❄️ Sunday Sharies: February 2025

an indie movie starring Tom Blyth, a new podcast obsession, and red sneakers

Happy Oscars Day! And goodbye to a cold and short February. There’s a lot of stuff we’d like to share that won’t fit in our usual Thursday TV newsletter. Some of that stuff is here. Read on for a special monthly peek into what your trusty Double Take duo has been watching, reading, listening to, and more.

—Jenni Cullen and Jess Spoll

First time reading? Subscribe to receive Double Take weekly.

Jenni: I finished The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein this month—a necessary, eye-opening account of how discriminatory housing policies shaped the segregation we still see today. It somehow passed me by when everyone else was reading it in 2018, and if you’re in the same boat, I highly recommend picking it up. (4.5/5 stars)

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna was an extremely light read with a touch of romance and a found family element that, unfortunately, left me cold. I wanted cozy and charming; instead, it felt corny and a bit hollow and I was just…bored. (2.5/5 stars)

One Day in December by Josie Silver had no business being as engaging as it was. I initially hated the premise (love at first sight meets years of tortured longing), but against all odds, I got sucked in by the writing and the charm of the main characters. (3/5 stars)

Romantasy fans will probably enjoy Ilona Andrews’s urban fantasy sereis: Hidden Legacy. I read the first book Burn For Me and found it surprisingly addictive—the world was intriguing, and the premise was fun. (3/5 stars) Unfortunately, book two lost me with excessive exposition, sappy romance, and too much internal monologuing.

Finally, out of obligation to a friend, I gave Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros a shot—despite the fact that I enjoyed neither Fourth Wing nor Iron Flame. Those, at least, I could finish. This one, I abandoned halfway through. I maintain that the world in this series has potential, but the writing in Yarros’s latest book is as rough as ever, the plot feels juvenile despite the heavy dose of sex and swearing, and the protagonist spends so much time agonizing in her own head. I hated this. (1/5 stars)

---

Jess: I flew through It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan, a romcom that’s as cute as it is quick—ideal for a summer beach read. The story follows a former child TV star-turned-film executive trying to get her passion project made. When she’s told she needs a big name attached, she embarks on a mission to recruit her first crush—now a massive pop star—to write a song for the film, with her grumpy cinematographer co-worker tagging along for the ride. The middle of the book has the same cozy, chaotic charm as Andie visiting Ben’s family in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, which I mean as the highest compliment. And the banter? Adorable. (4/5 stars)

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn had a strong premise but didn’t fully work for me in execution. Each character got their own (very long) chapter, and just as I’d start getting invested in one, the perspective would shift. Plus, the chapters from the house’s POV were not for me. It lacked the propulsive energy of Quinn’s other books, making it a letdown for me, but it still has its merits. (3.5/5 stars)

I appreciate A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane, even though I didn’t fully enjoy reading it. It’s a mix of a coming-of-age tale, a basketball drama, and a queer love story, set in a small town in the early 2000s. Star player Mack and talented transfer student Liv fall into an intoxicating, messy dynamic that’s equal parts love, rivalry, and self-destruction. The writing is vivid, but I struggled to connect—maybe because I’m too far removed from the age, or maybe because the heavy focus on basketball and substance use made it hard to see myself in these characters. I admire what Crane was going for, but it wasn’t for me. (2.5/5 stars)

On the other hand, Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson really worked for me. It’s a funny, surprisingly touching story about a young woman in recovery from alcoholism, with a little romance but mostly a journey of self-acceptance. The MC, Emma, is deeply flawed but compelling, and I enjoyed living in her head—messiness and all. (4.5/5 stars)

Finally, Mickey7 by Edward Ashton has such a cool premise—clones sent on dangerous missions because they’re expendable—but it was oddly paced. For a relatively short book, a surprising amount of it was just… Mickey being hungry and not doing much. Still, I found the concept engaging, and I’m excited to see the movie adaptation (renamed Mickey17) from Bong Joon-ho next week. (3.5/5 stars)

Jess: I wasn’t able to go to Sundance this year, but I did check out five of the festival screenings virtually. My favorite of the bunch was Plainclothes, a romantic thriller set in the 90s about an undercover officer (Tom Blyth) tasked with entrapping and apprehending gay men, only to find himself falling for one of the targets. It’s mesmerizing and gritty and Tom Blyth is so, so good.