Straight Up

This week we’re sharing our favourite reads of the year so far, from the novels we couldn’t put down and 2026’s most-talked about titles to the memoirs that kept us up at night. Consider this your summer reading inspo: including the ultra-hyped Strangers by Belle Burden, Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash and Devil Wears Prada-style thriller Workhorse. As promised, we’re also reviewing the trad-wife thriller Yesteryear again, as well as the addictive true story of how actor Hannah Murray found herself sucked into a creepy wellness cult. Enjoy huns and please do share your book recs in the comments!

Our next book club will be announced in the next couple of weeks – watch this space hunnies! You can also find our 10 best books of all time over on Patreon, where we drop bonus eps every month and offer our main eps completely ad-free.

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/ reviews:

Strangers, Belle Burden
Belle Burden on the Collapse of Her 20 Year Marriage & Her Bestselling Memoir, The Oprah Podcast
Why I Don't Feel Sorry for Belle Burden, Kathleen Harmer on Substack
Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke
I’m obsessed by the trad wife world — this was the best way to expose it, The Times
The Caro Episode, Diabolical Lies
Lost Lambs, Madeline Cash
“I Always Felt Ripe for a Cult”: Meet Madeline Cash, Author of the Year’s Buzziest Debut, Interview Magazine
The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness, Hannah Murray
Workhorse, Caroline Palmer
Hooked, Asako Yuzuki
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We have more entertainment than any generation in history, so why does everything feel boring now? Fatigue, the death of originality and digital overwhelm are things we’ve been mulling over a lot recently, after finding ourselves sick of the onslaught of mid-level media, the memeification of politics, nihilism, AI slop and remake after re-release upon algorithm-driven copycat. Is this all just a symptom of the attention economy in overdrive? And what can we do to reclaim our interest? This week we’re deep-diving into why we all feel so bored of everything and how we fight back in the age of average.

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs / reviews:

“Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?” The Atlantic
The decline of Hollywood talent and originality, Brad Starks on LinkedIn
This is what it looks like when nothing matters, The Atlantic
What Does '6-7' Mean? Don't Expect Gen Alpha to Explain It. New York Times
What Does Boredom Do to Us—and for Us? New Yorker
When Did Reading Become A Competitive Sport? Elizabeth Day on Substack
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are supposedly getting married this weekend, so we discuss how much of a spectacle it will be. Plus, what Olivia Wilde’s unfiltered Call Her Daddy episode says about the demonisation of mothers, what the glamourisation of smoking says about today’s weight-loss era, and why the exploitation of Marilyn Monroe feels so deeply relevant today. Also, the return of Caroline Calloway, boyfriend shaming, and why singles nights are revolutionising dating. Thank you to this week’s wise and wonderful guest co-host Olivia Petter, award-winning journalist, author of the brilliant debut novel Gold Rush and founder of Red Lips Dating.

Hear Olivia answer your juicy dating questions in our exclusive bonus ep now on Patreon! patreon.com/StraightUpPodcast

Olivia’s IG: @oliviapetter

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/reviews

Red Lips, @redlipsdating on IG
Gold Rush, Olivia Petter
Olivia’s first Straight Up ep in 2024
The Unheard Tapes, Netflix
Marilyn Monroe–The Rest Is History
Letters from Scamelot, Airmail
My Week with Marilyn
I recognise the person in Netflix’s Wellmania — it used to be me, The Times
Olivia Wilde, Call Her Daddy
Olivia Wilde has to disappear, The Cut
Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer
Two Weeks in August, ITV
The Invite, in cinemas Friday
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Did Brooklyn Beckham just blow up any chance of a family reunion with his controversial $1m Door Dash ad, or is it straight out of the Victoria Beckham playbook? Also this week: the increasingly fraught discourse about Ariana Grande's weight loss, and whether Emily Ratajkowski is ragebaiting us with her viral new essay and accompanying photoshoot that’s ‘sexualising breastfeeding’. Plus, why women are obsessed with Off Campus, the must-read, five-star book about the Kardashians, and the traumatising experience of reporting sexual misconduct within the Met Police. Thank you to this week’s incredible guest co-host, broadcaster, writer, pop culture queen and OG hun Jackie Adedeji!

Jackie’s IG: @jackieadedeji

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/reviews
DeKonstructing the Kardashians, MJ Corey
The Moment, AppleTV
Off Campus, Amazon Prime
Off Campus’s Hannah Finally Makes Me And My Big Boobs Feel Seen, Pedestrian TV
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, SkyTV (out July 8)
Karen Carpenter offers a haunting warning for Ariana Grande fans, Telegraph
What if we're not actually worried about Ariana Grande? Liz Plank, Substack
Reporting ‘police sexual misconduct’ - my traumatic experience, Channel 4 News
My Big Boobs: Untold, Channel 4
I Don't Trust My Therapist: Untold, Channel 4

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Pregnant women are being unfollowed in their droves on social media, but at the same time, pronatalist messaging has never been harder to escape. So why is it that both the child-free community and parents alike feel so under siege? We take a look at the celebs at the centre of the discourse, from Margot Robbie facing backlash for “pretending she’s not a mum” and Emma Grede catching heat for her comments on balancing work and motherhood, to Rihanna’s body being under constant surveillance and Nara Smith-style ‘momfluencer’ culture. Plus: K’s personal experience of pregnancy, why society isn’t set up for people to procreate and postpartum representation.

Get our brand-new bonus episode (plus early access and ad-free listening) on Patreon! patreon.com/straightuppodcast

Get 10% off our fave (flat pack!) furniture brand Swyft Home with our code straightup10 at swyfthome.com

Try the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives with 20% off using code straightup at londonnootropics.com

Follow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and TikTok @straightuppod
Find us on YouTube @straightupmediapod
Email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Recs/ reviews:
Madeleine White Responds to Commenters Who Say They Are Unfollowing Her for Being Pregnant, People
Margot Robbie, stop pretending you’re not a mum, The Courier Mail
The Bump Watch That Won't Quit, Yahoo Entertainment
Influencers are selling a delusional fantasy of being postpartum. Why is it so easy to believe? Substack
The Kardashian Whisperer Who Says Three Hours With Her Kids Is Enough, WSJ
Emma Grede: from the East End to $300m with the Kardashians, The Times
The Big Kids Question: does anyone want to be a parent anymore? Straight Up
Dispatches from Motherhood, Substack
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.