Booksmart

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

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.

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=Booksmartshampooeffect
Use code BOOKSMART for 5% off your purchase with QBD Books in-store or online.

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

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.