Booksmart

Missing Perspectives
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Arts
  • Monthly

Booksmart is the podcast for readers who go absolutely feral for women’s stories. The book lovers who are ruled by a never-ending TBR stack and the fear of falling behind in their annual Goodreads Reading challenge. In this Missing Perspectives podcast, your hosts, interstate besties and colleagues, Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King, discover new favourites and discuss their own like they’re ancient texts worthy of preservation in the Library of Alexandria. Join them for monthly book club reads, interviews with authors, and a host of other book-related tangents.

  1. 5d ago

    Western romance author Lyla Sage on “overnight fame”, fictional men, and developing her own ghost lore

    In this episode, Sunny and Allie sit down with New York Times bestselling author Lyla Sage, writer of western romances like the Rebel Blue Ranch series and Sweetwater Peak duology. Lyla joins the girls in Melbourne, her final stop before she heads back to the U.S. after a whirlwind Australian tour. She started her career as an author by independently publishing her debut novel, Done and Dusted, directly on Amazon. Within just a couple of weeks, she was laid off from her full-time job and poached by one of the Big Five publishing houses for a book deal that most writers can only dream of. Three years later, a TV adaptation of Rebel Blue is in the works, and the author is gearing up for three big releases in 2027. In this special conversation, Lyla gets candid about creating a blueprint for a new type of man—progressive, devoted, and kind— through her fiction, while celebrating the unrivalled value of familial and platonic love. They discuss ghosts, mental health, social media, only-child accusations, and whether the author takes issue with being branded as an overnight TikTok sensation. We hope you enjoy this chat, and you can buy any of Lyla Sage's books at QBD with 5% off using the code ‘BOOKSMART’ online or at the checkout: https://www.qbd.com.au/search/?q=lyla+sage&utm_source=booksmart&utm_medium=booksmart&utm_campaign=booksmart&utm_id=booksmart&utm_term=booksmart&utm_content=booksmart

  2. Oct 29

    'How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates': Has anyone ever been this horny in a crisis before? (Book Club)

    It's Halloween ya'll (basically), and it's time to get spooky! In this book club episode, Sue Ann a.k.a. Ma (Sunny) and Helen Sharp (Allie) review Shailee Thompson's slasher rom-com 'How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates'. This debut novel follows cinephile Jamie Prescott, who gets caught in the middle of a murder spree at a speed-dating event with her best friend Laurie and must use her encyclopedic knowledge of the romance and horror genres to make it as a real-life Final Girl. It's funny, scary, and surprisingly... incredibly horny?! Finding love is hard at the best of times, let alone in the middle of a killing spree. Tune in to this unhinged Halloween book club special to find out whether our girls figured out who the killer was and whether they've got what it takes to survive the night. You can purchase 'How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates' by Shailee Thompson online with QBD Books using the following link: https://www.qbd.com.au/how-to-kill-a-guy-in-ten-dates/shailee-thompson/9781761826788/?utm_source=booksmart&utm_medium=booksmart&utm_campaign=booksmart&utm_id=booksmart&utm_term=booksmart&utm_content=booksmart

  3. Oct 26

    Alice Oseman on asexual and aromantic representation & farewelling Heartstopper

    On a very special episode of Booksmart for asexuality awareness week, Allie Daisy King had a chat with Alice Oseman, English author, illustrator, and screenwriter best known for creating the beloved Emmy Award-winning & New York Times best-selling queer series Heartstopper.Alice is openly aromantic asexual, which lends itself well to her plethora of characters on the aroace spectrum through her stories. In this chat, Allie and Alice kiki about the utter dearth of asexual & aromantic characters in media, the struggles with representing marginalised groups without wanting those stories to seem monolithic, and what the future of Alice's work holds.We hope you enjoy this chat, and you can buy any of Alice Oseman's books at QBD with 5% off using the code ‘BOOKSMART’ online or at the checkout:https://www.qbd.com.au/search/?q=Alice+Oseman&utm_source=booksmart&utm_medium=booksmart&utm_campaign=booksmart&utm_id=booksmart&utm_term=booksmart&utm_content=booksmart

  4. Oct 12

    'Off the Ice's' Bal Khabra on why readers can't get enough of hockey romances

    In this bonus episode of Booksmart, hosts Sunny and Allie meet with Canadian author Bal Khabra, of the beloved hockey romance series Off the Ice — which includes Collide, Spiral, Revolve, and Embrace. Khabra rarely does on-camera interviews and is notoriously private, but in this exclusive interview, the author shares her observations on the growing appeal of the sports romance sub-genre. The trio discuss how romance authors are leading the charge for diverse representation in literature, and why Hollywood adaptations of popular fiction often tend to lag behind real-time reader preferences. Khabra also reveals details about her upcoming cowboy, second-chance romance Last Call, her unique strategy for recruiting beta readers directly from Goodreads, and what inspired her transition from a faceless author persona to front-facing book tours and reader events. You can buy any of Bal Khabra’s books at QBD with 5% off using the code ‘BOOKSMART’ online or at the checkout: https://www.qbd.com.au/embrace/bal-khabra/9781037201554/?utm_source=booksmart&utm_medium=booksmart&utm_campaign=booksmart&utm_id=booksmart&utm_term=booksmart&utm_content=booksmart

  5. Oct 6

    Surprising Daisy Edgar-Jones with books (Interview for Sense and Sensibility)

    In this very special episode of Booksmart, co-host Sunny had the sublime opportunity to interview English actress Daisy Edgar-Jones for the Sense and Sensibility junket held in Sydney last week.Edgar-Jones plays Jane Austen's beloved Elinor Dashwood, the sensible older sister of Marianne and Margaret Dashwood, whose emotional restraint is tested when she grows attached to Edward Ferrars. The actress is no newcomer to book-to-screen adaptations, having risen to prominence for her roles as Marianne Sheridan in Normal People and Kya in Where the Crawdads Sing. She is also set to star in the upcoming production of Gabrielle Zevin's novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.Listen to hear the stars' thoughts on adapting classic literature, maintaining your sensibility, curating the perfect angsty playlist, working with Australian author and screenwriter Diana Reid, and reading Sarah J Maas's Throne of Glass and ACOTAR series.Sense and Sensibility arrives in cinemas across Australia on October 15th, 2026.

  6. Sep 28

    'The Shampoo Effect': a tired tale of gossip & upper-class apathy (Book Club)

    Welcome back to book club friends! Things are heating up down under, hence our desire to choose Jenny Jackson's New England set contemporary novel 'The Shampoo Effect' as our September book club pick.The hype surrounding this book has been hard to ignore, with VOGUE calling it one of the "best books of 2026".  Many readers have likened the reading experience to overhearing juicy gossip about a friend group you know only tangentially. But does the story, focused on one accidental pregnancy and a tight-knit group of dysfunctional friends in their 30s, live up to the buzz? Fortunately, the answer lies in this loving diss (about a book that would have been a far better television show).Warning: this episode contains spoilers for the book's central plot twist.You can purchase The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson online from QBD Books using the following link: https://www.qbd.com.au/the-shampoo-effect/jenny-jackson/9781529155235/?utm_source=Booksmartpod&utm_medium=MPPodcast&utm_campaign=BSMPBooksmartshampooeffect&utm_id=BooksmartshampooeffectUse code BOOKSMART for 5% off your purchase with QBD Books in-store or online.

  7. Sep 23

    The Love Hypothesis review: Does this adaptation have chemistry?

    The BookTok girlies have been blessed with yet another book-to-screen adaptation with Ali Hazelwood's 'The Love Hypothesis' dropping on Prime Video. But the real question is, does this adaptation and its stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman have chemistry? This is one of the many questions we answer in this podcast review of the buzzy adaptation, discussing the changes made from the book to the screen, the unexpected but immensely exciting asexual representation, and the infamous 16th chapter. We hope that you enjoy this episode and conversation divas. Warning: this episode contains spoilers for the book & film.You can purchase The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood online with QBD Books. https://www.qbd.com.au/the-love-hypothesis-film-tie-in-edition/ali-hazelwood/9781408738474/?utm_source=Booksmartpod&utm_medium=MPPodcast&utm_campaign=BSMPBooksmartLoveHyp&utm_id=BooksmartLoveHyp Use code BOOKSMART for 5% off your purchase

  8. Sep 8

    Everything you need to know about the state of romantic fiction: from diverse love stories to adaptation fever

    In this episode of Booksmart, hosts Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King take on the current romantic fiction boom and share which new love stories you should be reading. Print sales of romantic fiction have reached an all-time high worldwide, but the genre (and its many sub-genres) isn't just outselling mystery or sci-fi; it's expanding the market with its more inclusive and diverse stories. These "light-hearted" stories challenge how audiences see themselves and the world around them, while putting protagonists often ignored in the literary world at the centre of the narrative. But what happens when the film and television industry, which continues to capitalise on built-in audiences by adapting popular books rather than investing in original stories, appears to have zero interest in maintaining that diversity in its casting decisions, even when it's a foundational part of the source material? Warning: this episode features discussion of overused book tropes, whitewashed musical theatre productions, and calls back to the days of dark Harry Styles fan fiction.

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5
out of 5
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About

Booksmart is the podcast for readers who go absolutely feral for women’s stories. The book lovers who are ruled by a never-ending TBR stack and the fear of falling behind in their annual Goodreads Reading challenge. In this Missing Perspectives podcast, your hosts, interstate besties and colleagues, Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King, discover new favourites and discuss their own like they’re ancient texts worthy of preservation in the Library of Alexandria. Join them for monthly book club reads, interviews with authors, and a host of other book-related tangents.

Information

  • Creator
    Missing Perspectives
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Missing Perspectives
  • Show Website
    Booksmart

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