Hot Girls Read Podcast

Ayesha

For the last couple of days, I’ve kept my head down as I try to catch up on my ARCs in NetGalley. I’m very good at requesting them and also very good at getting distracted (oops). I’ll share a bit about two – one I stayed up late to finish and another one that I just started.

“We Won’t All Survive” by Kate Alice Marshall is an upcoming mystery thriller. The story follows Mercy Gray, a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting, dealing with the aftermath two years later. With a bullet fragment still in her back, medical debt, and guilt for ignoring her sister’s warnings about the sweet body next door, it’s an easy ‘Yes’ when she’s invited to compete on a new survivalist reality show. Who wouldn’t want to win $100K? But soon Mercy and her fellow contestants realize that the off-the-grid location may not be right. No one is there, they’re suddenly locked in, and someone ends up dead. Soon, more contestants start dying and it’s a race against the clock to survive. I quite enjoyed this read! I wanted to keep going and find out more about the mystery behind the set, and obviously to figure out the whodunnit. I definitely recommend this one for those interested in a high-stakes thrilling read.

I’ve done a bit of a 180 turn and I’m now reading a contemporary romance, “Not Safe For Work” by Nisha J. Tuli. Rival engineers, Trishara Malik and Rafe Gallagher, battle it out while at a tropical company retreat in Hawaii. With a booking error having them share the honeymoon suite, it’s only a matter of time until Tris starts to realize that there’s more to Rafe than being the boss’ son. So far, I like the story and want to keep going back to my kindle. I’m enjoying the tension and the build up to the spiciness. However, I am struggling to fully root for Tris. We’re the same age so I’m holding her to some standards and she’s not entirely meeting them. Stay tuned for my thoughts once I’m finished!

Julia

I am probably in one of the worst reading slumps I have been through in a while. There are multiple reasons for this, including being too tired to read before bed lately and having a few too many books on the go meaning that I am constantly switching between them, getting closer and closer to the finish lines, and yet, not quite there. 

I have also been a little too addicted to short form content recently, and in addition to tiktok, this also means, articles, essays, think pieces, and short stories. What I have been reading, besides magazines and short story collections, are substack articles! Having recently launched a substack myself (Paris Untapped – please go check it out if you like all things Paris, Arts, and Culture!), I have also delved deeper into the substack world, scrolling through newsletters about astrology, natural wine, and romanticising life. 

Find some of my favourite substacks below:

1. Crispy Noodles by Nina Mingya Powles: One of my favourite modern poets, Nina writes so beautifully about food and identity
2. The Shuffle by Chelsey Pippin Mizzi: I first met Chelsey in person here in Paris during the launch of her book ‘Tarot for Creativity’. I really love the insights from her book and so once I found out she also had a Substack, it was an immediate follow!  
3. David Lebowitz: David writes about food, France, and most of all, French food! All things I love.
4. Notes On, by Hannah Connolly: I’m not sure how I found Hannah’s writings (it might have been through Instagram) but I’m so glad I did! My favourite articles are her inspirations for romanticising each month – very whimsical, very important. 
5. Paris Untapped by Julia Yee and Laura Risas: Having launched a few weeks ago, we write about all things art and culture going on in Paris, from museum expos, gallery openings, our favourite restaurants and more!