happy almost-end-of april, dear friends, and happy happy place release date to all who celebrate 💌 i hope you’ve had a wonderful april so far! and as is the norm, i get a little rambly and chatty, so grab a cup of tea or coffee or whatever your preferred beverage is, and get cozy! 🧸
Read moreLet’s Talk: Favorite Shakespeare Adaptations & Retellings
Hi friends! I hope your month is going well! As you all know (because I literally never shut up about it, you’re welcome), I love all things Shakespeare —- what you may not know is that William Shakespeare’s birth date and death date is April 23rd. Because of this, I always like to consume lots of Shakespeare-related media at this time, and I figured, why not make a blog post out of it?
In this post, we’ll be talking about some of my favorite books, movies, and musicals inspired by the Bard and his works. So as always, grab a cup of tea, get cozy, and let’s talk Shakespeare!
Read moreARC Review: Meet me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
Read moreFern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.
At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort–something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.
She needs a plan–a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is.
But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?
Review: Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson
Read moreSenior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.
Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax.
The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.
Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.
ARC Review: Happy Place by Emily Henry
Read moreHarriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?
Mini Reviews: The Appeal, Last Violent Call, The Witch and the Vampire, The Writing Retreat, and Spells for Forgetting
Happy April, besties! I hope that the month is off to a good start for you. As I mentioned in my March Monthly Wrap Up, I ended up reading 20 books last month, and if we’re being totally honest, I just didn’t feel like writing a lot of full length reviews. That being said, there are some books that I definitely had thoughts on (both positive and…slightly negative) so I figured, why not share some mini reviews!
So get comfy and let’s chat about a few of my March reads!
Read moreMarch 2023 Wrap Up // A Letter from Coco
hello, sweet friends 💌 i hope march treated you well! as usual, i’m writing this wrap up in the notes app on my phone! and as is the norm, i get a little rambly and chatty, so grab a cup of tea or coffee or whatever your preferred beverage is, and get cozy! 🧸
Read moreCaitlyn’s Monthly Wrap Up: March 2023
Hi friends! I know I say it every month, but this month really did seem to fly by. March was really busy — I was kind of just busy/on the go the entire month. So, without further ado let’s talk about my favorite books of the month, how the month went for me as a whole, and what I’m looking forward to this month! Grab a cup of your favorite beverage, get cozy, and let’s chat!
Read moreARC Review: The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
Read moreTansy Adams’ greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance… Tansy can’t get past the first chapter. Tired of her stepfamily’s questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book. They’ll never actually meet, so what’s the harm in a little fib? Yet when real-life Gemma crosses Tansy’s path, her white lie nearly implodes.
Gemma van Dalen is a wild child, the outcast of her wealthy family, and now the latest heir to Van Dalen Publishing. But the title comes with one tiny condition: she must be married in order to inherit. When Gemma discovers a beautiful stranger has been pretending to date her for months, she decides to take the charade one step further—and announces their engagement.
Gemma needs a wife to meet the terms of her grandfather’s will and Tansy needs money to save her struggling bookstore. A marriage could be mutually beneficial, if they can fool everyone into thinking it’s a love match. Unexpected sparks fly as Tansy and Gemma play the role of affectionate fiancées, and suddenly the line between convenient arrangement and real feelings begins to blur. But the scheming Van Dalen family won’t give up the company without a fight, and Gemma and Tansy’s newfound happiness might get caught in the fallout…
Book Recs: Recommendations for Theatre Fans
Hi besties! In honor of World Theatre Day on the 27th, I thought it would be fun to share some recommendations for books involving theatre. We all know that if a book mentions theatre in any way I will be picking it up, and the five on this list are some that I really love!
This list could’ve been VERY long, especially if I decided to include non-fiction recs, but I decided to keep it short and sweet this time around — I know, you’re all shocked! So, grab a cup of tea, turn on your favorite cast recording, and let’s get to the recs.
Read more