Read
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Reading the description of this book, I thought it was going to be a Succession/Gossip Girl-esque rich people doing bad things type of story. Which I was really excited about. Nothing really happened throughout the entire book. It was more of a character-driven story about a wealthy family in NYC. There are two sisters + their SIL and the chapters alternate from their perspectives. The fun part of the book was the references and witty writing, and it did feel like you were eavesdropping on this family the entire time. But overall I was disappointed in this one.
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I ended up really loving this book! It’s the story of a woman whose mother has just passed away. They had planned a trip to Positano and she decides to go to get some time away. While there, she meets… her mother. Well, the younger version of her mother from her trip almost 30 years ago. There are some interesting twists and the author does an incredible job of making it feel like you’re in Positano. I want to go so badly now!
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was my first Emily Henry book and I absolutely LOVED it. I could not get enough of Harriet and Wyn. The story is about a group of friends who have come together for a big hoorah, but the long-term couple within the group - Harriet and Wyn - broke up five months ago and no one knows. So they have to pretend to be together so as not to ruin the trip for everyone else. I didn’t expect Henry’s books to be steamy, so that was delightful. I just loved everything about this book, except that it ended.
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve been reading more of Reid’s early works lately and I need to figure out the line between these and her “blockbuster” novels like Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones. This was a sweet story about a woman who is engaged and life is going well, except that her husband who she believed to be dead from a helicopter accident turns out to be alive. She has to figure out who is her one true love - her new fianceé or her high school love and first husband.
I found out after reading it that a movie adaptation came out last month starring Phillipa Soo from Hamilton! Check out the trailer! The casting is very good and the additions that I’ve noticed from the trailer are really cute!
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t quite a “love” for me the way that Happy Place was. Nora is a power-hungry book agent in NYC whose sister takes her to the setting of the biggest book of the year - written by one of Nora’s clients, naturally. Nora runs into Charlie Lastra, who she tried to get to edit the book years before but he refused. Their initial run-in all those years ago was a disaster, so to see Charlie now - a world away from NYC - is not exciting to Nora. Book Lovers ended up being steamier than Happy Place, which I wasn’t mad about.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was my second time coming back to Malibu Rising and I’m so glad I did. I had originally started it on Kindle but then my loan expired and it took forever to get it back. I dove right in knowing it was a long story. Wow! What a cast of characters. The siblings’ story is devastating and one that I can personally relate to in a way. There were shocking moments all throughout the story. I’m not usually a character-driven story type of girl, but this one worked so well for me!
Currently Reading
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
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Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
Watched
Jury Duty, AmazonPrime
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I didn’t really pay attention to what this show was. I just kinda jumped in having skimmed the synopsis from people online so I thought everyone was an actor and it was a mockumentary like The Office. In my defense, I definitely recognized James Marsden and another guy from Parks and Rec, so I just assumed. I was so happy when I turned out to be wrong. What a charming and sweet show! Ronald turned out to be such a sweet, wholesome guy and I’m glad he’s real.
Succession, Max
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When it comes to the amazing shows throughout our time (e.g., The Sopranos, Game of Thrones (seasons 1-5), and Breaking Bad) I’ve never watched one from start to finish in real-time. I’ll get into them following a few seasons. I didn’t get into Game of Thrones until the show was entering season 6, for example. But I’ve been with Succession since the beginning and I am so proud of this show. I’m writing this less than 24 hours post-finale and I haven’t processed my thoughts on it all yet, but season 4 is an absolute masterpiece. The entire show is actually a masterpiece. One of the greatest shows of the past 20 years, and, in my opinion, the best show of the past 5 years.
I’m going to do a rewatch of all of it at some point because I think there will be some cool callbacks to pick up along the way. I’ve rewatched seasons 1 and 2 a few times either on planes or introducing the show to other people and the rewatchability of Succession is incredible. Because there is so much dialogue happening or when you’re armed with knowledge of how a season plays out, you always pick up on something new.
While the show ended in one of the two ways I expected it to end, I had no idea how it would play out and the finale was the most entertaining hour and a half of TV. It was the biggest emotional rollercoaster and while I can believe it and am happy for some characters, I’m also devastated for others. It’s just an incredible story of the most flawed, awful people. I’ve never had a show make me root for a character so hard only to turn on them and then feel so badly for them. The acting on this show is just so far above anything else on TV right now. As you’re watching, it’s in your face how amazing these actors are. It hurts so badly that it’s over, but it went out on the highest note.
shared her final Succession Power Rankings after the finale on Sunday and I fully agree with the entire list. Beware of spoilers! I would recommend avoiding spoilers at all costs if you ever want to watch this show because seeing it all play out is so satisfying and heartbreaking.Barry, Max
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
While I’ve really enjoyed the final season of Barry, it didn’t quite “stick the landing” for me. It’s a great show with amazing direction and beautiful shots. This season had some hilarious callbacks and moments. I was really okay with how it would end until it did. The finale was a little too artistic for my liking and the realism isn’t quite there. I’m usually happy to suspend realism for TV too, so that’s me giving up like 50% of realism that one would normally expect.
Don’t get me wrong. The early seasons are so well done and hilarious. The show ended almost exactly how I expected it would. The only exceptions are Henry Winkler’s and Stephen’s Roots’ characters. It’s also another show that I went from cheering for Barry and wanting him to win (to an extent) to not wanting him to win at all. Early-season Barry is such a flawed, sad human but as you grow with him in the show you can see this is just who he is. He has many opportunities to change, and he keeps going back to what he knows. NoHo Hank is one character that I will so badly miss. He was great from start to finish and I loved his little callbacks. Definitely give it a watch if you’re looking for a dark comedy. I think it’s one that will be better to binge-watch now that it’s all said and done.
Ted Lasso, AppleTV+
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another five-star rating for the final season of Ted Lasso because if anyone ever comes for these characters, I will not be okay. This show has brought such joy to my life over the past few years and I’m sad to see it go. There were times that it didn’t live up to the initial quality, but if the show was always a 10, at worst it was ever a 7.5. The finale was last night and it was such a great episode. We got a little fan service, but otherwise, it was 80 minutes of perfect callbacks throughout the series, lots of tears, and an incredible story wrap-up.
This is another show that holds up well for a rewatch because the lines are so quick that you miss things. I’ve watched seasons 1 and 2 at least twice through each and it works. A show’s rewatchability is big for me, and Ted Lasso allows for it. I will miss these characters so much. If Apple and Brett Goldstein are reading this, I would be very pleased with the spin-off that you teased. Thank you!
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White House Plumbers, Max
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