A sticker filled plan with me for the week of 15th – 21st March. I loved this spread and using all the Animal Crossing related stickers, it makes me wish I had started an Animal Crossing journal or something but I know I probably wouldn’t have kept that up lol.
I’ve been surprisingly strict with buying planner stickers since I started this hobby a few years ago, but the last month or so I kind of just let myself go wild and I don’t know if this is the start of something terrible or a one off but I guess we see lol. Either way, I love all the stickers and I have no regrets.
Another makeup look using the ColourPop x Animal Crossing makeup collection. This one was a lot more neutral and is cute for everyday. Again I had a lot of fun with the makeup, though blush is still quite scary to me lol.
After leaving the Oasis three years ago, we are back again with the sequel to Ready Player One. Not gonna lie I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one and after my boyfriend said it got mixed reviews I was worried it was going to be terrible.
It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great either to be honest. I mean, Ready Player One is the kind of book that I think didn’t really need a sequel but they gave it one anyway and I guess it was just okay.
In this one, we see Wade on a new quest within the Oasis except this time, it’s more of a life or death situation. He must work to find the Seven Shards of the Siren’s soul before he and thousands of other Oasis users are trapped forever, thanks to a villain in the shape of an AI version of Halliday.
Honestly, the whole storyline was so wild and farfetched, which is crazy to say considering the first book but yeah I don’t know this whole evil Anorak/James Halliday situation was not my favourite. I suppose that doesn’t bode well for me if I wasn’t feeling the story right out of the gate but we stuck with it.
Plus, Wade was kind of the worst in this book. He was so helpless? He couldn’t do any of his quests alone to save his life and it was sad. I mean I guess there is some underlying lesson here, that he shouldn’t isolate himself in the Oasis or in his real life or something but even so, he didn’t seem to think for himself at all.
Also sad that L0hengrin wasn’t mentioned more I thought we would hear more from her after her introduction but unfortunately not. She at least sounded like an interesting character who probably would have made it further in the quest than Wade if he hadn’t had the help of his friends.
Naturally along with the first book, this book referenced a lot of things I had no idea about. Like all the John Hughes movies and Prince. Which is fine, but part of me felt like this book just spent a lot of time describing things that were so unnecessary, like is it important to note every character an actor played in a John Hughes film while trying to complete a quest? I don’t think so. But then again, it’s been a long time since I read the first book so I don’t remember if it was the same in the level of detail it provided in things. Even so, I felt like there was a lot of stuff that could have been cut out.
Don’t even get me started on that ending though.
Again, it sounds wild given the whole idea from the first book but the whole “everyone-live-in-the-Oasis-as-an-AI-even-after-you-die” thing is so farfetched and ridiculous to me. At least the idea of the actual Oasis seemed easier to get behind because I guess we have similar technology now but yeah maybe I’m just being harsh for the sake of being harsh. I know I’ve gotten behind some pretty crazy storylines in TV shows and books before but I guess I just wasn’t buying this one.
Overall the actual story was okay, I think it would make an interesting movie but when reading it. it fell flat for me. I’m hoping there won’t be another book because I don’t see where we go from here and I’m not sure I want to go there. But yeah, no big deal, now we’ve read it, we know what happens and we can move on, hopefully to something I’ll enjoy a little more.
In February, I finally finished the Originals which means that I had finally been able to start on some new shows. There have been quite a few Netflix shows that I have been wanting to watch, but wouldn’t let myself until I finished the Originals, because if I wasn’t going to finish it now, I probably would never have finished it.
Now that I have been freed up to watch something new, I decided to tackle the list of Netflix shows I have that are all just one season. Because they are all just one season, it makes them easy to watch. Will they have more than one season? Who’s to say, but it means I can get through them quickly and move onto the next.
And instead of making blog posts for each one of them, I decided to combine them all into this one blog post and share some thoughts. I imagine I will have more thoughts on some than others, but this way they all get covered quickly and then I guess I can go on to bigger and better shows lol.
Warning, there will be spoilers for these shows ahead.
So first off we have:
Bridgerton
This was one that was at the top of the list. I mean it’s Gossip Girl in the 1800s and I love Gossip Girl. Plus it’s from Shondaland and I also have a history of loving every Shonda show I’ve ever watched. So talk about a match made in heaven.
I didn’t take to it right away, but the show definitely grew on me. I am a fan, and I’m excited to see the next season and also to read the books. I didn’t think I was that attached to the show until it ended and now I find myself wanting to know everything about this world lol.
Plus the fact they revealed Lady Whistledown’s identity in season one, it was a bold move but now I just want to rewatch and keep an eye out for clues. But also, I’m left with lots of questions and wondering where go from here for next season. I guess if anything, I’m glad there is going to be a next season.
What/If
This has been on my list for a long time but I just never got around to watching it, until now. It was okay. I mean most of it was me trying to figure out what Anne wanted with Lisa and Sean and then they revealed it and I thought it was terrible. Like it kind of ruined it for me that Anne was Lisa’s mum, I don’t know why but I just hate those kind of plot twists. It reminds me of a book I read not long ago where they had a similar reveal and I hated that so…yeah it’s not my favourite storyline lol.
Also it was so weird that Marcos kept talking to that guy he and his boyfriend had a threesome with one time. Like I thought it was a one-off thing but then they kept hanging out which was strange to me but I guess it’s cool if they can be friends.
Then there was that creepy doctor guy who had an affair with Angela and that escalated so fast like he literally turned into a psycho killer in 5 seconds. I mean I sensed something was wrong with him when we first met him but dang.
But yeah overall just okay, not exactly what I was expecting but still interesting if you are into that whole thing. Definitely not something I would rush back to if it were to come back for another season, though it did come out two years ago so I feel like if there was going to be another season we would have heard about it by now.
The Society
Another one that has been on my list for a long time. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it at first, especially when the show starts and you’re introduced to like 20 people at the same time and it’s all confusing. Like even now I’m finished the season I still don’t think I know half the people’s names. But the show did grow on me.
I’m sad that Netflix cancelled it after one season, they were even going to have a second season but it was cancelled due to COVID. Which is annoying especially when there are so many questions I have about the show. For example, what the heck was that reveal at the end? Like the parents are fine? The kids are dead? The dog exists in both worlds? I need to know what the deal is with “the smell”.
I also need to know what is going to happen to Allie, she doesn’t deserve to die. Is Campbell going to ultimately end up killing Elle or will she kill herself to escape him? Is Lexie going to be a good leader? I’m not even going to entertain the idea of Harry being a leader because he’s not one lol. Also are they really going to teach themselves how to farm/are they going to find out where they are?
So yeah, definitely sad to have gotten involved in this one just because we don’t know what would have happened. I imagine there is a bunch of fanfiction out there/fan theories so I may have to look that up to satisfy my need for an ending.
Dare Me
This had the potential to be the teen drama show I needed in my life. Like I love a good high school drama show, I live for Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl. But sadly, this did not live up to that.
I mean it definitely had me interested with Beth, she seems like the one I need to be the main character. Addy is just eh, like it’s weird she gets wrapped up into the world of the ‘Coach’. I mean the Coach is supposed to be a grown ass woman and the only person she can make friends with is a high school cheerleader? Creepy.
I thought this was going to be like Fab Five Texas High School Cheerleading Scandal-type drama but it was very flat in comparison. I mean a few things were interesting but the big drama happened at the end and even with that, not that impressed. So sad it didn’t live up to my expectations, but also sad it’s not getting another season because I probably would have stuck around to see where it went especially when the first season ended on a cliffhanger.
Luckily for me though there is a book so I think I’ll take a stab at that just so I can find out who killed Will. Unless it’s not revealed there either and then that would just be sad.
AJ and the Queen
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this one to be honest. I thought maybe it would be too OOT and not really have a plot but I was surprised. Definitely not my favourite of all the shows I’ve watched but it was enjoyable and I did enjoy seeing RuPaul in an acting role. AJ was kind of annoying to me in the beginning but she grew on me.
I know the show was cancelled but I honestly don’t know if I would have wanted another season. And even if they did have a second season I definitely couldn’t see them going beyond that. But yeah, overall a cute show, I enjoy Drag Race and RuPaul so it only made sense to give this show a go.
Tiny Pretty Things
This show definitely seemed like something I would enjoy, but it was kind of messy for me. And by that I mean they had a lot of good drama but it just wasn’t done well? Like I just felt the series was all over the place and they tried to do a lot in season one. Every character seemed to be going through a lot and I felt like they spent about 5 minutes addressing a problem before it moved onto something else. It was wild.
I mean I still don’t even know who half the characters really are and if things are going to be addressed properly in the long term. For example, Oran’s eating disorder, why is that not talked about or noticed more? And then there’s his whole thing with Shane like is that just glossed over and everything is normal again? And I still don’t really know what Neveah’s deal is like I thought she was gonna be the main character but she’s not really, and then she seems to get angry and lash out for no reason most of the time. Not to mention I also hate the friendships in this show, I know that this happens in other shows where everyone’s friends one second and then they are not but in this show it changes SO MUCH and there’s only been 10 episodes…it was just a lot to go through.
So definitely not the best show, but it definitely kept me interested enough to watch until the end. No idea if it will get another season or if I’ll be interested in it just because of the way they tell the story it’s just a bit confusing. I know it is based on a book series so I might give that a go but if it’s as chaotic as the TV show I think I’ll stay away.
And this concludes a month and a half of binge watching Netflix shows. I have to say, I did enjoy this. It was a nice break up from starting to binge a longer show with more seasons because sometimes those get tiring to watch.
I’m not gonna lie, there are definitely more Netflix shows out there that I want to watch, especially when Netflix is releasing new content all the time, but these shows were ones that were pressing me and most that I never made time for until now.
I guess now comes the task of trying to find what’s next, though realistically it will probably be a while before I find something new to really sink into. So until then I have reverted back to watching some Ugly Betty for old times’ sake.
If you’ve watched any of these shows then let me know what you think, otherwise if you have any suggestions then let me know! Might as well take advantage of still being in lockdown to get some good binge watching in.
We are back with the sequel of One of Us is Lying.
This one was okay, I didn’t find myself enjoying it as much as the first one but there’s not really much to complain about. I don’t know what it was about this one that I didn’t like as much, I guess because there wasn’t as much suspicion around the main characters when it came to the murder? I don’t know.
I think one of the main things is that I missed the old gang. I mean they were still a part of the story, but the focus had been moved onto a younger group, featuring Bronwyn’s sister, Maeve, her friend Knox and a girl called Phoebe.
I also think I was expecting the Truth or Dare game to last longer than it did, and be a little bit more dramatic? It seemed a bit tame to be honest, which I guess is wild considering someone did die but I don’t know I thought there would be more suspense for it.
This book still followed along with the same vibe of the first one, I liked the fact things stayed consistent with the writing and the world even though the story was different. It made it easy to get sucked into the world again and I enjoyed that.
Obviously things escalated towards the end in ways that I wasn’t expecting, I had no idea who was the killer this time and I didn’t really try to figure it out. I mean I had an idea that something was going on with Phoebe’s sister but it definitely took a turn that I wasn’t expecting.
I also wasn’t a huge fan of the last twist in that it actually turned out to be Owen, Phoebe’s little brother who told Jared to continue on the game like I don’t know why but it seemed like something that would just never happen. I guess it adds shock value but eh, could have done without it.
I feel like I needed a little longer to process everything when Maeve figured it out though because this story had a lot more going on in terms of how the game was orchestrated and all that, so I think maybe if that was drawn out a tiny bit more it could have helped. Though I know for the pace they were going for that wouldn’t have worked.
But yeah overall a good read, sad that it didn’t hold quite the same interest for me as the first book but I can’t really tell you what was off-putting to me besides missing the original group. Though could have probably done without all the talk about Cooper and him being a big baseball star and all that, we get it, he’s cool. But I did love that Nate and Bronwyn were end game because that’s all I needed in my life after the first book really.
And so that is where we leave Bayview High for now. I don’t know if that will be us leaving for good but I don’t really know where they would go from here. Though I am still interested in that TV show they are making, I just need to keep a look out for it in the future.
Not sure what I’ll be reading next, but I think it would be nice to step back from the murder mysteries for a bit. That being said I think half my Amazon Prime First Reads are murder mysteries at the minute lol. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll find something.
The first time I’ve done makeup this year and the first time in years I’ve used fake eyelashes. Since we are still not leaving the house, I have to document everytime I do makeup so someone sees it lol.
I had so much fun using this Animal Crossing x ColourPop makeup! It was great to play around with makeup again and feel glam, it makes a change from my usual pyjamas and hair up with no makeup look.
Here we go, another murder mystery. I feel like every time I read one of these I try not to get my hopes up because I always end up disappointed by the end lol. I don’t know what I’m expecting when I find out what happens because I feel like no one is going to blow it out of the water with some brand new concept that we haven’t seen before. Not that you can’t enjoy a good cliche.
But that being said I wasn’t disappointed in this book. I would say that it wasn’t the most shocking reveal or anything ever but it definitely had me reading until the end. I needed to know what happened and how everyone was involved and why. And I’m glad they gave it to me because honestly halfway through I was thinking that we would never find out and this investigation would go on forever.
So, here we have a boy called Simon, he died in detention with four other students and no one knows what happened. But Simon wrote a blog, very Gossip Girl-esque where he spilt the tea about his fellow classmates, making everyone suspect. Especially those who were in detention with him and this is where investigation unfolds on those four.
And boy did we have a lot to take in because this book switches between those four character’s point of views a lot and it takes me a while to settle into a new world of characters so I thought this was going to be hard. But luckily for me I kept notes lol, I guess I wanted to see if I could figure out the murderer before it was revealed.
I just looked back at my notes on the book and I thought maybe Simon had faked his death so I guess I was kind of close! He did do this to himself, he just had a way more elaborate scheme than I thought.
I think what was wild to me was that he got Jake in on it. Like mate someone needs to lock him up forever because he really hated his girlfriend so much for cheating he would frame her for murder? Yikes. I mean Simon also had plenty of problems but this guy was just a pyshopath.
Anyway yeah so we find all this stuff in the last 100 pages of the book. Which is fine I guess, but I just kind of hate how there’s a while in the middle where nothing is happening and then everything comes out at once. Which I know if they reveal things halfway through you ain’t gonna wanna read to the end but I don’t know…pick up the pace a little guys lol.
As for the “murder club”, the four in detention with Simon they were cool people. I knew none of them would have killed Simon, it was obvious from their point of views that none of them did it. Otherwise I feel like the author would’ve thrown in a mystery person or something.
I just wanna say though, the secrets they had were not super shocking, kind of the stuff you would expect honestly. Like the nerdy girl caught cheating on a test, the perfect jock with the perfect girlfriend being gay, the girl who is so in love with her boyfriend cheated on him, and then the rebel guy being on probation for drugs. Meh. Nothing special. I need these people to have bigger secrets than their high school stereotypes please and thanks lol.
Also I called Bronwyn and Nate getting together from the start. I mean their relationship is also cliche as hell but I really love a good love story. I couldn’t help shipping them when they started their phone calls and what not. I’m all over something like that if it is written well and this was so yes I am shipping them forever and I have no regrets about being mushy about it.
I also thought Addy would get with TJ but after all the emotional trauma she went through with Jake, I’m glad she is taking time to be the independent woman that we need and love. Honestly I was so proud of her coming into her own person after being under a control freak for so long.
And then there was Cooper who was honestly dull af to me. Like yeah he was gay and it was shit that everyone found out he was gay because of a police investigation and all that but we knew everything was going to work out for someone perfect like him anyway. So yeah, I mean I like a nice guy as much as any but he was never in any real danger of being destroyed as much as the others.
So yeah those are my thoughts. There is another book in the series which I will be picking up right away because I’m interested in what happens next. From the blurb there is no indication if the O.G four will be back but considering they were all on the brink of turning 18 I am going to say no. Which I guess is sad because I will miss them but still, interesting to see where we go from here.
I also Googled and saw that the book is being made into a TV series? I don’t know when that’s coming out but I will be giving it a watch. Although if they overplay this loose Breakfast Club vibe the cover has and all that then I’m out lol. I just think it’ll be interesting how it’s played out as a series rather than a movie.
And so yeah, I’ll probably be back with another post soon about the next book. I think it’ll be a little more thrilling since it’s a truth or dare vibe. I could see that playing out well on screen, but until then I’ll have to get to reading.
I love Animal Crossing and I love makeup so when I found out about this collab, I just could not say no. I love it so much and I’m so excited to play around with it!
I was really excited about this one. Mainly because I thought it would be loosely based off of Jessica’s own experiences as a KPop trainee and her time in Girls’ Generation. And who doesn’t love some tea disguised as fiction?
Honestly though, I’d like to imagine that Jessica’s trainee days were just a little less dramatic than they were made out to be in this book. I mean I think we would have known about a love triangle between her, another trainee and one of the biggest KPop stars at the time.
But anyway, I still really enjoyed this book, based on real events or not there was never a dull moment as we followed Rachel Kim’s story as she worked to debut and pursue her dreams of becoming a star.
I also felt like while we got a lot out of the story, there is still a lot to be discovered and explored in this world and that’s why I’m so glad there’s going to be a sequel. It might not come out until October but I am ready for it because at the end of this book I was left with a lot of questions.
For example, what is the deal with Mina’s family and DB Entertainment? There’s something shady going on and I wanna know what it is. Plus there’s going to be fall out from Mina’s dad hiring Rachel’s. Things are gonna get messy but I love that, because I love the drama. But I will also be sad if it causes a lot of damage to Rachel’s family because we know Mina loves to ruin Rachel’s life.
Then there’s Jason and the fact his family owns like half of that town in Canada, are we going to find out more about that? Also he’s weird meetings with the execs and stuff does he also have something to do with Rachel debuting? But even more so than that is he thinking continuing his relationship with Rachel will be good for him and the fame? I just have lots of questions about Jason in general.
I wanted to believe Jason was the cute KPop boy in that band that we all love and wanna date and then when you are dating him that he’s actually perfect and wonderful but he’s so not that. Rachel believed he was and was heartbroken so we can’t be falling for his act anymore. But he’s definitely not going away anytime soon.
Plus, the book ends with Rachel debuting in a nine member group called Girls Forever (sound familiar?) so obviously I’m wondering about all the drama that comes with being in a group of girls who don’t really like you.
And also there will probably be more stories there based on Jessica’s actual time in Girls’ Generation – which honestly is probably half the reason people bought the first book to begin with. That being said I like to believe that the girls got along, despite some rivalries and fights along the way. I mean I hope it wasn’t like how it feels in the book but I guess we’ll never fully know.
So yeah there are lots of things building and yet to be discovered, I’m not sure if this is expected to be a full blown series or end after book two but I’m fully in for the ride either way.
I would recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about the KPop life. I mean I have had my eyes opened a few times to the tough life of a KPop trainee but this really gives you a good idea of the work that goes into making sure you’re good enough. It’s a crazy life but it definitely makes you appreciate the work that the idols do so much more when you know what they go through.
I also recommend if you just love some drama because there is more than enough to go around here, and that’s always a fun time.
Overall the book was a fun read and definitely more enjoyable than my last book. But I’m not really sure where I’ll go from here, I have a lot of Amazon Prime First Reads that I’ve been getting every month but not really reading. They can definitely be hit or miss for me and the last one was a miss so not sure if I’ll be taking the chance or reading something I know I’ll enjoy. Either way you can find me on Goodreads if you are interested in what I’m reading next.
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