I love this podcast in all of its different iterations from season to season. It’s made me question why I didn’t previously read romance novels (Good ole shame! Thought they were below me!), made me re-read books from school days with a totally different lens and perspective, made me rethink if twilight is actually just lighthearted?? And now I am eagerly awaiting each episode to find out what can be learned from romcoms! I’m an avid Vanessa Zoltan fan in all of her podcasts but this show in particularly strikes the balance of levity and thoughtful pondering to me.

I’m absolutely gobbling this show up. I blew through P&P and I’m onto Jane Eyre. This entire sacred reading is a total and complete gift for the mind.

Content is extraordinary and guest experts insightful. So much of this book has marked the DNA of intelligent women, that it deserves all of this and more is a fait accompli. The vocal fry is distracting. But Lizzie would mention it. Sorry, not sorry.

This sounded interesting and I started it, but I couldn’t listen to the host’s vocal fry voice. Sorry.

I equally like and dislike this podcast. It is a good example of how academics can teach and enlighten but sometimes simultaneously ruin a good thing. I love the little tidbits re P&P but the feminist reading, complete with all the current buzzwords, can be tiresome (and also the hosts don’t seem to acknowledge their own limited worldview as liberal American feminists).

I love the hosts and the way they take romance novels seriously and discuss them passionately. It makes me feel understood and like my love of literature is shared by friends. Keep going with your amazing work!

Can this person please be a regular host as well pls it’s a vibe Also just listened to Lauren talking about feeling shame around her initial dismissal of P&P and I was *amazed,*hazily remembering how frustrated I was hearing that tone of dismissal earlier in the season. It seems incredible because since then she has taught me a fantastic new reading on a book I thought I knew through and through and engaged with the text so fruitfully and wholeheartedly—so please don’t feel shame! The starting point was a huge part of the process and the fact that you’re aware of the change heightens the impact. Being able to listen in on your journey with the book has enriched my life soo much, and I thank you for it!

I found this after the Pride & Prejudice season had wrapped up and am happily binging it now. I can’t wait to learn what’s next!

I have learned so much about what life for women was like in the 1800s. I love the in-depth discussion between the two main hosts and the experts that join them. The whole show flows and is so well put together.

What a fun, intelligent, dishy way to reread my favorite novel chapter by chapter. I loved the guest scholars and the analysis of situations and characters I had skimmed by in my many rereadings. Emma next!

I have read and re-read Pride and Prejudice many times, but never saw past the romance. Reading along with Vanessa and Lauren has given me a greater appreciation for the genius and complexity in Austen and her writing. The show includes great experts (all academics and mostly women) talking about history, power, social customs and of course Lizzie and Darcy. So much better than Colin Firth jumping in the lake….

I grew up reading in my bedroom while my friends went swimming or played sports so I was so excited to find a podcast that celebrates the books I love and read over and over again. My first experience with Hot and Bothered was the season on Jane Eyre “On Eyre” and I really enjoyed the deep dive into not just the greatness of the book but also how problematic it is. Vanessa and Lauren don’t shy away from speaking out about their own misgivings about loving a flawed work of fiction. In the current season they dive deep into Pride and Prejudice and I so enjoy the conversations they have about the characters and English life at that time. At one point I laughed out loud because they were discussing what Michaelmas was, something I had always wondered when reading Austen. All in all this podcast is wonderful and I feel like I get to spend time with two friends who understand me and my nerdy interests.

Love you both and love this show. ❤️

Yes, this is what we need, in this economy. Breaking down some of the world’s biggest love stories, explaining the nuance, all from a feminist POV? You had me at hello. <3

This podcast hits all the sweet spots for me. Smart, incisive analysis, interesting new information, and joyful fangirling with people who love the book as much as I do. I just want to sit with Vanessa and Lauren and talk to them all day! They are definitely the very best drawing room material.

I enjoy the commentary. If Vanessa worked on her vocal fry a bit, I’d absolutely love this podcast!

I have always loved Pride and Prejudice! This podcast and all the history behind why they did what they did is so fascinating! Thanks!

If you enjoy listening to pseudo-intellectuals criticize literary geniuses, this is the podcast for you. Viewed from their woke, feminist lens, this show borders on the ridiculous. Buzz words are thrown around with great abandon. Host cannot even pronounce the word viscount. Just read these classics yourself.

This podcast is my absolute favorite. Like so many I grew up reading and loving the romantic “classics” like Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice but of course as a 21st century feminist I recognize some of the troubling aspects of racism and misogyny throughout. This podcast revisits these novels through a critical lens with amazing guest experts that help provide historical context and new perspectives. It’s enabled me to enjoy these novels even more deeply. The hosts are so smart and also a lot of fun, so listening to their analysis and debate is always engaging. I highly recommend reading or listening to the chapters before each episode for the best experience. If you love literature, romance, and justice, this podcast is for you!

I found this podcast a about two months ago so I got to binge a large part of Live from Pemberley (I caught up very quickly) and I am always SO excited for every other Friday. I understand why others may have a hard time with the space between episodes but I genuinely don’t mind because each episode is so well done that it is obvious to me that the extra time is takes to make is worth it. The episode that came out today about chapters 47 and 48 had a fantastic guest (Kimberly Hamlin I think?) who brought really insightful knowledge and context to a conversation that is as contemporary as it is historical. As a second year law student I was so happy to listen to such a poignant discussion about the sociology and history behind law. I have read and watched and listened to pride and prejudice countless times since I was 13 years old and have never engaged with the story as much as I do while listening to this podcast. Pride and Prejudice is a story that has changed every time I’ve come back to it because it is a coming of age story so nuanced that it can hardly be understood at 13 the same way it is understood at 24. Or in 1813 as it is in 2023. This podcast is an incredible analysis of the book and this moment in history and it is how I wish my AP literature class in high school handled this book. The next time I watch the limited series or read the book I know it will be much different for me than it was before and I will be the better for it. Vanessa and Lauren take care to balance their own relationships with the book and its characters with context and respect for the realities of the time in which they were written (and the woman who was writing them). I think this podcast would make Jane Austen proud.

Hi not sorry productions. I keep returning to season one of Hot and Bothered. I find it to be a revolutionary podcast. Smashing the patriarchy, allowing vulnerability, hilarious and sweet, incredible insight into being a human person, emphasizing kindness and goodness in the world… all with romance novels. Which. I never really got into. But listening to your writers work through things and complications in their lives and writing feels like a revolution. I’ve listened 3 times and will continue. And will hope for a return to that! Thank you.

While I’m enjoying the podcast when it airs, it’s regularly 2 weeks between shows and sometimes longer. Any sense of the story is completely lost. I also have to admit that I tried to read the book and found it really boring…. I just don’t get why people love it so much. I guess I’m more of a Jane Eyre fan— I loved those episodes and they broadcast weekly.

What’s great: Each episode I’ve listened to features scholars who talk about Austen, P&P, and the historical context. What’s not great: The hosts’ speculations about characters’ motivations and inner feelings that veer so far from anything in the text as to feel like fanfic. Lauren is à particularly bad offender and this. Also, about 90% of the time I’m convinced that she and I have not read the same book (and I have read P&P countless times). Both hosts seem also to miss the joy and, most especially, the humor in the book. Excellent premise for a podcast — and it’s good enough that I’m binging this Pemberly series — but I’d love to hear more from the experts. One final thing, they both call Mr. Collins “Collins” throughout, which is confounding; they call all the other characters as they are referred to in the book so this feels like a conscious choice.

Smart discussion and lots of amazing academic contributors. My favorite podcast in a very long time. Keep up the great work!

This podcast is brilliant. Full of wisdom and wit, asking relevant, interesting questions about classic literature, amazing and diverse guest speakers, and an all around good time. I’m an avid supporter of all of Not Sorry Productions but this one feels like my favorite femme book.

Let me start by saying that Vanessa is a national treasure. Lauren and Vanessa together offer joy and balance, wit and charm. This is my emotional support show. How often post-grad does one have the luxury and diving into a text, looking at it from every angel, analyzing each character, and falling in love chapter over chapter. I love this show.

I don’t know where to begin with this brilliant podcast. Vanessa and Lauren deliver insight after insight while remaining curious and humorous. They interview thoughtful guests. They’ve helped me to love and critique books I already loved. They pay attention.

I really like this podcast. The hosts bring exceptional knowledge of the story to the table, as well as great insights on the culture, customs, and mores of the period of the novel. They often point out the legal constraints that women faced at that time, and how they dealt with it. They accurately portray the strengths of the lead female characters and how they deal with their challenges in order to live their lives. That strength is why I made sure our daughters (and son) knew the story of P & P. I do suggest that the hosts try to avoid profanity, which sneaks in occasionally. The emotion which may be driving the profanity is likely appropriate, but as Jane Austin has shown, such strong feelings can be expressed without sinking to vulgar expletives. Along with the amazing strength Elizabeth exhibits is an unfailing refusal to stoop to vulgarity. We have tried to instill both of these attributes in our daughters (and son) and would like to keep them in our grandchildren. It would be much easier to recommend your podcast to our younger grandchildren if bad language was completely expunged. Thank you for considering this course, and thank you for the fine work you are doing in bringing the subtleties of a great literary novel to the “podcast generation!”

I feel so excited and at peace every time I start a new episode of Hot and Bothered. Vanessa is a thoughtful and kind host and so insightful! I love their literary criticism, expect guests, and new perspectives on some of my all time favorite works.

Love the content. One of the hosts has particularly egregious vocal fry, which isn’t great for those of us with misophonia

This podcast is fantastic. Lauren and Vanessa provide great analysis of Pride and Prejudice with lots of humor sprinkled throughout the episodes. I love hearing from experts and learning more about the context in which the novel was written. I’ve learned more than I did in my college Jane Austen class!

Literary pod I never knew I needed. Smart, fun, critical takes on the romances that make us. These hosts have turned me into a fierce defender of romance novels. Only wish there were more episodes to binge!

Love this podcast— a really smart premise, sharp literary close reading, stellar feminist commentary from hosts & guests, and just so so fun. I started listening to The Rom Pod during the early days of the pandemic, and Vanessa’s idea of writing romance novels as a sacred practice to cultivate hopefulness was such a light in dark days. And as the show evolved over the seasons, reading both Jane Eyre and now Pride & Prejudice, it’s been so interesting & empowering to pay attention to the desires & power of women.

I am so grateful to have discovered this podcast, along with On Eyre—I love the thoughtful, informative, but fun approach they take to my favorite classic books. I hope they continue producing content for a long time to come!

Great podcast with modern takes on romance!

This feminist podcast is an absolute book lover’s delight! I love everything from the opening essay, to the context lesson, to the discussion, to the expert call that concludes every episode. Such a perfect format for deep diving our favorite literary heroines/authors. Also is anything as endearing as Vanessa and Lauren building friendship over a novel? Not a chance!

So fun to hear Pride and Prejudice talked about by two intelligent women and their guests. Can’t wait for more episodes!

I have enjoyed many episodes in this podcast, especially On Eyre and Live From Pemberly….until the most recent episode on chapters 15 and 16 where the host Julia Argy makes light of and *literally giggles* at the topic of inc*st. Just because it was normative in previous years does not mean it is ok now. And just because some people continue to marry their first cousins etc, that doesn’t mean the practice of inc*st is ok. I am really disturbed that a topic that is the source of so much pain and suffering could seem funny to one of the hosts. If they can’t take these topics seriously and sensitively they shouldn’t talk about them at all. Incredibly vulgar, indecent, and hurtful.

The season Live From Pemberly is my fave so far. Deep thoughts and conversations in the setting of books and themes. It makes me very happy to know there are people out there who care about others and trying to make the world better.

I cannot overstate of good this podcast is. I started listening recently, for the Pride and Prejudice episodes and I am so pleasantly surprised by the quality of the guests and the thoughtful analysis, it’s an Austen geek’s dream come true!

The podcast “Plain English W/Derek Thompson” Episode #44. Why are American Teenagers so Sad & Anxious…. The information neatly connects our generational Social structures, through the many generations. From Letters thru, & up to our Social Media. I listen to your podcast, again and again:-)❤️ Always finding more to absorb

If my high school literature classes had been this entertaining, I would maybe remember something from them 😂. I wish every student could see how in depth these stories are instead of passing them off as ridiculous romance. Thanks for all you do!

I don’t even remember where I discovered this podcast, but I’m so glad I did! I started listening when Season Three On Eyre began and have been hooked ever since. One of the best things about this podcast is the thought-provoking conversations between Lauren and Vanessa that go so much deeper than the text. It’s everything I loved about my college English classes, but so much more too. I also feel like I’m part of a community of readers, exploring new and familiar texts in new, provocative ways and recognizing how reading stories we love can touch us in a sacred, spiritual way. Season Four focusing on Pride and Prejudice is my dream podcast and I can’t wait to read and listen along!

Too much forcing the lens of liberal feminism for me. Criticizing Jane Eyre’s character because she isn’t sympathetic enough to French sex workers is just completely asinine.

I LOVE this podcast!! I’m learning so much and it so enriches my reading. What a great pleasure to be inspired to reread classics with the companionship of such brilliant women. Thank you!!

I was listening to this while driving and I laughed so hard I couldn’t see the road and I had to turn it off. NSFD

So glad I found this podcast

As a history buff, I adored last season’s guest scholars (especially on the Patreon feed) and their exploration Jane eyre with the context of the economic, social and cultural history of the time. Listening to the co-hosts debate the merits of the book gave me the space to hold two truths at once— part of me relished Jane’s feistiness (just as I had when I read the book almost three decades ago) and part of me mourned the inability of the text to see Bertha (who was equally feisty) as being fully human. Can’t wait to see Lauren and Vanessa explore the feisty women of Pride and Prejudice next season

First of all, wonderful job ladies! I have loved Jane Eyre since the first time I read it, but I always knew there was a lot about it that went over my head (ie: physiognomy, the reference to Pamela). I love the format of tackling the book a few chapters at a time and doing in-depth analysis on the themes and characters. The historical context is fascinating, and I’ve really enjoyed all the guest speakers included for each episode. I’ve never had this kind of experience with a book before and I feel like I’ve found something that was missing from my life. I am straight up binging this series. Please keep up the great work!

such a great show! loved the recent sermon on Jane Eyre. I appreciate the mix of longer and shorter shows, and the conversations are dope. like english class but in a fun way.