You are the master of your own destiny.

Except you’re not.

Because now that you’ve thought too much about it, the fear has started to build, the anxiety ratcheting up, the questions coming Vin Diesel style, fast and furious. It becomes paralyzing. Any action or decision becomes this huge thing because what if you choose wrong? What if it doesn’t work out? What if you change your mind?

What if what if what if what if

It would be nice if I could tell you that you shouldn’t worry and that everything will work out. But as much as I would love to channel my inner oracle, ESP is not a skill I’ve been blessed with. None of us know what the future holds, but I can tell you that you’re not doing yourself any favors.

You’ve spent so much time in your head, you’ve forgotten what it feels like to live in your body.

Instead of staying in that spiral, I want you to get back in touch with yourself, bring yourself back to yourself. Go do one or two of these things. Hell, if you’re feeling ambitious, go do all of them:

Put your feet in the grass. It’s probably dry and scratchy at this point in the year, but feel it anyway.

Breathe deeply with your hand on your chest. Feel the rise and fall. Kind of miraculous, honestly.

Jump in the ocean, or any body of water. Even a cold shower will do. The shock of it is the point.

Listen to a song you loved in middle school and sing your heart out. I know you know the words.

Write someone an honest to god handwritten letter. Maybe your hand cramps a little- that’s okay.

Pet something furry. Notice the velvety feel or shaggy texture of its fur.

I know, I know. I can hear your eyes roll from over here. It seems like a list that belongs next to a live, laugh, love sign.

Try it anyway.

There’s a great big world out there- sometimes you just need to remind yourself that’s where you live, not inside your head.

Overthinking is sneaky. It can start without you even realizing it’s happening and then all of a sudden you’re twenty scenarios deep and you don’t know which way is up. But you’ve got to practice getting out of your head and into your body. Remind yourself that you are here, right now, on your couch or in your bed or wherever you’re reading this.

And it’s not a one and done, congrats-you’ve-passed-go-collect-$200 situation. When you’ve gotten comfortable playing out everything in your head, it can be an adjustment to let go of that habit. But it’s something you can return to again and again when you’ve been going in circles and feel like your head is going to explode.

Life will surprise you, frustrate you, and delight you.

It will bring you perfect days, the sun shining, a breeze in the air, and your friends laughing all day long. You’ll be so overcome with gratitude that you say I can’t believe this is my life.

And then it will bring you impossible days, ones where you’ve lost yourself, your spark, and you can barely find the energy to get out of bed. You’ll be so deflated that you say I can’t believe this is my life.

Life gives you the ups and downs, that’s kind of its whole deal. And there’s no amount of overthinking you can do to avoid the rollercoaster ride. So maybe it’s less about being the master of your own destiny and more about trusting the safety bar with all of the drops, twists, and loops along the way.

xx, Bre

Ted Lasso

The hit show from COVID is back. I’m not sure we needed this, but it’s here and with much of the same cast. It feels a little try hard and doesn’t have the same magic it used to, but it’s good for a lighthearted night. But for the love of God, please trim these episodes down to 30 minutes! Bring back the true half hour!

Episodes streaming Wednesdays on Apple TV

VERDICT: Not Mad At It

Five Star Weekend

Jen Garner feels like everyone’s mom, doesn’t she? Like you just want to give her a big hug. That’s how I feel watching this cozy, fun show about a woman who hosts a girls’ weekend with women from different chapters of her life. Like Hallmark, but with better acting and bigger budgets.

All episodes streaming on Peacock

VERDICT: Worth It

Spencer’s Aux Cord

My husband's music taste is better than mine and I've accepted it. Here are his picks this week, including a banger from TikTok.

Friday Picks

• Suzal (Higher) by Grazko

• Save Me by Longo

• Mean to Love by Harry Hudson

Throwback of the Week

• No Role Modelz by J.Cole

The Parisian Heist

Jo has reached immediately-buy-anything-she-writes status in my heart so when this came out this summer, I immediately scooped it up. I’m here for anything with a heist or with the city of love so the combo of this was a match made in heaven. While not quite as batshit as some of her previous work, this was a fun, breezy read. Perfect way to close out summer.

VERDICT: Worth It

Take What You Can

I’m mixed on this one. I wanted to love it so bad, but I just felt okay by the end. I think my high expectations may have skewed my reaction a bit, but I didn’t really get some of the foundational problems between the friends so I feel like I wasn’t as emotionally impacted by the plot as I should’ve been. But good writing so not a bad read by any means.

VERDICT: Didn’t Click

Triple Dipper Shirt

Do I even need to say anything? This shirt is everything. My husband is obsessed with Chili’s and the triple dipper so for his birthday, I wanted to celebrate that love. I am tempted to get my own and then we can match next time we go get some El Presidente margaritas.

VERDICT: Obsessed

Waited for weeks to take a hot dog photo with my hot dog nails

Took the best early morning ocean dip with my friend Mel

Not pleased with the weather this week. I did not sign up to live in Florida!

Current puzzle situation

We’ve got a friend in town and a fantasy football draft going on, all while we try to survive this heatwave (I am desperate for some AC). I hope your weekend is cooler than mine (literally and figuratively!)

xx, Bre

I want to be a writer.

An honest to god, make money from my writing, write books and this newsletter, do it as a full-time job, writer.

*Cue my internal banshee shriek* Why is that so hard to admit?

Why does it feel so uncomfortable to say what you want out loud? To have a big dream or goal that seems patently ridiculous (making a living off of being a writer in the age of AI??? What am I even thinking? Did I hit my head and think I am back in the 90s?) Why does it feel so embarrassing to want?

But I’m naming it because it makes it real.

When I started my writing journey (around ten months ago), I said to myself, let’s just see. Through vast amounts of experimenting, soul searching, therapy, and overthinking since I started, I told myself that I couldn’t really want anything out of this, that I shouldn’t expect too much. It’s just a silly side project.

You know it’s gotten bad when your inner monologue sounds like the fuckboy who can’t commit to you, but I digress.

I told myself:

That I should be happy to just be able to express myself (I am)

That writing itself is worthy even if no one reads it (It is)

That I am learning a lot about myself during this (I am)

But I didn’t let myself really dream, ya know? The kind of dream that makes you feel queasy inside because it’s scary to say out loud that you want something to happen, but there’s no guarantee it will. Apathy is so much easier. Playing it safe is so much easier.

But you know what’s not easier? Regret.

Because as much as there’s that hopeful voice inside me that urges me to just try, there’s an even louder voice that is locked and loaded with a long list of what abouts and what ifs. She’s a real bitch, let me tell you.

Unfortunately, I do have to give credit where credit is due because she’s very good at shuffling through all of the worst case scenarios with the speed and efficiency of a Vegas blackjack dealer to quickly detail all of the reasons why I can’t or I shouldn’t. I’m a proud Capricorn, but this is where being the responsible and practical sign can cause some issues… but that’s for another essay.

So lately, I’ve been trying to ask myself a different kind of what if question.

Read more

Weekly Rundown

WATCHING

Furious

There are two episodes left in Hulu’s Furious and I’m already so sad that it’ll be over. It’s one of the best drama series I’ve seen this year and somehow every episode gets better and better. If you’re not watching, you really should be. It’s tense, violent, shocking, and some of the best acting from a duo playing a female serial killer and the female FBI agent trying to track her down. It’s deeper and more sophisticated than your typical cop thriller and it really keeps you on your toes. Can’t recommend enough.

Episodes streaming on Mondays on Hulu

WATCHING

Lucky

Another crime thriller has come to an end- this one being Lucky on Apple TV. It is a popcorn show full of enough entertainment and twists to keep you interested, but I wouldn’t expect any real impact or takeaway from this one. Worth it for a fun seven episode limited series, especially if you’re light on current summer shows.

All episodes streaming on Apple TV

WATCHING

Silo

Silo is getting so good, y’all. The mysteries surrounding the silo are deepening and Juliette is forced to make some difficult decisions when it comes to saving the people of the silo and somehow thwarting the omniscient voice that’s controlling seemingly everything. Rebecca Ferguson has never been better and the surrounding characters are bringing their A game too. Now is the perfect time to catch up if you’re not watching.

Episodes streaming on Fridays on Apple TV

LISTENING TO

Spencer’s Aux Cord

• No Air by NGHTMRE, Jordin Sparks

• Say Something by Sonny Fodera, Becky Hill

• Edge of the Earth by The Beaches

Cover of the Week

• How to Save a Life by Sam Tompkins

Throwback of the Week

• Airplanes by B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams

READING

The MASH Up

I loved the premise of this one, based off the classic game MASH that Millennials grew up playing, and I wanted it to be great, but it was more just decent. A thirty something woman wakes up in an alternate universe where everything in the last MASH game she played has come true including a mansion, a wacky job, and her relationship with her brother’s best friend who she’s always hated. Through time spent trying to get back to her world, she learns about herself and how we sometimes lose ourselves as we grow up. Entertaining enough, but nothing spectacular.

BUYING

American Eagle Sports Merch

Football season is almost back which means the return of the cute merch. While I do think sports merch for women has gotten better in the last few years, a lot of it is still rather disappointing. But American Eagle is one of the few places with cute and trendy stuff for your favorite team. The teams they have can be limited which is a drawback, but what they do have is super cute. I just got this mockneck sweatshirt for my sister-in-law and I love it. If only they had a Chargers version for me.

DOING

Hadestown on Broadway

I have a confession to make: I didn’t really like the musical Hadestown. I’m in NYC this week and saw the much talked about and much raved about show with my mom and sister and none of us were that into it. The story itself was a bit convoluted and none of the music was that outstanding to me. Actually the first show on Broadway that I haven’t enjoyed. You win some, you lose some I guess.

What I Saved to My Camera Roll This Week

Real ones know that the aperol spritz will never really be dethroned.

Cheers to a great weekend!

xx, Bre

I fell down a rabbit hole recently reading about the life and recent death of Sydney Towle. She was an influencer and a prominent voice on TikTok as she documented her journey as a young person battling a very rare form of cancer. Sydney’s story is incredibly sad and her life was cut way too short. The thing that’s stuck with me most since reading about her is that among her supporters and followers that took inspiration from her while she was going through treatment, there was also an entire community of online trolls dedicated to lobbing abuse at her throughout the last few years.

People created an entire Reddit group dedicated to tearing her down because they didn’t think she truly had cancer. Let that sink in for a second. People who don’t know this woman, how have no knowledge of the actual situation, just decided that she did not have cancer because the image she represented to the world didn’t match what they thought someone dealing with cancer ought to look like. It got to the point where her doctor literally had to come out and say that he was treating her. For cancer. That she did have.

These losers (I don’t like to name call, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I’m going to call it a duck) were certifiably batshit.

They went so far as to message her healthcare providers about the possible fraud, they reached out to her brand sponsors to push them to drop her, they created a timeline of her medical activities to try and prove she was lying. They spent their free time posting multiple lengthy diatribes on how much they hated her and wanted to punch her in the face.

And these were regular everyday people doing this! One internet sleuth tracked down a number of these trolls and they were very much ordinary people with ordinary jobs. And a hugely disappointing number of them were women-

a patient privacy health care worker (she takes patient care to a whole new level)

a woman who runs a daycare center (exactly who we want caring for our children!)

and a yogi (maybe they need to get a refresher on namaste?)

Like what are we doing, guys? Tormenting a girl who dared to try and live any sort of semblance of a normal life while battling a horrible disease?

What. the. fuck.

Read more

Weekly Rundown

WATCHING

House of the Dragon

Sheesh. I’m not even sure what to fully make of this season. Mostly disappointment. I felt like most of the season was a whole lot of talk and not enough action. And it’s interesting that while I enjoy being in the world that Game of Thrones created, this offshoot show fails to capture the magic of the original.

All episodes streaming on HBO Max

WATCHING

The Great Food Truck Race

A tried and true show in my rotation. It’s like a mix of Chopped and the Amazing Race. Tyler Florence is an amusing host and brings in a rotating cast of Food Network chef favorites to help him judge the challenges. Simple and easy. Such a great show.

Episodes air Sundays on the Food Network

WATCHING

The Challenge

The Challenge has been around forever and it’s had this long of a run for a reason: it’s sooooo entertaining. The mix of athletic challenges and social drama is intoxicating and I find myself sucked into every season. There’s also a rotating cast of reality tv stars from other shows that are featured which is a fun who’s who of this world.

Episodes stream on Wednesdays on Paramount+

LISTENING TO

Spencer’s Aux Cord

• Rein Me In by Sam Fender with Olivia Dean

• Purple Hat by Sofi Tukker

• Places to Be - Fred Again.., Anderson. Paak, CHIKA

• Choosin’ Texas by Ella Langley

Throwback of the Week

• Say Yeah by Wiz Khalifa

READING

The Lowe Job

This book is like a combination of the Kardashian family, Monica Lewinsky era politics, and Great Britain. It’s based on a family of women, one brilliant and devious mother and her four adult daughters. The matriarch propels a sex scandal with one of her daughters into a reality show for the whole family. From there, it’s a satire on the ways fame and money can change your perspective of the world and yourself. Funny and heartfelt, this is a great read. Highly entertaining.

READING

One True Loves

I adore Taylor and all her books. This is one of her older ones and while it was well-written and enjoyable, I wouldn’t put it up there among her best. A woman is married to a man who goes missing and is presumed dead. Heartbroken, she moves on and years later is engaged to another man. But things get messy when her first husband is found lost at sea and comes home. It’s a bit cheesy and expected, but pleasant enough.

BUYING

Lulu’s Floral Dress

I’ve been on the hunt for more summer dresses that are breezy (read: I’m sweating my tits and ass off every time I step outside) and while I’ve usually used Lulu’s for more formal wear, they have some cute casual dresses too. This one is comfy and cute and on sale so a win all around.

DOING

Spontaneous Beach Walks

My friend texted me last week to see if I wanted to do a spontaneous beach walk at sunset. As a Capricorn who loves nothing more than a plan made in advance, this is something I would normally say no to, but I threw that instinct aside and said yes. Had the nicest little walk on the beach that left me energized and heart full. Cut to me this week texting another friend asking her if she’d like to do a spontaneous beach walk which she agreed to. Loving this new little pattern. Here’s to more spontaneity in the second half of the year!

Bre’s Browser Tabs

The AI agents are just talking to themselves in an echo chamber….fun

Prediction markets (aka gambling sites) are now targeting women…beware ladies!

Why is Hallmark so appealing?

The enshittification of all of our products

What I Saved to My Camera Roll This Week

Shoutout to my lefties out there- yesterday was International Lefthanders Day!

Enjoying the beach vibes this weekend before I leave for a week in NYC. Let me know if there are any (non-tourist) things I should do while I’m there besides try not to melt. Have a great weekend!!

xx, Bre

I have been known to unfollow new girls I’ve met on bachelorette trips or old coworkers if I haven’t spoken to them in years. My habit of unfollowing people (or choosing to not follow people back) is well-known amongst my friends. This has come back to bite me in the ass occasionally.

Case in point: I unfollowed a group of girls (friends of my friend) after a birthday trip we did, but then I kept seeing them at various things throughout the years. Cut to me becoming actual friends with them myself and then awkwardly following them all again. And oh yes, they noticed.

But I still believe in my pruning practice as a general rule.

Social media can be toxic and tends to amplify the envious, judgy voice in my head so I try to exert control over what’s in my feed and who I’m being exposed to so that it’s mostly the good shit. Obviously, the algorithm has a mind of its own, but I find I’ve been able to curate a feed that’s interesting, thought-provoking, and inspirational. So with that in mind, I thought I would share some of my favorite follows.

I hope you find some new people that pique your interest too.

Nora McInerny

I adore Nora. I can’t remember how I came across her content, but I want to be her when I grow up. She’s the cool as fuck mom, wife, and friend who has been through some really hard things and isn’t afraid to talk about them. I so admire how Nora is able to poke fun at both the mundane and the terrible in life, but still see the light. She is such an antidote to the perfectly curated instagram accounts out in the world and reminds me that being a human is both hard and amazing.

Diabolical Lies

What happens when you mix a personal finance expert and a bestselling author? Pop culture examinations with some political spice. Katie and Caro were two people I followed on their respective channels before they teamed up, but now that they have, I like them even more as they discuss everything from girlbosses to ICE to botox. They’re funny, smart, and aren’t afraid to say what they think about the shitshow it feels like we’re living in.

Dr. Shereene Idriss

God, I love Dr. Idriss. She is America’s derm, giving tips and best practices for having the best skin possible. But she also is real, funny, vulnerable, and random- all things I love to see from a woman. I feel like I’ve learned so much from her about skin and health and I feel like she really means what she’s saying. Come for the skin talk, stay for the laughs.

Amanda E White

Amanda is one of my favorite therapists to follow. She calls bullshit on the things the internet tries to gaslight you into thinking is healthy or therapy-approved or what you should be doing. She’s real, has actual opinions (something I really appreciate in a therapist), and keeps things focused on real life and how messy it can be.

Morning Person

This is a newsletter chock full of personal essays, recipes, and recommendations galore. I’ve been following Leslie for years (shoutout to the Cupcakes and Cashmere days) and I’m always blown away by her willingness to learn and change and adjust and bring so many people along for the ride. Life is unexpected and messy and there’s no right path- Leslie isn’t afraid to show you the mistakes made along the way. And she was actually the inspiration for me starting my own newsletter, inspiring me to believe in myself and the power of a good essay.

Read more

Weekly Rundown

WATCHING

The Odyssey

In completely unshocking news, I saw and loved The Odyssey. Even with the almost three hour runtime, I didn’t feel like the movie was too long- it earned every adventure and storyline. The pure scale of the entire film was amazing to watch and the fact that there was so much real/non-CGI scenes was so impressive. I thought the cast overall was great and that it was a career-defining role for Matt Damon. This doesn’t spoil anything, but watching the destruction of a society and a moral compass in Ancient Greece felt both eerily similar and totally depressing because it feels like what we’re living through right now. History really does repeat itself. Worth seeing in IMAX (duh)!

In theaters

WATCHING

The Drama

In a weekend that revolved around both Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, I also watched the Drama, the film that ushered in many a think piece when it came out this spring. Personally, I kinda loved it. It was weird and messy and dark and funny- in other words, a fairly typical A24 film. I thought both Zendaya and Robert were great in it and its dark premise really does make you think about how well you know your partner, how things from someone’s past can affect your view of them, and if people can ever really change. Recommend if you’re into super super dark comedy.

Streaming on HBO Max

WATCHING

Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Seahawks

It’s almost the end of summer which means football season is right around the corner. And with the preseason comes one of my favorite documentary series, Hard Knocks. Every year, I think it’s such a fascinating look behind the curtain of a team- the personalities, the business decisions, and the pressure. Whether you like football or not, I think it’s a great watch to get a better understanding of America’s sport.

Episodes streaming on Tuesdays on HBO Max

LISTENING TO

Spencer’s Aux Cord

My husband’s music taste is better than mine and I’ve accepted it. The Spotify playlist features all the songs that get spotlighted. Here are his picks for the week:

Now Playing

• Ravers by Ellie Goulding

• Jaded by Koe Wetzel ft. Ella Langley

• Fade into Nothing by It’s Murph, Arlo, Lizzy Land

Throwback of the Week

• Fell in the Sun by Big Gram

Just Because of the Week

• August by Taylor Swift

READING

Heather

I ripped through this thriller/mystery novel from Caitlin Mullen. It follows a thirty something woman who returns to her small hometown to become the police chief. She’s tasked with finding who’s distributing the lethal drugs that are circulating throughout the community while at the same time, falling into a decades old cold case about a newborn baby left to die on the side of the road. It’s a twisty, can’t put down kind of read. There were a few moments that felt a bit heavy handed and character choices that felt unbelievable for a poice officer, but the mystery is so good and the writing so gripping, that you let it go. Really really enjoyed.

READING

Like This, But Funnier

Finished Like This, But Funnier this week. Absolutely loved. It’s about an out of work TV writer who steals a woman’s life story as inspiration for her newest show pitch. The woman she steals from happens to be a client of her therapist husband and she has to keep her intellectual theft a secret from everyone. Things get messy as the show works its way through the development process, gaining traction and fans. As a fan of writing and tv, this one really hit for me.

BUYING

Poems for Your Twenties

My friend Libby wrote a whole ass book!! How impressive is that?! Seriously amazing. It’s a beautiful book of poetry, for the moments you feel lost and in need of connection. It’s funny and sad and heartwarming and very very human. Cannot recommend it enough. Even if you’re not in that decade, the words ring true at any age. Go buy your copy now! Makes for a great gift too!

BUYING

Wavytalk Thermal Brush

You know when you like to think of yourself as not easily influenced and then you see something and immediately buy it, thus proving you’re no better than the rest of them? Just me? Well, I saw a girl praising this thermal brush and how it allowed her to straighten her hair without as much damage as the classic flatiron because it wasn’t clamping down and putting so much heat on the hair directly. I’m all for less damage, especially since I feel like my hair goes from soft to straw so easily and I have to say, I’ve been happy with the results so far! Easy to use and doesn’t feel like as much work somehow.

EATING

Broken Spanish Comedor

If you live in LA and are in need of a new happy hour spot, look no further than Broken Spanish Comedor. They have HH on food and drinks at the bar and on the patio (a rarity that we love) and they’re decent prices. The quesadilla is super simple, but weirdly addicting and the cocktails are all fresh and a perfect balance of sweet, but not too sweet. When it’s 5pm and the weather is that perfect golden hour temp, it’s an ideal spot to have in your arsenal.

Bre’s Browser Tabs

You can do a lot on social media, but not this

Is the era of Googling over?

Billionaires latest fight: dinosaur bones

This man is on a mission to make men pick up the slack

What I Saved to My Camera Roll This Week

Lovely reminder to not save the good stuff for someday.

Go out and do something fun and unexpected this weekend! Soak up the last few weeks of summer xx

Bre

What a relief! A thrill even! You’ve done the hard thing, stressing over the tension and drama of making this life-altering decision, dealing with so many emotions. Literally every. single. one. of. them.

So now that the initial rush of adrenaline and excitement post leap has worn off and it’s just you, you can rest easy knowing the hard part is over. Just kidding! Now you get to deal with paralyzing anxiety that makes you second guess yourself even more.

Right about now, you’ve got an endless loop of questions going. Spiraled thinking like was this the right move? and what if I made a mistake? quickly devolves into examining every life decision you’ve ever made:

What if I had gone to a different college?

What if I hadn’t ghosted that one guy because he seemed too nice but now all you want is a nice guy?

What if I’ll never know true happiness?

What if I’m too late?

The what ifs are like political text messages from your brain- they just won’t give you a goddamned break.

But I want you to take a second and recognize what you’re doing.

You’re navigating a new reality.

Maybe it’s going back to school, maybe it’s moving on from a relationship, maybe it’s switching careers, maybe it’s simply trying to reset your everyday habits.

Whatever it is, I’m proud of you.

And I hope you’re proud of yourself too. In between questioning what the future holds and if you’re capable (you most definitely are), I hope you can take a moment to acknowledge to yourself that this is a big fucking deal.

As easy as it would be to let any number of things hold you back (fear, doubts, tradition, comfort with the status quo), you are doing the damn thing.

Think about how many people ignore that pull, who deny the emotional tug they feel. Think about how many people drown out what their soul is crying out for them to hear because they can’t reconcile it with the logic of their brain. The people who choose comfort and safety over the invitation to try.

And I don’t blame them! It is so easy to stay comfortable. Scary easy, in fact.

And yet, you still made the decision to start over. To be brave. To choose discomfort. To trust yourself and the universe.

Ahead of you there will be the inevitable peaks and valleys (cliche, but true) and a dizzying amount of self-growth (also cliche, but true). Change is a complicated broad, she has a tendency to demand growth, in ways both predictable and not.

I can’t tell you whether you made the right choice or if you’ll find certainty in the coming months (if you ever find out where that is, call me), but I can say with absolute confidence that you’re doing something rare and worthy of celebration.

Your choice has been made. You’re in it. Spirals will still happen from time to time (an inevitable and annoying side effect of being an overthinker), but you decided to choose yourself. That’s something most people would never dare to do.

In the words of Kris Jenner: you’re doing amazing, sweetie.

xx,

Bre

Weekly Rundown

WATCHING

The Dink

Look, is The Dink the smartest, funniest, most laugh out loud comedy I’ve ever seen? No. But is it highly enjoyable and silly and powered by the extremely likeable Jake Johnson and Mary Steenburgen? Yes. I think kids and adults alike will get a kick out of this pickleball vs tennis showdown. I myself am a tennis purist (sorry not sorry) and after watching, can have a little more appreciation for how pickleball could be a good time. Plus, there’s an Andy Roddick cameo which is great.

Streaming on Apple TV

WATCHING

Furious

God this show is good. I forgot how much I miss Emmy Rossum on my screen (Shameless 4va)! This show follows two women, one a serial killer and the other the FBI agent trying to track her down. It sounds like every other crime drama you’ve seen, but the show explores women and violence and power dynamics really well. It feels nuanced and surprising and weirdly funny. It’s extremely well acted (the serial killer girl is creepy AF) and I was hooked from the first episode. Can’t wait to see where they take this season.

Episodes stream on Mondays on Hulu

WATCHING

Ride or Die

Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer star in this comedy crime show as best friends whose friendship is put to the test when it’s revealed that Hannah is an assassin and someone is coming after the two of them. It’s a fun, if somewhat silly. show that relies on its two stars to keep you watching. A few episodes in and I’m not hating it, but I’m not loving it either. There’s a lot of good stuff out there right now so remains to be seen whether I’ll continue or if it gets pushed out with everything else on the air right now.

All episodes streaming on Prime Video

LISTENING TO

Spencer’s Aux Cord

My husband’s music taste is better than mine and I’ve accepted it. The Spotify playlist features all the songs that get spotlighted. Here are his picks for the week:

Now Playing

• Hustle by Rod Wave

• How to Not by Zach Jon King

• Anchor Remix by Tim Atlas, Goldroom

Throwback of the Week

• Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa

READING

It Could Have Been Her

I’m a big Lisa Jewell fan, although, at this point, who isn’t? All of her books are twisty and messy and addicting. This one was no different. A woman is drawn to a missing persons case and decide to try and hunt down a missing teenage girl herself. Through a complicated web of lies and personalities, she’d led back to a house she visited over 20 years ago where she believes she was almost kidnapped. The story only devolves into more darkness from there. Fast-paced and well-plotted.

READING

Like This, But Funnier

I’m not done with this book, but halfway through and I am really really loving it. Our protagonist, Caroline, is a tv writer who’s been out of work for a while and borrows some real-life inspiration from one of her therapist husband’s patients after finding his session notes. Caroline works herself into a deeper and deeper hole with the lies she starts to conjure up to keep all of the plates spinning. Hallie Cantor does a phenomenal job of crafting Caroline’s character- her worries, her thoughts, her actions. It’s hilarious and enraging and altogether human. One of those voices that sucks you in from the very beginning and keeps you reading.

BUYING

Old Navy Athletic Dress

I forgot how good Old Navy can be. I’ve been doing some shopping there this summer and they just have great basics, many of which are 100% cotton or linen which I very much appreciate. I found this cute athletic dress (admittedly not natural fibers) there this week and I think it’s perfect for an upcoming Dodger game I’m going to that will be hottttt. This with my Dodger jersey will be key for the Sporty Spice look I’m going for.

DOING

Mexodus

It’s almost a week later and I’m still thinking about this musical I saw last weekend. It was truly incredible. So unlike any other musical I’ve ever seen. It tells the (mostly unknown) story of the underground railroad that allowed slaves to escape south to Mexico. The musical is only two men and they make all of the music throughout the show live on stage using a myriad of instruments and live looping. The level of talent and creativity was insane. They’re doing a small tour now throughout the country, but I’m hoping they expand it because I would see it again without a doubt.

EATING

Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery

Before the show, we stopped by a new to us restaurant called Agnes. We’re never in Pasadena unless we’re going to the Rose Bowl so it was nice to spend some time on this side of town. The food was amazing and they have a full cheese store attached which is filled with everything you could ever want. I can’t say the cheese alone is enough to get me to return the next time I need apps for a party, but it’s definitely worth a stop if you’re in Pasadena or nearby.

Bre’s Browser Tabs

The world needs more PDA

The butterflies are back!

How did IMAX take over theaters?

The billionaire’s vagina club

What I Saved to My Camera Roll This Week

She’s coming...

It’s Friday, y’all!! I hope you have the best weekend!

xx, Bre

I’m a big believer in the power of friendship. Especially for women.

But the older we get, the harder it can feel to be a good friend, to maintain those relationships. With work deadlines that keep you up late and kids that wake you up before sunrise, and squeezing in meal prep and workout classes, there’s that text you forgot to reply to, the dinner that keeps getting rescheduled, and the reunion you always talk about but never plan. It can seem like all there’s time for is family and work. Friendships start to look like a thing of the past.

But I genuinely don’t think it needs to be that way.

Friendships, and deep meaningful friendships at that, are possible- they just require a little bit more planning and intention. I know, I know, the last thing you need is more work, but if you’re willing to put in a little effort at the start, you can create habits and systems that will make friendship so. much. easier.

So here is my unofficial (but actually very official) guide to being a better friend and maintaining amazing relationships so you won’t look up in 30 years and have only yourself to call.

1. Let your phone remember their birthday

We’re starting off with an easy one. You have to remember their birthday. To me, this is level 1 basic friendship stuff. I’m not even asking for a card or a gift (although those are always appreciated), just a lovely text, voice memo, or phone call. And you don’t even have to remember it yourself. Facebook may be passe, but it’s one redeeming quality is that it always reminded you of whose birthday it was. Now that no one goes on Facebook, you have to put in a little more elbow grease and add all your friend’s birthdays to your phone calendar. Set it as an annual reminder and have the alarm go off nice and early so you can be among the first to give well wishes. It’s a pain to go insert them all, but once you do, you’ll have it forever and you’ll never miss another one.

2. Same time, same zoom, every month

My old roommates and I have a zoom call scheduled for the first Wednesday of every month to catch up. Almost all of us live in different cities now and are all over the place in terms of where we are in life so having a set time to not only catch up, but catch up all together has been so clutch. Doing it as a group cuts down on time so you don’t have to do separate catch ups with so many people and having it at the same time every month takes the scheduling out of it so we all know it’s happening. Not all of us make every single call, but it’s nice to know you always have something on the books.

3. Build a friendship cheat sheet

Do you ever want to pick up a coffee for a friend, but you can’t remember their order? Or you know they’re having a tough time so you want to grab their favorite ice cream and candy combo, but you don’t know what it is? Or if you want to just do something special for them, just because, but aren’t sure what- the favorite things list is a godsend. I made a list of every random favorite thing you could think of: candy, book genre, coffee order, cocktail, restaurant, scent, activity, brand…the list goes on. And I sent it out to all my friends and made them fill it out. And now I have all the info I could ever need if I want to make a care package or surprise them with a little something. It’s come in so handy. A few weeks ago, I was at an Airbnb with some friends who were sleeping in and I wanted to order coffee for the house. Because I had the list, I knew everyone’s order and had the coffee waiting for them when they woke up. When my friend broke up with her boyfriend last year, I made a goodie bag out of all her favorite things. When my friend got her long awaited promotion, I knew just the right flowers to get her, thanks to the list. I’m telling you, it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done.

4. Calendar reminders are your friend

I wish I had a better memory, but I will hear my friend say something- maybe it’s a big trial or a job interview or getting test results back- and I will immediately forget the entire conversation ever happened. All good intentions, but you get sucked back into your own brain, your own problems, your own life and you forget what’s going on in everyone else’s. This is where calendar reminders come in. Whenever a friend tells me they have something upcoming, it goes in my calendar. My friend was waiting to hear back on whether she got into grad school so I put a reminder to text her and check if she’d heard back a few weeks later. Another friend was going through IVF, so I put multiple reminders in to check and see how she was feeling. Another one’s dad is not doing well so I have a recurring reminder to check in and see how he and she are coping every few months. No shame in this game!

Read more

Weekly Rundown

WATCHING

Lucky

Look, is Lucky the best, most well-plotted out show you’ve ever watched? No. Is it fast-paced and fun and entertaining to watch? Very much so. Worth checking out if you want a light murder show (weird way to describe, but you know what I mean).

Episodes streaming on Apple TV

WATCHING

Love Island (UK)

Something must be wrong with me. I just finished Love Island USA and now I’m back for more. I wasn’t going to watch this season, but my friend said it was great so that’s all it took for me to jump in. It’s so funny to me how different the UK and US versions are. Culture shock is real, y’all.

Episodes streaming on Hulu

WATCHING

Silo

My favorite weird and mysterious sci-fi show is back! Three episodes in and I am so excited for what this season holds. Juliette is back in Silo 18 and has been elected Mayor. The only problem is that she’s lost all her memories of who she is and the events of the past few seasons. How is Rebecca Ferguson so good?! I don’t know, but I’m glad to have her back on my screen.

Episodes streaming on Apple TV

LISTENING TO

Spencer’s Aux Cord

My husband’s music taste is better than mine and I’ve accepted it. The Spotify playlist features all the songs that get spotlighted. Here are his picks for the week:

Now Playing

• Been by Now by Morgan Wallen

• World Away by Gryffin, BUNT., Inez

• i’m way too self aware by oskar med k

Throwback of the Week

• Cudi Zone by Kid Cudi

READING

Clutch

I can’t stop reading books based on friend group that have been together for decades. This one fits that bill and was enjoyable all around. It follows five women who are all 40 and the ins and outs of their lives: divorces, death, children, jobs- all aspects of life. Sometimes I feel like in this genre, things can get a little depressing and maudlin when it focuses on middle age and it can be a bit much. This one felt real and authentic at life’s obstacles, but still carried a love and an optimism throughout that I appreciated. There’s really nothing better than female friendship.

READING

Caller Unknown

I adore Gillian McAllister. I think she does thrillers so well. But this one, this one just didn’t hit for me. It follows a mom and her teenage daughter who get caught up in a crazy kidnapping slash drug scheme and have to go on the run. For such an exciting premise, I found the book oddly slow. A lot of mom inner dialogue, not enough action. I also think, and I fully say this as a non-parent, it felt repetitive and annoying after a while because our protagonist mom kept repeating how her daughter meant more than anything in the world and how she wished she wouldn’t grow up. Nothing groundbreaking, but that thought was constant.

BUYING

Banana Republic Oversized Linen Shirt

I borrowed this shirt from my mom last weekend and wouldn’t shut up about how much I loved it and to my delight, she bought me my own the next day. It’s the perfect shirt to throw on over a summer dress or tank when the nights get cool where you need a little something, but not necessarily a full jacket. It’s comfy, long, billowy, and I think would look good on just about everyone.

ENJOYING

Neon Summer Manicure

How cute is this? Neon, bright, a tad obnoxious...exactly what a summer mani should be.

Bre’s Browser Tabs

How much time do you need with your kids?

Maybe the phones aren’t the only ones to blame

We love a woman in the trades. Career change, maybe?

Etsy is being overrun by AI and mass produced shit

Gonna try this monthly reset come August

What I Saved to My Camera Roll This Week

Love this one.

Have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

There was drama and tension, joy and agony. So many indelible moments stand out from the past six weeks.

Seeing the tiny but mighty Cape Verde reach the knockout stage, hearing English fans sing Hey Jude to Jude Bellingham after a win, watching Norway (and what felt like the rest of the world) perform the Viking Row, following how the entire town of Lawrence, Kansas adopted the Algerian team as their own.

It’s enough to make me cry, as melodramatic as that may sound.

There’s just something so beautiful about people coming together as the focus of the world turns to soccer (I know, my American is showing.) It’s as if we’ve all been hanging out at camp together, bonding and celebrating. The kumbaya vibes were off the charts.

There’s actually a term for this feeling, it’s a phenomenon known as collective effervescence.

It’s when a group of people are focused on the same thing at the same time and feel a sort of unity. That feeling, experiencing something with loved ones and strangers alike, creates a sort of energy that’s a unique feeling unto itself. You can find the feeling at a concert, a march, a religious ritual, or indeed, a sporting event. It’s been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, increase compassion, decrease feelings of loneliness. Things the world desperately needs, I think we can all agree.

This effervescence didn’t just happen during matches, there were collective moments off the pitch as well. Fans from every country were blown away by the insane size of our country and maybe even more amazed by our endless refills on soda and coffee, shopping behemoths like Walmart and Costco, and the miracle product that is ranch dressing.

And at the same time, it felt like Americans also learned something from our visitors. In a country not known to be particularly gung-ho about soccer, it felt like there was a newfound love and appreciation for the sport. Americans saw firsthand the power of the sport, how much pride and love people have for their countries and their teams and we embraced that.

It felt like this tournament was a timeout from the constant barrage of depressing news that we usually get. It was a relief to find the global cultural conversation revolved around which player had the most insane goal that day or which referee was too lenient with yellow cards. For 39 blissful days, it felt like we didn’t have to think about the tough stuff.

It’s a little bit depressing to think that a soccer tournament is the one thing to make us all feel united, but that’s pretty much what it feels like.

So what now? Where do we go from here when we don’t have Erling Haaland turning into a cowboy, or Lamine Yamal scoring his first ever World Cup goal, or the US becoming a legitimate soccer country (let’s not talk about what happened with Belgium), or the Tartan Army drinking all the beer in Boston?

Read more

Weekly Rundown

WATCHING

Lucky

This week saw the premiere of Lucky starring Anya Taylor-Joy. It’s a fast paced crime thriller that finds our main girl running from both the FBI and a mobster after a heist goes wrong. I’ve only watched the pilot, but I genuinely enjoyed it. Anya is great in it and who doesn’t love a little Ocean’s Eleven-esque storyline? Will see how the rest of the season plays out to see if it gets upgraded to Officially Obsessed.

Streaming on Apple TV

WATCHING

Love Island USA

It’s the end of Love Island and I gotta be honest, I’m a little sad. I wasn’t ready to leave the villa. I’m going to miss my nightly viewings of these wacky kids who use way too much tongue when they make out. I think this season was highly entertaining and the cast was great- just enough villians and (dare I say it) an actual real love story with Bryce and Trinity (Brinity 4eva!)

All episodes on Peacock

WATCHING

Every Year After

I had higher hopes for this show because I really did love the book, but it’s been perfectly serviceable. I think our leads are missing the chemistry and natural ease found on some of the other lighter Amazon shows of recent years (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Off Campus) so it’s not as addicting. But if you want something on in the background, this show fits the bill.

All episodes on Amazon Prime

LISTENING TO

Spencer’s Aux Cord

My husband’s music taste is better than mine and I’ve accepted it. The Spotify playlist features all the songs that get spotlighted. Here are his picks for the week:

Now Playing

• Crawling Out My Skin by Sam Tompkins

• Coast by Bryce Alakai (our Love Island winner!)

• Rethink Some Things by Luke Combs

Throwback of the Week

• How to Love by Lil Wayne

READING

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

I read the first one in this series last week and enjoyed it. Much like a second season of a show that just can’t live up to the first, this one fell flat for me. The tension and will-they-won’t-they of the first book is gone and the whole thing just felt repetitive with dialogue with plot points drawn out. I found myself bored, which is not ideal when it comes to fantasy. I don’t think I’ll continue on with the series so I’m on the hunt for my next good one.

READING

Helpless

Do you ever finish a book and ask yourself what the hell you just read? That’s how I felt about Knoll’s latest. I love her work normally, but this one left me with some mixed feelings. It was dark and twisty and extremely fucked up, but I also couldn’t stop reading it? It focuses on a woman who has made it in Hollywood who returns to her college after her mentor dies and she’s reunited with her ex-boyfriend. They had a tumultuous (to say the least) relationship and once they see each other again, things get crazy. Regardless of how you feel about the ending, I promise you won’t be able to put it down.

EATING

Highly Likely

I’ve been to Highly Likely before, but never for dinner, and I’ll just say, that I’ll definitely be returning. Everything was light and fresh with each dish feeling very balanced. The branzino was a particular standout for me. It’s a great moody vibe inside and feels like a good weeknight neighborhood spot- not too fancy, but still elevated to feel like you’re out to a proper dinner. They have a few different locations throughout LA with hopefully more to come.

Bre’s Browser Tabs

Is Netflix in trouble?

Tradwife academy sounds terrible

Moms are running drug empires now?

A new golden age of tennis

What I Saved to My Camera Roll This Week

We could all use a little more courage.

Have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

xx, Bre

Reaching out to her.

You thought about it when she posted photos from her wedding this spring.

When you found that old polaroid of the two of you stuck in an old book as a bookmark.

When her name came up at dinner the other week and everyone wondered how she was.

Reach out.

Send the text.

If you’re feeling really brave, pick up the phone and call.

Whether it was a fight or a gradual shift in closeness, maybe it’s time to try again. We tend to underestimate the power of reconnecting and overestimate the awkwardness that comes with it.

A simple ‘Hey, I’ve been thinking about you.’ might be the six word spark you both need to come back into each other’s lives.

It might feel scary and uncomfortable, much like the dreaded post first date texts with a new crush when you’re not sure if they’ll respond. But it could be worth it.

Life is so short. We hear that phrase all the time so it’s easy to let it become just another saying you see on inspirational mugs and Pinterest boards.

But there’s a difference between hearing something and really, truly grasping something.

We get caught up in the day to day of life, in the days and months that stretch on and feel like forever. So we push things off.

We tell ourselves we’ll reach out next week, that they probably wouldn’t care to hear from us anyway. But the path of making excuses and waiting for the right time is littered with what ifs and if onlys once it becomes too late.

Maybe you reaching out is the start of a new chapter for the two of you. Maybe it’s merely a quick reminiscing over text and that’s that. Maybe it’s you never hearing back at all.

You can’t know until you try.

The truth is, she may be thinking of you too.

She might be looking back on old photos and retelling old stories and wishing she could reach out to you.

In a world that feels so heavy and depressing, where loneliness and isolation are becoming the new norm, these can be some of the most welcome words to hear…

I miss you…

Remember that time when…

I’ve been thinking about you…

I’d love to catch up…

xx,

Bre

Weekly Rundown

WATCHING

The Invite

My god, did I love this movie. Spencer and I saw it in theaters and myself (along with much of the theater) were laughing out loud. The cringe and awkwardness between two couples who are neighbors and the unexpected twist of where their dinner party goes is so delightful. The whole cast is at the top of their game and the movie tops out at an ideal 1 hour and 47 minute run length. It comes in, makes you laugh, and then doesn’t overstay its welcome with a bloated runtime which is always welcome in this movies-are-too-long era we’re in. I recommend seeing in theaters!

In theaters

WATCHING

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

I feel like Apple has come out with some great shows this year and many of them are (rightfully) getting the love they deserve. But I haven’t seen enough people talking about Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. Tatiana Maslany (of Orphan Black fame) is absolutely delightful and the show does a good job of balancing the action, mystery, and comedy. The season is almost done so it’s a great time to binge.

Streaming on Apple TV

WATCHING

The Bear

Finished the final season! I think I’d give it a B+. I thought it was a slow start initially but once we hit service, what made the show great was really able to shine through. I’m going to miss the artistry and the cinematography and honestly, the yelling. It makes me both want to open a restaurant (although mine would be a dive bar with excellent food) and never want to open a restaurant which I think showcases the pros and cons of the food industry. At least they went out on a high note.

All episodes on Hulu

LISTENING TO

Spencer’s Aux Cord

My husband’s music taste is better than mine and I’ve accepted it. The Spotify playlist features all the songs that get spotlighted. Here are his picks for the week:

Now Playing

• The Moment by Surf Mesa, Stace Cadet

• Feel by LP Giobbi, Jacob Banks

• Broken Wings by No Love For The Middle Child

Throwback of the Week

• Ayo Technology by 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland

Album Throwback of the Week

• No. 6 Collaborations Project by Ed Sheeran

READING

From Blood and Ash

Ever since I read Beneath and Conform last month, I’m on a fantasy/sci-fi kick. It’s really hard to find a good quality series with smart writing and characters that aren’t absurd. I’m liking this one which focuses on vampires and features a young woman who is the hope of a kingdom but chaos ensues when a new personal guard enters her life. I sped through the first book because it had nice pacing and tension. Really enjoyed, but wouldn’t say I was obsessed.

READING

The Shampoo Effect

I absolutely loved this one. From the first page, I just thought the characters felt so lived in and so real. It focuses on a thirty something friend group in a small town off the New England coast. The book rotates between a number of characters as they deal with addictions, affairs, and long held secrets. It felt deeper than your average beach read, but still light and approachable enough to match the summer reason. A hard, but impressive balance to hit.

EATING

Cameron Diaz’s Corn Salad

Y’all, Cameron knows what she’s doing in the kitchen. This salad was absurdly easy to make and super fresh and a great side for the barbecue chicken dinner we had last night. I never think about sugar snap peas, but maybe I should. It’s roasted corn, sugar snap peas, feta, and a tangy orange vinaigrette. The crunch and sweetness from these bad boys is unreal. Going to be making this one for the rest of summer.

Bre’s Browser Tabs

This was an utterly depressing look at reading in the world today

The Costco hot dog remains undefeated

The science of grief

What I Saved to My Camera Roll This Week

I hated the way we played on Monday, but at least we had the memes to soothe the heartache. This one hit particularly hard.

Have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

xx, Bre

I haven’t been eating well- a combination of travel + summer fun + wedding partying.

I haven’t been exercising- to be fair to myself, I wasn’t actually allowed to exercise for a month, but I also did not rush to reestablish my routine once I was cleared.

I haven’t been writing my novel- my draft is sitting open on my laptop taunting me as it’s gone untouched for a month.

I haven’t been putting my phone away at night- instead I’ve been lying to myself that just a few scrolls won’t kill me, but then I lose hours of sleep to the tiny addicting box.

What I need to do is restart. To get back on the horse, as they say. While I normally love horses, this one has been harder than most to tame.

Restarting sucks. It actually sucks so badly.

Restarting means facing that ugly shame feeling that comes with acknowledging you’ve veered off course. Restarting means accepting that you’re disappointed with yourself and your current situation. Restarting means confronting the trepidation and fear that you’re back at square one and that means things are that much harder.

It humbles you in the most annoying way, just when you think you’ve got it all figured out.

As a Capricorn and eldest daughter, I have a tendency to look at life as something to be accomplished. Once I’ve gotten the hang of something, once I’ve added it to my routine, I want to check it off my list. I want to make the habit and then not have to think about it again.

But I know that’s silly- life doesn’t work that way. Although sometimes I wish it did.

If you’ll allow me to complain for a little bit longer, the other pain in the ass thing when it comes to feeling off, is that one thing affects another affects another. The snowball effect is real and makes everything that much more overwhelming.

I couldn’t exercise for a month which made me feel lousy so I started eating my feelings.

I wasn’t eating healthy which made my crappy feelings increase and my creativity decrease so I stopped writing.

I wasn’t writing because I was in my head and letting the self-doubt win so I started scrolling more to soothe myself.

Do you see where I’m going with this? When it rains, it fucking pours.

Read more

Weekly Rundown

WATCHING

Men’s World Cup

I don’t care if you’re not a sports fan, you should be watching the World Cup. Just like the Olympics, it’s so inspiring to not only see our country get behind the team, but to see the whole world collectively embrace their team. I keep thinking about that crowd video out of Mexico City- it was legitimately insane and I loved it. I feel like in a world where so much shit is going on, it’s nice to have something we can all embrace. But to the boys in stars and stripes, WHY NOT US?! Make me proud on Monday!

Matches on Fox + FS1

WATCHING

U.S. Against the World

And if you’re looking for a little extra motivation to watch the World Cup or you want fall more in love with our team, HBO has an excellent docseries that follows the USMNT in the lead up to this tournament. Watching for the team changed and everything they went through in the last four years is fascinating and getting to know the players on a more personal level made me even more invested in this team. God, I love sports.

All episodes on HBO

WATCHING

The Bear

We’re back for the final season of the anxiety-inducing food show that we’ve all come to know and love. I’m a few episodes in and it’s been good, but not great so far. It feels overly maudlin and for some reason the characters are still trying to keep the place alive even though it doesn’t seem possible. I know it’s because they’re like family and they love the restaurant, but it’s a lot. We’ll see if they actually have to close the restaurant by the finale or not.

All episodes on Hulu

WATCHING

Voicemails for Isabelle

I have to warn you, you will cry in this movie. I thought I was going in for a romcom type film- boy was I wrong. I sobbed multiple times throughout, but also kinda loved it. A young chef, Jill, lives in San Francisco and is dealing with the aftermath of her sister’s death and continues to leave her voicemails. Unbeknownst to Jill, her sister’s number has been reassigned to a man, Wes, who lives in Austin. Wes starts to fall in love with Jill through her voicemails and figures out a way to meet her in person. The two fall in love, but when the origin of their meeting is revealed, things get messy.

Netflix

LISTENING TO

Spencer’s Aux Cord

My husband’s music taste is better than mine and I’ve accepted it. The Spotify playlist features all the songs that get spotlighted. Here are his picks for the week:

Now Playing

• California Kiss by Goldroom

• Another Drink by Marshmello, Kelsea Ballerini

• Speed Freak by Makari

Throwback of the Week

• Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

READING

Dolly All the Time

I’m a big Annabel Monaghan fan. Her romances feel light and fun, but never stupid. I will admit the concept of this one is absurd and Pretty Woman-coded (rich guy hires local working class girl to be his girlfriend), but it was enjoyable throughout so it was an easier setup to accept. Dolly is a single mom and desperate for money after running into issues with her father’s house so she agrees to be the girlfriend of Stewart for a time while he’s trying to prove he’s the right man for a CEO job within his family’s company. The characters are warm, the dialogue is funny, and the romance is delightful. Epitome of a summer read.

READING

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

My girlfriend and I started a mini book club to read this one. I’ve had the book for two years and it’s just been sitting on my shelf. It’s from two Stanford professors and they teach you how to look at life through a design lens, with intentionality and clarity. I’m still at the beginning of so can’t give a full review yet, but I’ve found it enlightening so far.

EATING

Dense Bean Salad

Holy shit. I made a dense bean salad for the first time ever and man, was it good. May need to make this a regular thing for lunch for during the week. It’s totally filling, refreshing, and healthy. It’s a bitch to make with all of the dicing, but once it’s made, you’ll have meals for days. Absolutely delicious.

Bre’s Browser Tabs

Patricia is the best character on Widow’s Bay thanks to Kate

Ambivalence over kids is everywhere…why?

Movies are good

Why does day drinking feel better?

What I Saved to My Camera Roll This Week

I’ve heard this quote in two separate things I watched this week and it’s such a beautiful and catchy reminder that life is short and you shouldn’t waste it.

Have a safe holiday weekend! See you on Monday!

xx, Bre

With that being said, I thought it was time for a review of the first half of the year. Here are my top hits of everything I’ve watched, read, and bought this year. These are the best of the best (in my not so humble opinion.)

Books

Yesteryear - You’ve probably seen or heard of this one- it’s been all over social media since it was released (and for good reason.) It’s a satire of the trending tradwife movement and follows a woman who is mysteriously transported to the 1800s and has to live the life she proclaims to love, but she quickly comes to see that the lifestyle may not be as glamorous as it seemed to be. One of my few five star reads of the year.

Beneath - My other five star read of the year. This one is for my dystopian girlies, the ones who loved Divergent and The Hunger Games. The world has been destroyed by nuclear weapons and society has taken to living underground. A woman who is immune to disease gets recruited to an elite military unit to undergo a mission to save their small society, but all is not as it seems.

The Names - Heartbreaking in the best way. A story told in three different timelines that all split off in wildly different directions depending on the given name that our protagonist gives her newborn son. A look at how our choices make us who we are and the ways our lives can look so different depending on those choices.

So Old, So Young - For all my millennials out there! This one will make you laugh, cringe, cry, and feel all the nostalgic feels. It follows a group of friends through different parties throughout their lives. It’s such a real look at how friendships change and fall away and then come back around and it simultaneously made me sad and happy, much like life itself.

You Deserve to Know - A group of suburban couples fall into chaos when one of the husbands is murdered and suddenly secrets and betrayals and affairs are revealed. A twisty whodunnit that will keep you on your toes. This felt smarter than your everyday thriller which was a welcome surprise.

Five - This book flips through a range of perspectives as the clock ticks down to a London train arriving that will kill one of the five main characters. The way this book is narrated is so compelling and you won’t be able to put it down as you try to figure out who’s about to die. A very fresh approach to a triller.

Mad Mabel - An eighty something woman lives a life of relative solitude until it’s exposed that she’s Mad Mabel- Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. The story then flips to different points of her life and looks at all of the murders she’s (supposedly) responsible for. Felt bold and unexpected.

The Heir Apparent - As a sucker for anything royal, I thoroughly enjoyed this new spin on the British monarchy. It follows a young woman who’s left the royal family for a normal life, but is thrust back into a position of power when she becomes the next heir. She struggles with deciding if her ultimate loyalties lie with herself or her country.

TV

The Pitt - I wasn’t sure if the second season could live up to the first, but man, was I wrong. I loved the focus on mental health this season and how much these healthcare professionals sacrifice. The cast was at the top of their game and I loved every second of it.

Widow’s Bay - My top top top show of the year. I’ve blabbed about it a ton already, but it’s unlike anything else on tv. The acting is superb, the writing is top notch, and the overall tone sucks you in. Who knew a comedy-horror mashup is what the world really needed?

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Weekly Rundown

WATCHING

Every Year After

This series, based off a book I loved (Every Summer After), is one I have high hopes for. It’s in the vein of Off Campus and The Summer I Turned Pretty with romantic yearning and bad acting. A twenty-something woman returns to the small lakeside town and has to deal with facing the love of her life that she left behind years prior. A perfect summer watch.

All episodes on Prime Video

WATCHING

House of Dragon

We are so back. House of Dragon’s long awaited (too long tbh) return is here and I am so glad. The first episode was nonstop action and featured lots of dragons, fighting, and characters being irritatingly shortsighted. The season preview looks like there will be plenty of chaos and twists so I’m excited to see what the Greens and the Blacks do next.

Sundays on HBO

LISTENING TO

Spencer’s Aux Cord

My husband’s music taste is better than mine and I’ve accepted it. The Spotify playlist features all the songs that get spotlighted. Here are his picks for the week:

Now Playing

• Deadlove by Arden Jones

• Lost in the Woods by Adriatique, Elderbrook

• The Comedown by The Drives

Throwback of the Week

• Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

READING

Broken Dove

This is the sequel to Silver Elite which I ripped through last week. I think it’s overall good, but falls into predictable patterns and doesn’t hit the same highs as the first. It doesn’t have the same will they won’t they of the first book which I think is the most compelling part of these stories. But overall, enjoyed where the story is going and excited to read book three whenever it comes out.

READING

Girls Our Age

An enjoyable walk through three girls friendship in their late twenties. The characters deal with weddings, breakups, eating disorders, job failures, and more. It was a real look at how complicated and beautiful friendship can be as we get older. Nothing groundbreaking, but a nice summer read.

BUYING (aka RENTING)

L’Idée Olympia Dress

I spent entirely too much time hunting for a dress for this weekend…nothing was really sparking for me. But the second I saw this floral number from L’Idée on RTR, I knew I’d found it. The print is so pretty and it’s comfy and billowy which is exactly what a sweaty girl like me needs at a summer wedding.

ENJOYING

Shared Notes

My two friends have a Substack that’s all about motherhood, the little things in life, and their everyday recommendations. Their writing is so warm, it’ll make you feel like you’re at coffee with a friend. Cannot recommend it enough.

Bre’s Browser Tabs

The Pope is a meme guy

Accidentally quitting drinking

Is Substack the new dating app?

Balogun is the star we needed

What I Saved to My Camera Roll This Week

The month is almost over, but we’re carrying this over into the rest of the summer, hell, we’re carrying this through the rest of the year.

I’m off to imbibe in another spritz. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and soak up some sun. Can you believe it’s July already?! Wild.

xx, Bre