Straight Up

This week we’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes on a topic that still feels like a taboo despite its clear universality, with the help of lots of deeply honest and moving DMs from the huns. A friendship ‘breakup’ is an experience more than 80% of women have been through and it can be even more gut-wrenching than ending a romantic relationship. Yet in our society that prioritises romantic over platonic love, there’s no social script for dealing with it. We cover everything from ghostings and estrangement to boundaries and therapy-speak, as well as how politics, exes and different life stages can lead to rifts and resentment. If you’ve been through something similar, then hopefully this ep will help you feel less alone!

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and preorder your copy of Where Are the Kings here

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

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

Recs

Bad Friend, Michelle Elman
Bride Wars
We Need to Talk about Our Ex Best Friends, Elle
Bad Friend, Tiffany Watt Smith
The Lingering Wounds of Friendship Breakups, Elle
The White Lotus S3 E8, HBO
Will Our Friendship Survive Your Baby, New York Magazine
.

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This week we’re diving into Jia Tolentino’s viral essay on the new age of cosmetic enhancement, from how algorithms are changing our faces to whether Botox really helps women get ahead at work – and why our own feelings on tweakments have recently radically changed. Also on the show: Olivia Wilde’s brilliant new film The Invite, where she and Seth Rogen play a miserable middle-class married couple, Apple’s sci-fi dystopia Silo, dispatches from the newborn trenches, and the latest doc exploring the ethics of reality TV, The Love Island Curse. Enjoy huns!

Tickets for our book club on Wed 2 September are on sale now! Get yours at via Ticket Tailor and preorder your copy of Where Are the Kings here

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

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:

On whether having a baby ruins your life or not, Sam Parker, Substack
Silo, AppleTV
The Invite, in cinemas
The Drama, available to rent
Half Man, iPlayer
The Curse of Love Island, Prime Video
Our incredible September book club pick Where Are the Kings, by Donal Ryan – pre-order your copy here
Our Plastic Surgery Nightmare, The New Yorker
How 'The Botox Psyop' Broke Our Brains in the Name of Beauty, Diabolical Lies
.

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We are so excited to be reunited and resuming normal service this week with a very overdue pop culture catch up! First up: reviews of Christopher Nolan's much talked-about Hollywood epic The Odyssey and "perimenopausal" crime caper Ride or Die starring Hannah Waddingham, before we dive into the fascinating new Katie Price docu-series. Plus: the new data showing that nine out of 10 of Britain's best-selling novels feature a murdered woman, and the Chris Martin-curated World Cup halftime show, from its bizarre performances to Madonna and Justin Bieber's reported feud. Enjoy huns and don’t forget to put Wednesday 2nd September in your diaries for our next book club at The Hoxton Holborn!

Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes plus early access and ad-free listening at patreon.com/straightuppodcast

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:

The Odyssey, in cinemas
Sex, beds and grisly executions: what Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey changed, invented – and left out, Guardian
Chastity, nodding and enormous pores: will women also love Nolan’s Odyssey?, Guardian
Obsession, in cinemas
Ride or Die, Amazon Prime
‘An overnight success after 25 years? Delicious’: Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham on sexism, stunts and stardom at 51, Guardian
Lucky, Prime Video
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, NOWTV/ Sky
Nine out of 10 bestselling novels in UK have one thing in common: a woman is murdered, Guardian
9 of Britain's 10 Bestselling Novels Begin With a Dead Woman. I Asked Authors, Literary Experts and a Criminal Behavioural Analyst Why, Marie Claire
Hawk, Netflix
.
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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
.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.