Substack - Paulina Esperanza Rodriguez

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I review literary fiction and publish bimonthly book recommendations on my site, Alienated Young Woman.

What's New

Alienated Young Woman • 30th January 2026

A Book Rec for Every Real Housewife of Salt Lake City

10 strange novels for the 10 strangest women on Bravo.

Alienated Young Woman • 26th January 2026

Oscars Dispatch: My 2026 BAFTA Predictions

Round I: The (Predicted) Nominees

Alienated Young Woman • 22nd January 2026

And the 2026 Oscars (Actually) Go To...

The biggest takeaways—and upsets—from Oscar nomination day.

Alienated Young Woman • 4th January 2026

Oscars Dispatch: My 2026 Critics Choice and Golden Globe Predictions

What the next two ceremonies could tell us about the Oscar race.

Alienated Young Woman • 31st December 2025

My Top Books (and Movies) of 2025

My 10 favorite reads of the year—and a preview of what's next.

Alienated Young Woman • 2nd December 2025

And the 2026 Oscars Go To...

My (updated) awards season predictions.

The Highlights

Alienated Young Woman • 27th September 2025

Books For Grown-Up Percy Jackson Kids

Four new novels that reimagine old myths.

Alienated Young Woman • 12th April 2025

John Proctor is the Villain—He Always Was

On Sadie Sink's Broadway debut, the end of #MeToo, and writing a teen girl's American South.

Alienated Young Woman • 28th March 2025

Books for the Last Days of The Girlboss

Everyone Is Beautiful And No One Is Okay, or lit fic's eulogy for the corporate feminist cult

Alienated Young Woman • 10th March 2025

In Defense of 'The Monkey'

Osgood Perkins can’t stop making movies about his famous parents’ deaths. They’re his best yet.

Alienated Young Woman • 30th September 2024

Coco Mellors' Empty Sisterhood

On 'Blue Sisters' and the strange fallacy of the sister novel

Alienated Young Woman • 26th June 2024

Pride Month Pairings: 10 Queer Films and the Books to Read With Them

A recommendation guide for finding your new favorite queer movie, and the perfect book to go with it.

Alienated Young Woman • 12th June 2024

The Stepford Tradwife

On the tradwife renaissance, half a century of 'The Stepford Wives,' and the empty promise of J. Nicole Jones's 'The Witches of Bellinas.'

Check Out My Substack

What's New

A Book Rec for Every Real Housewife of Salt Lake City

Oscars Dispatch: My 2026 BAFTA Predictions

And the 2026 Oscars (Actually) Go To...

Oscars Dispatch: My 2026 Critics Choice and Golden Globe Predictions

My Top Books (and Movies) of 2025

And the 2026 Oscars Go To...

The Highlights

Books For Grown-Up Percy Jackson Kids

John Proctor is the Villain—He Always Was

Books for the Last Days of The Girlboss

In Defense of 'The Monkey'

Coco Mellors' Empty Sisterhood

Pride Month Pairings: 10 Queer Films and the Books to Read With Them

The Stepford Tradwife

Paulina Rodriguez