GENRE'D Review

This week on Off Book , we invited our friend Jen Keefe  (stand-up comic, actor, and proud Libby power user) to do what can only be described as a public service: explain A Court of Thorns and Roses  from the perspective of someone who does not read fantasy. And honestly? She ate. We talk Libby strategy like it is a concert presale, unpack Jen’s memoir-first reading life, and then fully spiral into an ACOTAR recap featuring “Fire,” a scary wind, a stone heart, and a character

Cycle Breaking is the trope where characters confront inherited patterns a nd make a different choice. Sometimes that means defying family legacy. Sometimes it means rejecting violence, prejudice, abuse, or power structures they were raised inside. Sometimes it means refusing to become the villain history expects. At its core, this trope asks one question: Will you repeat the past, or rewrite it? Why we love it Because this trope hits everywhere. It lives in literary fiction

This week on Genre’d, we’re talking My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney , a psychological thriller that asks: what if you went out for a run, came home 30 minutes later, and someone else was living your life, wearing your face, and insisting you were the problem. But first, we have some things to say. Katy is hot off a happy hour and immediately resurrects a deeply specific fear rooted in early-2000s cinema. This leads to a passionate defense of forgotten MTV original movies, a

The Cost of Power is a trope where gaining power always comes with a price. That price might be moral compromise, personal loss, isolation, violence, or the slow erosion of identity. Power is never neutral and it is never free. Why We Love It This trope asks the question we never stop asking as readers.Is it worth it? Stories built around the cost of power are compelling because they refuse easy answers. They force characters to choose between ambition and integrity, surviv

Welcome back to Genre’d: Off Book , where the books are optional but the opinions are not. This week, we’re doing our very first mailbag episode, meaning you sent us your most unhinged and heartfelt questions and we answered them with zero prep and full sister confidence. We pulled 10 questions out of a bowl at random and covered everything from apocalypse survival logic (our eyesight is… a liability) to book trend predictions for 2026. Then we brought in a very special guest

Women Who Burn It All Down centers stories where women reject restraint, politeness, or redemption arcs and instead choose defiance, destruction, or radical self-preservation. Sometimes the fire is literal. Sometimes it is emotional, moral, or political. Either way, the world does not emerge unchanged. Why we love it Because women are rarely allowed to be destructive without being punished by the narrative. This trope flips that expectation on its head. These stories explore

This week on Genre’d, we’re talking We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark , a romantasy that said: what if Hunger Games energy , but make it vampire empire, gladiator trials, and a heroine whose coping mechanism is “be mean to everyone and fight about it.” But first, we have some things to say. Katy’s been on a mission to become a lip liner girlie (and finally secured the thick-boy liner of her dreams), Elyse accidentally became an Adobe Premiere power user to fix a truly cursed

Money talks, but status decides who gets listened to. This week on Trope Tuesday, we are diving into Wealth & Status, a trope that explores inherited privilege, social hierarchies, elite access, and what people are willing to sacrifice to stay inside the gates. These stories are not just about being rich. They are about power, proximity, protection, and who the rules actually serve. From old money dynasties to academic elites to billionaires who treat inheritance like a game,

Morgan from Coop’s Kitchen joins Genre’d for an Off Book chat about fantasy, romantasy, tropes, and book recommendations, plus soup discourse and Coop the golden retriever.

One lie sets everything in motion. From thrillers to dark academia, these 8 books prove how a single secret can unravel lives, relationships, and entire worlds.

This week on Genre’d , we are diving into Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen , a brutal, addicting romantasy that delivers trials, bonding magic, pack politics, a nd one very moody dire wolf with a personal vendetta against peace and quiet. It is giving street fighter heroine , deadly competition , chosen one secrets , and a kingdom built on erased history. But first, we have some things to say. Katy is in a full-body, weeks-long spiral over Heated Rivalry , the wildly viral hockey

Fated mates is the trope where destiny, magic, prophecy, or biology decides two characters belong together. Whether they like it or not. Sometimes the bond is romantic. Sometimes it is violent. Sometimes it feels like salvation. Other times it feels like a curse. What defines the trope is inevitability. The universe has already made the choice. Why We Love It Fated mates taps into one of the oldest storytelling questions. Do we have free will, or are we following a path alre

Romantasy might be the internet’s favorite genre right now, and honestly, for good reason. It is where sweeping fantasy worlds collide with swoony romance arcs, magical bonds, slow burns that should be illegal, and characters who would absolutely die for each other after 600 pages of denial. But here’s the thing. The magic of romantasy is not just in dragons, destiny, and dagger-to-throat tension. It is in the tropes. Tropes are the familiar story patterns that make the genre

Bryanna is back on Genre’d: Off Book —and if you’ve been with us since the early days, you’ll remember her from the first three episodes of the pod. This time, she joins Katy and Elyse in the newly upgraded “library” studio (still evolving, still a little chaotic) to talk about her favorite genre: contemporary fiction with Big Celebrity Book Club Energy . You know the vibe: the Reese pick, the Oprah pick, the “everyone is talking about this” pick—the books that feel like you

A story set in a close-knit town where familiarity breeds silence. Everyone knows everyone, history runs deep, and the most dangerous secrets aren’t hidden—they’re protected . Why We Love This Trope Small towns do something big cities can’t: they remember.They remember who you used to be, what your family did, and which truths are easier left unspoken. This trope thrives on: Community complicity Long-held grudges The tension between belonging and exposure The unsettling idea

And that’s a wrap on 2025. 🥂 This week on Genre’d , Katy and Elyse close out the year with a full “Year in Reading” debrief: the books we loved, the ones that personally attacked us, the tropes that carried, and the reading habits we’re taking into 2026. We also have things to say —namely: Goodreads is doing absolutely the least, the “reading challenge” math is suspicious, and somehow we started a podcast and lived to tell the tale. Spoiler note: This is a wrap-up episode.

A new year has a way of making us reflective. Hopeful. A little unhinged. And nothing captures that energy better than books about fresh starts—the kind where characters reinvent themselves, burn their lives down, move somewhere new, or simply try again with more emotional baggage than before. Whether it’s a literal clean slate or a quiet internal reset, these stories remind us that starting over is rarely neat—but it is powerful. ✨ Quick Definition Fresh Starts are stories

Home for the Holidays is the trope where a character returns to their hometown or family home during the holiday season and is immediately confronted with unresolved relationships, old versions of themselves, and the life they thought they left behind. It’s second chances , emotional reckoning, and the quiet (or chaotic) realization that going home changes you, whether you want it to or not. 🎁 Why We Love It Because nothing tests personal growth like sleeping in your childho

A cozy, Hallmark-adjacent holiday romance review featuring forced proximity, grumpy toy-makers, small-town charm, and festive vibes — with spoiler-free thoughts and a full breakdown.

Fake dating at the holidays is elite romance energy. From Christmas chaos to a cozy Hanukkah love story, here are 8 fake dating holiday romances we love.