Happy July everyone! Once again, I don’t know how another month came and went but here we are, one month closer to the end of the year. June was a doozy for me. There was a lot of change happening around me, in all aspects of my life. Looking back at everything that happened, I feel like the way I was processing everything real time changed week by week. At first, I was ignoring everything and also accept all the changes at the same time. When I say ignoring everything, I mean ignoring the deep natural need to panic and just freeze lol. The later part of the month got a lot harder. I was spending a ton of time handling everything all at once and not delegating myself enough “me” time and it honestly felt like I was dragging myself through the last bit of June emotionally and physically.
It’s a lot when you’re out actively working your brain and adulting for 12-13 hours a day and having only maybe an hour a day to yourself to just breathe.
It definitely played a role in how much I was reading. This month, I read a total of two books. I remember reading a third one but I can’t remember if I read it in June or May lol. I’m clearly losing my sense of time.
My main goal this month was to trek through this bad boy. I’m definitely going to have a review out on this book later this month or maybe next month, but I’ve got a ton to say on it. The beginning of the book, maybe the first quarter, felt like it dragged for me. The pacing of the two timelines felt a bit awkward and it felt like I was reading a physics textbook. While I enjoy the deep dive into the science, I felt like all we got was equations and the delivery of the plot felt a bit awkward in the beginning but as soon as we got through that first chunk of the book, things picked up fast. I was quickly reminded of why I love Andy Weir’s scientific explorations and his ability of making the impossibilities of modern day science into possibilities. The blend of reality and the apocalyptic scenario wasn’t disappointing at all and the original clunkiness of the two timelines resolved into something that I was looking forward to as I dove deeper into the book. So if you’re struggling with this book as well, I say stick out because you’re in for so much bad ass science and a plot that’s equally as wholesome as it is terrifyingly tense. It’s kind of funny looking back at how much I was struggling in the first hundred and twenty pages because of how much I ended up loving the book.
Ah, Christina Lauren. I ended up picking up this book while I was reading “Project Hail Mary” because I wanted something easy and fast I can fly through to get me into a better reading mood. The thing with Christina Lauren’s latest novels is that they’re more plot focused rather than romance focused. Which is fine because if you have a love for writing why not write something completely new and explorative rather than what you’re comfortable with?
I already was expecting for this book to not be romance driven and more focused on the ground hog day aspect of it and that’s exactly what I got. I haven’t read all their latest works but compared to the book with the cover that reminds me of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, it wasn’t too bad, it was just average. I’m going to have a review out for this as well so look out for that one. The main reason why I didn’t care for the romance in this book is because it was already established that our character has this huge crush on the male mc. And we don’t really get to see from the other guy’s perspective at all so it was kind of hard for me to connect with their relationship. and really root for them. I was planning to say that this was a three star read but the more I’m writing about this book, the more I’m realizing that I did have a couple of problems with this book. But besides the romance, this book had all the Christmas vibes and a really wholesome family aspect to it so if you want an easy, family centered, romance, pick this one up.
If you know me, I’m not someone who starts new tv shows. I’m a comfort watcher which means I rewatch my favorite tv shows, over and over again, until I start to hate everything before I move onto another show and do it to that show and then come back to the previous show and fall in love with all over again as if I haven’t just watched it for the seventeenth time. Long story short, I have the tendency to watch the same thing over and over again. And yes, I’m talking about Criminal Minds lol.
That being said, I was shocked when I not only started a new K-Drama, but binged it.
This show is about a hospital drama of a group of friends running around during the day, saving lives, teaching interns, handling hospital drama, and all the other doctor things but spend the evenings playing in a band together. MY GOSH did I love the friend group in this show. There is just so much wholesomeness in this show and it honestly makes me mad thinking about how this show handled a hospital plot line and how Grey’s Anatomy handled one. These characters go through all the shit, they handle cases that are so challenging that they take a major toll on them. They also deal with family drama that’s emotionally grueling and also with romance problems all while not acting catty, petty, and just ridiculous. There were so many scenes where someone came up to another person and confessed their romantic feelings and the person who was pursued kindly says sorry but no thanks and THEY JUST MOVE ON AND CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER. IT’S ALMOST IF THEY’RE GROWN ASS ADULTS AND WORK IN A PROFESSIONAL SETTING WHERE PEOPLE ARE DYING.
I’m sorry lol, but it HAD to be said.
I love how different all these characters are. I feel like that’s a weird thing to say because of course, every character in any show or story is going to be different from one another but they’re honestly so unique. Some of the plot lines of these characters are so funny and ridiculous that it makes my insides feel all warm and cozy.
The one downside about this show is that it isn’t that fast paced. The first season is focused on the group as a whole and while we do follow the hospital part of the show, there was a lot of flashbacks of when they were young. Basically, it was just a ton of character set up for a majority of the first season.
I’ve watched this movie, twice, in a row. And honestly, I’m planning to watch it again soon. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I genuinely loved “Project Hail Mary”. Reading that book woke something in me and I swear that all the science in that book breathed fire into the part of me that itches to research and explore more scientific knowledge.
This is hands down my favorite space movie. Matt Damon is a gift from the heavens and there’s no one who can play Mark Watney better than him. Many award winning space movies tend to be super dramatic and symbolic in it’s message. There’s always weird flashbacks to their future or past and we don’t know what’s what, who’s who, and why’s why until the last five minutes of a way too long movie.
The Martian is the exact opposite of that, it’s about a man who grew potatoes from shit and is science-ing the hell out of Mars. The way this movie played out was super realistic to what our human brains can conjure up to what can happen. I loved seeing how people back on Earth were trying to science the hell out of what they can do to rescue Mark, and how Mark was trying to science the hell out what he can do to survive, and how Mark’s crew are dealing with the assumed loss of their crew mate. The movie’s plot intertwined three groups of people, three different story lines, perfectly in a way that we got the right amount of tension that left us laughing, crying, and sitting at the edge of our seats, all at the same time.
It was action packed and gripping and just amazing. The balance between Watney’s comedy and the explosive science that was being conjured up and produced to make this rescue mission a success is something that everyone should experience. It’s honestly just an entertaining film that’ll make you laugh a lot but also want to build a rocket and float around in space. I highly, highly, recommend, it’s one of my favorite movies.
I’ve got a good list of summer romances that I want to get to this summer and thought that I’d go ahead and share them in a post! Honestly, I think I can do a whole other post on the summer romances I want to get to but the three in this post are books that have been already released this year and have been getting a ton of hype.
If you haven’t checked out my last monthly wrap up, give it a read to see if you missed out any May posts and also hear me gush over the K-Drama, “Start Up”.
Review: The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
This book features one of my favorite historical romance male interests ever and has the whole sunshine, animal loving female mc and the dark, ambitious, “rakish” male mc trope. Read my review to see more of my thoughts of on this book! It was a fun, quick read, with a dark, broody, male mc you don’t want to miss out on.
I’m the type of reader who has a book for every mood so it’ snows surprise that I’ve been in the middle of a couple of books for quite a long time. Check out this post to see which books I’ve been in the middle of for way too long.
Summer is here and if you’re itching to find a romance to keep you company, check out this post! Most of these books are backlists and are ones that I’ve mentioned before, but what better way to start off your summer adventures than with a quick, easy summer romance read that’ll quickly become a comfort read?
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