Bookwild - Popcorn Thrillers We Love!

Episode Date: March 14, 2025

This week, Gare and I share some of our favorite popcorn thrillers, AND discuss actors we want to see on future seasons of White Lotus.Books We Talked AboutIf You See MeReturn to MidnightOn the SurfaceYou Killed Me FirstThis Girl’s A KillerThe TeacherThe Astrology HouseThe Final ActThe Lake of Lost GirlsCount My Lies Get Bookwild MerchCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackCheck Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck out the Imposter Hour Podcast with Liz and GregFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrian 

I'm back with Gare. Woo-hoo. Woo-hoo. And I'm super excited. He had a really good topic idea. And he had an awesome icebreaker idea. Oh, my God. I am so excited.

I'm so excited for both. I know. And thank you very much for liking my ideas. Because as you know, today, it was the day that I was like, maybe I'm a little dumb. Perhaps. Perhaps. a little stupid. I'm glad I can help. So, I've been thinking about you a lot, more than usual, because I have been binging the first

two seasons of White Lotus before I start the third one. I watched them obviously before, but I just wanted to like revisit them before I started the third season in case of any like Easter eggs. Right. So what I was noticing when I was watching them is like both seasons have this incredible, like, ensemble cast. And so I wanted to know if you were responsible for casting the next season of White Lotus, who would you pick? Do you want to go, like, back and forth? Sure.

With picks. Yeah. Because I am intrigued to see if we have any similar ones. Okay. Yeah. Mine are, like, all, like, yeah, they're, like, all over the place. Mine, too. So the first person who came to mind for some reason was Pedro Pascal because I almost picked him.

He was just the first one. I was like, I need him in that setting because so far we've seen him in very serious dramatic roles most of the time. And I'm like, I need him on this sexy, silly show. Yeah. And I feel like his interview, like all of the interviews he does, like where he calls himself daddy and stuff. like he would be so good at like the comedic. And there's always like somebody who's like, there's always like somebody who like starts off and like one aspect and then like

becomes like really attractive toward the end of it. Yeah. I feel like he'd be a really good, he would be a guest. I feel like he'd be like a funny like maybe like a stoner, like a like a hippie stoner bro kind of thing or like bohemian type character. Yeah. I could picture him kind of being like Connie Britton's husband in the first season. Oh, yeah. Like how he like started off kind of like silly and comedic and then like his role got more dramatic as a show. It's so bad. Yeah. That's a good one. Yeah. That's a really good one. My first one to no one's surprise is Sarah Michelle Geller.

Oh, that would, yep, I would have guessed that one too. Because I feel like there's like this resurgence of resurgence of Sarah Michelle Geller on TV, like with Dexter and like the new Buffy show that she's going to be in. And I just like could see her like playing like this really like funny, bitchy, like waspy kind of like woman on the show. Like kind of like a Connie Britton or like. I don't know, like a Connie Britton kind of character, I guess, but like a younger. But like I would love to see what she would do. Yeah. Me too.

And I actually saw an interview where somebody asked her if she would ever be on it. And she's like, I will do like if he wants me on the show, like I would 100% do it. Oh wow. Because she like loves him. So I think that was really cool. Yeah. She would be awesome. Oddly, the second person I thought of was Annie Murphy.

who is uh shits creek for people Alexis I feel like some people may not know her actress name um but I just feel it like she would be she would be a funny like well they're always exotic locations so she couldn't be a local but you know how like the two local girls in season three are like or season two or how many seasons are there three

and I'm in the third one right yeah yeah so too I am Lucia Lucia and I can't remember the other name but like I feel like she would be really funny in that kind of a role

like fucking with the with the guests or whatever but she would I just feel like she'd be so cool on that show that would be so good Mm-hmm Pedro and Annie were the like the second you said it those were the two that came up and I was like huh okay

I love that. Yeah. I mean, I obviously listed Sarah Michelle as my first pick, but like my first one, and I even have it in all caps. Drumroll. Tony Collette. I keep, I'm glad I'm not saying my guesses, but yes. Yes, yes, yes to that. I, like, she's in like United States of Tara.

She was in, I think it's called Unbelievable with Caitlin Devere. her and she was in one of the Knives Out movies. Yeah. The first one. But like her character in Knives Out, she's just so good and she can do anything. And I absolutely love her. And I want her to have like a pretty calm role until she like loses her shit in the end. Like she does in the movie Hereditary.

Oh my God. She's like that look on your fucking face on your face. Yes. I'm your mother. I just, I want her in everything, obviously. But like, I just think that she would be. so fucking good in White Lotus. Yeah.

She'd be fantastic. Yeah. That scene in Hereditary is just unreal. She's so good. She goes there. And I'm like obsessed with her in United States of Tara. Have you ever watched that? I never watched that. She has like

multiple personality disorder. But she does such a good job at playing every single personality that like I just, and she can like switch really quickly. It's phenomenal to watch. And the show is also really good, but. I need to watch it because I do like that concept. But because you said that, I'm going to skip to one of mine,

Tatiana Moslani, who plays all of the orphans on Orphan Black. Same thing. We're like, I just respect her acting so much and don't see her and very much other stuff. But she played, I think, 11 or 12 clones by the end of it. And they were also distinct. And then sometimes she would be one clone trying to pretend to be like the other clone to like pull something off. And she, like you could feel the other clone underneath the outfit. And like, whew, I love that show.

And I'm just like, he could put, he could use her in any, like, she could be in any of the roles. Right. She could play any character. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God. That's so good. Okay, I'm going to bounce off yours because there's somebody who I feel like is very underutilized in Hollywood. Sandra O.

From Brazen Anatomy. I would love to see her in this because I feel like she would be, she's an amazing actress. Yes. But she's such a, like you and I discuss this about Lucy on Tell Me Lies, but like Sandra O is such a good facial expression actress. And I feel like with how she is. and like dramatic roles she's incredible but like also her facial expressions she would be such good like comedic relief at some points yeah and i would love to see like what she would do in the white lotus i agree that's a great one you watched killing eve right i haven't oh wow

you're missing out it's on my list but nice i bounce through that's okay phases and moods when it comes to what I'm watching, so who knows well being the killing mood. Well, a show that we both have watched that I also thought of, I need Issa Ray on White Lotus.

Hell, yeah. I just need it. I almost envisioned her as like, you know, like bows on Beverly Hills Housewives now. Mm-hmm. Like, a really super

successful business woman, like maybe traveling alone. I could see that. And then like we just find out all kinds of things about her that we like, maybe she's not what she presents as at first. I could also see her doing like the Natasha Rothschild role. Yeah. She like works at the White Lotus and then she's like these fucking rich white people are crazy.

I know. But she's another one. She could play any role. you know what I mean and like make it her own and also like believable. Yeah. She was actually on my list, but I had an idea. And so I replaced her with somebody else. Nice.

But my next one is Mahershala Ali. Mahershala. Mahershalla. Yes. Like, oh, he would be so good. True detective. Moonlight. Like I feel like he is so, so talented that like, like,

he would be like I love our pick so far but like he would be like the standout like the Emmy winner at the end of it yeah I think you're right so good he's amazing um Catherine Hahn my god that is so good oh she just has I wish I thought of that I feel like she would be funny as staff and like really making fun like just talking mad shit, like giving all the gossip. Like basically we're following her character for the gossip that she like finds and passes on. And like she's also like kind of done a role similar to that with like bad moms. Yeah.

Where she's like she works in the spa and like she's really funny between like what she's saying to herself and then like how she presents herself when there's like a client. Yes. So that's amazing. So my next one would be Jonathan Bailey. Oh, you're muted. My dog was barking. I thought about him too and almost included him after Pedro. I just want him to be part of a gay couple.

But like I would want them to be like, I want him in my next pick to be like this, gay couple that is like super toxic and like maybe like tries to try yeah tries to have like not toxic in like a dramatic way but toxic like a funny way like maybe where they get in like little like tiffs or like they decide like they're going to have like their first like threesome at the white lotus or like have like a thruple moment or something and like have like shit go awry. I love that. Now I want to know who your next one is. So my next one actually is John Turturro because I'm watching him in Severance right now. But he could body a role like any of them for White Lotus.

He was incredible in the night of. Yeah. Yes, he was so good in that. I never thought about that in a while. It was a pop culture Jeopardy clue the other night. And I was like, fuck yeah. that's what it was. He would be so good.

Oh my God. He would be so good. I could see him doing like the the Murray Bartlett role and like the first season. Yeah. The manager. Yeah, he'd be great for that.

He would be so good. Well, somebody I would love to see that I think would like be incredible as Jonathan Bailey's like boyfriend is Lee Pace. Which one is? he, I need to look him up. He was in bodies, bodies, bodies. Okay. I'm going to recognize him then. He's super good looking. And... Oh, yes. Okay. I also watched this movie the other night that has Sarah Michelle Geller in it. And it's like, she has like this perfect husband and like his like bad boy brother.

And the husband and the brother get into a car accident and they both go into a coma. But the brother wakes up. And is like, I'm your husband. And she's like, stop dicking around basically. Like, you know, like you were not my husband. And he starts, like, saying all of these things that only her husband would know. Like, remember this vacation when this happened and like all these things? So, like, she thinks that like her husband's, like, soul is like trapped in the brother's body. And Lee Pace is like the bad boy brother.

And he was so good in it that I was like, oh, my God. I would love to see that. Nice. That movie sounds good, too. Yeah. That's very good. It's called possession. Possession. Good to know.

So, I think here in Colkin would be amazing, too. Jesus, you are fucking crushing this. Thank you. I feel like we both are. Oh, my God. I mean, I know in a real pain, he just played like a neurotic traveler. Not even neurotic, but, no, no, he didn't play. that was more Jesse Eisenberg, who I also think would be great, but I'm not picking him.

I hate Jesse Eisenberg. You hate him. I hate him with a passion. I just had a conversation with a friend about this like two days ago. Like he was like, have you seen this movie with Jesse Eisenberg? And I was like, I do not like him. And he's like, but he's so good. And I was like, he is talented.

But I feel like his facial expression in every movie is the same where he like looks like he just woke up first day on earth. like he always has like a very confused I don't know what it's going on in the entire like not only the world but like my life yeah but well good thing I didn't pick him I picked Kieran

Imagine I'm like Nah yeah uh he would be so good yeah I don't know he'd probably be a funny like tech bro

yeah I was gonna say like the guy that like shows up like um and is like yelling on his work calls in the morning yeah and like maybe like not prepared like things that he's going to go on like a hike and like boat shoes yeah exactly because that was just in a book that i read and i thought that was like really funny that is um my next one is mason gooding um he was in scream five and scream six and he was in scream five and scream six and he he's in the most recent heart eyes movie and he's not like super well known but i feel like he would be like the underdog character like he is so charming in heart eyes yeah i can't even tell you how

much my crush on him like immenseified because of this like he's so charming in that movie i could see him kind of being like the ethin character of like season two that was married to um abri plaza yes and like i just think that he would be so good and he's so sweet and i love him and I want him in everything. I love him. Yeah, he's hot. Mm-hmm. He's so good.

Yeah. Yeah. There's also that part. I'm just staring at him right now. Yeah, I know. He's so. Um, well, another one I thought of was Mia Gauth. She would be amazing.

Also, kind of, it would be cool to see her as like a, local who's like trolling people but she could do anything she could be like the lucia of like whatever season like wherever we go with this cast yeah my god she would be so good yeah meagoth and annie murphy as the like duo would be so funny uh that's okay so that's really funny that you say that because when i thought of like mason gooding as like the ethin kind of character I think Jacob Allorty would be really good. I kept waiting for you to say him. I thought he would be like, I thought he would be really good as like the Theo James kind of character.

Yes. Where he's like the douchebag, but he's like super hot and like he just like thinks the world revolves around him. And I'm like also like fingers crossed because he's really shown off his acting chops and like a lot of things. But like euphoria being on HBO. Right. And White Lotus being on HBO. I'm like maybe they could make it happen. Yeah, like Sydney.

Mm-hmm. So, fingers crossed. Yeah. And, like, I feel like you need, like, some, like, brohunk. There's, like, there's always, like, a lot of, like, thirsty-looking men on White Lotus. White Lotus is very gay. Yes. For anyone who has watched yet.

God bless Mike White. Yes. God bless him. And the twist would be that. I would be a guest star and have the threesome with Jacob Allorty and Mason Gooding. And Jonathan Bailey and Lee Pace would not get their threesome. That would be, that would be wonderful for you. I know.

And then they'd be like fighting over who marries me. Oh my God. Yes. Like, call me. Yes. Did you say one after me, Agath? Jacob Allorty. Okay. So you were saying Jacob Lorty.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Cool, cool. That was a sneak attack. I like saved him toward the end. Right. Well, when I thought of Kieran, I also thought of Brenda Song, who is, she's like famous on Disney Channel. But like the character she played on Disney Channel, if you knew her, you'd be like, oh my gosh, London, the character she played needs to be at the White Lotus as well. She would have to be some like totally. out of touch, rich girl, because that's what she is there. I've seen TikToks of her

in that new show with Kate Hudson and she's so funny. Yes. I think she's married to McCauley Culkin, though. You're right, but it was what made me think of her. Oh, yes, okay. Yes, yes. Yeah, that would be so good.

Because there's always like a Megan Fahey, like somebody that you're not like super familiar with, but like really like, does like a fantastic job. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's so good. That's so good. Yeah, her character was so funny.

It would be nostalgic. Well, speaking of nostalgic, ooh. One of the things I love about the first two seasons is Jennifer Coolidge. Oh, yes. Who has been, like, iconic since the American Pie movies and, like, legally blonde. And so I was, like, thinking, like, we need somebody else like that who could, like,

maybe do more than one season. that's like also like iconic from like the 90s and stuff. So to play somebody similar to like her character, I would do, or I would pick Jennifer Tilly. Oh my gosh. She acts too. Yeah. Acts acts.

Oh my God. Yes. She'd be amazing. Yeah. So she does like a lot of like the Chucky movies. Okay. Yes. But like she did a movie called Bound with Gina Gershahn and like she's like incredible in it.

Like I think she was like, nominated for like an Oscar or something. Wow. But she's just like so funny and I like love her voice and I love her personality. And I think that she would be so good as like a ditsy like rich woman who's just kind of like confused about having to do things for herself. Yes. I agree.

If I were going to cast that role, I would say Jessica Lang needs to be in White Lotus. So good. So good. And again, she can do anything. She could be the manager. She could be a rich widow with a secret. Like, she could do any of it. That would be so good.

I know. I feel like we could do this every week. Like, every week until the day I die. I know. Because I have so many. Yeah. Because I was torn between Zendaya and Jessica Lange for my last one. but then when you said that one, I was like, okay, I want to include Jessica Ling. Well, you can include.

I'm going to include Zendaya, too. She can do anything, too. Yeah. And you know what I just, I don't know why this just popped into my head, but like, one of my favorite movies is The Help. Mm-hmm. And I love Sissy Spacec in it. Mm-hmm. And I could see her on the White Lotus, too.

Yes. Like playing that exact character. I agree. Oh, my God. That would be so good. Viola Davis would be fun It'd be fun to give her It'd be fun to give her a comedy

To like play around with I think Oh yeah Yeah She's oh my god She's iconic I'd also love like a throwback to like Like having like Sandra Bullock And Nicole Kidman playing sisters

Oh that would be good Like kind of like throwback to like practical magic Yeah Sandra also also always, I feel like Julia Roberts looks like she could be her sister too. Julia Roberts would be so good as like a Connie Britton sort of character. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Oh my God, that would be so... We needed him to write like 15 seasons of this show. Right. Amy Adams would be really good. Yes. I had Ted Danson.

Oh, yeah. Joan Cusack would be... Joan Cusack is... Joan Cusack is the best. out of all of our picks. I think so. Joan Cusack. Oh, my God. That is fucking incredible. Yeah. She, she would have so much fun. I, like, do you know who I also think of is, do you remember the second season where they had, like, the father, the grandfather and the son trio? When he was fighting with his wife on the phone, the wife is actually voiced by Laura Dern. Oh.

And I was like, how fun would it be if she was in it? And like maybe like there were like scenes where like she's calling him and like maybe now her ex husband or they maybe they like reconciled or whatever and like he could do like some voiceovers and that would be like a fun little Easter egg. That would be cool. Because Laura Dern would be fucking. She'd kill it. Insane.

Yeah. Laura Dern would be insane. She would be so good. I also had Florence Pugh. She'd kill. Just because she can do anything. Anything. Yeah.

She was so talented. And she's like a chameleon for all her roles. Yeah. Oh my God. She would be so freaking good. Christopher Walkin and John Torturo together on Severance is like a treat. So like it would be repetitive, but it would be hilarious for them to be on like a trip together. I love when they do that.

I love when they have character or like two actors that like. reunite and like play different characters um Michelle Pfeiffer would be good mm-hmm Michelle Fifer would be so good oh my god there's just so many yeah there's so many people I would love like Kathleen Turner mm-hmm it's such an accessible show too I think that's part of it Michael Douglas mm-hmm oh okay Yeah. I guess we should eventually talk about books. Yeah, we can talk about books.

But that was a great one. That was fun. Thank you. That was fun. That was so fun. And if you do want real casting news, by the way, Sharon Stone is going to be in the third season of Euphoria. I saw that.

Like, what? You are merging two of my favorite worlds together. It's going to be the best season. I'm obsessed with her. Yeah. So if you have any popcorn left over from binging white lotus or any of your favorite TV shows, we are going to be talking about popcorn thrillers. We are. I'm not going to lie when I started picking them at one point, I was like, because the point is kind of that they're like not dark.

but they are thrillers. So like there were a couple that I was like, should I include this one? And I literally Googled the definition of it. And it was like, doesn't deal with heavy or sad themes. But like,

I don't know. Some of them are still going to have some sad themes. I don't know. To me, like, I feel like it's kind of like subjective. Like you can kind of think whatever you want. But like I was thinking about that too.

And then I'm thinking of like some of the like popcorn thrillers that like I've better like your classic like everybody talks about this is a popcorn thriller and I'm thinking like freedom McFadden which her books can get dark yes oh you're right the perfect marriage by Geneva Rose like what is darker than waking up in your mistress is like been stabbed 30 something times next to you so as far as I know if you are if it's just something that you can't put down and it's really like fast paced and like you just want to like bench cover to consider it a popcorn thriller you know yeah that's the shards is not a popcorn thriller no i'd say there's probably a page limit like i'm thinking like around like a 300 yeah not much more than 300

yeah i agree yeah so that's what we have for you guys today our favorite popcorn thrillers um and you want me to start? Hell yeah. 285 pages. I'm fitting our model. All of her books are fantastic popcorn thrillers. But if you see me by Audra McElhye, so addictive. When Layton Marks is taken at a festival in front of her loved ones, police are quick

to label it a random trafficking incident. But Layton's husband Owen and her ex-best friend, Marnie, suspect there's more to the story. After Marnie meets Sarah, who saw something at the festival that doesn't add up, she starts looking for Leighton herself, only to discover secrets and inconsistencies surrounding her disappearance that grow deeper and more complicated by the minute. As Marnie continues to search, she receives threats by two parties with conflicting agendas, and she must decide whether she should risk it all to find her friend, or she thinks it would be better for everyone if Leighton stays gone after she learns the whole twisted truth.

There are like so many secrets. There's a lot of like long-term friend backstory, but like betrayals and all kinds of stuff going on. That book was so twisted. So twisty. I loved it. Her books are so much fun too. Yeah. That's a good one.

I was like, I was like looking at my list and I was like, okay, all of these pretty much have like a dark element to them. I know. I think mine do too. And I was just like, well. But I'm also like these are. I didn't pick like the good daughter. Imagine if I was like, my first one's a good daughter.

No, but I also was like thinking and I was like, okay, some of these do have dark elements in them. but I'm also like, they're not as dark as the stuff that I usually recommends. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. So with that being sad, my first one is return to midnight by Emma Doos. Good one. Is that on your list?

No, but I did see it and I was like, that's one. Okay. That's the one I was nervous that we were going to have the same one. No. On the anniversary of a savage mass murder, a survivor returns to the scene of the crime and all its buried secrets in a twisted novel of suspense. Nearly 10 years ago, five Ohio University students were murdered in an off-campus Victorian home. The media dubbed it the Midnight House Massacre. Ever since survivor and novelist Margo Davis has wanted to forget it and never

again utter the killer's name, until she's compelled to write her side of the story. To do that, she's returned to the Midnight House. It'll be a chance for Margo to reconnect with other survivors, heal the trauma and dispel the ugly conspiracy theories of obsessed true crime fanatics. When the news of Margot's book gets out, she receives a threatening note that demands that she stop lying, or else. It chills Margot's blood because she hasn't been telling the whole truth. As the threats continue, each more sinister than the last, a journalist comes to Margot with new suspicions about that brutal October night. Now to save her own life, Margot must reveal her well-guarded secrets, one that for good reason, she's been too terrified to share.

So good. God, I was so. Very creepy. So creepy. Halloween theme. Like, creepy house, dual timeline. Yep. I'm obsessed with.

Same. Yeah, it's a good one. I think about that book so much. It's so good. So good. Well, mine goes from fall vibes to summer vibes. Because one of the best. best popcorn thrillers I read this year, or kind of like last year, but recently, is on the surface

by Rachel McGuire. Sawyer Stone III and Danny Fox, a young couple who spend their time circumnavigating the globe aboard their 42-foot sailboat and documenting it for their fledgling YouTube channel sailing with the foxes have anchored in Exuma in the Bahamas as they wait for the price of crypto to rebound so they can provision and continue. their journey. They're partying and exploring with their fellow cruisers offshore. On the surface, everything looks perfect, but one night, Danny vanishes after a boat party, and Sawyer has no memory of her disappearance. The search for Danny is initially fueled by concerns that she drowned during one of her daily ocean swims. But Danny's pre-scheduled video posts recorded before

she went missing soon reveal a darker side to her relationship with Sawyer. Meanwhile, Royal Bahamas police force inspector Veronica Knolls has her hands full trying to keep the investigation on course as the story of the American woman missing in the Bahamas goes viral in the internet sleuth under secrets from Sawyer's past

Sawyer Stone is far from perfect but is he a murderer? It's just like you think popcorn thriller you even think a cover like this I I love the name Sawyer so much It's a cool name.

I love the name Sawyer. I still need to read that one. That's like definitely more summer vibes though, so I have plenty of time to read it this summer, being that it's only 30 degrees here today. Yeah, it got up to 60, 70 outside here. It's supposed to get to 65 here this weekend. That's what I'm dealing with is it being 30 degrees and then like jumping up 35 degrees. It's great.

Speaking of hot, nice. Imagine being stuck in a bonfire. Ooh. Because my next one that I just finished recently, and I'm obsessed with, is you killed me first by John Mars. This is the most addictive, crazy, twisty, diabolical thing that I have read in a long time. And, like, I just, the dialogue and, like, some of the shit that happens, you will

belly laugh before your jaws on the floor. So, like, highly, highly, highly recommend. It's the 5th of November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bounding gag, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in. She's moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this? Rewind 11 months, Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend, Anna,

watch as glamorous live and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricated. the perfect pretense of friendship, but each harbors their own deadly secret, and newcomer lives senses something as terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors. As cracks widened in the veneer perfection and lies eskly out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire night is approaching and someone is set to burn, but who will it be? You have me all kinds of excited about this one. Oh my God, it is chef's kiss. The only thing I will say, I feel like Margot, is definitely not a former TV star she's more of a pop star that's weird so like that's why I was

like read that synopsis I was like um this is the synopsis that was on good reads but like I will fully let you guys know margot's like storyline is that she was kind of in a band similar to like S Club 7 and um shit goes crazy from there shit goes crazy shit goes crazy shit goes crazy crazy. So if you read this one, my recommendation, like, it's probably going to be like slow burning for the first 50%. It's more like you kind of feel like a desperate housewife kind of vibe. But then like at 50% your jaw is just going to like be on the floor and it is relentlessly fast pace from there. Wow. I'm excited. I'm definitely going to read it. It's so good. I'm finishing girl in 60E right now. And then maybe I'm going to be. be able to pick that up another fucking stunner right um okay this one gets all kinds of crazy too and it's called this girl's a killer by emma c wells i can't stop talking about it guys it fits so many of our topics yeah yeah um cordelia black loves exactly three things her chosen family her hairdresser worth every penny plus tip and killing bad men

By day she's an ambitious farmer rep with a flawless reputation and designer wardrobe. By night, she calls South Louisiana of unscrupulous men, monsters who think they've evaded justice until they meet her. Sure, the evening news may have started throwing around phrases like serial killer, but Cordelia knows that's absurd. She's not a killer. She is simply karma, and being karma requires complete and under control. But when Cordelia discovers a flaw in her perfectly designed system

for eliminating monsters, pressure heightens. And it only intensifies when her best friend starts dating a man, Cordelia isn't sure as a good person, someone who might just unravel everything she has worked for. Soon enough, Cordelia has to come face to face with the choices she's made, the good, the bad, and the murderous. Both her family and her freedom will depend on it. This is like if the book Blood Sugar and the book, Blood Sugar, and the TV show Dexter

had a feminist a baby. Yeah, and that baby's first ever toy is a butcher knife. Is a knife. Like a knife. Yeah. That was so much fun. Cordelia was so sad. I know.

So sassy. I want a Cordelia in my life. I'm not going to lie. Maybe you already have one. Hmm. Yeah, you guys have to read that one. That's such a fun book. That's the one I was torn on, but I'm like, it's campy. So, like, it's not just totally dark.

This fits. It's a popcorn thriller. Yeah, it's also kind of like, like, bloodier, funner version of, like, Finlay Donovan. Mm-hmm. They're a little cozy for you. Exactly. They're a little cozy for you. Um, if you want something unhinged that's not fucking cozy whatsoever.

I will never stop talking about this book. I'm obsessed with it. The teacher by Frieda McFadden has some of my favorite twists in a thriller. It is like, like, just chef's kiss for me. I guess check trigger warnings if you need to, but like it's Freedom McFadden. Like, it's just going to be like bash it crazy and off the wall. Lesson number one, trust no one. Eve has a good life.

She gets up every day, gets a kiss from her husband, Nate, and heads off to teach math at their local high school. All is as it should be. Except last year, KSom High was rocked by a scandal involving a student teacher affair with one student Addy at its center. But Eve knows there is far more to these ugly rumors than meets the eye. Addy can't be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives.

At least that's what everyone says. But nobody knows the real ad. nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her and addy will do anything to keep it quiet dum-d-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum I think it's like said I don't I'm oh my god I'm so obsessed I still think about the ending and there's like this like very cinematic scene that like just stays in my head but like I also like I don't know why it's not in that synopsis because it's like very well known that the reason that she starts to freak out is because the student Addy, who is accused of having an affair last year with a teacher, is like in her husband's class this year. So she's like, I don't trust

this little bitch. And that little bitch doesn't trust her. So it's just so dive-ball. It's probably one of my favorite, like, there's a reveal in the end of this book. That's probably one of my favorite reveals that I've ever read. Wow. And you know me. Like I will be like, I love a book. I love a book. I love a book. And then like you'll talk to me about the ending or something. And I'll be like, I don't remember that. But like, yeah, there's no way that like on my deathbed, I will be like, do you remember when this happened in the teacher?

Yes. Like, this is what I'm clinging to. Yeah. This is like, like, I will be like, put this on my tombstone. Oh, I love that. Yeah. Well, I have no segue. Because my next one is the astrology house by Curran Jade. Margo needs a minute.

She's been working 80-hour weeks as a newly minted partner at her law firm. She's disconnected from her brother, the only family she has left, and she's still not pregnant after years of trying. Stars Harbor Astrological Retreat promises rest, relaxation, and wisdom for Margo and her friends. With Instagram worthy views and nightly astrology readings in an impeccably restored waterfront Victorian house, this getaway should be nothing but idyllic fun. For Margo's brother Adam, it's the perfect opportunity to rekindle the romance that fuels his writing, but his wife, Amy, hides the darkness of her past with a beautiful social media feed. Their friend, Farah, is a successful doctor who cannot admit she's losing control. but no one holds a greater secret than their astrologer host, Rini.

She has a plan for all her guests and one won't be leaving Stars Harbor alive. Bonus points. If you love astrology, the book will be enriched by your love for astrology. If you do not know much, it will just be fun to learn about it as you read it. I like, I'm so horrible. Like my friends will be like, oh my God, Garrett loves astrology. and I'm like, no, no, no, no. Garrett loves Gemini facts. Like, I love astrology when, like,

Gemini memes or, like, stuff when it's like, this is a Gemini, because I'm like, that is typical me. But, like, I cannot look at somebody and be like, oh, my God, you said that. That's totally Scorpio of you. You know what I mean? Like, I can't do that. So, like, that would be a really fun one for me to read.

It's very fun. It kind of feels like, it feels like a housewives, like, trip gone wrong, which is partially the inspiration for it, because she's a big housewives fan. Oh, actually, I had her on, I had her on the podcast. I should look and see.

Oh, my gosh, every single book I chose, I did not do this on purpose. I had them on the podcast. Oh, my God. All five that I picked. Not on purpose. I love that you had that. I thought my big reveal was going to be that like four out of my five, you can get on Kindle Unlimited.

Ooh. But your big reveal is like, like, oh, I know. I interviewed off of mine. I'm like, damn. I thought I was randomly choosing them. Nope. I need to see if I can find this at the bookstore.

The cover's so cool. I love. July 8th. July 8th is when the paperback comes out in Canada. Oh, the paperback. And they don't have the hardcover in stock. Yeah, he's like, that's a bullshit. shit. So my next one is a book that when I say popcorn thriller, this one had to pop into my mind

because it was, I was so addicted to it and I loved it. But like, I also went out and met friends for drinks and purposely left early so I could come home and finish it. Like, I was like, oh, like, I'm like kind of tired and I was not tired. I just wanted to come home and finish the book. I get that. And it is the final act by Lisa Gray. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It has been 20 years since Madison James had any kind of success in Hollywood. Now she's disappeared and a TikTok sleuth has found her purse discarded in a Los Angeles park. The news spreads like wildfire across the nation hungry for celebrity tragedy and the struggling actress's mysterious disappearance quickly becomes a national obsession.

Detective Sarah Delaney and Bob Moreno of the LAPD Missing Persons Unit take the case. But truth is a rare commodity and tinsel. town. Some people will stop at nothing to get what they want and Delaney and Moreno soon find themselves mired in Hollywood's dark underbelly with little in the way of clues. As revelations from the past emerge, it becomes apparent there is more going on than meets the eye. With an obsession public, an obsessive public watching every step of the investigation, can the police find Madison before she becomes more than just missing? Dun dun done. I've got to read this one. Oh, dual timeline. Dual timeline, girlie.

It's so, it's so on point with not only like the toxicity of the true crime community, which, you know, I'm obsessed with that in a story. Celebrity, like, obsession and, like, pop culture. There's, like, other aspects in it that I'm not going to say because I would think they're a spoiler, but, like, it's just so, so good. Yeah. And it's very twisty. bonus even better so well speaking of toxic true crime bruce is going to read this one with me

speaking of toxic true crime communities my last one yeah my last one is the lake of lost girls by katherine green yeah it's such a good one um it's 1998 and female students are going missing at Southern State University in North Carolina. Gares holding it up for our video people who are watching. But freshman Jessica Fadley once a bright and responsible student is going through her own struggles. Just as her life seems to be careening dangerously out of control, she suddenly disappears. 24 years later, Jessica's sister Lindsay is desperately searching for answers and uses the momentum of a new chart-topping true crime pie. podcast, 10 seconds to vanish that focuses on the cold cases to guide her own investigation.

Soon, interest reaches fever pitch when the bodies of the long missing women begin turning up at a local lake, which leads Lindsay down a disturbing road of discovery. I'm reading this to my dog so that he doesn't bark. So that's why I sound like I'm reading to a child. In the present, one sister seeks to untangle a complicated web of lies. in the past the other descends ever deeper into a darkness that will lead to her ultimate fate i'm a little slap happy i'm having to pet my pibble so that he doesn't bark but this one is amazing it has really great mixed media um the podcast element is fantastic the timelines are amazing the ending is very dark this is another

run where I was like, is this a popcorn thriller? But I was like, yeah, it is. I haven't seen a bad review of it. So like, I would be through it. That too. I mean, it's so addictive. It's very addictive. I don't think that the ending to that is like super dark. Okay. Well, yeah, not like, but like it is. I'm just imagining like the people like, you know what? The people who really can't handle it aren't reading popcorn thrillers, though, at all. True. Yeah. True. Like there's a huge difference between a popcorn thriller and a cozy mystery. So like-hmm.

Exactly. Yeah. Read or beware. Yeah. I don't need to act like I'm talking to cozy mystery readers. Yeah. Could you imagine? I don't think I could.

I don't think I could. I don't think I could enjoy it. What's that meme where it's like this would like, like, like, what's one thing that would like kill like a kid from the 1800s? And they're like, oh, a Diet Coke. Yeah. Have you seen those memes? Like that's like for us. Like what's like one thing that would like terrify a cozy mystery fan is like listening to this podcast but like also like reading any of our recommendations. Yes.

He'd be like oh my God. Especially my dialy bollical last little pick here. I recently finished and absolutely loved Count My Lies by Sophie Stava. Um, this was, this was like one of the, like, definition of a popcorn thriller for me because, like, I thought that I was going to dive into like maybe 50 or 100 pages and I read 250 pages in a night. I just could not put it down. I was like addicted. I had to like physically force myself to go to bed. Um, it's actually labeled as a read in one night suspense thriller narrated by a compulsive liar whose little white lies allow her to enter into the life and comfort of a wealthy married couple.

who are harboring much darker secrets themselves. Sloan care away is a liar. Harmless lies mostly to make herself-proclaimed sad little life a bit more interesting. So when Sloan sees a young girl in tears at a park one afternoon, she can't help herself. She tells the girl's very attractive dad. She's a nurse and helps him pull a bee stinger from the girl's foot. With this lie and chance encounter, Sloan becomes the nanny for wealthy and privilege, Jay and Violet Lockhart, the perfect New York couple with Brownstone, a daughter in private school,

and summers on Block Island. But maybe Sloan isn't the only one lying. And all that's picture perfect harbors a much more dangerous truth. To say anything more is to spoil the most exciting, twisty, and bitingly smart suspense novel to come out in years. I've got to read it. I keep seeing good reviews. So good. I loved it. It was so wild. I was cracking up. I could see your arms flying out of my peripheral vision. He just keeps

getting further away from me. It's like, mom. He's like, that was the last book. I know it. Yeah. He's like, if that wasn't, it's going to be five instead of six. Yeah. Like last week, we were like, well, we guess we'll stop that for. I know. This is like

two weeks in a row. He's like, it's spring, bitch. I know. It doesn't mean I want to be outside. I don't like it out there. Everyone, when you are done binging the White Lois and you have your leftover popcorn, I hope you enjoy all of our picks for your favorite popcorn thrillers, and let us know on social media which ones you are excited to read and what your favorite popcorn thrillers are. See you next time. Thank you.

The second time, my dog has ruined.