Books to Define a Year: Celebrating Kendra

Books to Define a Year: Celebrating Kendra

Author: Brandi, Kendra, & Kayla May 7, 2026 Duration: 1:01:52
A year of reading, evolving, and growth! We’re celebrating Kendra the only way we know how: through love and stories. In this special episode, we look back on the reads and other media that defined Kendra’s past year, with books like Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Correspondent by Ann Patchett, Phoebe Beman's Gonna Lose It by Brooke Averick, No Matter What by Cara Bastone, and more. We also revisit her old BookTok videos (RECEIPTS, PROOF, TIMELINES, etc., etc.), reflect on how her 27th year has shaped her, and look forward to more joy to come. Expect a mix of nostalgia, honest reactions, a little chaos, and plenty of book recommendations along the way. Come celebrate Kendra with us through the stories that shaped her year! Join the BYO book club ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Our May 2026 pick is Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune! Follow us on Instagram @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BringYourOwnPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Brandi @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brandos.Books⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Kendra @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kendra.Readz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Kayla @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kaylas.Bookshelf⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tucked between the pages of your latest read, there's a conversation waiting to happen. Bring Your Own: A Bookish Podcast for Romance Readers is that conversation, hosted by three friends-Brandi, Kendra, and Kayla-who first connected online over a shared love of stories. This isn't a formal review show; it's the feeling of settling into a comfy chair with your most opinionated book-loving friends. Each episode captures their genuine, unfiltered dynamic as they dive into the books they adore, debate tropes and character choices, and pull back the curtain on the wider romance community. You'll hear them champion new authors, revisit old favorites, and share the unique joys and occasional frustrations that come with being dedicated readers. The charm of this podcast lies in its authentic camaraderie; the hosts' distinct personalities and deep passion for the genre make every discussion feel both personal and expansive. It's a space built for anyone who finishes a book and immediately needs to talk about it, offering thoughtful analysis, plenty of laughs, and the comforting sense that you've found your people. Tune in for a weekly dose of literary camaraderie that goes beyond the synopsis, straight to the heart of why we fall in love with stories in the first place.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Bring Your Own: A Bookish Podcast for Romance Readers
Podcast Episodes
They Opened The Bookish Khia Asylum! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:21
🚨 Welcome to the Bookish Khia Asylum 🚨 We're following the iconic "7 Levels of…" trend, but make it bookish. From Level 1 to Level 5 in our case, we're deciding which authors, bookish things, concepts, opinions, ANYTHING…
Book Recs for the folklore Girlies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:12
What if every song on Taylor Swift's folklore had the perfect book to match? This week, Brandi is hosting a solo episode where she pairs every track from folklore with a book recommendation that captures the song's atmos…
We Need to Talk About Every Year After [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:14
So we watched Every Year After... and we have thoughts. In this BONUS episode, we're diving into one of the most anticipated book-to-screen adaptations of the year. As huge fans of the novel, we went in ready to relive a…
BRUTALLY Honest Rankings of Our Book Club Picks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:27
BYO Book Club is officially 1 year old! To celebrate, we ranked every book club pick... and some of these takes toward the end might end friendships! From instant classics to books we wish we could un-read, we're giving…
2026 Books You Need to Add to Your Summer TBR [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:15
In this episode we’re spotlighting the most anticipated romance, literary, and fantasy releases of the summer season. From heavy-hitting, big name romance releases, to debut authors we can’t wait to read, these are the b…
Everyone’s Losing It and Brooke Averick Explains Why [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:43
Brooke Averick joins Bring Your Own to discuss her debut novel Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It and why modern life feels like one long emotional emergency. From existential crises to dating disasters, Brooke dives into the…
We Have A Lot to Say About Cherry Baby… [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:02
Did Rainbow Rowell deliver with Cherry Baby? This week on Bring Your Own, Kayla, Kendra, and Brandi are doing a FULL deep dive into Cherry Baby. We talk about the relationships, the writing, the scenes that stuck with us…
We Need to Talk About Off Campus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:25
We couldn’t just NOT talk about Off Campus, so two episodes this week it is! We binged all of Off Campus, the brand-new TV adaptation inspired by the hockey romance book series that took BookTok by storm. Now, we’re brea…