Becca Freeman

Today’s a wildly exciting day because I can finally tell you all about book 2! It’s called BACK WHERE WE STARTED and will be out in the US on October 13, 2026. And just look at the gorgeous cover that @lizcasal.jpg designed!! - A bit about the book: Katie and Drew are childhood best friends turned first loves, who bonded over their big, ambitious dreams. Dreams far too big to accomplish in their small Pennsylvania hometown. She wants to be a famous actress; he wants to be the president. - Fast forward to today: Katie—now known professionally as Blair Banks—actually is a famous actress, a ride that’s required changing far more than just her name. And Drew is… definitely not the president. When Katie comes home for the holidays for the first time in five years, the two run into each other and realize their spark is still alive and well. - You could think of it as Notting Hill meets Every Summer After with a dash of Sweet Home Alabama. It’s an emotional second-chance romance about people pleasing, our culture’s treatment of female celebrities, the addictive nature of achievement, and how we make room in our lives for what matters most. - If this sounds intriguing—and I hope it does!—you can pre-order a copy wherever books are sold.

It’s just your friendly neighborhood book peddler here to tell you that this debut novel I absolutely adored is out today. This is a queer retelling of the story of Sir Lancelot, famed knight of King Arthur’s round table. It’s packed with luscious setting descriptions, some light magic, and so much longing! But best of all, it reconnected me with the kind of adventure novels I devoured as a kid sprawled on the unfortunate brown carpet of my childhood bedroom. Grab your copy wherever books are sold. Huge congrats, @glynner85 .

Decided to paint my bedroom this weekend at *checks notes* 4:45pm on Friday. 28 hours later and… voila. - Color is Wythe Rose by @benjaminmoore

Everything feels more fun when there’s rainbow art supplies involved! Taking a cue from @katherinecenter with this rainbow first draft tracker, and just hit 25K on Book 3! This feels especially apt given my main character is an art teacher.

Bigger cork board, stacks of books, morning light. This office is starting to come together!

Really liked my outfit today. That’s all.

Here in my blue office (though, admittedly, it’s not reading particularly blue in this photo), in my blue merch t-shirt (a big deal, I am very picky about merch), to tell you that INTO THE BLUE by Emma Brodie is our May @badonpaperpodcast book club pick. - This is hands down my favorite new release of the year so far, and I’ve been itching to talk about it with all of you since I first read it last year. This book is about AJ and Noah, misfit teens who meet working at a video store. But just as a romance blooms, Noah disappears. Later, they reunite as they make their respective ways in the entertainment industry. And the ending!!! Possibly the most electric and surprising third act I’ve ever read in a romance. - What DEEP CUTS (another fave) is to indie music, this book is to improv. Also strong whiffs of TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW. If this sounds good, grab a copy and read along with us. We’ll be discussing on the pod in the May 27 episode!

My friend @alikmill has spent the past year cooking her way through @Mollybaz ’s More is More cookbook. (She only has 20 recipes left to go!) Tonight she came over and we knocked out 3 of them, using a lot of kitchen skills (frying?) and at-home ingredients (clams?) I’d never used before. This was such a fun night in… but it was also such a delicious night in! - I gotta be honest, we took the fewest pics of it, but the melon and fennel salad with a pistachio dressing was my star of the show! - I feel inspired to pull all my cookbooks of their shelves and try some new things.

Celebrating @blaireadiebee x @francesvalentine with the most colorful and festive launch party!

New hall runner 🤝new April @badonpaperpodcast book club pick. This month we’re reading GOOD PEOPLE by Patmeena Sabit. - This month was @oliviamuenter ’s pick, so I haven’t read it quite yet, but am excited to! It’s a multi-POV mystery about a tragedy that befalls an Afghan-American family. I’m told it’s completely gulpable, thanks to the short chapters, and will keep me guessing. Can’t wait! - We’ll be discussing on the podcast on the last Wednesday of the month (April 29), if you want to read along with us.

Got my very first ARC of my second novel, BACK WHERE WE STARTED, in the mail over the weekend. Swipe for how I really feel about it. (Medium key deranged… in a good way.)

Here in my blue sweater in my blue office to tell you about our blue March @badonpaperpodcast book club pick: SO OLD, SO YOUNG by @grantginder . - The book tells the story of 6 friends from college from right after their gradutaion into their 40’s. The catch? It’s only told via 5 parties! There’s a New Year’s Eve party at someone’s shitty LES apartment, a destination wedding, a milestone birthday at a rented Hamptons house, and a backyard Halloween party in the suburbs. (I’m already thinking about what 5 parties would define my own adulthood!) - The group grapples with falling in—and out of—love (both romantic and platonic), affairs, babies, moves, divorces, addiction as the book explores how time and life stage impacts these friendships. I think this one is going to be ripe for conversation, and I I’d love for you to join ours. Grab a copy, and we’ll be discussing in our March 25th episode.