Booked & Busy w/ Olivia Ponton – Details, episodes & analysis

Alex Aster is officially... Booked & Busy 📚✨

Welcome back to another episode of Booked & Busy, and today's a major one! We're welcoming our very first guest author, Alex Aster. In this episode, we deep dive into her viral fantasy series (Lightlark), her New York City rom-com Summer in the City, how BookTok changed everything, and what it's actually like to write four books in a year!

We talk fast-paced fantasy world building, romance tropes, and the reader-favorite Team Grim vs Team Oro debate. Alex also spills on all things Crowntide, the newest installation in the Lightlark series - plus her new adult romantasy book (Starside) and exciting updates on the Lightlark and Summer in the City film adaptations currently in development!

"This or Thats," writing confessions, rapid-fire questions, and a peek into Alex's real everyday life... all of this and more, in this week's episode of Booked & Busy! 

Crowntide is now available online or in stores, with Starside hitting the shelves on March 24th, 2026!

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The Bachelor reimagined through a dystopian, royal lens.

Today on Booked & Busy, I’m diving into The Selection by Kiera Cass — a world of castes, palace politics, rebellions, and a love triangle that unravels slowly and beautifully.

We follow America Singer as she navigates duty, desire, and the weight of choosing between what’s familiar and what could change her life entirely. I’m unpacking the characters, the social hierarchy, the rebellion threads woven into the background, and the scenes that feel almost cinematic.

If you’ve ever wondered how this story would translate on screen… I have thoughts.

Pour a cup of tea and settle in — this episode is for anyone who loves romance with a layer of world-building and social commentary.

Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn’t finished the series yet.

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Welcome to the very first episode of Booked & Busy with me, Olivia Ponton!

We're kicking things off with one of the most talked-about fantasy romance books of all time... Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Think dragons, romance, war college drama, and an underdog main character we can't help but root for. In this episode, I'm diving into all the twists, betrayals, and (of course) the romantic sparks.

This one's for the readers who wish they lived in the world of Basgiath, can't stop thinking about dark-haired men with secret agendas, and the emotional rollercoaster that is Violet Sorrengail's journey.

Spoiler warning! If you haven't read Fourth Wing yet, go finish it first, then come back so we can spiral together properly.

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Happy (belated) Valentine's Day angels 🎀🪽

On today's episode of Booked & Busy we'll be focusing on 'The Deal' by Elle Kennedy... the perfect fake-dating hockey romance for Valentine's Day!! It's sweet, it's surprisingly deep and emotional, it's... a little cringe tbh. Honestly what else could we ask for?!?!

Instead of doing a heavy synopsis, we'll be mostly chatting about my thoughts and opinions on the characters, their relationship, and why they do the things that they do.

A quick TW for this one: 'The Deal' covers topics like assault and domestic abuse / family trauma, but we touch on it only briefly, so feel free to check the timestamps so you can skip through if needed. 

Love you always xoxo,
Olivia

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Welcome back to Booked & Busy 📚💘

Today is going to be an extra fun episode because we're joined by Abby Abell, a member of the Amazon Editors team! We're diving into all the best romance and romantasy books of 2025, the most anticipated releases of 2026, and the trends we're seeing in the literary space continuing into 2026.

Get ready to add 20+ more books to your never-ending TBR... because, from enemies to lovers and forced proximity to second-chance romances and love triangles, we have something for EVERYONE this week 🎀🎀

Let me know your favorite books of 2025 and most anticipated releases of 2026 in the comments down below!!

xoxo,
Olivia

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Hi angels!!

Welcome back to another episode of Booked & Busy! This week we're not just breaking down one book... we're diving into the ENTIRE 'Twisted' series by our absolute queen, Ana Huang!!

The 'Twisted' series is not just one continuous storyline, but four different emotional fantasies (whether you're into obsessive devotion, enemies-to-lovers, or royal romances), which makes these books perfect for all different types of readers! So for this episode we'll dive into why the 'Twisted' series dominates BookTok, which book you'll probably connect with most based on your favorite romance tropes, and so so much more!

This series was highly requested in our Patreon community, so if you want to weigh in on future books/series to deep dive, be sure to join the conversation! 💓💓

xoxo,
Olivia Ponton

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Julia Whelan is officially Booked & Busy!

Today's episode is a really exciting one because I'm joined by Julia Whelan...bestselling author, former actor, and one of the most iconic audiobook narrators of all time (she's narrated 700+ audiobooks, like hello??). We're talking all things My Oxford Year, the book and the movie adaption, plus Julia's writing process, how audiobooks actually get made, adapting scripts into novels, and why sometimes your dreams change... and that it's not failure, it's growth.

So grab your beverage of the day (ours is an English Breakfast tea for My Oxford Year) and let's get into it!

xoxo,
Olivia

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A house that feels to quiet. A wife who feels too perfect. A job that feels...off.

Today on Booked & Busy, we're deep diving The Housemaid by Freida McFadden, a psychological thriller novel that burrows under your skin and refuses to let go. This is a story about power, control, survival and the terrifying intimacy of domestic spaces. From unreliable narrators and emotional manipulation to locked doors, gaslighting, and performance perfection... this book had me questioning everything.

We're breaking this episode into three parts:
The Book (themes, characters, symbolism)
The Movie (adaptation choices, performances, and visual tension)
The Reality Check - where we compare the ending, unpack what changed, and decide which version I preferred. 

Grab a drink, lock your doors, and step inside the Winchester house with me!

⚠️ Spoiler warning for The Housemaid book and film.

xoxo,
Olivia Ponton

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Welcome back to Booked & Busy... my podcast for all the girlies who love to read 💌

This week I'm SO excited to be joined by Lucy Score, #1 New York Times bestselling author and the fabulous mind behind the 'Knockemout' series! 

In this episode we're talking 'Things We Never Got Over' (including the series adaptation in development with Amazon MGM Studios), writing routines, character chemistry, slow burns and the editing process that "kills your soul." We're ALSO getting a little preview of Lucy's soon to be released, 'Mistakes Were Made,' 👀 which is the second book in her hit 'Story Lake' series.

So grab a drink or a snack, get cozy, and let's get Booked & Busy! 🎀📖

xoxo,
Olivia

📅 Mistakes Were Made drops March 10th, 2026 

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Emma Brooks is officially Booked & Busy 🎀📖

Today's episode is maybe my favorite so far because I'm joined by my actual best friend in the whole word... THE Emma Brooks. And tbh, this episode feels like the one that started it all, because in a way she's lowkey the reason this podcast even exists!!

We talk about how we both fell in love with reading (hint...it starts with a 500-page book and a questionable Koreatown apartment in Los Angeles), our full reading journeys from the Crave series by Tracy Wolf, Colleen Hoover, and Taylor Jenkins Reid to the ACOTAR series and what we've been reading most recentlyyy. We also dive into our favorite tropes, self-care reading routines, audiobooks and the books that made us book a session with our therapists post-breakdown (and like so so much more omg)

Grab a beverage and a snack, get cozy, and let's get Booked & Busy ;)

xoxo,
Olivia

✎ This Episode Is For You If You Like...
→ Genres: romance, romantasy, contemporary romance, fantasy, dystopian fantasy
→ Tropes / Vibes: enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, plot twists, booktok/booktube recs, hidden gem book recs, YA nostalgia
→ Books Mentioned: Crave Series, ACOTAR (Court of Thorns and Roses, Court of Mist and Fury), Throne of Glass, Fourth Wing, The Alchemist, Normal People, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and the Six, Guild, The Butcher and the Blackbird, Book Lovers, If He Had Been With Me, A Thousand Boy Kisses, Quicksilver, Confirm, Every Summer After (and probably so many more i missed girl idk lol)

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