Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

Brenna and Joe are back to wrap up Series two of Skins and...it's a lot of mixed emotions!On one hand, we think 2.10 "Final Goodbyes" is a pretty solid finish for these characters, while 2.09 "Cassie" left us with plenty of questions and concerns.Plus: a tearful eulogy, Brenna worrying about Cassie's end, and after a whole summer, we finally play YA BINGO with the show!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a while since we've had a feel good coming of age dramaedy, so Joe has brought Brenna writer/director Sean Wang's Dìdi (2024).Obviously Brenna has big feels about mother Chungsing (Joan Chen), but there's plenty to applaud about Izaac Wang's performance as Chris and the depiction of 2008 Internet friendship.Plus: sibling rivalry, internalized racism, and talking animals.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brenna and Joe are barrelling towards the finale of Skins Series 02, but first we need to cross off the back-door pilot for Series 03 with 2.07 "Effie" and (finally!) a Jal-centric episode with 2.08.It's all moving very quickly - to such a degree that we wonder when the creative team knew they were swapping out the cast.Plus: Cassie's bisexuality, bad friend Michelle, Brenna's frustration with Tony's mom, and Joe's temptation to immediately dive into the next series.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky)> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To coincide with the release of Freakier Friday, we're checking out all things Freaky Friday.Kicking off the discussion is Mary Rodgers' 1972 book, which weirdly doesn't feature the mom's experience in her daughter's body!Then it's onto the 1976 film starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris, which gives the latter much more to do than the former.Finally we tackle the 2003 remake starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. Aside from the <gulp> racism, this one is still very fun.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've hit the halfway point of Skins series two with "Chris" and "Tony" and...Brenna is not impressed.Episode five focuses on the burgeoning relationship of Chris and Jal, which we don't entirely believe. Meanwhile Brenna has no time or patience for Tony's episode, which feels like the writers realizing they make a huge mistake giving Tony a traumatic brain injury. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brenna and Joe are back to discuss Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After (2020), our Book Club pick for July. We have one response from listener Miriam on this incredibly rich text, which features a complicated, even occasionally frustrating protagonist that we ultimately come to love.Plus: the messy villains of the text, exploring trans identity beyond the binary, the plethora of Harry Potter references and an epic rant from Joe about fascists and conservatives (that required both editing and censoring).Wanna connect with the show or comment on August's selection Clap When You Land (due Aug 22)? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brenna and Joe head back to Cousins for another swing at Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty series. First up: decent beach read It's Not Summer Without You (aka book 2), which works when it focuses on the loss of Susannah and is *fine* when it does the usual love triangle.The same cannot be said for the Amazon TV show, which pads the runtime and adds a frustrating new character played by Kyra Sedgwick.Are Brenna and Joe #TeamConrad or #TeamJeremiah? We may actually be #TeamOverItWanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question or a contribution to July's Book Club on Felix Ever After (before July 18)? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for another round of Skins Series 2, but Brenna has mixed feelings. It probably has something to do with the death of Peter Capaldi's character, as well as the fact that one of the two episodes is about Michelle.Plus: Cassie travel logistic questions, hook-ups galore, and continued proof that the only good Skins parent...is a dead one?Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quick reminder that your responses to Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After is due Friday, July 18.And also: the announcement of our August 2025 selection, which is Elizabeth Acevedo's Clap When You Land (2020). If you wanna read along, the due date for responses is Friday, August 22.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for our third Judy Blume text with Forever! The 1975 book was written to candidly discuss a sexual relationship between teens and even if some aspects don't quite hold up, Brenna and Joe find its frankness refreshing.On the flip side, the Netflix series from 2025 falls somewhere between IP cash grab and spiritual adaptation. Creator Mara Brock Akil interprets the text through a celebratory Black lens, though we could do with less blocking and breaking up between Keisha and Justin.Plus: musicality, stereotypical secondary characters, the most excessive house porn we've seen, and Brenna's pandemic speculation about the series' 2nd season.Reference: Candace Frederick. "Mara Brock Akil Grew Up With Judy Blume’s Very White Characters. In Forever, She Made Them Black." Refinery 29Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question or a

We're doing a mega mailbag round-up with bits and pieces from listeners Neera, Victoria, and Sophie.First up: an apology to Neera about Inkheart and an observation about 2000s YA and middle grade fiction.Then: More fall-out from Quiet on Set with regard to Drake Bell's sexual misconduct charges, as well as the Pride Month murder of Indigenous gay man Jonathan Joss.Finally, a few recommendations from Sophie, including a pair of titles by director Lukas Moodyson.Reference: Kelly Lynne Dangelo. We All Need to Be Talking About the Murder of Jonathan Joss This Pride and Beyond. Harper's BazaarRecommendations:> Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson> Show Me Love (1998, dir: Lukas Moodyson) / Lilya 4-ever (2002)Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Host

Class is back in session as Brenna and Joe kick off Skins Series 2 with a look at the first two episodes.From the bold decision about Tony's traumatic brain injury to the sidelining Cassie to Maxxie's dancing to...Sketch (?) it's a brand new summer of the kids are not alright!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book Club returns as Brenna and Joe discuss Sarah Dessen's 2006 novel Just Listen, along with responses from Miriam, Victoria, and Tea, Books & Chocolate. C/W: sexual assault and disordered eating.We *loved* this book, which feels fresh, accessible and side-steps glamorizing or wallowing in the trauma.Plus: girlhood, placelessness, glass house metaphors and radical honesty.Wanna connect with the show or comment on July's selection Felix Ever After (due July 18)? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brenna and Joe check out coming of age film Uproar (2023), directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett and written by Bennett and Sonia Whiteman.The 80s-set New Zealand movie follows Josh (Julian Dennison), a Maori boy who becomes politically engaged when his small town hosts a South African rugby club during Apartheid. It is an unintentionally timely text considering the recent wave of protests and the reticence of older people to get involved.Plus: Minnie Driver and Rhys Darby stunt casting, rugby factoids, and why white "allies" are the worst!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky: @HKHSPod> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's easy, breezy time as Brenna and Joe check out our first Jennifer E. Smith text with Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2015) and Michael Lewen's 2022 Netflix adaptation.This feels like a classic first year HKHS combo: a beach-read book and an enjoyably slight romantic film, anchored by likeable leads. We're especially shocked at the negative reviews for the latter!Plus: our fave stops on the tour, Jordan Fisher's music, Joe's frustration with book Clare, and a surprising film development around diverse inclusion. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quick reminder that your responses to Sarah Dessen's Just Listen is due Friday, June 20.And also: the announcement of our July 2025 selection, which is Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After (2018). If you wanna read along, the due date for responses for July is Friday, July 18.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to listener requests, Brenna and Joe dig into the fantasy world of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart and its 2008 film adaptation starring Brendan Fraser.It's...not what we expected. In addition to less driving, Joe wanted more fantasy, while Brenna wanted more famous characters.Possible reasons this didn't connect for us: translation issues and the revelation that it may have been meant to be read aloud at bedtime!Plus: Helen Mirren doing Judy Dench, obvious sequel set-up, our interest in Fenoglio (but not Elinor) and the surprising longevity of the film's FX!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the request of Miriam, we're re-starting Book Club! Our first pick is Sarah Dessen's Just Listen (2006), which concerns rape and eating disorders (C/W). In order to proceed, we need your thoughts! Send us an email response at hkhspod@gmail.com before June 20th! Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brenna and Joe tackle the buzzy four episode Netflix limited series Adolescence (2025).Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham (with all episodes directed by Philip Barantini), the show has drawn raves for its single long take format and outstanding acting.But what's missing from the discussion? Does it earn the acclaim? And what should a potential S02 look like? Let's discuss! Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brenna and Joe have a quick conversation about Miriam's email regarding the stark realities of Olympic winners, with a quick comparison to lottery winners. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:> Brenna: @brennacgray> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.