GENRE'D Review

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

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.

This week on Genre’d: Off Book , Elyse and Katy welcome their forever friend Ankeen to talk about the genre that raised them all: romance (with a generous side of smut). From sneaking Harlequins out of the library at age ten to rereading Montana Sky every time she needs a comfort book, Ankeen walks us through how romance hooked her early, why she took a long detour into philosophy, and what brought her back to smutty romance books as an adult. We dig into the big misconcep

Quick Definition: When a blizzard traps you with exactly the wrong (or right) person, and the weather isn’t the only plot point developing. The roads are closed, the power is out, and tensions—romantic, murderous, or magical—start to rise faster than the snowdrifts. Why We Love It: There is truly nothing like a forced pause in the middle of a storm. The snowed-in trope heightens every emotion: longing feels sharper, secrets get louder, and characters are suddenly stuck with t

A deep dive into dystopian fiction, celebrity memoirs, and adorable kid-book wisdom—plus a bonus interview with Melissa’s 4-year-old son about Captain Underpants.

A deep dive into one of dystopian fiction’s most iconic tropes: rebellion against corrupt systems. Explore 8 of our favorite books where heroes rise up, resist, and reshape their worlds.

Slow burn romances are for readers who want to feel every moment: the tension, the hesitation, the stolen glances that last a beat too long. This week’s Trope Tuesday rounds up eight books across fantasy, romance, and contemporary fiction that prove the wait is always worth it.

This week on Off Book , Katy flips the mic to co-host Elyse for a deep dive into her forever favorite: fantasy. From childhood obsessions (Tamora Pierce forever) to adult hot takes (“fantasy is politics with dragons”), Elyse walks through where to start, what to read next if you’re fully converted, and why she’ll always have room in her TBR for fake dating and marriage of convenience. We also detour into high-heat subgenres, romance as a gateway back to fantasy, and an extre

Quick definition: When two people are thrown together by fate, circumstance, or one ill-timed storm—and discover that distance isn’t their problem anymore. Why we love it: Because forced proximity takes “what if” and traps it in a room. Whether it’s rivals sharing one bed, exes locked in a snowed-in cabin, or reluctant partners on a mission, this trope turns tension into truth. It’s the ultimate slow burn—equal parts chaos, vulnerability, and chemistry you can’t outrun. Our f

About the episode: This week on Off Book , we sit down with writer, dancer, and communications pro Dinah Alobeid to talk about her one true love: literary and upmarket fiction . We dig into what those distinctions actually mean, why they get such a bad rap, and how they might convert even the most die-hard romantasy readers. Along the way, Dinah shares her favorite gateway reads, the “advanced stack” for serious fans, and the books that made her cry, clutch her chest, and r

Quick definition: Two people. One bed. It’s the ultimate proximity trope — where forced closeness turns tension into tenderness (or chaos). Why we love it: Because nothing accelerates emotional intimacy quite like an inconvenient sleeping arrangement. The “Only One Bed” trope turns accidental proximity into revelation — it’s where banter dissolves into vulnerability, touch becomes confession, and we realize denial was never going to last the night. Equal parts cozy and charge

Some stories are meant to be read under a blanket with something warm in your mug and something possibly haunted in the air. Fall is the season for books that hum with atmosphere — stories about ghosts, secret lovers, and magic that comes with a price. Whether you want cozy witches, doomed romantics, or dark academia vibes, these ten books capture the mood perfectly. A few might sound familiar (hi, We Are All Guilty Here , The Knight and the Moth , and Rose in Chains 👋), so

In this episode of the Genre’d podcast, we review Alchemised by SenLinYu — a sweeping, 1,000-page dark fantasy epic filled with war, memory, magic, and morally black love. Includes a spoiler-free summary, full book discussion, worldbuilding analysis, and our reactions to the late-book twists.

Quick definition: Love lost, found, and rewritten. This trope asks what happens when timing, pride, or fate once got in the way—and whether two people can rebuild what broke. It’s about growth, forgiveness, and the ache of realizing the story isn’t over after all. Why we love it: Because sometimes the person who knows you best is the one who hurt you most. Second Chance Romance takes heartbreak and turns it into emotional archaeology—digging through old wounds, what-ifs, and

Welcome to Genre’d: Off Book Our new in-between-the-episodes mini-series where we sit down to ask five questions that get to the heart of why we read what we read. Think of it as a peek behind the bookshelf: a quick chat about our genre comfort zones, our bookish red flags, and the titles that turned us into lifelong readers. From Thrillers to Throne of Glass: Katy’s Genre Origin Story In our very first Off Book episode, Katy takes the mic to talk about the genre that change

Quick definition: Some schools teach math; others teach how to summon storms, dodge curses, and flirt with your academic rival mid-duel. Education—but make it mildly life-threatening and weirdly romantic. Why we love it: Because power and puberty are already chaotic enough—then you add spellcasting, rivalries, and secret societies. The Magic School trope blends academic ambition with fantasy worldbuilding and emotional stakes. It’s cozy and cutthroat, familiar and fantastical

A deputy with regrets. A small town full of secrets. A thriller that feels like Sharp Objects meets True Detective. We unpack We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter—spoiler-free intro, wild finale, and one twist we did not see coming.