Two ladies who read for pleasure but want to know WHY we love what we love. Does feeling represented by the characters make us enjoy a book more? Why are so many straight women writing about LGBTQ folks, and why do we want to read them? And if we'd never partake in a particular sex act, why is it so fun to read about?
What is it about fake dating that we find so fun (particularly, watching the yearning overcome the boundaries)? Why is it that a female main character is never a slut if they are white (unless they are literally a succubus)? Why is Kim so mean to Sarah about liking bald men (I'm out here sparing the guys with hair for the rest of you)?
Trigger /Content warnings: Death of one of the main characters’ parents in the past (due to cancer), workplace sexual harassment of the main character (NOT from Adam, the love interest), power differential (Olive is a student and Adam is a professor; they clear out their fake relationship with the Dean early in the story and no abuse of power occurs), explicit and graphic sexual content, cursing and vulgar language
Tropes: Fake Dating: Olive kisses professor Adam Carlsen to convince her best friend she has moved on, leading to a fake relationship agreement.
Grumpy x Sunshine: The pairing contrasts Olive's optimistic, quirky personality with Adam's stoic, intimidating, and broody demeanor.
He Falls First: Adam has secretly harbored feelings and cared for Olive since before the fake arrangement began.
Age-Gap / Authority Figure: Adam is a young hotshot professor and lab tyrant, while Olive is a third-year Ph.D. student.
Forced Proximity: Shared conferences, labs, and public fake-dating appearances throw them together constantly.
(I think we got that info from her website?)
Who might feel repped? Women in stem/academia, smarty pants, women who have been harassed by a teacher or authority figure, orphans, people who lost a parent to cancer/pancreatic in particular
Master Kim’s Corner:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/feb/14/theres-only-one-bed-fake-dating-and-opposites-attract-how-tropes-took-over-romance (https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/feb/14/theres-only-one-bed-fake-dating-and-opposites-attract-how-tropes-took-over-romance)
3 Oct 2026
Pounded by Produce by G.M. Fairy
Season 4 is here and we're just as surprised as you. BUT, we're back bb!
We attempted to do Sentient September bc of Wicker, but we're posting it in Oct. So, typical us.
Kim & Sarah talk about life updates to kick off the episode. Why has there been arise in sentient romance in recent years? Is there a relationship between sentient object romance and AI boyfriends?
Trigger Warnings/Content Warnings: sex with vegetables, abuse from a previous partner, explicit sexual content, dubious consent, religious trauma, and religious guilt
Tropes: mmf/poly, instalove, sentient objects, fresh start unrequited love, priests/forbidden love
Who might feel represented? People who have sex with vegetables, unrequited lovers, ppl who grew up on veggie tales, ppl with religious trauma
Master Kim's Corner -
6 Jun 2026
Misbehaving with Minotaurs by Hazel Mack
Can you really consent to a succubus? What is it about minotaurs that appeals to older women? Will Kim ever learn what qualifies as beastiality?!?
Trigger/Content Warnings: death of a former mate (off page but referenced), assholishness of a former mate (off page but referenced), the dreaded words ‘we should talk,’ thrall attack, dominance play and beguilement (with consent), sexually explicit content
Tropes: Second Chance Romance, monster romance, small town, cozy fantasy, size difference, age gap
Who might feel repped? Middle aged people, business owners, people in small communitiesMaster Kim's Corner:
Meet Graciella, aka Grapie Deltaco, the Bookworm Changing How We Look at Monster & Sentient Object Romance (https://fangirlish.com/2025/06/21/meet-graciella-aka-grapie-deltaco-the-bookworm-changing-how-we-look-at-monster-sentient-object-romance/) - Lyra Hale
@grapiedeltaco - TikTok
Minotaur from Models movie
Who has been a guest on Reading For Pleasure
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Master Kim
Anne Taylor
Jenny Zigrino
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
19 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
65
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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