The Cult of Romance Novels

Sounds Like A Cult

Studio71

Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality, Education

3.9 • 4.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 February 2026

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Clutch your pearls and cancel your plans, because this week Sounds Like A Cult is getting spicy. We’re welcoming our brand new co-host Iman Hariri-Kia (@imanharirikia), romance author, cultural critic, and certified defender of the genre, to break down The Cult of Romance Novels. We're joined by romance author Alexa Martin (@alexambooks) to talk about romance novels as sex education for women, the intense sense of community among readers, and why the genre is so often dismissed despite being wildly popular. Plus, we get into beloved tropes, Heated Rivalry, and how Alexa might have accidentally predicted the Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift era. Is romance harmless hopecore, or a full-blown belief system? Plus, what that snake tongue do? Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles, @imanharirikia. Thank you to our sponsors! To save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.squarespace.com/CULT⁠⁠ Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to ⁠⁠https://Quince.com/slac⁠⁠ Get unlimited premium wireless for just $15 per month at ⁠https://MINTMOBILE.com/cult Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE at The Bell House in New York on April 21st! Tickets at amandamontell.com/events To learn more about how to support Minnesota’s immigrant communities, check out this MSP Mag article, which shares several ways to offer help or find support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform to help
0:05.0	entrepreneurs stand out and succeed online. I am a long time Squarespace user, and updating the
0:11.6	website is always super easy, and that is thanks to Squarespace features like their design
0:16.6	intelligence. Squarespace payments also makes it easy to sell things online. And I also love
0:21.9	that you can set up fundraisers on a Squarespace website. Head to SpareSpace.com for a free trial.
0:26.2	And when you're ready to launch, go to squarespace.com slash cult to save 10% off your first
0:31.3	purchase of a website or domain. Using code cult. You know what my culty mantra often is in life
0:36.9	works smarter, not harder. I apply that to my
0:39.6	job. I apply that to the way I feed myself and Lord knows I have been applying that to my cellular
0:45.4	provider. I'll say it, wireless service can be kind of scammy. Hidden fees and charges, they're the
0:50.9	worst. If you want a better solution for your wireless service, check
0:54.7	out Mint Mobile. I am so very glad that I did. I'm so happy they sponsor this podcast. Things are
1:01.2	so expensive these days and we truly shouldn't have to break the bank on something as necessary as
1:06.7	our cellular plan. So here's the deal. New customers can make the switch today and for a limited
1:11.5	time get unlimited premium wireless for just $15 per month. Switch now at mintmobile.com
1:17.9	slash cult. That's mintmobile.com slash cult. Up front payment of $45 for three months, $90 for
1:24.1	six months or $180 for 12 monthmonth plan required that's 15 bucks a month
1:28.0	equivalent taxes and fees extra initial plan term only over 50 gigabytes may slow when network is
1:32.5	busy capable device required availability speed and coverage varies additional terms apply
1:36.7	cement mobile.com the views expressed on this episode as with all episodes of sounds like a cult
1:41.5	are solely host opinions and quoted allegations.
1:47.1	The content here should not be taken as indisputable fact.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Studio71, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Studio71 and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.