YA, We Read It!

Final Thoughts: John Green

Alas, another YA, We Read It! season has come to a close. Tune in as Laura and Meggie go through their ultimate ranking of each and every John Green book that graced their airwaves (and who knows maybe they'll rank their guests too!?!). It's easy to say John Green's prolific 12+ year YA career spanning 6 books + 1 anthology is anything but surface level. Dealing with many themes: love, loss, grief, mental health, friendship, and finding yourself it's easy to see why many of his books are acclaimed the way they are as Green never seems to shy away from hard topics. It's been a fun and emotional season, so listen up and find out where we are going for season 10!

Turtles All the Way Down (John Green)

Here we GO! It's time for John Green's most recent YA book, Turtles All the Way Down. Aza and her bestie Daisy are investigating the disappearance of a not-so-nice billionaire in hopes of cashing in on a $100K reward. Along the way Aza finds romance with the billionaire's son, grapples with grief, anxiety and OCD, and the reality that a fancy- old lizard is the heir to the billionaire's riches. Join Meggie and Laura and their special guest Nate Todd as they discuss the ups and the (turtles all the way) downs of this profound and beautiful novel.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson (John Green and David Levithan)

Will Grayson, meet Will Grayson the other protagonist of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Also meet Laura and Meggie, the hosts of YA, We Read It! This week we're joined by Nick Olson, and together we are tackling John Green's co-written book with David Levithan about the two different boys from two different Chicago suburbs with the exact same name. After a surprise encounter at an adult bookstore the teenagers unfortunately do not switch places, instead they venture off on their own journeys of self-discovery culminating in them ruining the ending of their now mutual friend's musical (but this is supposed to be a good thing!).

The Fault in Our Stars (John Green)

This week on YA, We Read It! Laura and Meggie are joined by Elena Bruess to read and discuss John Green's heart-wrenching and extremely popular novel The Fault in Our Stars. Diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of thirteen, Hazel Grace Lancaster has her life turned upside down after meeting cigarette toting-but-not-smoking Augustus Waters. The two fall madly in “okay” together until their story is halted following devastating news. Join us for a discussion on the nuance of love, grief, and life’s meaning as we dive head first into a story that only has a sad ending.

Paper Towns (John Green)

Continuing forward with the ultimate John Green Season, Meggie and Laura are joined by Ana Mandujano to read Paper Towns. Quentin is your average guy who's not-so-averagely attracted to the girl who lives next door, Margo. After they spend a wild night together and she goes missing, Quentin becomes desperate for answers after he finds clues to her whereabouts have been left for him.

Let it Snow (Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle)

Laura and Meggie are dashing through their John Green season by reading the Let It Snow anthology. Once again, gracing the soundwaves ofYA, We Read It! once again with their presence are special guests Brooke Smith and Ryan Stevens (hosts of Nation of Animation)! The four friends sit down to dissect each and every snowy story for an episode of laughter, Christmas-in-April cheer, and questionable choices. Be sure to find Nation of Animation wherever you get your pods!

An Abundance of Katherines (John Green)

Here at YA, We Read It! We pride ourselves on our abundance of amazing vibes, abundance of great company, and abundance of thoughts on John Green's An Abundance of Katherines. This week Meggie and Laura are sitting down with Richard Brasseale to dive into John Green's second novel and we'll tell you right now: they do not hold back on the many MANY problems this book has. Colin Singleton is once again (and deservedly so) single after having been dumped for the 19th time by a girl named Katherine. On a quest to get over his breakup, he goes on a road trip with his best friend Hassan where they have an unexpected summer in Gutshot, Tennessee. Listen to Richard on Spotfiy! https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Nnf5FD21MElqWvNykPXXD

Looking for Alaska (John Green)

Welcome to the 9th season of YA, We Read It! This season, beloved hosts Laura and Meggie are reading John Green's entire anthology (and enlisting some very special guests along the way.) This week, Austin Merrill sits down with us to read Green's first book, Looking for Alaska (originally published in 2005) which easily became one of his most well-known and well-received works. Miles Halter goes off to boarding school in Alabama, where he quickly befriends his roommate, whom he affectionately calls The Colonel, and the captivating Alaska Young. Tune in as we discuss the before and after, the heart and the loss this book captures, and everything in between.

Final Thoughts: You

Oh, You. And also you! You stuck with us the whole season while we flipped through You and we couldn't be more appreciative that you came along for the ride of YA, We Read It's 8th Season! Meggie and Laura sit down in this episode to wrap up their thoughts and feelings of the series and also Joe Goldberg as a protagonist. An added bonus: they discuss under what terms and conditions Joe would become infatuated with them! And lastly, Season 9 is right around the corner, where is this podcast heading next?

You Love Me (You #3)

You waited all week and now you are once again pressing play on YA, We Read It! so you can find out what happens next to resident bad guy Joe Goldberg after he was arrested at the Taco Bell. We knew you couldn't get enough of us! Laura and Meggie are closing out their You season with a discussion on the third book in the series. Turns out, Joe did not rot in jail but he also didn't run off into the sunset with Love. Instead this book picks up a year and a half later and he's relocated to the Pacific Northwest to lay low and fall in love with local librarian Mary Kay. Can Joe turn over a new leaf? Or will he fall back into his old behaviors?