Mamamia Out Loud

Outlouders, welcome to the third and final instalment of our Summer Book Club where we’re going out strong. 🔥
Em Vernem, Jessie Stephens and Holly Wainwright dissect Melaleuca by Angie Faye Martin — the Australian debut crime novel we did not see coming and now can’t stop thinking about.
This episode has it all: small-town secrets, outback noir vibes, corrupt cops, missing women, a brilliant Indigenous protagonist, and a twist that genuinely divided the hosts. We talk sense of place, why crime novels are such powerful social mirrors, and yes — the chickens. (You’ll understand.)
⚠️ Full spoilers ahead — this one’s for listeners who’ve read the book and are ready to argue lovingly about pacing, plausibility and that ending.
Plus: why we’re thrilled Angie Faye Martin is writing a sequel and why Renee Taylor is a protagonist we want to follow anywhere.
📚 Outlouders, we know how many of you love these special episodes so... would you like us to keep the MMOL Book Club going? Let us know by emailing [email protected].
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Watch Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube
What to read:
A definitive list of the books everyone will be reading this summer.
The 40 best books to inhale in a weekend, according to Mamamia readers.
'I’m obsessed with audiobooks, here are 10 of the best I’ve ever heard.'
11 of the very best beach reads to lose yourself in this summer.
The 22 best books Reese Witherspoon has recommended.
What To Listen To Next:
Listen to our latest episode: "Hold On, I Just Need To Vent"
Listen: Jessie's Twins Update & What We Really Did Over The Holidays
Listen: Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, Revealing Texts & A Masterclass In Awkward Conversations
Listen: Brooklyn Beckham, That ‘Inappropriate’ Dance & The Downfall Of A Family Brand
Listen: Brooklyn Beckham Goes Nuclear: An Emergency Meeting
Listen: The Superstar Podcaster Who’s Been ‘Red-Pilled’ & Was JLo Really That Rude?
Listen: We’ve Entered The Year Of Friction-maxxing
Listen: Our Best Heated Rivalry Theory & Taylor Swift's Mum
Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts
THE END BITS:
Check out our merch at MamamiaOutLoud.com
GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening. Send us an email at [email protected]
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message.
Join our Facebook group Mamamia Outlouders to talk about the show.
Follow us on Instagram @mamamiaoutloud and on Tiktok @mamamiaoutloud
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heated Rivalry is only the tip of a very sexy ice(hockey)berg. Straight women make up at least 60% of the audience of the booming MM (male to male) queer romance book market. Why? Holly Wainwright, Jessie Stephens and Emily Vernem unpack the theories behind the biggest TV hit of the Summer.
Also, no, you're not imagining it. Every streaming show you watch is talking to you like you're a little bit... dumb. Matt Damon knows why.
And, everyone has a venting friend. Sometimes, everyone is a venting friend. But now, 'venting' has been labelled toxic friendship behaviour. We want to know who we can vent to about that.
Plus, our recommendations. Find them below.
SUBSCRIBE here: Support independent women's media
Recommendations
Em recommends Chicago Fire the bingeable TV show that she's currently obsessed with.
Jessie recommends underpants. Yes, treat yourself to an underwear refresh.
Holly recommends the move Hamnet that was released in cinemas on January 15.
What To Listen To Next:
Listen to our latest episode: Jessie's Twins Update & What We Really Did Over The Holidays
Listen: Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, Revealing Texts & A Masterclass In Awkward Conversations
Listen: Brooklyn Beckham, That ‘Inappropriate’ Dance & The Downfall Of A Family Brand
Listen: Brooklyn Beckham Goes Nuclear: An Emergency Meeting
Listen: The Superstar Podcaster Who’s Been ‘Red-Pilled’ & Was JLo Really That Rude?
Listen: We’ve Entered The Year Of Friction-maxxing
Listen: Our Best Heated Rivalry Theory & Taylor Swift's Mum
Listen: A Spectacular Writers' Festival Collapse & The Jennifer Lawrence Dog Drama
Listen: Why Mia Really Left... And Why She's Back
Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts
Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here including the very latest episode of Parenting Out Loud, the parenting podcast for people who don't listen to... parenting podcasts.
We’re giving away a Your Reformer Pilates bed (worth $3,400) Subscribe to enter
MOVE by Mamamia is the app that helps you fit movement into your every day. Whether you have 10 minutes, or 45, we've got the workout that fits your time, space and body. Get $20 off an annual subscription until the end of January when you use code OUTLOUD at checkout. Start your free trial today.
SUBSCRIBE here: Support independent women's media
Watch Mamamia Out Loud:
Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube
What to read:
Heated Rivalry forced me to ask myself a fundamental question. You're thinking it, too.'
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's new Netflix thriller will keep you guessing until the very last second.
The insane true story that inspired Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's new crime drama.
'Hamnet is the buzziest film of the year you're probably too scared to see. Allow me to change your mind.'
Holly Out Loud on Substack
THE END BITS:
Check out our merch at MamamiaOutLoud.com
GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening. Send us an email at [email protected]
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message.
Join our Facebook group Mamamia Outlouders to talk about the show.
Follow us on Instagram @mamamiaoutloud and on Tiktok @mamamiaoutloud
CREDITS:
Hosts: Emily Vernem, Jessie Stephens & Holly Wainwright
Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine
Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock
Audio Producer: Leah Porges
Video Producer: Josh Green
Junior Content Producer: Tessa Kotowicz
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Outlouders, this is your sneak peek of today's subscriber episode. Listen to the full episode of Jessie's Twins Update & What We Really Did On Our Holidays at 5pm today. Not a subscriber? You know what to do.
So, Jessie Stephens is pregnant with twins and she just got some very inconvenient news. In this episode, Mia Freedman quizzes Jessie on that and all manner of babies' updates, from how much longer she has to go to why the twins already seem to love annoying their mum.
Plus, what Jessie, Holly and Mia did on their holidays, which ranges from terrible hosting to absolutely nothing to sinking into a slow, dawning panic.
And everything Mia Freedman read, watched and bought over the break. Have your notes app ready.
This is just a taste, a little treat, if you will. The full feast lands at 5pm for subscribers.
We’re giving away a Your Reformer Pilates bed (worth $3,400). Subscribe to be in the running to win. 🎉
What To Listen To Next:
Listen to our latest episode: Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, Revealing Texts & A Masterclass In Awkward Conversations
Listen: Brooklyn Beckham, That ‘Inappropriate’ Dance & The Downfall Of A Family Brand
Listen: Brooklyn Beckham Goes Nuclear: An Emergency Meeting
Listen: The Superstar Podcaster Who’s Been ‘Red-Pilled’ & Was JLo Really That Rude?
Listen: We’ve Entered The Year Of Friction-maxxing
Listen: Our Best Heated Rivalry Theory & Taylor Swift's Mum
Listen: A Spectacular Writers' Festival Collapse & The Jennifer Lawrence Dog Drama
Listen: Why Mia Really Left... And Why She's Back
Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts
Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here including the very latest episode of Parenting Out Loud, the parenting podcast for people who don't listen to... parenting podcasts.
MOVE by Mamamia is the app that helps you fit movement into your every day. Whether you have 10 minutes, or 45, we've got the workout that fits your time, space and body. Get $20 off an annual subscription until the end of January when you use code OUTLOUD at checkout. Start your free trial today.
SUBSCRIBE here: Support independent women's media
Watch Mamamia Out Loud:
Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube
What to read:
I Love LA has been called the new Girls, but it's so much more than that.
JESSIE STEPHENS: On being pregnant with twins. As a twin. With twin brothers.
'This one small change has completely changed how I connect with my teens.'
'I finished it in 3 days.' 5 of the best books, based on how fast I read them.
'I went to Mecca to try Victoria Beckham's beauty products. Here's what I would (and wouldn't) buy.'
THE END BITS:
Check out our merch at MamamiaOutLoud.com
GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening. Send us an email at [email protected]
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message.
Join our Facebook group Mamamia Outlouders to talk about the show.
Follow us on Instagram @mamamiaoutloud and on Tiktok @mamamiaoutloud
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The word "nuzzle" is being used and Victoria Beckham's humiliation is complete. Yes, we have an update on the devastating private family breakdown playing out in the most public of ways. Including: Why was Brooklyn Beckham's name trademarked to his mum? Why are wedding guests posting, and then deleting their recollections of 'that' dance? And what does the 'Atlantic Gap' have to do with all this? It's all here.
Also, there have been four shark attacks in New South Wales in just 48 hours, with devastating repercussions. So, is it time Australia got better and louder about shark education?
And, do you have an age-gap friendship? Amelia Lester, Jessie Stephens and Holly Wainwright discuss an article that argues every 20-something woman needs a 40-something friend. What do both sides of that dynamic get out of those relationships? And why do they confuse everyone?
Plus: The meaning behind Naomi Osaka's "catwalk" moment at the Australian Open.
OH, and if you can't get enough Beckham news, Mia Freedman hosted a subscriber episode for Outlouders, and you can listen to it, here.
What To Listen To Next:
Listen to The Quicky: Are Shark Attacks On The Rise? & Clare Stephens On The Beckham Family Feud
Listen to our latest episode: Brooklyn Beckham Goes Nuclear: An Emergency Meeting
Listen: The Superstar Podcaster Who’s Been ‘Red-Pilled’ & Was JLo Really That Rude?
Listen: We’ve Entered The Year Of Friction-maxxing
Listen: Our Best Heated Rivalry Theory & Taylor Swift's Mum
Listen: A Spectacular Writers' Festival Collapse & The Jennifer Lawrence Dog Drama
Listen: Why Mia Really Left... And Why She's Back
Listen: Our Notes On The Golden Globes & Hollywood's 'Toxic Mums' Group
Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts
Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here including the very latest episode of Parenting Out Loud, the parenting podcast for people who don't listen to... parenting podcasts.
We’re giving away a Your Reformer Pilates bed (worth $3,400) Subscribe to enter
MOVE by Mamamia is the app that helps you fit movement into your every day. Whether you have 10 minutes, or 45, we've got the workout that fits your time, space and body. Get $20 off an annual subscription until the end of January when you use code OUTLOUD at checkout. Start your free trial today. SUBSCRIBE here: Support independent women's media
Watch Mamamia Out Loud: Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube
What to read:
HOLLY WAINWRIGHT: 'To understand the Beckham family estrangement, we need to go back to 1999.'
Brooklyn Beckham is done with his family. David just gave a calculated response.
CLARE STEPHENS: 'Please indulge my retelling of the Greatest Wedding Drama of the 21st Century.'
Brooklyn Beckham just torched the Beckham family fairytale.
The Beckham family and the girlfriend problem that won't go away.
OPINION: 'Oh Victoria, your husband is not on your team.'
THE END BITS:
Check out our merch at MamamiaOutLoud.com
GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening. Send us an email at [email protected]
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message.
Join our Facebook group Mamamia Outlouders to talk about the show.
Follow us on Instagram @mamamiaoutloud and on Tiktok @mamamiaoutloud
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The full conversation is now live! Enjoy the taster? Listen to the full episode here.
Outlouders, Brooklyn Beckham went nuclear on his Instagram stories this morning so, gather around because this is your sneak peek of the emergency podcast meeting Mia Freedman instantly called for subscribers. It was 6am. We had not had coffee.
We have literally just stopped recording and are sprinting this straight to you because at 5pm today the entire subscriber episode drops. No waiting. No edging. Full chaos.
Jessie Stephens and Holly Wainwright join Mia because they are deep in the whole sad, sorry saga of the Beckham/Peltz family drama: big opinions, unexpected detours, emotional whiplash and at least one moment where someone says, “Should we cut this?” (We did not.)
This is a taste. The full feast lands at 5pm for subscribers.
SUBSCRIBE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION: Support independent women's media
What To Listen To Next:
Listen to our latest episode: SUBS: Brooklyn Beckham Goes Nuclear: An Emergency Meeting
Listen: A Spectacular Writers' Festival Collapse & The Jennifer Lawrence Dog Drama
Listen: Why Mia Really Left... And Why She's Back
Listen: Our Notes On The Golden Globes & Hollywood's 'Toxic Mums' Group
Listen: One Of Us Has No Charisma & The New Dating Vocabulary
Listen: The Fingering Renaissance
Listen: Mel Robbins Knows Exactly What's Wrong With You & The Exact Science To Keep You Enjoying Your Job
Listen: The Six Roles In Every Family. Which One Are You?
Listen: Ugly Female Friendships & There's A Reason You're Stuck
Listen: Is It OK To Flirt Outside Of Your Relationship?
Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts
MOVE by Mamamia is the app that helps you fit movement into your every day. Whether you have 10 minutes, or 45, we've got the workout that fits your time, space and body. Get $20 off an annual subscription until the end of January when you use code OUTLOUD at checkout. Start your free trial today.
SUBSCRIBE here: Support independent women's media
Watch Mamamia Out Loud: Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube

Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here including the very latest episode of Parenting Out Loud, the parenting podcast for people who don't listen to... parenting podcasts.

What to read:
HOLLY WAINWRIGHT: 'To understand the Beckham family estrangement, we need to go back to 1999.'
CLARE STEPHENS: 'Please indulge my retelling of the Greatest Wedding Drama of the 21st Century.'
Brooklyn Beckham just torched the Beckham family fairytale.
The Beckham family and the girlfriend problem that won't go away.
OPINION: 'Oh Victoria, your husband is not on your team.'
THE END BITS:
Check out our merch at MamamiaOutLoud.com
GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening. Send us an email at [email protected]
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message.
Join our Facebook group Mamamia Outlouders to talk about the show.
Follow us on Instagram @mamamiaoutloud and on Tiktok @mamamiaoutloud
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.