Show Notes
We are so BACK!!! Soak in the new year energy and listen to us break down our 2026 goals. But first, we reflect on what we accomplished in 2025 and share how we're feeling at the start of the new year.
Olivia's Personal Goals Continue strength routine and scale to heavier weights Start a young writers program in the community (or volunteer for one that already exists) Home projects! Kitchen reno, Refinish stairs + downstairs floors, install a stair runner Tighten + examine spending habits Keep track of every single thing I buy and how much I use them Start a new Goodwill habit (donate something every time I go) Generally, get rid of more than I accumulate
Becca's Personal Goals Kick my phone out of my bedroom Take an in-person multi-session art class Plan 40th birthday Decorate my dream office Create hand-painted cards for birthdays Weights 3x/week
Olivia's Professional Goals Finish Little One promo strong, focusing on gratitude and confidence Work on Little Pod Go on Tour! Return to my writing cave and dedicate the entire year to book 3 Nail down concept and one-page synopsis for book 4 Continue screening books for pod/book club/championing faves Get on NetGalley, finally Cotswolds Reading & Writing Retreat
Becca's Professional Goals Write 2 drafts of Book 3 Curate more lightness around writing Approach Book 2 publication as a celebration Promo podcast book club picks Don't read mean things about myself on the internet Grow my writing community Grow Substack free subs/revenue by 20% Show up joyfully/unapologetically on social
Obsession Becca - Le Puzz Miniatures Puzzle, Heated Rivalry, (more to come during next week's Three Things) Olivia - Come See Me In The Good Light
What We Read This Week Olivia - Mothers & Other Strangers by Corey Ann Haydu, Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor, Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins Becca - Into the Blue by Emma Brodie (out Jul 14), In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams, Colored Television by Danzy Senna
January's Book Club Pick - Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino
Sponsors Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our BFF Group! Preorder Olivia's Book, Little One, and order Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter! Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.
More from Bad On Paper
This week, we're discussing all of the book to screen adaptations that have come out recently and the future adaptations on the horizon! Stay tuned for our thoughts on The Love Hypothesis, Verity, East of Eden, and what we're SO excited to see on screen next.
We have things on things on things this week! We're talking about Back Where We Started's pub week, something that's a bit meaty for a Three Things episode, new favorite fragrances, book promo we loved, book tour tips, and writing for readers vs writing for yourself.
Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from BACK WHERE WE STARTED by Becca Freeman, read by Brittany Pressley. © 2026 Becca Freeman, ℗ 2026 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved.
Becca's upcoming book Back Where We Started, which is set partially on the set of a 2010's teen soap, got us feeling nostalgic and inspired to talk about the early 2010s! We chat about what our lives were like during that era, the pop culture touchstones that stick out to us, our celeb crushes, celebrity ships, iconic albums, the launch of Instagram, and more!
We can't wait to talk about our September Book Club Pick, Main Characters by Bobby Palmer! Keep listening to hear about our thoughts on the novel's 80+ point of view format, how it tackled the interplay of motherhood and ambition, and if we were convinced the main characters were "meant to be." Plus, the one POV we felt was missing!