Episodes

Send us Fan Mail (This episode contains spoilers). I only have a few more episodes to go, but this series so far is refreshing, delightful and vicariously quite healing. As a middle child, Mary Bennet has never been the star or even costar of any Pride and Prejudice adaptation, rather an outcast and object of ridicule. But in this reimagining of the story, Mary finally emerges as swan from her oppressive existence at Longbourn, becoming the main character in her own life as she takes a new jo...

Send us Fan Mail (This episode contains spoilers) I have been in the worst romance novel slump for ages, but Bridgerton Season 4 has restored that glorious, lush fantasy feeling from all of my favorite romance books. We know the destination of romantic tropes, but we don't know how each journey is going to go, which is part of the fun. Luckily, the Bridgerton production team knows at this point just how to spin a romantic story to stir our anticipation and our hearts in the most delicious way...

Send us Fan Mail Life continues to throw a lot at me (I'm sure we can all relate) but I did get to take another road trip to the mountains with my sweetie. We were road tested on a few issues including broken down rental cars and hotel accessibility and I started thinking about what you learn about yourself when you travel. That inspired a new episode (coming soon) about romantic movies featuring characters who leave home to explore new horizons, and in between the ice cream, sightseeing, lux...

Send a text I survived a bad winter storm that knocked out my heat and electricity for almost a week, so it's good to be back! Speaking of drama, Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books of all time, so I've been following the crazy anticipation for the Emerald Fennell film adaptation of the story that just opened this weekend. Adapting beloved classic stories for the screen isn't easy – filmmakers will never manage to perfectly interpret the story for every fan of the source material, a...

Send us a text I'm back from a long break and what a phenomenal show and movie to come back to. I've certainly had a lot of experience with frenemies in my life, and participated in perplexing, frustrating romances where I bickered, bantered and got annoyed regularly, yet couldn't stay away. These stories embody that frenemies to lovers trope perfectly, so if you crave delayed gratification, casual betrayals and slow burning, combustible intimacy that fixes it all in your romance, start...

Send us a text I don't often read or watch sci-fi stories, but add in a romance and I'm there. I have a specific kink for stories about human-robot love, android love, any kind of machinery that takes on human characteristics and can hug. Forbidden Planet is my jam, I, Robot and RoboCop freak me out a bit, but movies that ask questions about our essential humanity by transferring our ideal characteristics – and our flaws and romantic blunders – onto machines are some of my favorite types of r...

Send us a text (Life continues to kick my behind, so I'll be releasing episodes every few weeks or so through the rest of the year. Follow me on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss a thing. As always, thanks for listening!) Season 2 of Nobody Wants This was just released on Netflix, and it's different show runners, but equally heartwarming, sexy, touching and hilarious – if not more so. I'm only a third of the way through the latest season, but had to pop in and say: it's 100% fresh, ...

Send us a text (Had a great time on my road trip, got back – and I've been sick ever since. This year has been one endless struggle bus ride, and there's room for more, so hop on :) Materialists seems to be a polarizing movie that isn't quite a romcom, isn't quite a straight up romantic drama, while ending happily, making it one of the most interesting hybrid stories I've seen in a while. Dakota Johnson is incredible as Lucy, a smart but cynical matchmaker who treats her clients as commoditie...

Send us a text (I'm going on another road trip with my sweetie, traveling parts of historic Route 66, so I'll see you towards the end of the month!) Taylor Swift just announced her fairytale engagement (which was obvious after they appeared on that recent New Heights podcast episode — have two people ever looked more in love?!) so it seemed like the perfect time to replay the episode I recorded a while back with one of my favorite guests and fellow fangirl Mariah, examining our parasocial bes...

Send us a text This is the year that we're saying goodbye (for now?) to some beloved big and small screen friends. Call it parasocial, call it learning through art, but tuning into these characters and their fictional ups and downs made me feel like I belonged to their charmed worlds in New York City and London, and lives full of fabulous fashion, awesome apartments, cool jobs, chosen family, hot romances — and plenty of drama. I truly feel sad saying goodbye, and I think these flawed yet fit...

Send us a text I found these poignant movies on a search for something else, and couldn't take my eyes off either one — they are stunners. Lyrical direction and pacing, spare soundtracks and understated, nuanced performances float gentle light layers of meaning into every scene in each of these stories. They're soulful, profound at times, revealing the struggles and authentic moments of connection in these women's lives. https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com Pamela Anderson is a re...

Send us a text I've been thinking for a long time about the gendered sociocultural accusation of "too much" that's often directed towards women's behavior, especially how they love and connect to others, and how often this theme appears in romantic stories. This episode is the first in a little series I have planned, talking about female characters in romances who are shamed for being "too much," especially in costume dramas and 19th century romantic novel adaptations. Lena Dunham's fantastic...

Send us a text (I'm taking a short break in the next couple of weeks for a road trip with my sweetie. I'll be back soon!) My journey from a strict religious upbringing to discovering I'm mildly kinky in the right settings, and with the right partner, was quite the revelation. These fascinating, complex stories explore women also discovering their secret desires, vulnerabilities and sexual thrills through consensual BDSM kink. The movies are sometimes titillating, sometimes romantic but always...

Send us a text This episode from a few years ago is one of my most popular, and since life has been kicking my behind lately, I thought it was a good time to take a breather and forget it all by getting kinky. It's also the episode that best represents my growth as a partner, person and podcaster, all thanks to producing and hosting this show. I'm working on a new episode about kink and kinky romance inspired by the Nicole Kidman movie Babygirl, so look for that next time. Meanwhile, ho...

Send us a text One of my favorite romantic tropes in all the world is chosen or found family. Rock bands, the military, college besties, your work husband and siblings, your little clique in high school, your beloved pets past and present—if they choose you and you choose them, they're family. If you had a less than ideal upbringing, stories like these full of emotional complexity along with acceptance, loyalty and love, are so healing and remind us that relations are always our choice. https...

Send us a text
After losing my sweet senior dog this week, I find myself mired in waves of grief, but in between, also feeling grateful for love: human, animal, loving relationships in all of their forms and however they come into our lives. The love of an animal is a very special experience, and my heart goes out to other pet guardians who may be experiencing anticipatory grief of their own.

Support the show
If you enjoyed this episode, please click share in your podcast app and tell your frie...

Send us a text
It's hard to describe how sexy, funny yet heartbreaking this mini series is. Based on real-life best friends Molly and Nikki, who created a podcast about Molly's sexual adventures while in hospice, it's one woman's story of healing, emotional fulfillment and discovering who she is as a romantic and sexual being. It's also a comical, heartfelt, life-affirming look at the deep bonds and love shared between female friends. (CW: explicit descriptions of kink and sex, repeated referenc...

Send us a text
I'm a true gore-phobe, but I was blown away by these unforgettable movies, and their amazing (and bloody) revenge moments. One is an intense, atmospheric Frankenstein horror story, the other a joyously funny Beauty and the Beast-inspired monster romcom with wit, hot monster sex and plenty of emotion. Different as they are, they're both about women coming into their own and reclaiming their power to scare away the monsters lurking everywhere, just waiting to tell them how imperfect...

Send us a text
I'm recovering from a nasty flu that has affected my voice, but hope to be back soon, so let's revisit one of my favorite episodes from the past few years. As you know, one of my favorite topics is finding hot sex, love and romance past the age of 40, 50 or even 60 — my sweetie and I have been living this dream for more than two years now and I can tell you, it's glorious. Never give up on your desires!

Support the show
If you enjoyed this episode, please click share in your podc...

Send us a text

(I'll be taking a break in the next few weeks for my sweetie's extended visit!)

Seeking hot, healthy sex and love later in life is quite the adventure, as I have discovered. It helps to have a compassionate, wise guide for the journey like sex educator Dr. Donna Jennings PhD. I interviewed Dr. J a few years ago about healthy sexuality at every age, and how to identify your deepest sexual and romantic desires, and she's the positive role model we all need.

https://www.confession...

Send us a text
The new Amy Schumer romcom Kinda Pregnant follows how far one woman will go to realize her fantasy of motherhood and a family of her own. After her best friend gets pregnant and tired of waiting for her own moment, she decides to wear a fake baby bump — only part time — and a hilarious, sometimes sad farce ensues. Schumer's trademark earthy humor grounds a mix of funny and emotional insights about romance, relationships, and women's role in the baby industrial complex. (CW: graphi...

Send us a text

(Some clips in this episode have minor spoilers). Oh I love a tone like this: funny, smart but also emotional, dark and dramatic: let's call it an American neurotic-cozy murder mystery. There is a mystery at the heart of this show, and an amazing house, but it's also about a lovely peaceful neighborhood full of interesting couples grappling with some real issues and a desperate desire to own this historic space, complete with mandarin tree, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of L.A. W...

Send us a text

(I'll be taking a brief break in January – see you next year!)

There's a unique flavor to British romcoms and especially British romantic holiday movies: a dash of vinegar mixed in with the sugar and spice, a grounding bite to the proceedings, a bittersweet gentle melancholy, an undercurrent that keeps it real and earns the emotion in every tiny moment and line. These movies hit just the right spot for me this year, reminding me that I'm not alone if I can bravely reach out, whe...

Send us a text
The world can be harsh place, but the grace of love — familial, chosen family, platonic and especially intimate and romantic love — always helps you through. It's a gift that keeps on giving and keeps you going, so let's be grateful for wherever and whenever we are graced with it. The best holiday movies and romcoms remind us that cultivating and growing relationships is never easy, but always worth it in the end.

https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com
My favorite holiday m...