I’ve been a lifelong fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was first introduced to the Slayer and her friends as a young girl by my aunt Amy. Over the years, I watched and rewatched the entire series and the spin-off, Angel, time and time again. When I was feeling depressed, I’d put on Buffy. When I was needing comfort, I’d put on Buffy. When I wanted to laugh, I’d put on Buffy. When I wanted to feel the warm fuzzies, I’d put on Buffy. In college when I was homesick, I’d put on Buffy. When I was procrastinating my homework, I’d put on Buffy. When my first daughter was born, we named her Cordelia, because of Buffy. (Cordelia has one of the greatest character arcs in television history, and is one of my favorite characters in any media hands down - plus, she has the best name).

When my Cordelia was just a few months old, a fellow Buffy fan sent me a link to a podcast called Buffering the Vampire Slayer. “It’s a podcast hosted by two queer married women,” she explained, “where they are rewatching Buffy and talking about it through a queer lens, and they write and record a song for each episode from the perspective of Buffy. Plus,” she enthused, “they have character jingles, and you have to hear the Cordelia one. It’s gorgeous.”

She was right, of course, and “Cordelia [ah-ah] / I love you Cordelia [ah-ah] / You’re perfect, Cordelia [ah-ah]” became my ringtone and my lullaby for my infant. I immediately fell in love with Buffering the Vampire Slayer, binging all of the previous episodes and rewatching the series to catch up to them, then religiously listening to the new episodes every week, rewatching that week’s corresponding episode of Buffy for the full experience.

Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs brought new perspectives to the show that I’d never considered before in all of my previous viewings, and I loved them for it. It was like experiencing Buffy with fresh eyes. Their banter warmed my heart, I began to incorporate some of their common phrases into my own vernacular, (you’ll still catch me saying “wow…wow wow wow wow wow” just like Jenny), and their albums of songs for each season became part of the soundtrack of my life.

When Jenny and Kristin announced their separation, my heart broke for them. They promised to continue the podcast and I believed them, but my heart still ached for these two women I’d never met. I couldn’t imagine recording a podcast while going through a divorce. Still, Buffering persisted, and carried on just like Buffy herself. When the series finale episode aired, I sobbed through the whole thing, even though they had already promised several other projects. It felt like the end of an era. (A new era would begin almost immediately, and now they’re even doing another Buffy rewatch and recording new episodes of Buffering, called Once More With Spoilers…they’re still best friends, and their banter remains delightful).

This book broke my heart and put it back together all over again. Jenny and Kristin discuss not just their experience of the podcast, but everything that was going on behind the scenes as they struggled to get pregnant, as they realized their relationship was changing, as they separated and divorced, and as they found new partners, all while continuing to record and do live shows and put up a public front of strength.

I lost count of how many times I discovered tears stinging my eyes while reading this book. I also lost count of how many times I laughed out loud, and how many times I caught myself humming songs that they’d created. Reading Slayers, Every One of Us was like holding Kristin’s and Jenny’s hearts in my hands and watching them beat at first as one perfect rhythm, then changing to completely different tempos, then finally in beautiful rhythmic harmony.

This book is perfect for Buffy fans, it’s perfect for Buffering fans, and it’s also a really beautiful memoir of queer love and divorce and moving through that delicate space. Slayers, Every One of Us is written with such care and love, it is incredibly tender, but also has immense strength in its narrative. I love Kristin and Jenny, I love Buffy, I love Buffering, and I love this book.