Buddy Read Podcast

Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we share our first side chat of the year! We talk about how 2023 has treated us so far! And share all things personal, professional, and of course book and podcast related.

Hint: We are still focused on living better and thriving! (our words for the year)

As always remember to follow us on our socials and our website for any and all updates. And join our inner circle by subscribing to our newsletter, Our Corner to get inside access to behind-the-scenes and exclusive content. Also, don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts so that other listeners like you, can find us.

Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we discuss our latest read from one of our favorite authors, Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin. Drew Young inherited her Gran's bookstore the Book Nook. But there's one problem, she's not much of a reader. However, in the hopes of maintaining her Gran's legacy, she continues to run the store. Which includes hosting the Dirty Birds book club, a band of Gran's old friends who get together to discuss romance and pry into Drew's life. Enter Jasper Williams. A successful romance author who hosts a book signing event at the Book Nook. Upon seeing one another, sparks fly, agreements are made, and well you'll have to check out our episode to learn more. We both enjoyed so many things about this book. Including how Martin writes grief, the romance between our MCs, and the friendships. However, will Jasper convince Drew that happy endings aren't only found in fairy tales?

As always remember to follow us on our socials and our website for any and all updates. And join our inner circle by subscribing to our newsletter, Our Corner to get inside access to behind-the-scenes and exclusive content. Also, don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts so that other listeners like you, can find us.

Back-to-back episodes? That's right! Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we discuss all the things about The Neighbor Favor. Lily and Nick are neighbors and quickly become friends. But what Lily doesn't know, is that Nick happens to be her favorite author N.K. Strickland, who she'd been emailing with for six months until he ghosted her. And yet somehow, this bookish romance felt like a warm cozy blanket. Sisterhood, a throwback to the early 2000s, and so much more make for an interesting read!

As always remember to follow us on our socials and our website for any and all updates. And join our inner circle by subscribing to our newsletter, Our Corner to get inside access to behind-the-scenes and exclusive content. Also, don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts so that other listeners like you, can find us.

Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we share all of our thoughts on Restore Me by J.L. Seegars. Our main characters, Dominic and Sloane have a fraught relationship— if one can even call it that— with each other. So when they end up having to work together, it's no surprise that they butt heads. But will these enemies become lovers? Will Sloane find love again even though she vowed she wouldn't after her beloved husband, Eric passed away four years ago? Worst of all, will she find it with his best friend? This romance tackles, second chances, grief, found family and so much more. And you don't want to miss out on all of our thoughts!

Join your hosts, Kim and Nia, as we discuss the next book in the Nena Knight series, They Come at Knight by Yasmin Angoe. This time last year, we kicked off the season with the first book, Her Name is Knight, and loved it. Now we're back in Nena's world, where her family and the Tribe face an even greater threat. Someone intends to destroy the Tribe and its mission. Even worse? It may be someone from within. We have a great conversation discussing our favorite characters, the storyline, and so much more.

Happy New Year! We are so excited for a new year and brand new season! Be on the lookout for our book choices, guests to the show and more. Buddy Read Podcast officially kicks off season 4 in February! 

Can you believe we're at the end of another year and for us, another season? Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we share our thoughts on some of the books that we intended to discuss and review on the show this year but didn't get a chance to. As well as how the year has treated us, how our reading has changed this year and a bit of insight on what to expect for season 4 next year! 

Join your hosts, Kim and Nia, for our last review of the year and season! This week, we're discussing A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. Special thanks to Berkley Romance and Penguin Random House Audio for the final physical and audiobook copy. We follow along immigration attorney, Gretchen Winthrope and Country Singer, Colton Wheeler's journey and romance. And trust us, you don't want to miss out on this grump-sunshine-- or since it's the holidays Grinch-Sunshine romance. Don't let the fact that it's a romance fool you. This story took us on quite an emotional rollercoaster. But was the perfect way to end the year! 

Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we discuss The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport! This Sci-Fi/Fantasy may just be our favorite book on the show this year. We follow Ikenna Amari, reeling after the unexpected death of her grandfather, Verne Amari. When she discovers that his passing may have been a murder, she enlists in the trials to become a Praetorian guard and find whoever's responsible. We had quite the adventure with this action-packed story, characters, and world. And we held nothing back.

Your co-hosts Kim & Nia are so excited to welcome in the new season. We're ready to say bye-bye to sweltering temperatures and hello to sweaters and hats, really all the layers. Well at least as much as we can since we live in Georgia lol. Check out some of our fave fall traditions, items, and what we're hopeful for this year. 

Your hosts, Kim & Nia are so excited to be back from our summer break! And for this episode, we're discussing On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi! In this story, we follow Angie Appiah, a Ghanaian-American med student in Chicago whose going through a serious quarter-life crisis. After a day from hell, she finds herself at one of the local festivals, where she meets Ricky Gutierrez. A gorgeous graphic designer, who says all the right things and matches her nerd-dom. But is he too good to be true? Strap in, because we hold nothing back as we discuss friendships, romance, and character development.

Can you believe we're halfway through the season and year already?! Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we share what to expect for the rest of the season! 

Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we share our thoughts on our latest contemporary romance read, Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley. This story tackles learning disabilities, entrepreneurship, the realities of adulthood, and of course baking! Jada's career path hasn't been linear. And her recent stunt on a reality tv show has made her enemy #1 nationwide. On the flip side, football player and cupcake shop owner, Donovan is a man with a plan. What happens when these two opposites attract? Ultimatums, fake dating, and other wild adventures ensue!

Join your co-hosts, Kim and Nia as we chat with you about our year so far, what we've read both for the show and personally, and what book we'll be discussing this month! 

Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we dive into our April Contemporary Romance choice! Savvy Sheldon is a plus-size underwriter who decides to enact a revenge body scheme after Jason, her boyfriend of six years, dumps her. But with the help of her amazing friend group, that revenge scheme transcends into a plan that prioritizes her mental, emotional, and physical health. Throw in a hot contractor by the name of Spencer, and his adorable dog, Teddy, and Savvy just might get a shot at finding true, authentic love.  Being beautiful, Black, curvy women ourselves, we waste no time discussing Savvy's character development,  fatphobia, and the importance of work-life balance and having a strong friend group. 

Join your hosts Kim and Nia as we chat and mostly laugh about our latest read! We had such a fun time last year reading Dial A for Aunties and expected nothing less from Sutanto with Four Aunties & A Wedding. Meddy, Nathan, and the Aunts are back. This time, Meddy's the bride! She and Nathan are having a destination wedding in Oxford, England. Cue the new wedding vendors! Staphanie, who just like Meddy, is the photographer and with her uncles and Ama seem to be the perfect fit for the job. But what if there's more than meets the eye? Will this wedding go off without a hitch or can we expect some crazy wedding hijinks for the record books?

Join your hosts Nia and Kim as we review How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale by Elle Cruz. We had an...interesting journey while reading this contemporary romance. Self-proclaimed plain jane and bookworm, Claire Ventura embarks on a whirlwind romance with CEO and tech billionaire, Nate Noruta. But was their romance an epic tale of rags to riches and the swoony love we hoped for? 

It's a new year and new season over here at Buddy Read Podcast! And your co-hosts Kim and Nia are so excited to kick off the year with this action-packed Mystery/Thriller. Buckle up because Her Name is Knight took us on one heck of a journey. It kept us on our toes, and at the edge of our seats. But we also had to press pause or put the book down from time to time. Tune in to hear all of our thoughts!

Trigger Warnings: depictions of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse; human trafficking; physical and sexual violence; parental death.

Resources for Victims of Human Trafficking and Abuse: 

RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673) 

Department of Defense Safe Helpline: 1-877-995-5247

 National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 

National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline: 1-800-950-6264 Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

Your co-hosts Kim and Nia are FINALLY back after an unexpected hiatus with a review of A Lot Like Adiós by Alexis Daria. Around this time last year, we discussed the first book in the series, You Had Me at Hola, and had a fun time! Now we're following one of the other Primas of Power, Michelle Amato as she navigates working for her former best friend, Gabriel Aguilar's gym. Hired to work on the marketing campaign for the gym's New York City location, Michelle is uncertain just how much distance she should put between her and Gabe after he left unexpectedly, thirteen years ago. Gabe has a lot of unresolved baggage back home in the Bronx including unfinished business with Michelle. We have an interesting ride maneuvering through the feelings of betrayal, second-chance romance, and fake dating drama this contemporary romance throws at us.

Join your co-hosts Kim and Nia as we discuss this emotional, foodie-filled, steamy romance! Simmer Down by Sarah Smith gave all of the enemies-to-lover tension we wanted and a personal emotional rollercoaster we didn't expect to have. Nikki and Callum definitely took us on one heck of a journey! 

Join your co-hosts, Kim and Nia as we review First Comes Like by Alisha Rai! Believe it or not, this isn't our first Alisha Rai book. But will it be our last? Tune in to hear all of our thoughts on this fake dating romance! 

Join your hosts Nia and Kim as we give you the good and bad on our latest read, Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe. We also take some time to acknowledge and share our thoughts on the untimely murder of young Daunte Wright in Minneapolis by a police officer. We've shared a few links down below where you can help support Daunte's family, girlfriend, and son. 

Happy Pub Day Accidentally Engaged!! 

Join your co-hosts, Kim, Nia & Toya as we share with you, all of our non-spoiler thoughts on this gorgeously written contemporary romance. Fair warning, you may want to have a snack on hand as this book and convo will leave you hungry for more!

Join your hosts Nia and Kim as we give you all the details on this sexy friends-to-lovers/second chance romance! We gave Kennedy Ryan another shot and you'll just have to tune in to find out whether or not we regret it. 

Join your co-hosts, Kim and Nia, and our guest Laura as we discuss The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson! We give you all the details, feelings, and more on our first ever venture into the Science Fiction genre. 

Join your hosts, Nia and Kim as we muddle through our mixed feelings on How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole! For a spoiler-y show, we certainly hold back on a few things. But as per usual, we give you our good and bad and all the things! 

Join your hosts Nia and Kim as we discuss Legendborn by Tracy Deonn! This Arthurian retelling took us on a crazy, but enjoyable journey. We discuss with our unofficial co-host, Toya from @TheReadingChemist, the connection we all felt to the book, and whether or not we are #TeamNick or #TeamSelwyn. We also did things a little differently this time with our show, but as always, we had a great time!

We are back!! After an unintentional month-long hiatus, we are back with the new year and a new season! We have some exciting things planned for 2021 and we can't wait to share them with yall. So, stay tuned! 

Join your hosts Nia and Kim as we discuss and review the third book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. We dive into some of the critiques SJM has received, discuss our favorite characters, and give you all of our thoughts on the book's ending.

Join your hosts Nia and Kim as we discuss and review the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. We continue diving into the story with new characters, surprising romance, and a new threat! 

Join your hosts Nia and Kim as we discuss and review the first book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series! We dive into the different Beauty & the Beast elements, the romance, friendships, and the 49-year curse.  

Join your hosts Nia and Kim as we discuss the fourth and last book of the Playbook series! This enemies-to-lovers romance takes us on a very emotional ride. We've fallen in love with some characters, felt connected to others while simultaneously giving massive middle fingers to those we strongly disliked. It is the perfect end to a phenomenal series!

Join your hosts, Nia and Kim as we discuss the third book in the Playbook series, Blitzed by Alexa Martin. This somewhat friends-to-lovers romance made for an unexpectedly emotional read.  And we give major middle fingers to two characters in this one. But the steam on this one is sure to knock your socks off 🥵

Join your hosts, Nia and Kim, as we continue our review-a-thon for the Playbook series! This week we give you all the great, good and bad about Poppy Paterson, TK Moore, and their second-chance love story. There's some tension, mixed with suspense and a pinch or two of steam! 

Join your hosts Nia and Kim, as we kick off our very first review-a-thon! This month we'll be discussing the Playbook series by Alexa Martin. And this week we're giving you all the great, good and bad details on Intercepted!

Join your hosts Nia, Kim, and Toya as we give you all of our thoughts, opinions, and emotions in this bonus episode discussion of Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. 

Now that Dear Justyce is out in the world, we encourage you to take part in the #justycechallenge! For every copy purchased (up to 4,000 copies) Team Underlined will donate one copy of Dear Martin to the Prisoners Literature Project! But hurry! This promotion ends Thursday, October 15th. 

Join us we discuss our first DNF (Did Not Finish)! We discuss—mostly rant, about the explicit content and lack of trigger warnings surrounding this book! We felt very mislead by the marketing and let me tell you, we hold nothing back!

Trigger Warning: domestic abuse including emotional, verbal, and physical abuse. As well as sexual abuse, including rape and sexual assault and gun violence. 

Remember to follow us on 

Join us as we review The Worst Best Man and share some funny moments from our first buddy read chat! We discuss family dynamics, Afro-Brazilian culture and steamy steamy romance 🔥And Kim shares her first ugly 😱

Join your hosts Nia and Kim and our first featured guest, Toya from @thereadingchemist as we discuss Dear Martin by Nic Stone! Racism, Police Brutality, and Microaggressions make for one heck of a discussion that you're not going to want to miss! 

Follow Toya on IG, Twitter, and her blog! Links down below: 

Join us as we conclude Caribbean Heritage Month with our review of The Girl with the Hazel Eyes by Callie Browning!