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LIVING ROOM

Recent Reads and their stars (and since I’m an insufferable book designer, the cover design ratings as well)

The Unruly Heart of Mrs. Darcy - Content: 4 stars, Cover Design: 3.5

A YA sapphic love story that asks the question, what if Kitty Bennett was queer and Georgiana Darcy was also queer and what if they fell in love and also what other characters in Pride and Prej might also be queer? IT WAS FUN!! It just felt nice to be back in that universe, you know?

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett - Content: 4 stars, Cover Design: 4 stars

Very quirky and fun! It did take me a while to finish, but I really liked it. Perfect if you like a little dark humor and light adventure.

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune - Content: 3.75 stars, Cover Design: 4 stars

Maybe I’m jaded from one too many friends-to-lovers attempts in my own life, but I spent the first hundrd pages being like “YOU’RE BOTH HOT JUST KISS EACH OTHER”. But in the end it was very cute and cozy and hot :) Infrequent, medium-graphic spice, yearning.

The Mash-Up - Content: 3 stars, Cover Design, 5 stars

Ok if you pitch a book to me as “a girl gets magically trapped inside a MASH game she played in high school”, I’m 100% in. So I’m sad to say it was a huge let-down. It was fun for the first half and completely fell apart in the second half.

FAMILY ROOM

Recent watches

• Now and Then; This movie is my family’s cult summer movie must-watch, the number 2 most-quoted movie in the Robinson household (second only to That Thing You Do). It came out in 1994, and let me tell you the cast is stacked 90s dream. There is friendship! There is a small town! There is murder! There is Devon Sawa!

• The Way Way Back; oh look, another perfect and underrated summer movie!!

• Five Star Weekend…. solid 3.75 star show perhaps? I enjoyed it and also it was kind of bad??

• The Other Bennett Sister; pause EVERYTHING you are doing and subscribe to Britbox just for this show. I know I’m late to the game, but my gosh it was perfect. Someone described it as “Regency Love on the Spectrum” and thaaaaat sums it up perfectly.

That’s all I’ve got for today!

Thanks for coming over!

• Ashley Tisdale (of High School Musical and Suite Life fame), wrote an op-ed piece for The Cut about how she left her toxic mom group. The tea is that this mom group is veryyy public, including Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, and Gabby something or other from What’s Gabby Cookin’. The people are prettyyyyyy sure that Hilary Duff isn’t and has never been the problem. But idk guys, I’m having a hard time caring about this one! Sorry!

• Emily Henry’s novel People We Meet on Vacation came out this week. I wasn’t supposed to watch it without my book club, but I am a WEAKY! But also, it was was 10/10. Five stars from this girl. Perfect cast, perfect adaptation, perfect wardrobe. I accidentally wrote a 500 word essay about Emily Henry, sooo bonus post coming this week!

  

• I HAVE JUST LEARNED THAT THE GOLDEN GLOBES ARE TONIGHT. Ok BRB.

~6 hours later~

Ok, fresh from watching the Golden Globes with exactly 20 minutes of being awake in me, with the worst brain fog I’ve ever had in my life due to being a wee bit ill. Here tf we go.

My personal highlights:

• Any glimpse of Hudson Williams and Connor Storie we got, I would squeal and grin from ear to ear.

• This was the first year they had a Podcast category, and of course our mother Amy Poehler won for her new podcast Good Hang. She beat Smartless (hilariously her ex-husband Will Arnett’s podcast with Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes), Mel Robins, NPR Up First, Armchair Expert and Call Her Daddy! Sorry sorry, I couldn’t resist listing all of the people she beat, with her podcast only in it’s 11th month of existence! I just think that in the year 2025, we needed Amy the most. Maybe for the same reason that I always go back to Parks and Rec when I’m having a rough time! She provides the perfect lighthearted distraction in this really insane hellscape we’re living in.

• What do the Royal Kingdom people have on Rob Lowe??? RECESSION INDICATOR ALERT. Is that a money-laundering scheme?? A front for something sinister?? I’m more confused about that than I am about the sports casters announcing everything and the truly unhinged music selection.

• And lastly, my girl Jessie Buckley took home best actress in a motion picture Drama. I’m sure all of the other performances were lovely, but my gosh this woman did something I’ve just never seen on a screen. Now get her an audiobook to narrate STAT!

Heated Rivalry

If you have been online in the last three weeks, you’ve likely seen a reel or tiktok featuring these two:

Or maybe you haven’t! And that’s why I’m here!

The talk of the town this week is Heated Rivalry, or The Gay Hockey Show. Heated Rivalry is a hockey romance show, based on a book. Listen, I’m not gonna beat around the bush, this is the sluttiest little show I’ve never seen. You heard me! I’ve never watched it! And I definitely haven’t watched it twice and burned through the first book and half of the second! Anyways, the chemistry in this show is off the charts on and off screen and we are all having the best time watching these chaos goblins on the press tour. This is not at all a recommendation, you should definitely not watch it. Just doing my duty and keeping you in the loop.

Stranger Things

SPOILERS AHEAD, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

The one other significant pop culture news of the last couple weeks is that Stranger Things came to an end. It is SHOCKING how long this show has been going on?? To make this about me, this is what my life looked like in 2016:

Had just moved to Provo, hadn’t figured out eyebrow makeup just yet, and my best-selling print was the Family Proclamation 💀 the little banner sign!! the lettering! how adorable.

ANYWAY I loved the finale, but there’s a lot of discourse online about the writers losing the plot and how lame it is that nobody died. Call me crazy, but I think it’s ok to not kill anyone. The finale was still VERY intense, the stakes were still high. And you know what? Sometimes things work out.

Good things coming this week:

Traitors | Jan 8

• A castle in the Scottish highlands, high stakes mafia, and Alan Cumming hosting it all! If you’ve never been into reality competition shows, might I suggest you give this one a try? It is a seriously good time. Players we have to look forward to this season: Mark Ballas, Donna Kelce, LISA RINNA?! Something to live for for real.

People We Meet on Vacation | Jan 9

• This is the first movie adaptation of Emily Henry’s beloved romcom novels. The trope in this on is friends-to-lovers with a dash of forced proximity. I have high hopes for this movie, plz don’t let me down (Holly who are you talking to?).

The Pitt | Jan 9

• The Pitt is a new show on HBO Max, about an ER in Philly. The whole season is one shift in the ER, each episode is an hour of the day. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, but if you’re squeamish, beware. They show everything. A lot of medical shit + a bit of personal drama. Perfect!

A few random recs from me:

Hive Mind

I listened to this podcast constantly at the beginning of 2025 when my anxiety was eating me alive. Listening to Emily and Meg recap Real Housewives of Salt Lake is a balm to the soul 😌 Meg also does episodes with Eli McCan where they talk about movies and shows! I highly recommend it. And not just because I manage their social media, a job I gave to myself.

Trader Joe’s little treat of the week:

• Chocolate-covered gummy bears, just trust me (shout-out Kylie for introducing me and letting me house basically a whole bag)

Alright my chickens, time to log off. Feel free to DM me with any pertinent celebrity news or things you want me to chat about!

Love you bye!