We're back for another round of Skins Series 2, but Brenna has mixed feelings. It probably has something to do with the death of Peter Capaldi's character, as well as the fact that one of the two episodes is about Michelle.

Plus: Cassie travel logistic questions, hook-ups galore, and continued proof that the only good Skins parent...is a dead one?

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

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”

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

A quick reminder that your responses to Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After is due Friday, July 18.

And also: the announcement of our August 2025 selection, which is Elizabeth Acevedo's Clap When You Land (2020). If you wanna read along, the due date for responses is Friday, August 22.

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

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”

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

We're back for our third Judy Blume text with Forever! The 1975 book was written to candidly discuss a sexual relationship between teens and even if some aspects don't quite hold up, Brenna and Joe find its frankness refreshing.

On the flip side, the Netflix series from 2025 falls somewhere between IP cash grab and spiritual adaptation. Creator Mara Brock Akil interprets the text through a celebratory Black lens, though we could do with less blocking and breaking up between Keisha and Justin.

Plus: musicality, stereotypical secondary characters, the most excessive house porn we've seen, and Brenna's pandemic speculation about the series' 2nd season.

Reference: Candace Frederick. "Mara Brock Akil Grew Up With Judy Blume’s Very White Characters. In Forever, She Made Them Black." Refinery 29

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

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question or a contribution to July's Book Club on Felix Ever After (before July 18)? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”

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

We're doing a mega mailbag round-up with bits and pieces from listeners Neera, Victoria, and Sophie.

First up: an apology to Neera about Inkheart and an observation about 2000s YA and middle grade fiction.

Then: More fall-out from Quiet on Set with regard to Drake Bell's sexual misconduct charges, as well as the Pride Month murder of Indigenous gay man Jonathan Joss.

Finally, a few recommendations from Sophie, including a pair of titles by director Lukas Moodyson.

Reference: Kelly Lynne Dangelo. We All Need to Be Talking About the Murder of Jonathan Joss This Pride and Beyond. Harper's Bazaar

Recommendations:

> Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

> Show Me Love (1998, dir: Lukas Moodyson) / Lilya 4-ever (2002)

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

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”

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

Class is back in session as Brenna and Joe kick off Skins Series 2 with a look at the first two episodes.

From the bold decision about Tony's traumatic brain injury to the sidelining Cassie to Maxxie's dancing to...Sketch (?) it's a brand new summer of the kids are not alright!

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

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”

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

Book Club returns as Brenna and Joe discuss Sarah Dessen's 2006 novel Just Listen, along with responses from Miriam, Victoria, and Tea, Books & Chocolate. C/W: sexual assault and disordered eating.

We *loved* this book, which feels fresh, accessible and side-steps glamorizing or wallowing in the trauma.

Plus: girlhood, placelessness, glass house metaphors and radical honesty.

Wanna connect with the show or comment on July's selection Felix Ever After (due July 18)? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”

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

Brenna and Joe check out coming of age film Uproar (2023), directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett and written by Bennett and Sonia Whiteman.

The 80s-set New Zealand movie follows Josh (Julian Dennison), a Maori boy who becomes politically engaged when his small town hosts a South African rugby club during Apartheid. It is an unintentionally timely text considering the recent wave of protests and the reticence of older people to get involved.

Plus: Minnie Driver and Rhys Darby stunt casting, rugby factoids, and why white "allies" are the worst!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky: @HKHSPod

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”

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

It's easy, breezy time as Brenna and Joe check out our first Jennifer E. Smith text with Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2015) and Michael Lewen's 2022 Netflix adaptation.

This feels like a classic first year HKHS combo: a beach-read book and an enjoyably slight romantic film, anchored by likeable leads. We're especially shocked at the negative reviews for the latter!

Plus: our fave stops on the tour, Jordan Fisher's music, Joe's frustration with book Clare, and a surprising film development around diverse inclusion.

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

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)

Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com

Theme music: Letra “Like A Bird”

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