Why an Emily Henry interview now? Sanjana and Tyler dig into Bloomberg’s recent piece on the author, where she discusses Hollywood adaptations and delivers the all-timer line: “A lot of actors think that it’s less humiliating to pretend to be a Beatle than it is to pretend to be in love.” Then: Naina Kumar joins to talk about heyday rom-com movies as novelistic underpinnings—see her latest, Just a Highland Fling!—and our hosts launch the Yearner Hall of Fame. Congrats to Ethan Hawke and Hanif Abdurraqib!
The Bloomberg Emily Henry interview.
Naina Kumar’s Just a Highland Fling (out this week!), Say You’ll Be Mine, and Flirting with Disaster. Her rom-com Mount Rushmore: When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Palm Springs, and While You Were Sleeping. Bonus: Kate & Leopold.
Yearner Hall of Fame inductees: Ethan Hawke (his “the one who’s in love always wins” interview with Amelia Dimoldenberg) and poet/romantic/essayist Hanif Abdurraqib.

Why an Emily Henry interview now? Sanjana and Tyler dig into Bloomberg&rsquo;s recent piece on the author, where she discusses Hollywood adaptations and delivers the all-timer line: &ldquo;A lot of actors think that it&rsquo;s less humiliating to pretend to be a Beatle than it is to pretend to be in love.&rdquo; Then: Naina Kumar joins to talk about heyday rom-com movies as novelistic underpinnings&mdash;see her latest, Just a Highland Fling!&mdash;and our hosts launch the Yearner Hall of Fame. Congrats to Ethan Hawke and Hanif Abdurraqib!
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-07-10/emily-henry-s-beach-read-happy-place-put-hollywood-spotlight-on-romance">The Bloomberg Emily Henry interview</a>.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Naina Kumar&rsquo;s <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/just-a-highland-fling-a-novel-naina-kumar/9e708364115ca821?ean=9798217094660&amp;bkshp-astro=t">Just a Highland Fling</a> (out this week!), <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/say-you-ll-be-mine-a-novel-naina-kumar/5d1cae51fcba2dbd?ean=9780593723883&amp;bkshp-astro=t">Say You&rsquo;ll Be Mine</a>, and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/flirting-with-disaster-a-novel-naina-kumar/bf2373da837a3d56?ean=9780593723906&amp;bkshp-astro=t">Flirting with Disaster</a>. Her rom-com Mount Rushmore: When Harry Met Sally, You&rsquo;ve Got Mail, Palm Springs, and While You Were Sleeping. Bonus: Kate &amp; Leopold.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Yearner Hall of Fame inductees: Ethan Hawke (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DV7lvO1jmAd/">his &ldquo;the one who&rsquo;s in love always wins&rdquo; interview</a> with Amelia Dimoldenberg) and poet/romantic/essayist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nifmuhammad/?hl=en">Hanif Abdurraqib</a>.</li>
</ul>

A weekly discussion of everything romance—from the novels and the tropes to the book-to-screen adaptations and, of course, the drama of it all—with hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall. Brought to you by the romance publisher 831 Stories.

A weekly discussion of everything romance&mdash;from the novels and the tropes to the book-to-screen adaptations and, of course, the drama of it all&mdash;with hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall. Brought to you by the romance publisher 831 Stories.

Radio 831: A Romance Podcast

A Close Reading of an Emily Henry Profile, Naina Kumar on Rom-Com DNA, and the Yearner Hall of Fame

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9f139a53-bfa5-4d76-8bcb-b48e000b1dc3/transcript