Reader Rot: Breaking Down the New York Times & Kindle Best-Sellers Lists

Reader Rot: Breaking Down the New York Times & Kindle Best-Sellers Lists

Author: Brandi, Kendra, & Kayla April 23, 2026 Duration: 1:06:05
This week, we’re launching the first edition of Reader Rot, and things got interesting fast. We got into the weeds with the NYT and Amazon Kindle best seller's lists and dissected them down to the smallest of details like subgenre, publishing houses, and page counts. The results weren’t what we expected. Join Kendra, Kayla, and Brandi as we dig into what’s actually dominating the charts right now, where trad and indie are showing up, and what these lists might say about reading trends overall. Plus a few moments where we couldn’t help but laugh. If you’re curious about what’s really selling (and why), this one’s worth a listen. Check out Lady Jane’s (Romancing the Data) Substack HERE. Join the BYO book club ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Our April 2026 pick is The Name Game by Beth O'Leary! 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: 100

Bring Your Own: A Bookish Podcast for Romance Readers
Podcast Episodes
2026 Books You Need to Add to Your Summer TBR [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:15
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: 1:15:02
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…
Tier Ranking Your Favorite Book Couples [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:04
🚨 YOUR FAVORITE BOOK COUPLE IS BREAKING UP 🚨 Okay… maybe not literally… but we are tier ranking some of your favorite iconic romance book couples and making some VERY controversial decisions. From “together in every life…
Books to Define a Year: Celebrating Kendra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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, wi…
13 Going on 30: Revisiting Books We Loved as Tweens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:50
In this week's episode Kayla, Kendra, and Brandi take a nostalgic dive back into the books that shaped us during our tween years, and the stories we once obsessed over. Now that we’re older (and allegedly wiser), we’re r…
Reading 1-Star Review of our Favorite Books [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:55
We decided to hurt our own feelings this week. We went straight to the Goodreads 1-star reviews on our favorite books (AKA Hell on Earth) and pulled the meanest, funniest, most ridiculous takes we could find, then tried…
The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez Deep Dive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:45
Three hosts, one book, and very different opinions. In this week’s episode of Bring Your Own, we break down The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez. What worked, what didn’t, and why we couldn’t agree - and don’t worry, we star…
Romance Author Rose & Thorn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:40
This week we got REAL about our favorite romance authors. In this week’s episode, listeners called in to share their “roses and thorns,” the best and worst parts of authors they love. Some of these hot takes had us noddi…