Books Around the Block – Details, episodes & analysis

Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay are diving into one of the most opinionated topics in the book world: tropes. From the ones that make us swoon to the ones that make us roll our eyes, we’re breaking down the tropes we adore and despise. Tell us your most-loved and most-hated tropes over on Instagram and TikTok — @booksaroundtheblockpod.

Adrienne's Current Read: Untangled by Lisa Damon

Lindsay's Current Read: What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

Audrey's Current Read: Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

One Day in December by Josie Silver

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Six of Crows By Leigh Bardugo

Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

People we meet on vacation by Emily Henry

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shrieve

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Savor It by Tarah Dewitt

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

Part of Your World by Abby Jiminez

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

In this episode, Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay are sharing the Summer 2025 book releases they’re most excited about. Each host picks a romance, a thriller, and a wild card—one book in any genre they can’t wait to read—releasing between June and August. Whether you’re headed to the beach or just the backyard, these new reads deserve a spot on your summer TBR.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Adrienne Read: My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Audrey Read: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros

Lindsay Read: Real Food/Fake Food by Larry Olmstead

Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston

You Belong Here by Megan Miranda

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware

In this episode of Books Around the Block, Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay recap their March reads—discussing the hits, the misses, and the ones that left them with all the feelings. From gripping thrillers to best-selling romances, they cover a variety of genres and share their honest thoughts. Plus, they reveal their April TBR lists—what’s on their radar, what they’re excited to dive into, and which books might just end up in the DNF pile. Grab your favorite beverage and join the conversation!

Follow us at @booksaroundtheblockpod on Instagram and TikTok for more fun content and news on upcoming episodes! Share your thoughts for future episodes or reach out just to chat at booksaroundtheblock@gmail.com.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall

Mayluna by Kelley McNeil

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Penitence by Kristin Koval

Wild Side by Elsie Silver

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

The Longest Race by Kara Goucher

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

The Griffin Sister's Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

First Time Caller by B.K. Borrison

James by Percival Everett

The Mother Next Door: Medicine Deception, and Munchausen by Andrea Dunlop, Mike Webber

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Music by AudioCoffee at pixabay.com

It's the very first episode of Books Around the Block! Meet your hosts—Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay—three neighbors who love nothing more than talking books. We'll introduce ourselves, share our reading styles, and put each other on the spot with a rapid-fire book game. Expect laughs, unexpected bookish confessions, and a few titles to add to your TBR.

Follow us at @booksaroundtheblockpod on Instagram and TikTok for more fun content and news on upcoming episodes! Share your thoughts for future episodes or reach out just to chat at booksaroundtheblock@gmail.com.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

11/22/63 by Stephen King

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene

The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin

Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal

Music by AudioCoffee at pixabay.com

Hey Neighbors! Welcome to Books Around the Block. We're your hosts, Lindsay, Adrienne, and Audrey—neighbors, friends, and book-obsessed hosts of this podcast. In our close-knit neighborhood, books are always a hot topic. Between school drop-offs, evening walks, and poolside chats, we’re constantly swapping recommendations, debating plot twists, and adding just one more book to our never-ending TBR lists. With the three of us reading a combined 150 books a year, we take pride in finding the perfect read for just about anyone—so we figured, why not bring the conversation to you?

Each month, we’ll bring you:

📚 Two mini-episodes where we help you expand your to-be-read with fun bookish topics with no spoilers

📖 And one deep-dive book club episode with spoilers for when you’re ready to geek out over a shared read. 

So grab the beverage you need and snack you deserve, and let’s talk books. Because in our neighborhood, a good read is always just around the block.

Today’s episode is our monthly wrap-up and TBR check-in! Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay are talking about everything they read in May: what they loved, what fell flat, and what surprised them. Plus, they’ll share their June TBR lists and celebrate Lindsay's birthday with a book swap!

Big Dumb Eyes by Nate Bargatze

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

Happy Place by Emily Henry

The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku

With a Vengeance by Riley Sager

All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

The Maid by Nita Prose

How To Giggle by Hannah Berner and Paige Desorbo

My Friends by Fredrick Bachman

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

The Bachelorette Party by Camille Sten

Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

Today’s episode dives into the Books Around the Block pick of the month — Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. This story sparked a rich and heartfelt discussion between Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay, touching on everything from its emotional depth to its laugh-out-loud moments. We're unpacking it all — from thought-provoking book club questions to who we’d cast in the dream movie adaptation!

Books & Media Mentioned in this Episode:

READ- My Friends by Fredrick Bachman

WATCH- Keeping up with the Kardashians

READ- With a Vengeance by Riley Sager

WATCH- Bridgerton - Season 3

READ- One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune

READ- Joyful Recollections of Trauma by Paul Scheer

WATCH: The Last of Us - Season 2

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

The Tenant by Freida McFadden

Summer is calling, and Books Around the Block is here to help you answer with the perfect read! In today’s episode, your hosts Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay are diving into sunshine, suitcases, and stories as we each share our ultimate summer reading picks. From swoon-worthy romances and breezy beach reads to spine-tingling thrillers and vacation adventures gone hilariously wrong, we’ve got something for every kind of reader. We've each brought a few favorite titles across different summer-themed categories—so whether you're poolside, lakeside, or just dreaming of your next getaway, get ready to fill your TBR with books you won’t want to leave behind.

READ: The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

WATCH: A Deadly American Marriage on Netflix

READ:  The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

The Last of Us on HBO Max

READ: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Paul American on Netflix

Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt

The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Into Thin Air by John Krakauer

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

The Ruins by Scott Smith

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

Join Lindsay, Audrey, and Adrienne this week as they share a list of hidden gems — books with fewer than 50,000 ratings on Goodreads that they’ve read and absolutely loved. These underrated, under-the-radar reads deserve so much more attention. If you’re looking for something a little different from what’s all over Bookstagram or BookTok, this is the episode for you!

Books and Media Mentioned in this Episode:

All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett

The Four Seasons on Netflix

Drew and Ellie Holcomb

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Lil Wayne

The Met Gala

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Pride and Prejudice

Warfare

Lizzie McAlpine- Spring into Summer

Small Animals by Kim Brooks

One Night Only by Catherine Walsh

The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah

How to Kill Men and Get Away with It by Katy Brent

A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon

Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann

What Does it Feel Like? by Sophie Kimnsella

June First by Jennifer Hartman

In this episode, Adrienne, Audrey, and Lindsay recap all the books they read in April—from the ones they couldn’t put down to the ones that fell flat—and share the titles they're most excited to dive into this May. If you're hunting for your next great read or just love hearing what others are reading, you won’t want to miss this spoiler-free conversation!

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

A Forty Year Kiss by Nikolas Butler

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito 

Happy Place by Emily Henry

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaughy

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall

The Mist by Stephen King

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley

Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

James by Percival Everett

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

The Tell: A Memoir by Amy Griffin

All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden

With a Vengeance by Riley Sager

Joyful Recollections of Trauma by Paul Scheer