May Wrap Up

It’s time for another Monthly Wrap Up!!

May was a crazy busy month, and SO much happened. I read a few books, saw a few movies, and discovered a few new T.V shows as well. May was also the month of Bachelorette Parties, our Engagement Shoot, a Taylor Swift road-trip to Seattle, family dinners & birthday parties.. beach dates.. and SO much more. Not to mention a sprinkle of full-blown Wedding Planning action. It’s been wild. I recently posted all the photos from the Bachelorette Party for my Best Friend Julia.. and also some snapshots from our amazing Engagement Shoot with our Wedding Photographer Kaoverii Silva, make sure to check them out!

I have a ton to Wrap-Up for you guys, so I will just get going with it, in my usual Wrap-Up formula <3

So as always.. lets jump right into it..

MOVIES

1.) “Sing Street”

An Irish/Coming-Of-Age/Musical

10/10

Loved it SO much. The music, the accents, the vibe.. everything.

I kind of came across the movie by accident. I was looking into songs to “walk down the aisle to” at our upcoming Wedding. I found this perfect song, called “To Find You”.. that was off the Soundtrack from the Irish movie “Sing Street”. I fell so in love with the song, that I knew I HAD to watch the film. I love Musicals, I love coming-of-age stories.. and I love Ireland. This was such a fun movie, and I can’t even put into words how talented the cast is. It’s set in the 1980’s which is so much fun just on it’s own.. add into that the whole “teenager starting a band with misfit friends, to impress crush” aspect.. and it’s just the greatest thing. This was just the most delightful little surprise of a movie. Ryan and I loved it so much. I will 100% be walking-down-the-aisle to “To Find You” <3

2.) “Marrowbone”

9/10

Horror/Thriller

Ohh this is a creepy little film. I was attracted to this movie at first, because of it’s incredible cast. I’m a big fan of up-and-coming star Anna-Taylor Joy (and of Stranger Thing’s Charlie Heaton), and the plot of this movie sounded right up my alley. It’s about a gang of slightly creepy-seeming siblings.. who hide the death of their Mother, so they won’t be separated. They are soon haunted/terrorized by a very VERY creepy “something” within their home. This movie is so sinister, and deeply creepy. I LOVED it. Aside from being terrifying.. it was also absolutely beautifully shot. The cinematography was so gorgeous.

3.) “Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance”

Lifetime

7/10

I obviously loved every second of this.. but objectively it wasn’t that great. For a “Lifetime Movie” though, I was actually kind of impressed.

As you all know, the Royal Wedding took place on May 19th, and it was pretty much the most talked about Wedding in YEARS. You literally couldn’t turn on the TV, open the Internet.. or even leave the house, without being bombarded with HARRY AND MEGHAN. I’m not complaining. I am mildly obsessed with Meghan Markle. I think she is so gorgeous and smart.. also I love that she’s shaking things up in the Royal Family. I was SO excited to tune it at 4 am (Vancouver time) for the Royal Wedding! Meghan was STUNNING, and the whole thing was just perfection. I will attach some of my fav “Royal Wedding” snapshots up ahead.

So back to the Lifetime movie “Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance”…. First off.. I have to hand it to the Casting Director of this movie. The Actress playing Meghan looked SO MUCH LIKE HER, that it was actually freaking me out. The Prince Harry actor was only somewhat like him. The Kate Middleton was quite on the spot as well, William not so much.

I thought the whole movie was overall a fun little treat. It was so funny to see Lifetime’s imagined version of “behind the scenes & in the bedroom” version of events. As if any of that happened.. so ridiculous. Loved every second though. If you give a shit at ALL about the Royal Wedding & or the whole “Meghan and Harry” spectacle.. you will love this. If you are like my Fiance Ryan, who couldn’t give less of a shit about this.. you will probably HATE this, haha!

As I said up above, these are my FAV photos from the real-life Royal Wedding. That one shot of Meghan walking down the aisle, shot from above.. is STUNNING. I can’t get over it.

TV SHOWS

1.) “13 Reasons Why: Season 2”

On: Netflix

7/10

I’ve got very mixed feelings about this Season..

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Okay… So I read the book “13 Reasons Why”, so SO long ago. Before this whole Netflix Series insanity. I loved the book, and I REALLY loved the first Season of this show. I thought it was so well paced, and set up with the plot device.. of the unfolding tapes 1-13.

While Season 1, was admittedly full of graphic scenes, un-necessary triggering scenes.. and went a bit too far.. overall I thought it was well done. Season 2, while as a whole I did enjoy.. I just didn’t think it was as good as Season 1.

Season 1, was based on a book.. and there was never a second book. Season 2, just kind of takes off on it’s own direction. I couldn’t help but feel like it was almost a bit too preachy, and over-the-top sensational. Every episode had a “trigger warning” basically. While I think this is VERY necessary (especially for such a hard-hitting graphic show), I also felt like they kind of were TRYING to make it as “disturbing” as possible. Almost in a gross way. I don’t know, something about it kind of turned my stomach. It’s hard to get into, without totally spoiling the final episode… but if you have seen it you know what I mean. What happens is shocking and horrifying. I’m sure disgusting and awful situations like this, are sadly all too common.. but the graphic and honestly disturbing way it was portrayed.. felt very unnecessary.. and almost gratuitous. It’s like they were trying to find a way to “top” Hannah’s very upsetting finale scene from Season 1.

Also on the topic of Hannah.. I don’t know what Season 2 was trying to do, but they should have just LEFT her character alone. They dragged her story through the dirt, and just dragged it out so long/annoyingly. Season 2 should have focused on the other characters WAY more. Also the Hannah-Ghost was kind of weird to watch as well.. just enough already. I also though seeing her Trial, taking place in court.. would feel very vindicating, and would be a satisfying thing.. but it really really wasn’t. The victim-blaming etc… I know it was trying to prove an all-too-real point about our society, but I found it very hard to swallow. I wanted to punch Liberty High’s lawyer in the face!

I did really LOVE a few things about Season 2 though. JUSTIN… I absolutely fell in love with, during Season 2. Obviously his behavior in Season 1, is deeply unforgivable.. but seeing his broken character try to come to grips with his situation, and his addiction… was gripping. Justin and Clay’s little friendship was EVERYTHING, and the last episode… OMG THAT SCENE WAS SO CUTE.

I binged the whole Season 2 in two days, and I really did love it. I just kind of felt like they were trying to shove the whole “troubled kid”, “topical issues” down our throats. That being said, I fell in love with Alex’s story-line. He is such a talented actor, and some of his scenes were absolutely heartbreaking.

The “Trigger Warning’s, and the Suicide Prevention Help, they provided in the credits, I think was amazing, and so SO important. They took a much more responsible approach this time around, in regards to that.

2.) “Little Women”

A 2-Part Mini-Series

PBS

10/10

THE CUTEST

Starring Maya Hawke as Jo March (Ethan Hawke & Uma Thurman’s Daughter) who is AMAZING

I’m sure you are all familiar with Louisa May Alcott’s classic story “Little Women”. There have been so many TV & Movie Adaptations of this story.. my favorite was always the one with Winona Ryder.. UNTIL I saw this one. Maya Hawke, who plays the infamous Jo March in this Mini-Series Adaptation.. was honestly INCREDIBLE. She commands every single ounce of attention, while she’s on the screen. She’s so captivating, and so beautiful. I’m obsessed.

This Mini-Series was adorable, and stayed so true to the original story. I loved every second of the 2-part series. GOD it was good. If you are a “Little Women” fan, you MUST watch.

3.) “Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist”

On: Netflix (Documentary Series)

8/10

A Fascinating True-Crime Story

I don’t want to tell you ANYTHING about this Documentary-Series.. because it BLEW MY MIND, and I want you to all experience it firsthand. Wow. Just WOW. People are INSANE. That is all I will say. This is a in-depth, spectacularly filmed.. INTENSE, True-Crime Masterpiece. Do yourself a favor, and watch this on Netflix.

BOOKS

1.) “The Outsider”

By, Stephen King

10/10

“Doesn’t look like a monster, does he?” “They rarely do.”
― Stephen King, The Outsider

YOU GUYS!!!!!! When I found out the LEGEND Stephen King, had a new book coming out.. I Pre-Ordered it faster than you could even imagine. I am a huge HUGE Stephen King fan. I think I need to do a Blog-Post completely dedicated to King, all about my Favs/Thoughts etc. He’s just right up there in my book.. one of the most brilliant writers of our time.

Anyways, his new book “The Outsider” was AMAZING. It’s HUGE, like all of his books.. honestly the book itself must weigh at least 5 pounds. It reads faster than most of his other books, and the print is much larger than his usual books. I found myself 1/2 way through the book in one day.. it was GRIPPING. Gripping in a horrifying, skin-crawling.. Stephen King specialty-way.

This book is a classic Murder-Mystery.. with a creepy twist. A young boy is murdered, in a absolutely savage and horrific way. This goes down in a small town, and a man is accused of this sickening crime. The man accused is the coach of the local baseball team and is beloved in the community. NOBODY can believe he committed this disgusting act. The evidence against him is INTENSE, and like it’s so CLEARLY him that did it… or so the police think. Only a few chapters in..you realize the man accused has a 100% irrefutable alibi. HOW?! HOW?! How can this be? This.. is the story of “The Outsider”.. and it’s INSANE you guys. Very dark, very twisted.. and one of the best thing’s I’ve read all year. Stephen King is a wizard.

(I’ll attach the Good-Reads Plot As Always)

(From #1 New York Times bestseller Stephen King, whose brand has never been stronger, comes one of his most propulsive and unsettling stories ever.
An eleven-year-old boy is found in a town park, hideously assaulted and murdered. The fingerprints (and later DNA) are unmistakably those of the town’s most popular baseball coach, Terry Maitland, a man of impeccable reputation, with a wife and two daughters. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland coached, orders an immediate and public arrest. Maitland is taken to jail, his claim to innocence scorned. Maitland has a foolproof alibi, with footage to prove that he was in another city when the crime was committed. But that doesn’t save him either.
King constructs a propulsive plot, and a race against time to uncover the identity of a terrifying and diabolical killer who has left victims—and “perpetrators”—across the country, and who is on his way to his next horrific act.
King’s psychological suspense is at its most riveting in this extraordinarily dramatic and eerie story. He is devastatingly vivid on the experience of being falsely blamed—the effect on the accused, the spouse, the children; the suspicion of friends, even the most loyal; the impossibility of ever being innocent again (if you are lucky enough to live). He is also masterful at showing us that supernatural monsters are startlingly like human beings who do monstrous things.)

2.) “Our Kind of Cruelty”

By, Araminta Hall

8/10

Almost afraid to recommend this, because it’s SO DARK.

“Emptiness is such a familiar yet terrifying sensation for me, scorched into my physical memory so deep it drags me backward through time to when it wasn’t in my power to feed myself. A time when I and no money, a time when I was alone even when my mother was with me. A time in which I couldn’t make myself loveable and I didn’t know to love. A time when it seemed as if I was never going to fill the deep all encompassing void in my soul.”
― Araminta Hall, Our Kind of Cruelty

Okay so this book has been VERY HYPED in the Thriller-Book-Lovers Community online. and all it took was seeing Gillian Flynn’s Review of it… for me to order it immediately.

“This is simply one of the nastiest and most disturbing thrillers I’ve read in years. In short: I loved it, right down to the utterly chilling final line.” ―Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

I MEAN… when your favorite author blurbs a book like THAT, you 100% have to read it. She wasn’t wrong.. this was maybe one of the most disturbing, twisted.. and just awful thrillers I’ve EVER read. I mean “awful” in a good way. Like it’s so horrifying, it’s good? That makes me sound insane.. but if you like dark thrillers, you catch my drift.

I love reading books about insane people (especially from their POV), and this was just so FUCKED up.

(I’ll attach the Good-Reads Plot as always)

(Mike Hayes fought his way out of a brutal childhood and into a quiet, if lonely life, before he met Verity Metcalf. V taught him about love, and in return, Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He’s found the perfect home, the perfect job, he’s sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He knows they’ll be blissfully happy together.
It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t been returning his emails or phone calls.
It doesn’t matter that she says she’s marrying Angus.
It’s all just part of the secret game they used to play. If Mike watches V closely, he’ll see the signs. If he keeps track of her every move he’ll know just when to come to her rescue…
A spellbinding, darkly twisted novel about desire and obsession, and the complicated lines between truth and perception, Our Kind of Cruelty introduces Araminta Hall, a chilling new voice in psychological suspense.)

3.) “They Both Die at the End”

By, Adam Silvera

10/10

The Most HEARTBREAKING/Thought-Provoking Young Adult Dystopian.. I’ve EVER Read

“You may be born into a family, but you walk into friendships. Some you’ll discover you should put behind you. Others are worth every risk.”
― Adam Silvera, They Both Die at the End

“But no matter what choices we make – solo or together – our finish line remains the same … No matter how we choose to live, we both die at the end.”
― Adam Silvera, They Both Die at the End

You would think, with this title.. I would be somewhat emotionally prepared for the ending of this book… but you would be wrong. THIS BOOK DESTROYED ME. It’s not a spoiler, that they both DIE at the end.. given the title… but it’s still just as awful to experience.

This story takes place in a vaguely futuristic society.. where there is something called “Death Cast”. Basically this “Death Cast” calls you with a blaring alarm, on the day you are going to die.. and “regrets to inform you” that you will be dead within 24 hours. It doesn’t say how.. just that it’s happening.. and it’s 100% un-avoidable.

This concept was HORRIFYING to me. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this idea, this concept.. this STORY… since I put the book down.

In this world, you have the option of “matching up with” a fellow “Decker” (the nickname given to someone who is dying that day).. and living out your LAST DAY together. “Last Friend” is the name of the App, and it’s very depressing.. and the whole thing is just so messed up.

Our two main characters Mateo & Rufus.. both get the Death Cast alert one day.. and they both don’t really have any family left.. and are both left feeling somewhat desperate/lonely, on their final day.. and decide to meet up. I can’t explain how hard I fell in love with both of these characters. It was a very weird and upsetting feeling.. because as the title of the book clearly states… THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END. I wasn’t expecting this beautiful love story to develop, and I definitely wasn’t expecting to feel SO attached to these two characters. This only makes the inevitable end, even more hard-hitting.

“No one goes on, but what we leave behind keeps us alive for someone else.”
― Adam Silvera, They Both Die at the End

(Good-Reads Plot Summary)

(Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.
On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.
Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.)

4.) “I Hope This Reaches Her Too”

By, R.H Sin

4/10

I didn’t love this. I have all of R.H Sin’s other poetry on my shelf, and I saw this little tiny add-on book on Amazon.. and figured I would grab it. It’s very small, and is an assorted collection of poems.. basically all about leaving a toxic relationship. I liked it, but it felt very repetitive, and just like the same thing over and over. Beautifully written as always, just not really what I was in the mood for.

FOOD

I don’t normally have that many exciting Food-Related Updates for you guys.. but during May I had some pretty exciting Food experiences, haha.

Ryan and I went out for a little Dinner Date, to the Steakhouse “Black and Blue”, and it was INCREDIBLE. We got these Garlic Chili Prawns.. that I will never, EVER get over. Other than that.. I found the cutest “Royal Wedding” themed little cakes, at a local bakery! Not to mention some killer Eggs Benedict, at a Brunch Place called “Bows and Arrows”, in East Van.

CONCERTS

During May, Julia, Lindsey and I.. all had a Road-Trip Adventure down to Seattle U.S.A, to see Taylor Swift’s “Reputation Stadium Tour”. She wasn’t coming to Vancouver.. so we made the 3 + hour drive down to Seattle to get into the action.

Her show was mind-blowing.. every single song had Fireworks, Pyro, Confetti.. it all felt like one giant ENCORE performance. We were so blown away! Also she looked so gorgeous.. and the stadium was back-lit by the beautiful Seattle sky-line… just perfect.

IKEA HAUL

I love a good IKEA Haul…and OMG you guys look above. I spent less than $100, and literally got all of this. Also I had a $0.50 hot-dog… it was glorious.

Maid-Of-Honor

As I mentioned to you guys, in a previous post.. my Sister Paige just got ENGAGED to her boyfriend Luke! She asked me to be her “Maid of Honor”, in the CUTEST way possible.