Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

Put your brain on hold because we're getting dumb with one of the worst books we've ever covered on the show, as well as a surprisingly good film whose last act is very frustrating!

Is Ryan's book poorly written, judge-y and lacking in both critique AND YA thrills? Yes!

Is the film, whose stars Emma Roberts and Dave Franco have great chemistry and depicts social media (but NOT hacking or the deep web) in a realistic way, a ton of fun? Yes! Plus: Netflix connections, thrilling stunts and Sherlock?

This is 50% a vent-y episode and 50% a soft plea to go watch the film. Enjoy!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

• March 24: The Pigman by Paul Zindel
• April 21: George by Alex Gino

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for a trans rom com...or is it? Joe is joined by guest Terry Mesnard to discuss Billy Porter's directorial debut, 'Anything's Possible' (2022) which tries to awkwardly marry fantasy and reality to mixed results.

We really appreciate that the leads with great chemistry (we're swooning for Abubakr Ali) and that the film doesn't redeem its villains, but it feels like screenwriter Ximena García Lecuona and Porter couldn't settle on a tone or message (grrr on that end credit dance sequence). 'Anything's Possible' is a noble failure, but we'd still watch a sequel in a heartbeat!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

> Terry: @gaylydreadful

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brenna and Joe return to the liminal space between living and death for a discussion of Gayle Foreman's 2009 novel If I Stay and its 2014 film adaptation by RJ Cutler.

Brenna grates against the prioritization of the romance, preferring Foreman's more complicated sequel, while Joe critiques the disappointing visual depiction of Mia's condition and Chloë Grace Moretz's bored performance. On the positive side, we think this is better than Before I Fall, and that the film features the best YA parents since Easy A.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> May 19: Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

> June 23: Wetlands by Charlotte Roche

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a while since we've talked about "the procedure", so prepare yourself for an education as Brenna reviews the state of reproductive health in Canada and the US (caveat: we use the term "women's" reproductive health, but should have acknowledged that non-binary and trans people also get abortions).

It's in-depth, and disappointing (we might get a touch upset!) but it's in service of our discussion of Caplan and Hendriks' delightful book that does a lot of heavy lifting in a funny, quick-to-read package.

Plus: comparing the book's crappy men to their film counterparts, Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira's great film chemistry and just how many times will Joe say the A word?

If you want more "Big A" talk, check out episodes 1.01 "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and 2.32 "Never Rarely Sometimes Always (And More Sex!)

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

• Feb 24: This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
• March 24: The Pigman by Paul Zindel

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ohhh we're nervous for this one! We know that RJ Palacio's 2012 book Wonder and Stephen Chbosky's 2017 film adaptation have a lot of devoted fans and while we're able to acknowledge the light it has shone on disability, we have some pretty major reservations about the storytelling (in the book) and the casting (in the film). From Palacio's inspiration for the story (and the creation of her Wonder mini-empire) to Auggie's perfection to the fear of acknowledging that this is disability to the inspiration porn of it all.

Plus: why is Via the most interesting character? Why is class, race and queer sidelined? Why were disabled actors auditioned if the role went to an able-bodied actor? Problems, problems, problems

References:

> Carly Findlay. “My concerns about Wonder the film (and how to talk to your kids about Wonder)”

> Ariel Henley. “What “Wonder” Gets Wrong About Disfigurement and Craniofacial Disorders.” Teen Vogue

> Ariel Henley. ‘Wonder Is a 'Feel-Good' Movie That Needed More Realism.’ The Atlantic

> Mike Moody. “Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio” Disability in Kidlit

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

Brenna: @brennacgray

Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

June 23: Wetlands by Charlotte Roche

July 23: Cousins by Virginia Hamilton

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.