Tune in at 7pm ET tonight for this week’s episode! On Wed 12/24 at 7pm Eastern on F&F’s Facebook group page & YouTube channel we will re-air one of our favorite episodes from the vault! Join us as the Fab Four talk to #1 bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid about her blockbuster 2021 novel Malibu Rising, a NYT-bestseller and Read with Jenna Book Club Pick.
Meet #1 New York Times bestselling author, Taylor Jenkins Reid, whose books have been chosen by Reese’s Book Club, Read with Jenna, Indie Next, Best of Amazon, and Book of the Month. Taylor is the author of nine novels, including Daisy Jones and the Six, which was adapted by Hello Sunshine as a limited series for Amazon and has sold more than 2-million copies. In August 2021, Taylor joined us to discuss Malibu Rising. Now is the perfect time to revisit this episode as Taylor had quite the year in 2025 including gracing the cover of TIME Magazine. Her 2025 #1 NYT-bestselling novel, Atmosphere, was a GMA Book Club pick, dominated bestseller lists for weeks on end, and now tops loads of year-end best-of lists, including being named the Target Book of the Year and Audible’s Audiobook of the Year. So, as you wait for Santa to come down the chimney, tune in for this interview, now with a brand-new intro recorded by Kristin Harmel. Watch the video broadcast of this interview as it airs on Wed 12/24 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 12/26. Order Taylor’s newest book on Bookshop.org! Upgrade to our PAID Subscription for bonus Q&A’s with our guest authors which include a writing tip, book recommendation, and information about their works-in-progress, plus other great material not covered on the show! Our Favorite Reads & Books to Gift for 2025
MARY KAY ANDREWS: Favorite read of 2025: I really loved Annabel Monaghan’s It’s a Love Story, about a former child television child named Janie Jackson who’s struggling to make get a movie project off the ground in Hollywood–while forced to collaborate with a cinematographer named Dan Finnegan who’s the last man she’d ever want to spend time with. This is the kind of rom-com I love, one with heart AND smarts. KRISTIN HARMEL: Favorite Read of 2025: This is maybe the hardest question you could ask me…. I adored so many 2025 books, including Beach House Rules (by our very own Kristy!) and The Story She Left Behind (by our very own Patti!). Plus there were so many good books by authors we had on the show in 2025 that I had the opportunity to read. But if I had to choose one to tell you about, it would be The Sea Stone Sisters, which actually comes out in 2026…. I had the chance to read it early for a blurb. A gorgeous, immersive epic that spans many generations, it explores four lost sisters, an abandoned house on the rugged Scottish coast, and a decades-old curse that rolls in with the mists of the sea. Look for this one in the new year! KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY: PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY: Favorite Read of 2025: Isola by Allegra Goodman. This book has everything I love: a true lost to time story, adventure, mystery, and above all, grand sweeping love. I read it at the beginning of the year and have recommended it over and over. MEG WALKER: Favorite Read of 2025: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. What a sweet surprise this book was. For the life of me I can’t figure out why the whole world isn’t reading and buzzing about it as it deserves to be so widely read and enjoyed. Think Little Miss Sunshine meets Jojo Moyes’s One Plus One with a dark comedic vibe a la The Wedding People. A lovable band of misfits embarks on an ill-advised cross-country road trip. The characters are so quirky and wholly original. The voice is fresh and unexpected. The story is heartwarming and funny. There’s redemption and healing for imperfect people who sorely need it, but also loads of laughs along the way. Pick this one up. I promise you won’t regret it. RON BLOCK: Favorite Read of 2025: Food Person by Adam Roberts. Among so many great books this year, this one truly spoke to me. A fun, food filled story in the vein of Hacks in which a wanna be food writer takes on the hilarious and heartwarming task of ghostwriting a fallen television star’s cookbook. A perfect read to take a break from everyday worries and struggles. Upgrade to our PAID Subscription for an ongoing series of roundtable discussions and personal essays by the Fab Four about their careers, writing processes, and all things book and publishing related! In Case You Missed It
On last week’s episode of The Friends & Fiction Show, Mary Kay Andrews & Ron Block welcomed #1 New York Times bestselling author, Jacquelyn Mitchard, to discuss The Birdwatcher, her page-turning drama that explores the beauty of female friendship; the relationship between money, power, and sex; and the very human desire to protect the ones we love most. You can WATCH that episode on Facebook or YouTube, or LISTEN to it on our podcast. Coming Up on The Friends & Fiction Show
All shows can be watched on Facebook & YouTube each Wednesday evening at 7pm ET, and listened to on our podcast each Friday, all year long.WINTER 2026Brad Meltzer, The Viper Jayne Ann Krentz, The Shop on Hidden Lane Jesse Q. Sutanto, Read Between the Lies Paula McLain, Skylark Janie Chang, The Fourth Princess & Kate Quinn, The Astral Library Omid Scobie & Robin Benway, Royal Spin Terah Shelton Harris, Where the Wildflowers Grow Joshilyn Jackson, Missing Sister Lucy Score, Mistakes Were Made Virginia Evans, The Correspondent & Allen Levi, Theo of Golden F&F 2026 Subscription Box with Oxford Exchange
The 2026 FRIENDS AND FICTION Subscription Box is available for purchase now, exclusively from our friends at Oxford Exchange. This subscription includes three separate shipments: Get your subscription NOW from Oxford Exchange! Stay in Touch!Subscribe to our PODCAST. Upgrade to our PAID Subscription for bonus content from our hosts and guests.
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