interest and now, there’s interest, so it was a very weird type of book. It was like every step was not helping. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:07:43)

I mean like, okay, I get that she works for like a self-help guru, and he’s always like spitting the quotes or whatever. But like, that was it. I’m like, do you guys do anything but just repeat the same quotes over and over again? One, two–

Silvana Reyes (00:07:58)

And she kept repeating them! <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:08:00)

She just kept repeating them! I’m like, does this actually mean something to you or like, and it was supposed to be like he was the self-help guru who helped her after the depression of like finding that her husband cheated on her, so I was just like, is there some weird hero worship going on? Why are you in this weird relationship? Especially because he like didn’t seem very interested in her other than when they were sleeping together, which was also like why are you exchanging one toxic relationship for another? Yeah, no. And then like when it came to her having a baby, the doctor was also exceedingly disrespectful.

Silvana Reyes (00:08:35)

<laughs> I think it was the first, um, doctor appointment with Josh and Gemma, and I was like, no, yeah, no, bye. Like I said, I DNFed at like 20-something. I was like, I’m out. 

Kate Marope (00:08:47)

Like, he was just oof. Like, I was triggered. I don’t have fertility issues, but I was triggered on everybody else’s behalf. Just like reading the way other people talked about it. And I’m not saying that in real life people aren’t shitty, okay? Like you will find the best bad people out there but like, it was coming mostly from her family members and they were like sharing that personal information about her to everybody and their uncle, and like her mom’s best friend was like telling her son to pity date her. And it was just, it was just, there was a lot of, it was not romantic. 

Silvana Reyes (00:09:27)

Yes.

Kate Marope (00:09:27)

I would put it that way. The book was exceedingly not romantic. Of course, I DNFed at the point where she’s like gone on like a Valentine’s Day date with skeevy boss, and they run into Josh while he’s getting pizza or something. And like, Josh’s dad is dying and like, um, skeevy boss apparently stole Josh’s like quotes and that’s how he made his self-help guru empire. 

So it also felt really creepy because it felt like he was like revenge-fucking the heroine because he was getting back at like Mark Zuckerberg-ing the like, Josh. And I was just like, that’s a whole lot of drama and also, Gemma was like a little selfish ‘cause she had known nothing about what was going on in Josh’s life. I was like, that’s uh, like sleeping with your best, your brother’s best friend’s nemesis when he comes to every cookout, I’m like, he didn’t talk about this dude once? Like once? 

Silvana Reyes (00:10:27)

Yeah. Oh my god, didn’t know anything about that. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:10:31)

I could not handle the stress. I was like, you know what? No. No. Because I was, I was quite interested, like you were saying, because the boss is very much there as her current love interest for like, for a good chunk of the book. I mean like, 60% is like most of the book. I was curious to see how they would cement or like land the HEA, and I was just like, at that point, I don’t care. This dude has too many problems. Your dad is dying and you’re wasting your time on this heroine, please stop. Like go find yourself somebody who will actually love you, sir, because he’s been pining since like– and she lost her virginity to Josh, right? 

Silvana Reyes (00:11:10)

Yes, right.

Kate Marope (00:11:11)

Like when they were in high school or something. So he’s been pining for at least a decade.

Silvana Reyes (00:11:15)

<laughs> Oh, it was awful. Like, no. <laughs> There was like, all the ingredients for a perfect romance were there but they just didn’t mix up good together. Like, no. <laughs> 

That’s a bummer, then. It’s just, like I, I don’t understand because I went into Goodreads to see like what everyone was saying about it before I read it and everyone is lovin’ it.

Kate Marope (00:11:42)

<laughs> “It’s fantastic!” Oh, yeah. But aren’t, like sometimes reviews are like that. 

Silvana Reyes (00:11:48)

Yeah. Maybe the readers just wanted a fun, um, book like with, you know, like there’s that, there are those types of books that just don’t give you anything but they’re fun so you’re like, huh, five stars, I don’t care.

Kate Marope (00:12:03)

I don’t know. I don’t know. And like the more I thought about it, I was like, I really, I really don’t know what just happened there. Bad writing choices. My editor brain just went, bad writing choices.

Silvana Reyes (00:12:18)

<laughs> Oh, man.

Kate Marope (00:12:20)

Okay, so one of the books I read, um, that I was like, ehhhh. Like you said, I kinda was like, the, the, the back cover copy was more interesting, was Meet Me in the Margins. Which is supposed to be about like, um, the publisher heroine, she’s an editor and she wants to like work on her own manuscript, and like she has this secret room in her office where she left her manuscript pages and some secret editor was like writing comments in the margins and they like go have like witty banter in the margins. 

As an editor, I was just like curious to see how editors are portrayed in media because they’re always way more glamorous than what we, we do, and like how we live is not that great. Um, and I think it, again, there was a lot of time spent on other drama that wasn’t furthering the romance and for me, it’s just like okay, let’s, let’s get to the part where they get together or they’re having witty banter in the margins or like, you know, I wanna see where the romance is going. 

And it was very much her, again, she was very much self-centered, you know? She’s like supposed to be like wooing and dining clients and like, she’s like anxiety-shaming this one client who is very anxious and very clearly not meant for this world, and she was like, but I wanna go and eat and food and like, now I have to sit in a torture chamber like in case you wanted to go into like a silence or sensory depravation chamber experience? Which I’m like, that sounds maddening but really freaky. Um, personally, because I don’t do silence well. 

Um, but her reaction to him and like how she was always handling him like, why are you making this man seem like a problem? And there was a lot of attention to that and other drama that I was like, this, this, this is taking too long to get to the romance. 

Silvana Reyes (00:14:11)

Yeah. 

Kate Marope (00:14:12)

Yeah. 

Silvana Reyes (00:14:13)

Yeah, I’m okay, like I love slow burn books but there has to be something. Like maybe the author’s writing is beautiful, and it’s got you. Maybe there’s little moments, little scenes that you know it’s building up, they’re building up a relationship even though they haven’t kissed until like 70% of the novel, you know? 

But there has to be something else aside from like their daily lives because then it gets kinda cyclely and yeah, she wakes up, she goes to sleep, she goes to work, whatever. But there has to be something with the romance. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:14:53)

Absolutely. And now that I’m thinking about it, I think both the books we talked about are single POV books, aren’t they? Like just heroine only?

Silvana Reyes (00:15:02)

Yeah, Gemma, I think–

Kate Marope (00:15:04)

Yeah.

Silvana Reyes (00:15:04)

Josh did not, I don’t think Josh had a POV, right?

Kate Marope (00:15:08)

He did not. But it was well-written from the point of view that you can clearly see that Josh is like pining for her epically, like–

Silvana Reyes (00:15:17)

Yeah.

Kate Marope (00:15:18)

–um, that he was very much like attentive to her, like he pays attention to what she likes to drink, what she likes to eat, and like all these other things that she had no idea like, when it came to him, she was just like, he exists! That’s it. I know that, that’s the only thing I know about him.

Um, but I was thinking of, um, an author who I know who does slow burns really good is Mariana Zapata. And, one of the books, um, the audio for All Rhodes Lead Here came out this year and that was phenomenal. And it is still single POV, heroine’s POV, but yeah, there’s a lot of grumpy, so it’s sunshine-grumpy, so most of the time he’s like growling at her like, what are you doing? How could you? You’re never doing that by yourself! 

But like the whole time, it’s from this very caring point of view and then, he’s also like a single dad, so most of the time, they’re arguing about the kid. Like, you’re a stranger, stay away from my child! And then she’s like, but he has like, a bursting appendix, I’m gonna take him to the hospital! <laughs> And then he’s like, what did you do to my child? She’s like, I just took him to the hospital! And like, it was really cute and like flirty and like, you knew like where the romantic arc was gonna go. Of course she stays at the end. HEA ending and like, the son and the father are like, come to like, get her from wherever. She had just gone to dinner but they thought she was moving out or something, and they’re like, you are moving back, like we do not operate like this, when we have an argument, come back and talk about it! 

It was super cute and super like adorable, so yeah.

Silvana Reyes (00:16:52)

<laughs> Yeah, there were some, I love some single POV. My favorite authors like Sarah Hogle writes only single, like You Deserve Each Other, Twice Shy, and Just Like Magic, are single POV. But you know, you know like, she does it so well and you know that the hero pines for her so hard even though you, you know nothing about him. Like you know, you don’t know what he’s thinking, you don’t know anything.

Also, Emily Henry does single POV and oh my god, her books like just completely get me. Like I read her, um, upcoming one, Book Lovers, and oh my god, it’s also like, I think the heroine is, uh, oh, is she a book publicist? Maybe. And the hero is a book editor, I think so, and they hate each other but they kind of have like a little something, and it’s so cute. And I remember it because you said like, the Meet Me in the Margins, and they write notes in the margins, and they do that in this one but like under Documents, Google, under Google Docs, they’re like, this is awful, change it, and they start bantering in the margins. It’s super cute.

But yeah, like, I love those two authors who constantly– Ali Hazelwood also writes single POV books and I just, I love those three authors so much and even though I love a dual POV because I love knowing the hero completely adores the heroine, I’m okay with them. Like, I know what they’re doing, and I know they will deliver, like I trust them with my life. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:18:30)

I love that. 

So speaking of trends and like kind of what we’re seeing, ‘cause I’ve noticed since like The Hating Game movie come, came out, um, there’s been like a resurgence of like enemies-to-lovers or adversaries-to-lovers. Um, what kind of set-ups would you like to see in books going forward? Just like pop culture-wise or just in general?

Silvana Reyes (00:18:57)

Like, I absolutely adore like when they hate each other but they know each other online, and they like each other online but they hate each other in real life. And they don’t know they are each other online. So I call it the You’ve Got Mail trope, right? Because if you know the movie, they know, I think they email each other through their AOL account but they are competing, I think she has like a small indie bookstore or something, and he is like the heir of a bookstore chain, a gigantic bookstore chain, and yeah. 

But this one’s like, I adore that because it creates so much tension, and you, you know that they already like each other but because they, they met, mesh together online, you see that they have so much in common. But they, in real life, they don’t, they don’t get the opportunity to show their inner selves a lot. So the other one’s like, you’re awful, you’re mean, but it’s just the surface. Like their protective wall. So it’s great, it’s fun, and I love seeing how they like get in their, underneath when it comes to the love confession or something. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:20:18)

Oh my god, you saying that like, that was like one of my favorite like, um, fan fiction tropes. What’s gonna happen when they figure it, like when they find out? And it was like, yeah, that does work really, really cutely, actually.

Silvana Reyes (00:20:35)

Yes, I recently one. It’s, uh, Orbit book, like a fantasy romance. I, I, I was very impressed because it has a lot of romance. It’s called The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, and it’s like, uh, it’s like if Courtney Milan meets Zombielandin a book like, wow, it’s incredible, and they hate each other. It’s an undertaker and like, a marshall who kills these zombie-like creatures, and they hate each other since their first meeting, okay? So, one, I think four years pass and whatever, and he’s like very, a very lonely person, so he doesn’t have many friends. He doesn’t have friends, to be honest, but he writes a letter, and he puts, ‘Dear Friend,” and sends it, but he, he doesn’t put like, to someone for someone. But it, it’s magical, I guess because somehow, some way, she gets the letter but she doesn’t know who sent it either, but it has ‘Dear Friend,’ so she’s like, oh. She doesn’t have friends, a lot of friends either, so they get into this pen, anonymous pen pal situation.

But still, they hate each other in real life, but it’s so cute. Like, they just pour their emotions in these letters, and you’re like, awww, yes, please tell each other. I know it’s going to be bad the first time they tell each other because it’s like, you were lying, and you know that it’s coming, you know it’s coming, the you’re lying, you didn’t tell me, why didn’t you tell me? But then everything gets back. <laughs> That’s the good thing about romance, you get that HEA.

Kate Marope (00:22:11)

And sometimes, it’s like the best thing ever and what I’ve really been enjoying is like the no longer having the couple split apart towards the end of the book in like that third act black moment, where it’s like for some reason, I will like conflictually say, I don’t want you even though I am totally in love with you, and that makes no fuckin’ sense. Um, yeah, I’m glad that we’re moving away from that ‘cause yeah, less stress, and it’s just like, yeah, people– I think it’s indicative of the fact that people are now accepting that they’re worthy of love. And like before, we were like, we have to earn it, but now it’s just like, if I’ve got a good thing going, I’m just gonna continue going with it and like lock it in. I wanna get married, I wanna have kids, whatever like that HEA ending looks for you is like let’s keep going with that. And so like, that’s one of like the things I’ve liked reading most like these days is like that couple.

Of course, sometimes like external situations will be like, but you can’t stay together because somebody else got a job or like whatever. Um, but like when the characters have made that decision or like committed to the HEA, and I’m like, yeah, that’s really sweet. I’d love to see more books.

Silvana Reyes (00:23:22)

Yeah, I love that. I love both. Like I don’t, I love everything, so I understand who, the people who love the no black moment and the people who love the angsty, miscommunication trope, right? Because I love angst, and I love that it takes a while for them to like forgive each other, and I love that. If one of them is, was wrong, to be like–

Kate Marope (00:23:47)

The grovel.

Silvana Reyes (00:23:47)

–begging for their love.

Kate Marope (00:23:49)

The grovel!

Silvana Reyes (00:23:49)

Yeah, the grovel. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:23:50)

It’s the best part!

Silvana Reyes (00:23:51)

It’s the best. Oh my god, I just read like, Twisted Love by Ana Huang, and it has, it has a grovel scene that takes a year. It actually takes a year for him, for her to forgive him. And he like, she moves to London, and he follows her but they broke up. She hasn’t forgiven him yet. But he stays there, and he’s like, I’m not going to go until you like forgive me, and I’m so, he’s so sorry, like you can see him, but, you can see it, but like, he, he was wrong. <laughs> But it was so nice, and he took a year, and she’s like, oh my god, you spent a year here with me. You, you, and he, I think he left his job, too, because, for her.

Kate Marope (00:24:35)

That is a commitment right there. He said, I am going to win this girl back.

Silvana Reyes (00:24:40)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was, I was reading it, and I was like, why have you been here, you’ve been there a year? And yeah, he was nice. He is very, he is very mysterious and has a lot of secrets, that’s why she didn’t forgive him at first, but he was really a nice hero. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:24:50)

So what other books have you read that came up this quarter that you were like, this, this is what I was promised and this is so enjoyable?

Silvana Reyes (00:25:07)

Mmm, I absolutely adore, um, Made in Manhattan by Lauren Layne. And I’m a huge Lauren Layne fan but I have noticed that she has gone a little bit on the women’s fiction side of the romance community. Um, but I, I, I just love her, though. I don’t care if there is no steam or anything, or at least closed door, I don’t care. If, um, if I get like a good romance story, um, I’m game. So this one delivered. Like it had the My Fair Lady reversed because I think she is supposed to like do a makeover on him because he is, um, just coming into New York City, and he’s supposed to be like the heir to this, um, company, and he didn’t live in New York City, he doesn’t know how New York City comm, um, society works. 

So her grandma’s best friend is like the owner of this company, or like the CEO, and she is also like an old lady, and they’re best friends, like the heroine and the old lady. And the, the woman tells her to be, like a favor, please do this for me so he can like be ready for the job. And she’s like, okay, I’ll do it but they just don’t, don’t go into the right foot in the beginning, they just continue, continuously bicker around. 

And that book gave me what it said it was going to give me, like I’m so pleased about that book. Like everything, it was angsty, it was like, it had jealousy scenes, like it has a slow burn, it does have slow burn and they, there’s some tension and there’s some kisses but they, they just, oh forget about it, we shouldn’t have done this, and I’m like, okay. <laughs> I love those, I love those pieces like, because they, they obviously won’t forget about them, and it creates more tension.

And yeah, to be honest, Made in Manhattan was a really, really good book.

Kate Marope (00:27:25)

What I liked about that book was that first of all, like, the relationship between the heroine and the grandma. First of all, that dynamic was hilarious ‘cause she’s like almost like her personal assistant but not quite but like they haven’t said, we’re family, to each other yet. So the entire time it’s like, I have this weird, awkward relationship with this lady who I would die for, um, and that’s like why she does the makeover in the first place. 

But like, the hero just reminded me of Mr. Abernathy from, um, Bones. Maybe I’m dating myself. <laughs>

Silvana Reyes (00:27:55)

<laughs>

Kate Marope (00:27:56)

But like—

Silvana Reyes (00:27:57)

I think I’ve never, never seen Bones.

Kate Marope (00:28:01)

Okay, so maybe it won’t make sense to you but like, he’s from, he’s from New Orleans, and he has like the accent and the long hair and like, he’s super smart but like, he’s quiet and assessing. Like the whole time, he was giving me Mr. Abernathy vibes, and I was just like, you know what, I don’t hate it. Especially like in the kind of hero where like normally they’re like, all very beige, um, like, and that was a good example, too, of a book that has a heroine in an established relationship but it doesn’t take over or impede the romantic arc, in a way.

Silvana Reyes (00:28:36)

Yes.

Kate Marope (00:28:36)

Because her relationship with, what was his name, Ethan? Something? Something, I don’t know, guy wasn’t around on page that much. 

Silvana Reyes (00:28:45)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Kate Marope (00:28:47)

But like, she was very like, yeah, it’s boring, we’re in a situation-ship. We kinda just are comfortable and existing, there was nothing sexy about that at all. It was very clear that she was just like, eh towards him the entire time.

Silvana Reyes (00:29:01)

Yeah, because I love that she was like following the right steps toward what she was like used to live in New York, so she was like, okay, I’m gonna marry a good guy who is going to become a CEO maybe, someday. Okay, I’m gonna do parties that I don’t enjoy, I’m gonna do this, then ehh, it’s okay, but I have to do it, I have to dress some way, so it was great to see this guy come into his, her life and just change it completely. And kinda show her that there’s more to life than just like a list of things to do to live comfortably. 

I guess, yeah, there’s nothing wrong that people follow a list to live comfortably. Everyone wants to do that. But I understand like also wanting to have something to live for.

Kate Marope (00:29:54)

Yeah, and I like that exchange between them. She was like, I will show you what this world looks like, but he also showed her like living life with passion and being able to say no. ‘Cause I think that was one of her things was that she was alway acquiescing to people’s requests of her like, anybody could say, and she would always be very polite about it, even in, even though inside she was like, I don’t wanna do it, or you know, I would, I have some choice words for you right now but I’m a lady so I’m not gonna say it.

But like by the end, she’s saying everything, right? Like she’s like, no, I think you’re all assholes for asking him–

Silvana Reyes (00:30:28)

<laughs>

Kate Marope (00:30:28)

–to cut his hair. And like, by that time, she’s like–

Silvana Reyes (00:30:30)

Awwww!

Kate Marope (00:30:30)

–bawling her eyes out after he cut his hair. And I was like–

Silvana Reyes (00:30:35)

I was crying, too, like, I didn’t, you know, I don’t like a lot of long-haired, um, um, heroes and I guess if they’re written nicely, like I, like I fall in love with them but I, I like guys with short hair. But this one, I was like mad that he cut his hair. <laughs> I was just like her, like, no, I was already swooning for you! <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:31:04)

<laughs> No, and it was worse because then like he doesn’t get the job, or like he turns down the job. Which, I was mad with that part of the book, I have to admit.

Silvana Reyes (00:31:13)

Yeah.

Kate Marope (00:31:14)

I was like, sir, you could have said no to the job and said yes to the girl. Like, I mean, she was right there–

Silvana Reyes (00:31:21)

They’re different things!

Kate Marope (00:31:23)

–about to say, I love you, and you’re like, no, go marry some other guy. And then like, he shows up in her apartment, don’t marry the other guy. Make up your mind, sir!

Silvana Reyes (00:31:33)

Yeah! Like, what, you, when, I think it was like when they announced who was going to be the CEO and the ex-boyfriend puts her on the spot and proposes, I was like, why are you running away when the hero just disappears? <laughs> You go onto that stage and tell them that she is yours.

Kate Marope (00:31:55)

He, okay, so two things. I am deathly like afraid of public proposals for this very reason, because they feel a little emotional blackmail-y sometimes. And I’m like, listen, okay, I’m sure you, the person loves you, maybe. Um, but like that, that’s a level of confidence I would not test in public to be like, here, I’m going to propose to you in public, one.

Two, he was also exceedingly manipulative the entire book long, so it just really like reaffirmed that he was doing it for images. And like, that scene where like, um, her best friend and the grandma are like carting her away from the stage, and he’s not even interested in her anymore. Like now that like, he put the ring on the finger, he’s just like, oh yeah, now I’m gonna go back to my business, which, like he’s about his work and that’s not a bad thing but that’s all he’s about, which was like reaffirming the fact that a breakup was a very good choice for her. Um, but I was just like, sir, like you couldn’t even pretend for five minutes?

Silvana Reyes (00:32:58)

<laughs> He didn’t care, he didn’t care. That’s why he isn’t the hero.

Kate Marope (00:33:03)

Exactly. He’s not the hero, and he was just super, super bland, too. And very entitled. You know? I think one of the interesting things about that book was very much how everybody else was not about their money, right? Like, um, the heroine’s best friend was like working, and she was like, she had a good work-life balance but she wasn’t just kinda like relying on her, her, um, like family money. And neither was the heroine. I mean, she did because she didn’t actually have a job so something, clearly she was sustaining herself based on the family money. But she was somebody who was like really willing to put in the time and the effort in managing things, so like there’s also this hope of like she’s gonna figure out what she actually wants to do. ‘Cause like, I think they mentioned she had like a sociology degree or something? And she’s like, I don’t know if I wanna do that. I don’t know what you wanna do, lady, but I’m hoping you figure it out at some point.

Silvana Reyes (00:34:02)

Yes. Like, I think also that she was scared to move out of her grandma’s place, where she grew up, um, because her parents, I think, died very, very early in her life. I think it was like the plane fell down or something when they were going on vacation.

Kate Marope (00:34:20)

It was a helicopter or something.

Silvana Reyes (00:34:23)

Something like that.

Kate Marope (00:34:25)

Yeah.

Silvana Reyes (00:34:26)

And she was stuck with her grandma. And her apartment was very like old lady apartment, like everything was decorated in that way, and she didn’t want to change anything so it kind of resembled her life at the beginning of the book, so that was very nice to see like the changes throughout the book, um, from her.

Kate Marope (00:34:48)

Yeah. But also like now that you say that, I realize that was never addressed in the book. Like she didn’t change her apartment. But, and then I was like worrying that the entire time they were doing the tour of his new apartment like after he moved out of his dad’s, um, brownstone–

Silvana Reyes (00:35:03)

And she loved the apartment!

Kate Marope (00:35:05)

Yes! And she loved the apartment so much! So I’m just like, I’m just gonna assume that that’s where they live now with their kids and their like two dogs. <laughs>

Silvana Reyes (00:14:14)

And like they chose this apartment because obviously she’s thinking like, oh my god, this is like my dream apartment come to life and obviously, he takes it, but he doesn’t know that it’s her dream apartment but obviously in a romance, or in a romance book, you’re gonna say, okay, it makes sense that he takes it because she has her thinking that it’s her dream apartment, so obviously they live there now. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:35:38)

<laughs> Well, I mean, they have a lot of kids, so maybe not because it was just like the one bedroom, right?

Silvana Reyes (00:35:44)

Oh! I forgot the epilogue, yeah, they have a lot of kids. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:35:47)

Yes! <laughs> The little girls who played piano, I love that. Um, that was a good book.

Silvana Reyes (00:35:53)

Oh, I love. That was a good book, yeah.

Kate Marope (00:35:57)

Yeah. And, um, like, I feel like it was also timely because like, um, He’s All That also just like came out recently on Netflix, too.

Silvana Reyes (00:36:97)

Yeah.

Kate Marope (00:36:08)

So like, that kind of whole My Fair Lady/Pygmalion vibe is kind of very in right now.

Silvana Reyes (00:36:13)

Yeah.

Kate Marope (00:36:13)

Um, I don’t know. I would love to see books based, like I want somebody to write Rahul Rai on TikTok as a romance hero. I want that book. I also wanna see more woman-loving-woman, um,  romances, um, with like super goth chicks.

Silvana Reyes (00:36:32)

Oh!

Kate Marope (00:36:32)

‘Cause there’s like this TikTok, uh, of like, um, Pope and Lisa, I think? Um, and they, like they’re giving me Addams Family-like vibes and like, the way they do it is just so like stoic and classy, too. <laughs>

Silvana Reyes (00:36:50)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Kate Marope (00:36:50)

I was just like, that would make an awesome romance couple. 

Silvana Reyes (00:36:55)

Yeah, we don’t get a lot of goth or like characters. And I don’t know, I don’t remember. I know but it, it kinda goes into the horror romance, gothic romance, so you get those in those kind of genres but in contemporary books that don’t focus on horror or anything–

Kate Marope (00:37:18)

Urban witchy stories.

Silvana Reyes (00:37:19)

Yeah, you don’t get a lot of that type of personality or anything. Like I remember, um, Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux, which is a horror romance, it’s monster romance. But the heroine wears like a black lipstick, has bangs, short hair, like she was wearing a wig, but she wasn’t wearing a wig. She had big glasses, and she like loves paranormal stuff, so she meets a demon and she’s like, oh my god, I need to film this. <laughs> Which is very like goth, black clothes and everything, but like that’s in a horror romance. I don’t think I’ve, I don’t know any book that it’s contemporary or a romcom, romcom with a goth, um, character. 

Yeah, we do need those. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:38:09)

Yeah! I’m just like, that’s, that’s my aesthetic. Like pansexual panic over here every time I see them. I’m just like, yes, I want that but in book form, please, thank you.

Silvana Reyes (00:38:20)

Yeah. <laughs> I love that. Yeah, we do need those.

Kate Marope (00:38:24)

So what’s another book that you read this quarter that you were like, this, everybody needs to read this?

Silvana Reyes (00:38:30)

Mmm, mmm, everyone needs to read this. I read so many but I keep blanking. Um, I loved, uh. Oh, I love Four Weeks of Scandal. Four Weeks of Scandal or Four Weeks for Scandal? Let me see. Um, Four Weeks… of Scandal by Megan Frampton. It’s an upcoming, um, book of hers, I think it hasn’t come out yet. Um, it’s a historical romance. I, I’ve been in the mood for historical romance this quarter of the, the first quarter of the year. Like I didn’t read a lot of them in the past year, in 2021, um, but I’m digging them now. 

So I got an ARC of Four Weeks of Scandal and basically, it’s incredible. Like Megan is a very preferred, like a favorite author of mine, so I trust her books and I know they will give me all the feels. So this one is about a girl who has a debt. She needs to pay this bad dude, and she, her, her estranged father just recently passed and left her, and I think she has a sister, um, a house. Like a very big manor, estate, and she’s like, I’m gonna sell that and I’m gonna get the money, and I’m going to be free of this like shark loan. Um. <laughs> So she goes there but what she finds inside is a naked guy because he’s like swimming in this pond naked with his dog. I think he has like a Pomeranian, a mini dog swimming with him in the pond, and he’s naked, and she’s like, what are you doing here, this is my house! And he’s like, no, this is my house! 

Because years ago, their dads made like a deal. His dad, I think, or her dad, I’m not sure, um, liked to gamble. So they used to gamble the, the deed of this house pretty much often, so now they don’t know who has the real deed. Um, and, yeah, so they end up moving in the same house and renovating it, so I think four weeks, obviously four weeks they have, and yeah. They can’t live together in the same house in a historical romance because everyone was going to be like, what, why are you living together, without not, you’re a stranger.

Kate Marope (00:41:00)

Married.

Silvana Reyes (00:41:00)

So obviously they fake an engagement and some other people get to live there also, so she’s accompanied, so she’s accompanied, so they don’t think she’s um, what’s the name? She isn’t, um–

Kate Marope (00:41:16)

Improper.

Silvana Reyes (00:41:17)

Yeah, exactly. <laughs> So it’s a very fun book, and I loved it so much. It, it does everything. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:41:25)

I love that. Like that like, shock of like, oh, yeah, I’m just minding my own business and there’s a weird naked dude there, um, is always like one of my favorite like tropes where it’s just like, who are you, what are you doing here? 

‘Cause like earlier, I was talking about All Rhodes Lead Here, and it starts with this lady, um, checking into an AirBnB, like it’s self check-in, right? Um, and she’s just like, it’s like a garage apartment or something, and she’s just there minding her business, unpacking, thinking, oh yeah, I got in late, tomorrow I’m gonna do whatever. And then this guy comes up the stairs, and he’s like, who the fuck are you? And it turns out that his son put the apartment on AirBnB without telling the dad, or like he told, he asked the dad, and the dad said no many times but then he did it anyway.

And so like, the kid comes in and he’s like, dad, wait, don’t kill her! And like, he’s like, um, he’s um, what is it? Um, oh my god, uh, he works in like, he’s the forest services.

Silvana Reyes (00:42:25)

Ranger?

Kate Marope (00:42:26)

Yeah, there you go. Um, yeah, and so like, he, he does, I mean, he’s a big guy, and she’s just like, listen, I was just, I paid in advance like, please don’t throw me out, I have nowhere else to go ‘cause like, it was like the last available rental like in the area. And so like the kid and, and like, the kid like put that house on AirBnB just ‘cause he wanted to get a new guitar. <laughs> So the dad was just like, I don’t know who I’m more mad at here, you, strange lady for doing this whole AirBnB thing that I think is super sketch, or you, kid, because I told you no seven thousand times. 

So the kid gets grounded, and the dad is like, I don’t know how I feel about having a child and like, um, a stranger on the property together, so that’s why he was all like, don’t talk to my kid. Like, you know, like just, I’m gonna pretend you’re not here and after like, your like, your lease ends, um, disappear. Just disappear and get out of my life. <laughs> And that was just like super hilarious because like, she’s like super empathetic to the kid so like whenever the dad’s not there, she’s like, are you still grounded? He’s like, yeah. Did you get your guitar at least? No. <laughs>

Silvana Reyes (00:43:39)

<laughs> Oh my god, I just remembered another book that literally starts with our heroine coming into a house and finding a naked man, like the hero. <laughs> And it’s I Think I Might Love You by Christina C. Jones. I don’t know if you’ve read it, um, but she’s like coming after like a night out, and she just thought that maybe I can pass the night at my sister’s apartment because it’s closer. I think it’s because of that. So it’s closer, and she’s like, okay, my sister told me she isn’t here so I’ll just grab my keys and open the door, and she opens the door and there’s the naked man on the couch, and they both scream their lungs out. 

Kate Marope (00:44:20)

<laughs>

Silvana Reyes (00:44:21)

What is going on? And she like punches him or like, or like smacks him or something, and he’s like, what? Lady, what are you crazy? And she runs to her sister’s bedroom and locks the door, and she calls her, and she’s like, what, what’s happening, there’s a strange man inside your, your apartment, what is going on? And the sister’s like, oh, I forgot to tell you I rented out to someone or something like that. And she’s like, oh my god, I just punched someone. 

And that interaction creates their hate-to-love trope in this book because they reunite when she like gets community service because, uh, another stuff happened before that scene, so she gets community service and gets to be in his, he’s a vet, so he’s a veterinarian, and she gets to be in his, um, what’s the, his job, and she gets to contribute in everything because of the community service. So when they reunite, they’re like, I don’t want to see you. <laughs> It was so funny.

Kate Marope (00:45:33)

<laughs> Oh, no. Yeah. I think those like kind of like misunderstandings, understandably so, especially where he’s like, I was just minding my business and this happened. Those are like the most funny kind of like bad first impression-type romances, where I’m just like, that’s hilarious. 

And I mean like, I’m always thinking like, that would be a great story to tell like one day where you’re talking about like, how did you guys meet? And it’s like, well, you don’t say, but I was just doing this and this lady just walked on me while I was naked in my own house! Like that would be like a hysterical tale.

Silvana Reyes (00:46:13)

<laughs> Yeah.

Kate Marope (00:46:14)

<laughs> Oh, man. Oh, one of the books that I really, really enjoyed was Electric Idol by Katee Robert. Like, I’ve talked about it on previous episodes but that was also very, very fulfilling ‘cause, you know. Like the whole like, the way she’s just like, you’re scary but I wanna take care of you, the entire time while– <laughs> Was just so freakin’ cute.

Silvana Reyes (00:46:39)

I love that book so much, too. Like, Katee knows how to sell her books, too. So she says, I think she is, um, um, saying that it’s like a kitten, um, a very growly kitten just, um–

Kate Marope (00:46:56)

A feral cat. <laughs>

Silvana Reyes (00:46:57)

<laughs> –loves, loves that the heroine is nice to this growly kitten, and the kitten is like, please marry me, after like he has murdered, and he is like, literally Eros is like a murderer, like he is an assassin for his mother Ahprodite. So um, she, um, Psyche is nice to him once, and he’s like, oh my god, I’m going to protect you, please marry me so I can protect you. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:47:22)

<laughs> He totally imprinted on her like a little duck. Like, you are now my spouse. It’s like, nice to me once, that’s it, and I’m like, well, you’re very lucky that she was a nice person, sir. <laughs>

Silvana Reyes (00:47:35)

<laughs> Aww, I love that book, it was very nice. Also, the forced proximity, I think Neon Gods also has forced proximity, so it kinda like, it’s very good. Like most, I, now, now thinking about it, most Katee Roberts books has, have forced proximity because I read her mafia series, The Bastard’s Betrayal, the new one. 

Kate Marope (00:47:57)

Yes!

Silvana Reyes (00:47:57)

And there’s forced proximity because he kidnaps her, but he, she’s living in his house, or I think it’s his house, I don’t remember. But, but they’re like living together now. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:48:10)

Yeah, no, now that you say that, ‘cause yeah. The Bastard’s Betrayal was amazing because like she shoots him twice in like the first like three chap– It was like the first chapter, I think!

Silvana Reyes (00:48:23)

It was the first chapter, when she–

Kate Marope (00:48:24)

Yeah! She shoots him twice, and he’s like, well, then you’re gonna marry me!

Silvana Reyes (00:48:29)

Yeah! You are the love of my life! Please! <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:48:32)

<laughs> Like he kidnaps her into like the weird cabin in the woods or something and like, the whole time, he’s just like, this is it, this is our lives, just resign yourself to it.

Silvana Reyes (00:48:44)

And she starts to get comfortable, but then she’s like, wait, you kidnapped me. I can’t, I can’t get comfortable here. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:48:50)

<laughs> Well, I think she would’ve been super comfortable if it wasn’t the fact that like he kidnapped her from her wedding to like another family. And then, she was worried about her sisters, right? Like, so she’s like, I can’t be all here and loved up and happy when like my sister might have to marry like this horrible guy that like, you know, we have a feud with, and might like hurt her or something in revenge. 

Silvana Reyes (00:49:11)

A sister married him–

Kate Marope (00:49:13)

She does!

Silvana Reyes (00:49:13)

Yeah, and she’s like, I’m gonna save the family, but I think it was the other sister, not the, the youngest one. I don’t remember. But she’s like, I’m gonna save the family, and she disappears, and then at the end of the novel, you’re like, I married him. And they were like, what, why did you marry him? But I think maybe like they, they seem like they understand each other and maybe we’ve got a book with them? I don’t know. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:49:39)

I was so anxious with that scene like when she goes to like do a welfare check on her sister. And like, the sister is so not having it, like the whole time, she’s like, I’m fine, that’s it, I don’t wanna talk about it. And I’m like, oh, lord. Just like, now she’s got like that older sister guilt, like oh my god, I was just there being loved up in a cabin somewhere and now you’re married and now you’re acting strange so I’m concerned. 

Silvana Reyes (00:50:06)

<laughs> Oh, I love mafia books. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:50:11)

Oh, yeah. Me, too. Like every single conversation so far has turned to mafia books because– Dark romance is just so much fun, and it’s like, it’s pure escapism, like full stop. Like there is, there’s no like, we all know it’s not okay to be a murderer, whatever. But like, you know, we like to play pretend that it’s okay, it’s perfectly acceptable.

Silvana Reyes (00:50:33)

Yeah! Like it’s fun, I know that I’m not, if I encounter that in my real life, I’m going to like scream, and I’m going to like run away from any situation that gets to that point. But in romance fiction, I’m like, yes, this, this creates good scenarios.

Kate Marope (00:50:53)

And I mean, it’s like the tension, right, like you were saying, that like when somebody’s a murderer and their past comes back to haunt them, that’s instant tension. Like now you like, now they have to run for their lives and that’s why they only have one bed, obviously. You know, like, there were no other hotel rooms available. 

Silvana Reyes (00:51:12)

<laughs> I love that. Um, or when there are, uh, a hotel room with two beds but they choose to be in one bed. That one hits harder, I think, than only bed because only one bed, you get only one choice, right? They have to sleep. When there’s two beds and they choose to sleep in one, that is like a very thoughtful choice from their part. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:51:36)

Mmhmm. I remember, ‘cause that happened what, in The Love Hypothesis, right? Like when they go to the conference. Well, I mean, she had her room but something went wrong, right, like or like, it got canceled or something? I don’t know, for some reason, her, her room ended up not working out and then he’s like, I have two beds, and then he’s like, but we’re not gonna use it. <laughs> 

Silvana Reyes (00:52:01)

Exactly.

Kate Marope (00:52:03)

That was so cute. She’s like, I’m just gonna like put my stuff on that bed, that’s the only thing that’s sleeping in that bed.

Silvana Reyes (00:52:09)

<laughs> Oh, that book. That book is very, very worth it. <laughs> I read her newest one, Love on the Brain.

Kate Marope (00:52:18)

Yeah, yeah.

Silvana Reyes (00:52:19)

And oh my god. <laughs> It’s the best thing ever. Like Ali just completely sells me a book, like she does it so well. 

Kate Marope (00:52:28)

So you were saying that like when you read the back cover copy, you’re always looking for the tropes in the book. So what are your favorite tropes?

Silvana Reyes (00:52:35)

My favorite tropes, oh my god! Okay, I just adore grumpy-sunshine so if your book has it and you tell me, I, you bet I’m going to get it. Like, you bet. It’s top of my list. Grumpy-sunshine is my favorite. I love enemies-to-lovers, and I love accidental pregnancy, and marriage of convenience is also a very good one. I think those are like my top four.

And I like sometimes, some archetypes, not tropes. I don’t call them tropes because like, oh, I love when the heroine is a party girl, or like an It girl who goes to a small town, a city girl goes to a small town and falls in love with a local. So I love that but I don’t know if they’re considered a trope or just like a type, a theme, an archetype. 

Kate Marope (00:53:27)

Yeah, no, definitely. I think I’m still a sucker for friends-to-lovers but now I’m like, I want a friends-to-lovers who’s also sunshine-grumpy. 

Silvana Reyes (00:53:38)

Yeah.

Kate Marope (00:53:39)

And that, to me, is like catnip, instant catnip. Um, slow burns. I feel like we don’t get enough slow burns, to be honest. Everybody’s like, there must be sex immediately! And I’m like yes, there’s a time and place for that, like that’s hot. Like, um, R.M. Virtues, all of it, hot. Love it. Um, but sometimes I just like the slow burn ‘cause it’s like, all the feelings and like showing attraction in different ways and like, how do I say I love you without saying I love you?

Silvana Reyes (00:54:09)

I love when tropes, like a lot of tropes are in, like a lot of favorite tropes are in one single book. Like as you said, friends-to-lovers and grumpy-sunshine. I love when it’s marriage of convenience and grumpy-sunshine, and they don’t like, they don’t get along at first because obviously one is like super chaotic energy and the other one is like rule follower, but they, they have the best romance. So I love that.

Um, I recently read, um, a friends-to-lovers, best-friends-to-lovers with fake dating, and I was like, what, I dig that. Best friends but fake dating because they already know everything about each other because they’ve been friends for years and now, they’re fake dating, so I was like, mmm. It’s called Lovelight Farms, and it’s a holiday romance, and it’s really, really good. Like he has been in love with her for years, just pining, and he takes this opportunity to fake date because she needs them to fake date to win a contest, and he’s like, yeah, sure, you just use me! <laughs> Because he is ready to show her that when they start fake dating, it’s not fake dating, it’s already real for him, like he is not going to let her go. <laughs>

Kate Marope (00:55:24)

I love fake dating, or like marriage of convenience. Any of those like, it’s fake but it’s actually real, like I love those. And like when you were saying, um, like, my favorite, because it’s also like male POV only, is Big Rock by Lauren Blakely and–

Silvana Reyes (00:55:41)

Okay.

Kate Marope (00:55:41)

–and it’s hilarious ‘cause the hero is like an absolute fuckboy. Like at the beginning, he’s like talking about his like sexual prowess, and it’s like ridiculously like, what the fuck am I getting myself into? <laughs> And then like you get into it and he is like, the biggest simp for this heroine ever and like, it turns out like, they’re like childhood friends and so like, they’re really best friends and like, um, like they go to family like brunches together and stuff. 

So then, the dad, um, has like a jewelry business and, um, he wants to sell it because none of his kids wanna take over it or something, and, uh, the person he wants to sell it to, um, has like strong family values so the hero is like, oh, I’ll help you dad, I’ll get fake, I’ll fake, get fake engaged to my best friend so that it seems like you’re a real family guy! I mean like, you are a family guy but like, moreso. And so the heroine at first is like, this is the dumbest idea I think you’ve ever had but okay, I love your dad, too, and if this will help, okay. And like the entire time, he’s like, is it fake? No, it’s absolutely not fake the whole time.

Silvana Reyes (00:56:50)

Okay, I need to read. It’s only from him, his POV? 

Kate Marope (00:56:53)

Yes.

Silvana Reyes (00:56:54)

She, she doesn’t get her POV? <gasps> Oh, I don’t read, I don’t think I’ve ever only, um, a male POV but okay, I’m going to I’m going to read, um, Big Rock, right?

Kate Marope (00:57:05)

Yeah. It’s hilarious because he is so chaotic, too. Like she’s very much the grounding force in that relationship, and he’s like, so ridiculous and over-the-top and like, but like, in the best way. Like he has like golden retriever energy, right, it’s like, I’m sorry I’m chaos but it really came from a good place, like part of my heart, like. And then at the end, it was like, the dad is just like, you did not need to do all of that, okay, go fix your relationship, we’re good over here.

Silvana Reyes (00:57:36)

<laughs> I love that because I, I also recently read a fake engagement thing but it was like very chaotic because it starts with the hero. He wants to make a deal, um, he’s a real estate, he has a real estate company, and he wants like to own some, a lot of places from this dude, and this dude is a very family guy. And he’s just gotten engaged, his fiance is pregnant, so the dude is like, I have a fake, fake fiance, too, just like you, we have so much in common! And he’s like, I shouldn’t actually do that, why am I, why am I saying this? And he tells his brothers who are also very chaotic energy, they’re like, no, no, just tell him this was a lie because you are never going to find a fake fiance who is pregnant. 

And he finds someone who is not pregnant, but she has to pretend to be pregnant for a couple of months, and they find each other in the street. And he’s like, you want to be my fake fiance? And she’s like, I need a rich husband, so we have a deal. And they have a new relationship, and she gets to live in his huge house with seven bedrooms and everything ‘cause he’s super rich, but he’s like, why did I tell these lies for this deal? Like this is going to come back to bite me in the ass someday.

Kate Marope (00:59:00)

<laughs> Well, I mean, he got a wife out of it, so I suppose that’s okay. <laughs>

Silvana Reyes (00:59:04)

<laughs>

Kate Marope (00:59:07)

Okay, so what has been like your favorite, ‘cause you’re super active on Twitter and Instagram. Um, so what has been your favorite author interaction to date?

Silvana Reyes (00:59:19)

Mmm, oh, yes! When Talia said that, I was like, very, I think people tagged me or I found it because I follow Talia, but I’m not tagged in the, in the tweet so I, it didn’t appear in my mentions so I was like, wait, wait. Talia used my, my government name? Like they used my complete name, the second, last, both of my last names and everything in an interview or something, I think. I was like, oh my god, that was so nice!

Also, oh, it’s not an author but I, I work with Book Riot on TBR, the personalized, um, recommendation system they have, like business. And someone like put a tweet like thanking me without mentioning me also. Like someone sent me the tweet because they were like, um, are you the Silvana because someone tweeted this. And I was like, oh my god! And they were thanking me for recommending these books because they felt like they were perfect for them. So I was like, oh my god, I’m so glad you liked it! Because that makes my life like, personalized recommendations are harder because you need to know everything about this person and what they like. So I’m glad that I, I got to see the tweet and the thanks. <laughs>

Kate Marope (01:00:46)

That’s amazing. Okay, so I believe that we’re all works in progress as human beings because nobody’s perfect. So what’s one thing that you’re like, I need to do better at this particular thing?

Silvana Reyes (01:01:00)

Mmm. Oh, I don’t know. I need to do better. I need to do, uh, I need to be more decisive. Like I get in my head so much and think about stuff too much, and I’m like, no, just take the, the correct, not correct choice, but take the choice you feel like taking without thinking much about it. Because if you start thinking about one thing a lot, it starts to get messy inside your head and you’re like second-guessing now, so why and whys and the hows and everything. But yeah, like be more decisive and stuff in general but also like my TBR because my TBR just is a mess. <laugh> 

And I’m always like, I finish a book, it’s very weird inside my head. So I finish a book, oh, before, like 50% inside a book, I’m like, what am I going to read next? Because I know that when I finish a book, I want to start a new one immediately, and I need like time. Because if I finish a book and don’t have any choice, I take so much, um, picking a book, a new book. So I’m like, 50% into the current book, I’m like, what are my choices? Oh, this one, okay, now I know which one I’m going to pick when I finish this current book. <laughs>

Kate Marope (01:02:22)

I love that. No, I could never do that because I get distracted, and I wanna look at the shiny, new book.

Silvana Reyes (01:02:29)

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Kate Marope (01:02:29)

Um, but like, I’m also like super impressed with people who can, um, read multiple books at a time.

Silvana Reyes (01:02:36)

Oh, yeah.

Kate Marope (01:02:38)

I’m just like, no. But it’s also because I read for work purposes so like, in some ways, I guess I do do that, um, but for like reading for fun, or like for pleasure, then I’m like no, one book, one book at time. Otherwise, it’s gonna get chaotic and I’m gonna forget ‘cause that happens. 

And like, like earlier you were mentioning the Immortals After Dark series like, I don’t know what happened at the time but I was like reading every book until like, um, what was it, oh my god. All I remember is that like, they discovered a butterfly in the Amazon or something and he named it after the heroine, that was the book, the last book I read in that series. And then after that, life happened, and I like, maybe it like took like a year for the book, for the next book to come out, and then like I’d keep buying them but I’m like, I’ve now bought like the overall series arc. So now I’m just like, I really should get back to doing that at some point.

Silvana Reyes (01:03:38)

But you keep buying them. Oh, it’s two things, they are very different things, buying books and reading the books, so two hobbies I have. It’s, it’s just two different things. I just, maybe I buy the book and don’t read it until like five years later. <laughs>

Kate Marope (01:03:54)

Oh, yeah, no. Like people are always like, have you read this book? I’m like, I’m pretty sure I own it. So that’s as far as I’ve gotten with it. I own it.

Silvana Reyes (01:04:02)

<laughs> Yeah.

Kate Marope (01:04:03)

And at some point, I will read it. Um, but, but, yeah. You know, like I said, there’s always like that book that’s like, ooh, all the tropes. All the favorites. Like favorite author has released a new book so like maybe we’ll start with that one. Um, so yeah, I’m the worst when it comes to that.

Silvana Reyes (01:04:23)

Yeah, me, too, because I’m influenced very fast. So I’ll see a book on Twitter and everyone is talking about it, and it has very good tropes, so I buy it. But I’m a mood reader, so it arrives what like, shipping system, it arrives one week later and I’m like, okay, I’m not in the mood anymore. But I’m gonna read it because I already have it, and the mood that I had during that moment when I click, like clicked it for them to ship it to me, I don’t have it anymore. But I’m going to have it. Like I know that I’m going to love it, it’s just like I need to get in that same headspace again. <laughs>

Kate Marope (01:05:03)

Yeah. No, definitely, I feel you on being a mood reader ‘cause sometime I’m just like, I’m ready for all the drama and then other times, I’m just like, I want the most like calming thing ever. I just wanna see two people falling in love very sweetly, that’s it. Like no drama, no chaos, I don’t know, no deep, dark secret in their past. Um, just, just vibes. Vibes only.

Silvana Reyes (01:05:27)

Yes, yes. When I finished, what was it, uh, Love on the Brain, I was so in the mood for a similar like slow burn, grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers. <laughs> There’s nothing similar for one book, so I’m like, ugh, why, why is the world doing this to me? Also like I recently finished a fantasy zombie book, right? So I’m like currently reading another fantasy, I’m reading the new Sarah Hogle book Just Like Magic. I didn’t know it was fantasy. Like I read the synopsis again but yes, and I’m like, huh, maybe that’s why I started it because fantasy last book, fantasy new book, so it continues your mood like that. <laughs>

Kate Marope (01:06:12)

Yeah. You wanna ride that like train where it’s just like, oh yeah, this seems to be working very well for me, let’s keep going. <laughs>

Silvana Reyes (01:06:19)

Yeah. <laughs>

Kate Marope (01:06:20)

Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming onto the podcast. It’s been so lovely talking to you, and it’s like, we could talk about books all day, every day.

Silvana Reyes (01:06:29)

Oh, thank you, Kate, for inviting me. It’s been so much fun like, I love, love talking about books so anytime. You’re gonna never make me shut up if we start talking about books more. <laughs> But it’s been so much fun, the questions were amazing. You are amazing, so thank you.

Kate Marope (01:06:48)

Aw, thanks.

Silvana Reyes (01:06:49)

<laughs>

Kate Marope (01:06:51)

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