Emily in Paris Season 4 Thoughts

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

Another wild season of Emily in Paris is over and I wanted to share my thoughts. Even though I do enough of that on Serializd – which btw I use a lot so follow me there because I obsessively log every episode of TV I watch there lol.

So yeah anyway I guess my main thing this season was that I was refusing to ship Gabriel and Emily because, let’s be real, if they were going to be together I feel like it would’ve been done already? Besides, did they really think it was going to work when Cami was pregnant with Gabriel’s baby? Wild.

I will say though two scenes which were really strong for Gabriel and Emily were when Grabriel was yelling at Emily in French because she didn’t understand and the scene where Emily leaves Gabriel the voicemail in French. The latter scene really had me shipping them even though I don’t want to be lol. Like I want them to leave it alone, but the drama side of me NEEDS Gabriel showing up in Italy you know?

So we’ll see what happens, but realistically, Emily is not going to last long in Italy with the Italian guy. I mean we seen how fast Alfie got booted out of the picture, so we’ll see how long this guy lasts.

I will admit to being sad about Alfie because I really liked him and I thought he and Emily were going to give it another go but then he immediately moved on and got a new girlfriend and then we basically never saw him again. So yeah, I guess he’s out of the running in terms of love interests.

Another thing I am sad about is how fast the Mindy going to Eurovision thing was dropped. Like, half the season she was working to get money to go to Eurovision and then immediately in the second half of the season she’s like “oh yeah that’s not happening we got disqualified”. Very sad. I mean logistically it probably works out if the show doesn’t have to fake Eurovision but considering Netflix has already done a whole-ass Eurovision movie, they could’ve done it for Emily in Paris. At least Mindy is going to be able to redeem herself on Chinese popstar or whatever the show was, I guess that’s something?

Probably the most surprising this season was that Cami discovered she wasn’t pregnant – okay that bit is not the shocking part lol. It is after that, she decided she actually does want a baby and has decided to adopt one. Not sure if this means we won’t see her again although something about that one scene gave the idea she might never be seen again. Just because this seems like the kind of show to pick up and drop characters easily. That being said, I’ll miss Cami if she never comes back. She was fun, even if she caused drama for no reason between Gabriel and Emily.

Something else which was wild and I kind of found unnecessary was the addition of Genevieve, Sylvie’s step-daughter. I mean she drove a wedge between Gabriel and Emily, sure but like I just don’t think we need her. She’s annoying, and while I usually love someone coming in to try to steal someone’s life, who would want Emily’s lol I mean, okay, I want Emily’s life but at the same time, I don’t think Gen is really the evil villain to try to do it. I imagine she’ll be dropped early next season considering she hasn’t done a very good job at overtaking Emily’s life or even steal Gabriel away for that matter. She was just around for no reason lol.

I am however interested to see what will happen with Sylvie and her marriage and the Italian boyfriend she’s got going on lol. I always found her relationship interesting and it’s only going to become messier with her mother involved in her husband’s club and her husband still stepping out, but also her cheating…like it’s bound to implode. So I’m ready for that.

Overall, it’s been a fun season. Not all episodes were winners but I found myself entertained every step of the way and I do enjoy a silly TV show to take a break from all the serious drama that gets released. I need more shows like this. So if you have any suggestions, let me know. But in the meantime, I will be rewatching Gilmore Girls and other shows because I’m just not ready to bring anything new into my life at this time. Can’t wait for the next season of Emily in Paris – or should I say Emily in Rome – where I will have absolutely forgotten every plot point from this and previous seasons by the time it airs.

Tempted (It Girl #6) by Cecily Von Ziegesar Review

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

This one was kind of boring. None of the storylines sold me and that sucks.

So the book opens with a Halloween ball. Fresh off of the Miller farm fire and Jenny being saved from expulsion, we are getting ready for a party. Yay. Sadly this party does not serve as anything except for a way to show Jenny is the new Queen Bee in town. Eh.

I mean I usually like a Waverly party, they mean chaos and scandal but we didn’t get very much of either. Just Jenny winning the costume contest over Tinsley – which to me wasn’t too hard if Tinsley arrived late and no one had time to even notice her. And then Kara and Heath showing off as the new It couple – which by the way is so gross. And the only other thing worth mentioning is Easy being annoyed at Callie and them breaking up – AGAIN lol.

So yeah, nothing crazy. And the party is over before we know it.

We do get this random drama where Easy is drunk and climbing a tree which then crashes into the window at Dumbarton causing a lot of flooding lol. No idea what that’s about but it basically gives us five minutes of Brett being forced to room with Kara because Kara’s room flooded. Though nothing dramatic happens there.

Really all that drama surrounding Kara and Brett was so disappointing. I thought we were going to get real LGBT love here but all we got was them kissing a bit and then Brett deciding she still loved Jeremiah and Kara hooking up with Heath. Ugh lame.

What ends up happening is that Brett lied to Jeremiah and said she never kissed or hooked up with Kara and he finds out the truth and dumps her. Because there’s nothing we love more than a man who’s insecure about his girlfriend’s sexuality. And Kara ends up dumping Heath because he exposes a secret of Brandon’s and she’s not cool with that. So not sure where they go next but I hope Brett and Kara don’t go back to going out again because I don’t need it. Not that I need another Brett and Jeremiah makeup either lol. Bring some new love interests in please.

Speaking of annoying on/off again couples we have Easy and Callie. Bleh. At the Halloween party Easy tells Callie she’s a spoiled brat and this causes her to spiral – as always. So Callie flees from the party to go to a spa which her mother has arranged for her to go to which is sus AF.

And it is sus because Callie is not going to a spa, she is actually going to a rehab lol. It is a real tough one which involves sending the girls out alone in the middle of winter to fend for themselves for the night? Wild. Anyway yeah basically Callie thinks she’s going to die there but then Easy swoops in and saves the day. Lame.

Though it also looks like Easy is in trouble with the Dean because he was not supposed to leave campus but he did to rescue Callie. But honestly, don’t see him leaving. Like, he’s annoying and his relationship with Callie is one of the things I dislike most about this series but he’s a main character. He does not disappear. Despite the fact I wish he would. The drama with him and Callie is so dull and repetitive.

That brings us into Jenny and Tinsley’s story. I know, they have a story together can you even believe?

So Jenny meets this boy at the Halloween party who is pretending that he is the one that paid off the Millers and stopped her from getting expelled but we know it can’t be him because well, it doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t last because Jenny finds out it was actually Callie who saved her. Yeah I know, Callie, the roommmate that hates her! Who would’ve thought?

That’s the reason Callie gets sent to rehab, because Callie asked her mom for money and her mom assumed it was for drugs lol. So Callie sends an SOS to Tinsley and when Tinsley is on her way to rescue Callie, Jenny runs into her and decides to tag along.

The girls unsuccessfully try to get to Callie but get stuck in the snow – so Jenny texts Easy and he manages to rescue Callie. And while Jenny and Tinsley are stuck together then Tinsley realises that Jenny isn’t all bad after all. So they’re friends now? But for how long?

And that’s where we end things. It just seemed a bit of a let down to be honest. Nothing was really gripping me. Even Callie being away at rehab was interesting for maybe half a second, her being rescued by Easy was so boring for me. That being said, if Easy somehow does get expelled I would love to see it but I fear that won’t happen.

On the bright side, I am looking forward to all the girlies being friends for once, my guess is it won’t last that long but I just feel like we need some positive girl vibes and fun. So I hope we get more silliness in the next one. In the meantime, I’ve taken a break from the series for a bit to read some other things, but I’ll be back soon! There’s only a few more books so I hope to finish this series out before the end of the year.

Ten Years of YouTube! | Reflections, Life Updates & Plans for the Future

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

I have been doing YouTube for TEN YEARS! And so I thought I would make a video to reflect on that and share what’s to come next. It’s crazy to think I’ve been doing this for ten years because it doesn’t feel like it, I honestly can’t even remember filming a majority of my videos it’s like I’ve blacked them out from memory lol but it’s okay because they’re online for me to look back on.

Anyway, I’m proud of myself for being so consistent with a hobby because I don’t think I’ve ever done something constant for ten years in my life so I’m taking it as an accomplishment. Whether there will be another ten years, who knows but I’m enjoying the journey for now, and if you have followed me on that journey at any point then thanks for watching and putting up with the accent lol

Lucky (It Girl #5) by Cecily Von Ziegesar Review

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

This one started out boring but had redeeming moments at the end. Honestly, the first half was really dull for me.

Everyone was reeling over the aftermath of the fire which I mean why wouldn’t you be? Especially when the Dean is out for blood.

Not much to report other than Tinsley and Callie trying to get rid of Jenny. Though Callie flip-flops on it because she doesn’t want to look bad in front of Easy but ultimately decides Jenny needs to go.

To really convince the Dean that Jenny is responsible for the fire Tinsley enlists the help of a prospective student who is visitng Waverly for the week. The perspective happens to be none other than the Dean’s niece Chloe.

Nothing too crazy here, Tinsley and Callie just feed Chloe a story about how Jenny was the one who started the fire. It didn’t help that while Chloe was in art class with Jenny she ended up drawing a photo of the fire. Talk about incriminating yourself.

Everything comes to a head when everyone is sitting in the Dean’s office. The Dean has decided instead of doing the usual thing where everyone pleads their case and he decides who is guilty he is going to let them sort it out between themselves. Fun.

This was actually the most interesting part and the whole time I was reading I was begging it not to become a breakfast club scenario. Though they already made a breakfast club reference before so it couldn’t be that.

The discussion got heated as Tinsley entered in as the main character ready to point all suspicion towards Jenny.

All the time reading I was waiting for something to happen where someone would defend Jenny or call Tinsley’s motives into question but it didn’t happen. Everyone sat in silence as Tinsley ran her ideas by the group and by the end it seemed everyone was beginning to agree with her.

When the Dean enters the scene and asks who would like to confess Jenny wastes no time speaking up. Again I’m shook because I thought despite Tinsley’s pushing and everyone else’s silence someone else would’ve spoke up and said something. Not even Julian spoke up in a gentlemanly gesture to protect Jenny.

So Jenny is packing up to leave and she is trying to convince herself it’s a good thing. Why would she wanna be friends with a bunch of people who didn’t even try to defend her to the Dean? She was ready to leave and not have to deal with Tinsley bitch Charmichael ever again…

Until the Dean chases her down and says the owner of the barn is insisting that the cows were actually responsible for the fire and that Jenny is no longer expelled. Yeah. The cows. Dumb. But also the silliness I expect from this series.

So Jenny is no longer kicked out of Waverly and it seems as though someone paid off the barn owner to save her…interesting.

Not sure who I can picture bribing someone to let Jenny stay at Waverly. It’s definitely not Tinsley or Callie. And even though Brandon, Brett and Easy like Jenny it seems unlikely they would beg their parents to pay off someone for this. So I guess we will have to wait and see.

Unforgettable (It Girl #4) by Cecily von Ziegesar Review

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

This was a fun one.

First of all, Callie and Jenny agree to be friends and put the whole Easy drama behind them which is cute and predictable. Also predictable: Callie and Easy getting back together. Yawn.

I personally do not see the appeal of Easy, I have said it before but I dislike him and it looks like he’s not going away anytime soon so yeah. Gotta deal with that. Naturally, Callie doesn’t see any issue with getting back together with Easy because he was her boyfriend to begin with and things just seemed right. Jenny is just going to have to suck it up.

Sadly for Callie, Jenny does not take the news well, especially because Callie didn’t even tell her, Jenny had to see them together to find out the truth. In turn this makes Jenny mad at Callie and their brief friendship is once again over. Not that sad about it to be honest, Callie is just as annoying as Easy, if not more lol.

Things aren’t all bad for Jenny though because she has taken an interest in freshman Julian. He made a good impression on everyone by just being a cool guy who goes along with what Heath says which makes him popular with the upperclassmen.

What Jenny doesn’t know is that Julian is actually having a fling with a certain It Girl.

Yep. The Tinsley Charmichael has feelings for a freshman and it’s a side of Tinsley I did not expect. She sneaks around with Julian and shows that she is just a normal teenage girl after all. While she may get bored of the usual boys who give her whatever she wants, she finds Julian’s playing hard to get refreshing.

What she doesn’t realise though is that he ain’t playing hard to get lol Julian just isn’t interested in her after he gets to know Jenny.

Sad for Tinsley but at the same time something about her getting exactly what she wants is boring. So we need this drama. Especially when this drama causes her to set fire to a barn where everyone is having a party. Oops.

Aside from all of this drama we also find out that Brett has feelings for someone new. The new person being her new bestie Kara. We love a queer story.

Brett and Kara are exploring things on the down low with the surprising help of Heath Farro. Our local fuck boy. I did not expect him to keep their secret. Even if he was doing it because he was getting pics from them on the side. Turns out he has one redeeming quality after all. Sort of.

I hope Brett and Kara last, if only because we need one relationship in this series that doesn’t immediately go to shit lol.

Anyway yeah that’s everything that happens here. Naturally Tinsley is out to frame Jenny for the barn fire because she saw Julian and Jenny kissing and that causes her to freak out and toss Julian’s lighter behind her without looking. So really Tinsley started the fire but she already admitted to doing E and got expelled so she definitely won’t be making that mistake again.

Callie and Easy could have also set the fire as they were actually in the barn when the fire started. Jenny caught them having a post-coital cigarette and was not too pleased about it. Though I don’t think they were the culprits.

So I suppose we will be finding out the fallout from the fire in the next one. I say as I am already halfway through the next book lol. I am just behind on blogging but these things happen. Anyway, my prediction is that everyone ends up finding out about Julian’s lighter and he is the one that gets kicked out. Jenny is a main character and there are still at least four books in this series so she definitely does not get kicked out. I can’t see Callie getting in trouble either but I wouldn’t hate if Easy goes down for this. But we’ll see.

I’m actually surprised at how short the timeline for these books is? Like they all happen immediately one after another, it’s been four books and we have only covered Jenny’s first month at this school. It’s kind of weird. It makes me wonder where we end to be honest. Another thing I imagine I’ll find out very soon at the rate I’m going through this books lol.

I’m Engaged!

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

I feel like I haven’t blogged here with a real life update in forever but here’s a big one for you: I’m engaged!

It feels weird to blog about to be honest, but I have blogged on and off for years about things in life so why is this any different? I guess because it doesn’t just involve me, it involves my partner too. He is not a public guy whereas I am literally everywhere online so that’s maybe why. So I won’t be sharing too many details.

I still wanted to make a little post because it also felt weird not to post. So here we are lol.

This proposal came as a huge shock to me, I wasn’t expecting it at all. I mean I knew it was going to happen eventually, my partner and I have been together for 8 years and marriage has definitely come up in conversation. I just didn’t expect it to happen now.

I wasn’t in a rush to get in engaged or married, I suppose because we already live together and own a home and have plans to go travelling next year. I assumed the proposal would happen in maybe the next year or so? But I got caught off guard at the weekend when I came home to a mountain of rose petals and balloons.

Obviously I said yes and am over the moon!

I don’t know when wedding planning will begin so let’s not even go there with those questions lol. I think it could be fun to blog the wedding planning journey but at the same time stressful. I’ve never planned a wedding and I don’t know how much I’ll really want to share about it when the time comes but it could be fun to make wedding content.

All I know from other people getting married is that it’s stressful and there’s a lot to organise, but at the end it’s a beautiful day filled with love and friends and family.

So yes, that’s where we are now.. I’m a fiancee and am excited to enter the next chapter of my life with my partner. Like I said, not sure if I will start sharing information on wedding planning or what not so I guess you’ll have to wait and see. Until then, it’s back to the regular content about books and TV lol.

I’m Obsessed with Mastermind

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

I was writing a tweet about this and realised I wanted to talk more about it and then remembered I have a blog lol. So here we are.

I just wanted to make a quick post to say that I’ve been playing the Mastermind game for the Eras tour. Mastermind is a game created by Swift Alert that allows you to enter what you predict will be Taylor Swift’s outfits for her performance of the Eras Tour for that night.

I remember seeing people post online random screenshots from the game on Twitter when I was looking up things to do with my Eras tour dates and was wondering what this was. And so I finally did some digging and now I’m playing the game lol.

Before attending the show myself, I didn’t follow anything related to the tour. This was to avoid spoilers and also I just wasn’t interested.

However, after attending the show and getting post-concert depression I found myself online any time Taylor was performing to see what was going on. I mean fundamentally, I know the show is the same every night, minus surprise songs and the outfits but I still wanted to know. Plus, ever since Travis made a debut on stage you never know what is going to happen.

And that’s why I started playing this game. I thought it was a bit of fun and also it makes me feel really smart or something when I guess the outfits correctly.

I don’t have any strategy for it. Like I don’t analyse any stats of how often she wears something or anything like that. And when it comes to guessing surprise songs, I randomise every time because I do not have the brain power to start working out that shit lol.

But for most other outfits I make an educated guess and it works out for me.

I mostly feel proud when I guess the Lover opening outfit because it means I’m starting off well. Though after that it immediately goes downhill lol. I don’t think I’ve ever correctly guessed the Red t shirt and I never know about the Speak Now dress.

I got the Fearless outfit a few times right and thought I’d figured out a rough pattern for that, but that soon went out the window.

For Reputation, I always get my two points on the jumpsuit. I hope every time I’m wrong but so far it’s never lead me astray. I think maybe she might announce Reputation in London but couldn’t say for sure. Who even knows at this point?

The 1989 combinations, again usually randomised. Don’t know what is happening with them ever lol. Except for the few shows where she was wearing the matching combos. I have a theory she will save all green for Reputation TV but could be clowning.

I have been surprisingly good at getting the Folkmore dress which I think is cool and the same with the surprise song dress I feel like I get that a good amount.

I thought I was doing well with the Midnights outfits for a while but I think I’ve lost my touch on it lol. It was fine when Taylor was wearing the chevron for ages but I don’t know the pattern of when she switches that up anymore. Also the t shirt is hit or miss and the Karma jacket too. Though I get the Karma jacket more than the t shirt.

My average score is usually around 50 and I accept that I’ll probably never win but it’s just a bit of fun to do from time to time. Ngl I do get sad when I find out we have to wait another few days for the next quiz. And I’m not really sure what I’ll do with myself when the tour ends but I’m having fun.

Anyway, that’s all I came to say. I’ve been playing this game and there’s no one to talk about it with irl so I’m blogging about it lol. Let me know if you play and if you have a strategy besties x

Reckless (It Girl #3) by Cecily von Ziegesar Review

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

This one was not as exciting as I thought it was going to be. I think I was expecting more Gossip Girl-TV-esque drama with backstabbing and girl fights and rumour spreading. There was none of that.

Despite the fact Tinsley and Brett are sharing a room and hate each other as well as Callie and Jenny there is not a single hint of any drama from this. All girls tend to ignore each other as much as possible when in their assigned living spaces and that’s boring. I needed chaos and people messing with each other’s stuff. But nope. The most we got was Callie flinging Jenny’s hair ties all over the room. Lame.

What we did get in this book was two Dumbarton parties, a new girl added to the friend group and discovering Tinsley is not the calculating manipulating ice Queen I thought she was. Which is a little bit sad to be honest.

So yeah Heath has decided since it’s sponsor weekend or something like that and all the teachers are going to be too busy schmoozing to get school funding it was time to throw a huge keg rager. So he orders up some kegs and decides to store them in the girls’ dorm room until it is time to party.

Unfortunately for him, the girls decide to party a lot sooner than anticipated and have a rager on the roof. Which is all fun and games before a teacher discovers them and decides to lock the girls down in the dorm all weekend. So they have to stay inside. Which is totally fine because they still have a bunch more kegs hidden in one of the dorm rooms. So another party ensues.

And the boys can’t bear to miss out on the party action so they sneak into the Dumbarton dorm using tunnels underneath the school. Which is kind of fun. Again this vibe is very silly Gossip Girl universe.

All the drama unfolds at this party where all the girls have decided to raid each other’s closets and drink keg beer. First of all we are introduced to new girl Kara. She is a girl who Brett and Jenny have deemed the ‘girl in black’ until she speaks out and has a voice. Apparently she was nicknamed the Whale by Heath a few years ago because she was overweight and went into hiding ever since. Which is rude of Heath. But she ends up getting her own back by throwing beer over him and becoming friends with Brett, Callie and Jenny. Cute.

Jenny finds out through a game of I Never that Easy took Callie to dinner with his dad even though Jenny is his current girlfriend and Callie is his ex. Gross. Basically the girls stop hating each other after realising that Easy is the problem. I gotta say this was the most mature response to the situation. I was not expecting that. But also I am proud of them for realising they shouldn’t let this fuck boy come between them. Chicks before dicks and all that.

I hope Easy ends up choosing neither of them and going back to the art-hole he crawled out of he is actually annoying lol. I hate everytime we see anything from his POV. Like I get it, tortured artist boy might be in love with two girls but can’t make a decision. It’s boring. I don’t need it.

We also discover at this party that Tinsley is a virgin! Shocking and scandalous for the times but also just surprising because it’s been implied that she’s the kind of girl who has no issues hooking up. Turns out that’s not her, she has fun flirting with boys but often finds after they’ve kissed all the magic is gone. So she loves a chase but not being in actual relationships. Real.

Plus Tinsley is not really a “mean girl”. She gave off vibes that’s who she was but I guess she’s really just a normal teenager lol. She can be manipulative when she wants to be but she’s not giving off the same bitchy vibes of the girls on the Gossip Girl TV show. Which is sad because I wanted that. If anything this book showed she can be vulnerable as she may or may not be starting up something with a cute freshman boy.

Don’t know how to feel about this character development. I mean I guess it is realistic but it’s not exciting enough for me lol. So we’ll see if it lasts.

Also, Brett and her boyfriend Jeremiah break up which is surprising because I thought they’d be together forever. Turns out Jeremiah slept with someone while he and Brett were broken up and she’s pissed he lied. And to go along with that, the girl Jeremiah hooked up with snuck into the Dumbarton party to look out for him. She was trying to be a good friend by making sure Brett wasn’t going to hurt Jeremiah when in reality the opposite happened. And then this random girl ended up making out with Brandon in the tunnels lol.

And I think that covers everything. Now all the girls are angry at Tinsley since she’s the one who spilled the tea about Callie and Easy at dinner. Brett and Jenny have always disliked Tinsley but now even Callie is on the outs with her. So I guess it’ll be interesting to see what happens next. I assume Tinsley will be fine without Callie, she seems like she would be or at least appear to be when all she wants is her friends back. And then who knows if the other girls will forgive her?

Well I predict they do and it’ll probably be really easy since that’s how teenage girls work sometimes. Other times it goes the opposite way where they’ll hate each other forever but that doesn’t seem in the spirit of this book series. Anyway, I’m hoping for something fun next time. I think this series is going to continue being hit or miss for me as we go on.

I Tried to “BeReal” for a Week

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

I feel like I’m writing a Buzzfeed article lol. But anyway, this is not sponsored and I was just bored last weekend so I thought I’d give BeReal a real chance.

I downloaded it once when it first came out to see what the craic was but honestly, I knew I wasn’t going to use it because all my days are very similar and also, I look trash 99% of the time and I was not interested in documenting that. But a couple of years ago, I did a ‘1 second everyday’ video and was thinking of doing another one next year. And so I thought maybe I should try out BeReal because that’s a very similar concept, except instead of a video, it’s a photo and instead of me deciding when to take the video clip, my phone will notify me to do it.

So off we went to download BeReal. Now I know the whole point of BeReal is to “be real” but from my experience people still will do the opposite. A couple of years ago when I was at comic con, there were some people who asked in Q&A sessions of the celebrities would be a part of their BeReal. And I imagine like other social media, people only want to post when they are actually doing something interesting.

So I can see why no one really talks about the app anymore. And also why no one I know in real life uses it lol. In the week I used it only one person was active. So this was disappointing. Only because there’s no point for me to go on the app everyday if no one else is uploading.

But I decided to give it a go and try my best to upload as soon as the notification went off and try to be my true authentic self. Disclaimer – I think I only ever made it on time once lol. To be fair, each time it was only a few minutes late rather than hours. It’s not that I am trying to stage anything, I just didn’t see the notification.

Though I was finding myself wondering everyday when the notification was going to go off. I didn’t know round what times of day it would go off or what I was going to be doing. Not that I was doing anything exciting. It was just interesting to see what sort of times you would be notified at.

I got a good mix of morning and evening though the morning ones were at the weekend and I was in bed lol. Other ones I was out and about or at work. Nothing crazy. I do wish my friends used it though because I would be interested to see what they would be doing. Part of the fun is seeing what everyone else is up to in the same moment you are but I didn’t have that so was definitely not getting the full experience. So this is why I’ll probably not be using BeReal long term.

I suppose I could just ask my friends to use it, but they probably won’t. They barely post on Instagram as it is and I’m supposed to convince them to do this? Highly unlikely lol.

But overall it was an amusing week with something new going on. I am still using BeReal at the minute, but the novelty is wearing off. I think I might try to use it for a year and see how it goes but after that I’ll probably delete it. If anything this app takes documenting your life a little too far, who needs a photo from every single day of their life? I know I don’t. Not everyday is that exciting lol.

Still, I’m glad I have it a go. And I applaud the developers for trying something new. I’m not sure what the next big social media thing will be or even if I want to be a part of it but I’m interested to see where it goes. But for now I’ll stick with my Facebook/Instagram/Twitter. And the occasional blog post (when I make an effort lol).

Notorious (It Girl #2) by Cecily von Ziegesar Review

~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

It Girl Tinsley Charmichael has returned to Waverly and she is wasting no time settling back into her role as the Serena van der Woodsen of the school. Well actually, she gives off more Blair vibes to me in terms of her leadership styles but there is no mistaking she is the It Girl everyone is pining over.

This book was so good. I really enjoyed it! I am not saying it’s literary art but in terms of storyline, it was fun and gave me true Gossip Girl silly vibes. And I think it was better than the first book since we got all the introductory awkward stuff out of the way we can just dive into the story.

First of all, I want to say, I can’t believe Tinsley was expelled because she was the only one who told the truth about the E thing. Like I was not expecting that, I thought for sure maybe Brett or Callie had sold her out or something more dramatic than her confessing lol. If anything it seemed dumb of Tinsley to confess to being on drugs in the first place, it doesn’t seem like the kind of girl she is. But I guess it doesn’t matter too much because she is back.

She is back and looking forward to returning to her normal life with her two best friends, Callie and Brett but only one of them is happy to see her. Callie is the Blair Waldorf to Tinsley’s Serena and I’m not going to lie, I kind of hate their friendship.

Callie is a hot mess in this book because her boyfriend Easy has dumped her for her roommate Jenny Humphrey. So all she does is mope around and hang on to Tinsley’s every word. Not to mention the fact she has an eating disorder which they mention a lot. Apparently, Callie just doesn’t eat and is very thin and it’s very concerning. I don’t know if it is going to be like Blair’s eating disorder in the original book series where it’s mentioned once or never again…I mean this is mentioned quite a few times which makes me hope it gets resolved. But also seems unlikely. Either way it’s alarming and I don’t love it.

On top of Callie being Tinsley’s lackey, she is desperate for Tinsley’s approval which lead her into almost having a threesome with Tinsley and Heath?! Ick. Heath is the school’s Chuck Bass figure and nothing about that is OK.

But with Callie by her side egging her on, Tinsley thinks she can do anything. Including run a secret society and dictate who the girls in the society should hook up with. Not going to lie, the secret society idea was fun. I liked this but it was short-lived when everyone gets caught at the Ritz by the Dean lol.

So the ending of the book was kind of silly and abrupt I liked it. It reminded me of reading the Gossip Girl books when things would wrap up kind of nicely and there wasn’t really consequences. Because that’s just the world we’re in. Not to mention Callie and Tinsley seeing that the Dean was having an affair with another faculty member – the scandal. We live.

Though not everything is roses and sunshine for Tinsley and Callie as they are being split up by the Dean. He has decided to put Callie and Jenny in one room and Brett and Tinsley in another. Yikes.

Tinsley and Brett are on the outs because Brett didn’t tell Tinsley about her thing with Mr Dalton. Which thankfully didn’t actually go anywhere because Mr Dalton dumped Brett before anything could happen. Sadly, he dumped her for Tinsley because he’s icky like that.

Tinsley decided that because Brett wouldn’t tell her her secret, the logical thing to do would be to flirt with Mr Dalton instead and make Brett jealous. the plan backfired though because Brett wasn’t interested in getting Dalton back, she actually wants to get back with her boyfriend Jeremiah. So Tinsley hooked up with a teacher just because, well, she also did it for Callie because she thought she could use her relationship with Dalton to get Callie’s ex, Easy expelled. That didn’t work out for her either.

Mainly because Easy saw Tinsley and Mr Dalton together and he decided they needed to be exposed. So Dalton ended up getting fired. Serves him right for being a creep.

The only other thing going on in this book is Easy and Jenny getting together which is cute. However, they probably won’t last long if Jenny now has to room with Callie full-time. The girls might end up killing each other because Callie is furious about Jenny swooping in and stealing her man. But that’s what we love about teen dramas.

All in all a fun read. I’m looking forward to learning more about Tinsley and how she operates and I am interested to see how all the girls cope with their new living arrangements. If anything I thought more drama would have come from the four of them sharing a room but that seemed fine when Jenny and Brett spent as little time in the room as possible lol. But oh well, things can’t always be as dramatic as we want them to be. Looking forward to where we go next.