Tag Archives: blah

Jul8

June 2026 Finishes

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June 2026 Finishes

Hello everyone and WHOOPS! I totally forgot to make a post for my June beauty finishes smh so let’s throw it back to a handful of days ago and discuss now lol. In my defense, June was a crazy busy month, the craziness continued into July, and my June finishes were nothing to write home about. However, I will write about it on my blog so you know what to go for and what can be skipped on! Let’s take a ride in a time machine together and take a looksee:

Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Bubblegum Pop Shower Gel: NO

Glow Elixir Collagen & Peptides Serum: MAYBE

Lanoline Manuka Honey Moisturizer: NO

Bath & Body Works Country Apple Fragrance Spray: YES

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Shower Gel: I absolutely adored the Bubblegum Pop shower gel when I first started using it because what’s not to like? Sudsy, foamy bubbles that smell exactly like a big piece of bubblegum – sign me up! Then, this scent started to get really old, really fast. After continued use, I couldn’t stop thinking about Pepto Bismol every time I reached for the bottle and the Bubblegum Pop fragrance became almost sickeningly sweet. It takes me a month and change of daily use to finish a B&BW shower gel and I was ecstatic once I was officially done with it. I love the idea of this shower gel and that is about it lol.

Glow Elixir Serum: I have used Glow Elixir serums before but have never tried the Collagen & Peptides formula. This is one that I would get at TJMaxx if it was my only option as it fell under my “good but not great” category. The Glow Elixir serums are thin and runny but I always felt like my skin was nourished when I used their Hyaluronic Acid formulas. The Collagen & Peptides one just felt like a whole lot of nothing. My skin did feel hydrated when using this serum but that was all it had going for it and I noticed no real difference to my skin one way or the other. It took me one month of twice daily use to finish the bottle and it’s fine in a pinch but certainly not a go to.

Lanoline Moisturizer: Applying moisturizer is my favorite part of my skin care routine. I enjoy the ritual so much and it either starts my day or wraps it up. Because of this, I hold my moisturizers to a high standard and the Manuka Honey moisturizer by Lanoline simply wasn’t it. I liked the light, airy texture which was nice during the hot weather and it had a rich creamy fragrance but that was about it. Like the Glow Elixir serum, this was a product that was just there and offered no real results. After a month of twice daily use, I was SO ready to move onto another moisturizer in my stockpile!

B&BW Fragrance Spray: At last, we arrive at the only winner of the batch – the B&BW Country Apple Fragrance Spray. As you all know, I live for apple fragrances. I just can’t get enough of that sweet, juicy scent with a tart bite and Country Apple is one of my favorites. If you know what a freshly bitten apple smells like, then you know that this scent is an amplified version of that. I enjoyed doing my spritz and walk into the Country Apple goodness for a solid five months before walking out the door to work and it always put an extra pep in my step. I will always, always buy this one again!

This was lackluster group of beauty empties, indeed, but that’s okay. Now we all know what not to get for next time and also this is my mental note to not forget a beauty post at the end of July! 😀

Have you used any of the above products before? What did you think about them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun26

Supergoop! Triple Prep Moisturizer Review

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Supergoop! Triple Prep Moisturizer Review

Howdy! I finished up one of the best moisturizers I have ever used in May and was sad to see it go but eager to try something new. As I browsed through my skin care stash, I decided to go for the jar of Supergoop! Triple Prep Moisturizer as it has SPF 40 to help protect my skin from the summer sun. The Supergoop! brand is brand new to me and, honestly, I think I got it from TJMaxx more for the name than anything else lol. While the brand name is an absolute hoot, the moisturizer leaves a lot to be desired. So much so, that I even considered not using it altogether. However, you all know that I refuse to not finish a product I started so here I am venting in this lackluster review:

In theory, the Triple Prep moisturizer should be exactly what I like: A light product for normal skin types with the added bonus of SPF. In practice, this moisturizer is just not it and I’m not sure if the problem is the product itself or the combination of skin care that I’m using. My skin care routine is tried and true: Cleanse, tone with micellar water, serum, eye cream, moisturizer. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. Every morning and night, the last step of the routine with moisturizer comes to a grinding halt because when I apply and blend with the Supergoop! it turns gritty. Like I can literally feel it flaking off as I rub it in and that can’t be normal! Interestingly, this moisturizer has gotten stellar reviews but there are a handful of people who share the same sentiment as me so we must be part of the unlucky few.

Not only does this moisturizer not apply or blend well but it also clogged my pores like a mother and that never happens. For the first five or so days of use, my skin had a lot of unsightly bumps that almost looked like whiteheads and I just had to let it run its course. Now, I use barely a dime size amount which seems to have solved the clogged pores problem but it still peels during application. I just can’t win with this moisturizer! The Supergoop! Triple Prep is going for close to fifty dollars on Ulta and I am SO glad I got it for a TJMaxx price because I would be livid if I spent that much on a dud. Use at your own discretion!

For all of the excellent reviews of the Supergoop! Triple Prep Moisturizer, I am one of the naysayers. Just be warned that you really don’t know what you’re going to get if you give this product a try!

Have you used the Supergoop! brand before? Did you enjoy their products? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun17

Lil Red’s Book Club: Bitter Falls By Rachel Caine Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Bitter Falls By Rachel Caine Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we will be discussing the fourth book in the Stillhouse Lake series by Rachel Caine called Bitter Falls. I have been trudging through the Stillhouse Lake series with palette cleansers between each book and, I have to admit, I am a little bit over it lol. This seven book series is growing more ridiculous and, frankly, unbelievable with every turn of the page. However, I refuse to not finish the series so onward and upward, I suppose! Before we begin out chat, I will be placing a trigger warning on Bitter Falls for physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, highly disturbing content, and graphic violence. You ready? Let’s get to it:

Life for Gwen Proctor, Lanny, Connor, and Sam Cade has, blessedly, been more low key than in recent memory. Sam is getting steady construction work, Gwen is now working as a private investigator, and the family participates in solo and group therapy sessions. Unfortunately, this peaceful interlude at Stillhouse Lake is short lived. Lanny and Connor are struggling in school and Gwen makes the decision to home school them after a scary indecent during an active shooter drill. It’s no secret that the Proctors have never been welcome in Stillhouse Lake and school kids are the least of Gwen’s worries. The powerful drug family, the Belldenes have declared war on Gwen and her family with a warning. Leave the town to get the constant newscasters and lookie loos away so their crimes can continue to fall under wraps or the Belldenes will remove them themselves.

The Proctors can’t stay in Stillhouse Lake under constant threat of the Belldenes but, luckily, Gwen has been assigned to a new case. The three year old cold case of a missing college kid named Remy. He was out at a bar with friends, got separated, and was never seen or heard from again. Although Gwen is hesitant to take the kids and Sam along to begin working the case, she has no other options and the family hits the road. Gwen has no expectations of finding Remy alive but it is her job to find answers for his parents. What she uncovers is way more than she ever bargained for.

After some good old fashioned detective work, Gwen learns that Remy was spending time with a young woman named Carol. He told his parents that he met her at church and was helping her. When Gwen eventually tracks Carol down through their old church, she finds that Remy was, indeed, a knight in shining armor. Remy had helped Carol escape from a cult, he disappeared, and Carol has been on the run from the members of the cult ever since. If Gwen wants any hope of finding Remy dead or alive, she must first infiltrate the cult. But how? In a shocking turn, Gwen will end up on the compound in a situation that is out of her worst nightmares. What happens next? Read Bitter Falls to find out!

Sigh… Where to begin with Bitter Falls? Here’s the thing… I thoroughly enjoy the core four cast of Gwen, Lanny, Connor, and Sam. And, you all know me, I love a twisty thriller more than the average bear. The difference is, I love a twisty thriller that has a real world plot. While the first three books of the Stillhouse Lake series were far fetched, I still found them to be worthwhile reads. But Bitter Falls was like the plot of an insane action movie on steroids and not even a good one. Rachel Caine threw in every crazy plot point but the kitchen sink and absolutely none of them stuck. The cult, the feud with the Belldenes, the podcast?! It was like a never ending litany of shock value plots that held little substance whatsoever.

I know I said that I refuse to not finish the Stillhouse Lake series and I’d like to redact that statement. I will read the fifth book, Heartbreak Bay. If it is as bad as Bitter Falls, I will be done. If Rachel Caine manages to turn it around, I will proceed. I feel slightly hopeful that Heartbreak Bay will be better because a big part of me does want to see what happens next. But I just can’t justify sacrificing my reading time to wildly subpar books. Bitter Falls definitely had me questioning why the Stillhouse Lake series needed seven books as well as Rachel Caine’s judgement lol. It was a massive dud!

Overall, I am going to rate Bitter Falls with a two out of ten stars. This was a most lackluster read and I would honestly recommend stopping the series at Wolfhunter River. Whomp whomp!

What are you currently reading? What did you think about the Stillhouse Lake series? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr23

Lil Red’s Book Club: No Exit By Taylor Adams Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: No Exit By Taylor Adams Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing a thriller by Taylor Adams called No Exit. I recently read Her Last Breath by the same author and really enjoyed it so I wanted to read more of her work. Unfortunately, No Exit was very lackluster and it was honestly a really difficult read to get through. You will be able to tell by the big fat trigger warning I’ll be placing for sexual assault, animal cruelty, graphic violence, disturbing content, and life threatening illness. You ready? Let’s get to it:

Darby had absolutely no intention of returning home for Christmas. However, her mom is very sick and cryptic texts from her sister about their mom’s condition put Darby in her beat up car to drive to Utah from Colorado. All she has to do is beat the incoming snowstorm in her ancient ride. As Darby drives towards her estranged family, Snowpacolypse begins in full force and she must stop at a remote rest station off the highway because the weather won’t allow her to go any further. At the rest stop, there are four other weary travelers. Ed and Sandi who are cousins, a strange man named Lars, and talkative Ashley. All of them stranded for the night until the snow plows clear the way.

Cell service is shot but Ashley tells Darby that there is a certain area in the parking lot where he was able to grab one blessed bar. Darby trudges through the cold and snow to search for service so she can let her mom and sister know the change of plans. The phone call doesn’t happen but as she walks back to the rest stop, she notices something in the back of one of the vans in the lot. A little hand. Surely her exhaustion had her seeing things so she goes back into the warmth to formulate a plan on the off chance that there really is a life at stake.

Under the guise of looking for service once more, Darby returns outside and her worst fears are confirmed. There is a little girl in the back of the van and her name is Jay. She is confined, bleeding, and dirty and someone in that rest stop is responsible for it. The snow is falling fast and there is no way out for another ten plus hours. All Darby needs to do is get the girl to safety and survive the night amongst a handful of possible kidnappers. What happens next? A deadly game of cat and mouse. A game that Darby has to play all alone because she can trust no one or let her guard down for even a second. Will Darby and Jay escape the rest stop in the morning? Or will someone in the rest stop get away with an unspeakable crime? Read No Exit to find out!

As I started reading No Exit, I was loving it. The plot was gripping and urgent and Darby was a remarkable heroine. It was twisty, downright terrifying, and every passing second felt like an eternity as Darby tried to figure out what to do next. Then, when the identity of the kidnapper was revealed, it all became too much. The criminal was the definition of a sadist and all of that suspense turned into something far more disturbing. Every risk that Darby took was foiled and as the kidnapper delighted and let their true colors come forward, No Exit became increasingly hard to read. Indeed, this book is NOT for the faint of heart.

For all of the horrible things in this book, the one redemption it had was Darby. She. Was. AWESOME! Darby was a bit of a thing at barely over five feet tall and she was scrappy as hell. I was so there for it! As she stared literal monsters down, she never faltered. She was calm, cool, and kept her head the whole way through. The criminal played checkers while Darby played chess. Thinking one step ahead, risking her life, and taking pride in being Jay’s guardian angel. Every time a plan failed, she came back swinging and it was impossible not to root for her. Darby was an excellent leading lady but it just wasn’t enough to make me say that this book was good. No Exit coasted on shock value alone and it was not the reading experience I expected after Her Last Breath.

Overall, I am going to rate No Exit with a two out of ten stars. For all of the good of Darby, there was just too much awful in this book for me to recommend it. This is one you can definitely skip on!

What did you think of No Exit if you have read it before? Did you see the movie on Hulu? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar8

One Of Those Weeks

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One Of Those Weeks

Oh hey! Have you ever had One Of Those Weeks where everything just feels kind of off? There was plenty of good for this past week like my girls afternoon with my mom and some excellent shifts at work. However, a situation occurred that left me in a bit of a slump and the rest of the week felt like a juggling act. I mean that metaphorically in terms of keeping myself in check to still be successful for the remainder of the week. I also mean it quite literally too…

Can anyone please tell me why when you’re already feeling low that you have to just start dropping everything in sight too? Lol, amidst all of the blahs I turned into the biggest butterfingers and it just added to all of the annoyance. Where do I even begin?! Let’s see, I dropped one of the bunny’s water dishes that spilled all over the bathroom floor, I dropped my work phone in a public bathroom, and as I put groceries into our tiny freezer an avalanche of frozen food went toppling. In honorable mention, I spilled my seltzer water dangerously close to my laptop, the bunny’s heart of romaine snack took a nosedive to the floor, and my funny bone got knocked hard against a door frame at work. There has been nothing funny about it!

While all of this was a massive pain, the worst was yet to come. Something that I have feared and hoped would never happen… My septum ring fell out on Thursday morning. *Dun dun dunnnnn* While I was in the bathroom, I noticed that my second septum ring that clicks together had come apart. I tried to fix it but my acrylics made that incredibly difficult and the ring ended up in my hands. In that moment, I went into a full on panic. Every single frustration caught up to me and this was the cherry on top. Honestly, I almost called off for the day right then and there. Nose piercings are notorious for closing quickly and if I couldn’t get the ring back in ASAFP then a trip to the piercing parlor was in order.

I tried several times to get the ring in to no avail and at that point I had to weigh my options. There were only two: Keep trying or give up. As best as I could, I tried to center myself with deep breaths and gave it one final go. Blessedly, the ring went in and Johnny was able to come in with the assist to snap it shut. Praise be to he! Between a crummy work sitch and a relentless case of the dropsies I think I would have gone into a tailspin if my septum closed up too. This actually just happened before I sat down to write this bum mood stream of consciousness. And, on the bright side, at least this unfortunate part of my week ended up a-okay!

It is five AM on Thursday morning and after all of this straight up nonsense, I am beyond ready for a break. Bring on the weekend! *Face palm*

What makes you feel better after experiencing frustration? What has annoyed you recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb28

Lil Red’s Book Club: The First Time I Saw Him By Laura Dave Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The First Time I Saw Him By Laura Dave Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing the sequel to Laura Dave’s thriller, The Last Thing He Told Me, called The First Time I Saw Him. I read The Last Thing He Told Me five years ago and I have to admit that I don’t remember much of it. However, I guess I liked it well enough because I gave it an eight out of ten stars in my review! Perhaps I would have liked the sequel more if I had a better recollection of its predecessor because The First Time I Saw Him really missed the mark for me. There is no content in this book that requires a trigger warning so let’s get right to it:

It has been over five years since Hannah’s husband, Owen, has disappeared off of the face of the earth due to providing evidence against a dangerous crime organization. It was all for the safety of Hannah and his daughter Bailey and they have been rebuilding the pieces of their lives since he vanished. Bailey is now a college graduate and Hannah is still making fantastic pieces of hand carved furniture. They have also grown very close to Bailey’s maternal grandfather, Nicholas, who was also part of the crime syndicate that Owen turned against. Nicholas also played an integral role in protecting Hannah and Bailey. After decades of loyalty to the big boss, he left with the promise that as long as Nicholas is alive that no harm would come to those he loves.

Unfortunately, that promise is swiftly broken upon Nicholas’s passing and the crime family wants blood. They still hold a grudge towards Owen for his betrayal and as he is in hiding, the only way to get to him is to get to Hannah and Bailey first. Almost as soon as the death of Nicholas is announced on the news, snatchers from the organization are deployed to Hannah and Bailey’s homes. Luckily, they have prepared for this situation for a long time. They hoped that their plan of escape would never have to happen but they are now thrust into it with both of their lives on the line.

Hannah and Bailey are on the run and the name of the game is to get as far away from their usual haunts as possible. Through back roads, safe houses, and the help of a friend with a private jet, they end up in France. Who they meet upon their arrival is certainly not who they were expecting but their help could provide the protection they need and a way to find Owen again. While Hannah and Bailey prepared and perfected their escape plan for over half a decade, other plans were being made too. Plans for a last ditch effort should the truce between Nicholas and his former employer no longer be honored. Hannah and Bailey have one final go at a normal life with or without Owen. Will the help from an unlikely ally see it through? Or will the family they could be simply vanish? Read The First Time I Saw Him to find out!

The only thing I really remember from The Last Thing He Told Me was essentially a wild goose chase. Hannah and Bailey on the run, their initial poor relationship, plans being made, plans changing, and the ever watchful organization hot on their tail. The First Time I Saw Him was basically the same thing minus Hannah and Bailey being besties now. Regardless of how long it has been since I read the first book, I had the nagging feeling as I read its sequel that I have read it all before. The bones of The First Time I Saw Him were so similar to its predecessor that it felt more like a review than a brand new book.

What I remember liking the most about The Last Thing He Told Me was its sense of urgency that was so palpable on each page. Both Hannah and Bailey had no idea what was happening as they avoided peril and I could feel their anxiety so clearly. That swell of emotion was just not there as I read The First Time I Saw Him because its plot had already been done before. Yes, it was scary that Hannah and Bailey were put in this situation once again but it was also such a crazy story that it felt like a really bold move to rinse and repeat it. While I enjoyed Laura Dave’s writing, the sense of deja vu was much too prominent and The First Time I Saw Him felt like something borrowed over something new. This might sound harsh but it just felt like a lazy effort on Laura Dave’s part and I was happy to be done with the book or, rather, the CliffsNotes of the first one.

Overall, I am going to rate The First Time I Saw Him with a three out of ten stars. It was well written but that didn’t save the repeat plot one bit!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb13

Groovy Movies: The Strangers – Chapter 3 Edition

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Groovy Movies: The Strangers – Chapter 3 Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Groovy Movies. In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing The Strangers – Chapter 3. I am an avid fan of The Strangers franchise and thoroughly enjoyed Chapter 2 which came out last September. I was so eager to see the third installment as Chapter 2 ended on a cliffhanger and I was chomping at the bit to see what would happen next. While Chapter 3 tied up several loose ends it was overall very disappointing and honestly begs the question of why this movie was even made lol. They could have tacked on an extra half hour to the second one and it would have made it even better. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Strangers – Chapter 3 for brutal violence, gore, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video!

The Strangers – Chapter 3 picks up immediately where Chapter 2 left off. Maya is still on the run from The Strangers but their numbers have dwindled down to Scarecrow and Dollface. Despite being down one Stranger, Maya is the only person to survive an encounter with them and they can’t let her get away. As Maya continues her night of terror she is eventually picked up by the sheriff but realizes she might be in more danger with him than without. In a moment of desperation, she steals his car only to end up crashing it and being found by Scarecrow and Dollface. While Maya is held captive, her sister and brother-in-law travel to Venus, Oregon to track her down. The townspeople are less than helpful so they decide to take matters into their own hands by tailing the sheriff, who is surely up to no good. Through his flashbacks, we learn that they were right on the money.

Eventually, Scarecrow and Dollface try to incorporate Maya into their murderous pack as the new Pin-Up Girl. They track their victims and Maya is thrown into a situation of kill or be killed. She takes the opportunity to slaughter one more Stranger until it is down to one on one. This is her last chance to get far away from Venus where the whole town is in on The Strangers or end up as Pin-Up Girl permanently. Will she make her escape? Or become the newest member of The Strangers? Watch Chapter 3 to find out!

The Strangers – Chapter 3 fell flat in every sense of the word and I am genuinely bummed by it. Of course, none of the following installments of The Strangers after the first movie were amazing but they were still fast paced and fun to watch. Chapter 3 was slow moving, had minimal jump scares, and the new information provided could have fit neatly into Chapter 2 without the need for a trilogy. The best parts of this movie actually came from the sheriff’s flashbacks but they were few and far between. Had they explored that story more, I think the movie would have been much better for it as it was messed up and something new. Rather, the song and dance of Maya thwarting The Strangers continued and it made this hour and a half flick feel endless.

Chapter 3 ended with the potential for another movie and all I have to say is: Please don’t lol. I was SO excited to see this movie after Chapter 2 and it was the worst of the entire franchise. I fear that if they continue on with this story, it’s just going to end up getting even more terrible and that’s a shame. I completely agree with those who said The Strangers should have simply been a standalone film. For the most part, however, its predecessors were pretty good until Chapter 3 took this sentiment to a slamming halt. If you see the movie, you will know from the ending exactly what they could do with another one. If we were watching the same movie, I think you will agree to leave well enough alone!

Overall, I am going to rate The Strangers – Chapter 3 with a three out of ten stars. The flashbacks were its only saving grace in an otherwise totally lackluster horror flick.

Are you a fan of The Strangers franchise? What is your favorite movie from the series? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb1

Lil Red’s Book Club: Anatomy Of An Alibi By Ashley Elston Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Anatomy Of An Alibi By Ashley Elston Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing Anatomy Of An Alibi by Ashley Elston. I have been reading a fair share of Stephen King and was excited to give Anatomy Of An Alibi a go. I love horror but I also love a twisty thriller and was ready for a change of pace. I have also never read anything by Ashley Elston and it’s fun to explore new authors. I suspect this will be the last thing I read by Elston, however, because this book was not it for me in the slightest. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on Anatomy Of An Alibi for car accidents and general violence. Now, let’s get to it:

From the outside, Camille’s life looks picture perfect. She is married to a successful defense lawyer named Ben, has a gorgeous home, and a bank account with more money than she knows what to do with. Everything would be perfect if the people in her life were too. Ben is a controlling husband who watches her every step and tracks her phone. This is rich because Camille has done nothing wrong but has every reason to believe that Ben is up to no good. He is secretive, spends hours tucked away in his home office, and their marriage is disintegrating. She could divorce him but there is a clause in the prenup she signed that she can only have her cut if there is wrongdoing. IE: Ben cheating on her or abusing her.

After some snooping, Camille thinks she has her way out. She finds a woman named Aubrey’s name, home address, and work address on a napkin in Ben’s briefcase. Jackpot! She’ll meet the woman he is cheating on her with, have her admit it, and get this divorce moving. Camille decides to pay Aubrey a visit at the bar she tends at and learns that she is not a cheater at all. She only knows Ben’s name as he’s somewhat of a local celebrity. But Ben certainly knows her.

Aubrey was orphaned at sixteen when her parents got hit by a drunk driver. Paul Granger is the man who was convicted of the hit and run but he has maintained his innocence. In a letter he wrote to Aubrey, he informs her that there has been new evidence in his case that was given to him by a dirty cop. A dirty cop who is dying and wishes to make good with anyone he harmed. With this information, Aubrey makes it her mission to uncover who really killed her parents while Camille focuses on finding a way to escape her husband.

As the story weaves on, the ladies find common ground and must work together to prove that Ben isn’t who he says he is. He either killed Aubrey’s parents or is covering it up. What they need is a plan to prove Paul’s innocence and force Ben to spill what he knows. So they concoct a perfect alibi. One that will allow Aubrey to pose as Camille while Camille spies on Ben through security cameras. Then, the unthinkable happens. Ben is murdered while Aubrey and Camille touch down at their meet up spot and both of their lives are now on the line. Will they get the information they need? Or is one of them going down for murder? Read Anatomy Of An Alibi to find out! (Or don’t lol)

I absolutely love thriller novels and I say the twistier the better. I revel in the surprises and being at the edge of my seat. Anatomy Of An Alibi was twisty, yes, but it was a mess. This book was so incredibly convoluted and read like the twists were just being thrown in for the sake of having them. Every page felt like an eternity to read for a story that just wasn’t that good to begin with. This book was exhausting and, to be frank, poorly written. For all of the poorly crafted plot twists, there was a character that was equally as poorly crafted and I didn’t care for any of them. Normally I can live with one or the other but when both the plot and characters don’t move me, reading feels like a chore rather than something enjoyable.

I finished this book during my surprise snow day and almost didn’t bother with it. It was boring and predictable. The only saving grace was the budding relationship between Aubrey and one of her roommates. Who doesn’t like a little romance?! Other than those fiery moments, Anatomy Of An Alibi was a snooze fest through and through. Perhaps it would have been better written by another author because I think Ashley Elston bit off a bit more than she could chew with this book!

Overall, I am going to rate Anatomy Of An Alibi with a zero out of ten stars. Do not waste your time on this one because it was one of the worst books I have read in recent memory!

What is your favorite twisty thriller? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan23

Stereophonic At Playhouse Square

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Stereophonic At Playhouse Square

Hello! This past Saturday Johnny and I had a hilarious little adventure “seeing” Stereophonic at Playhouse Square. We got dolled up (Peep my OOTD soon!), had a delicious lunch at El Meson, and headed to Cleveland for a matinee showing. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Stereophonic, it is loosely based on Fleetwood Mac’s recording process for their album, Rumours. Johnny and I thought we definitely could get down with that. Unfortunately, we definitely could not lol. Let’s discuss:

Whenever I attend a show at Playhouse Square, I expect excellence. My main squeeze and I have been lucky enough to go to so many wonderful performances there and it’s extremely rare for us to not enjoy ourselves. I guess there is a first time for everything (Minus a silly blip when we saw Les Mis and left) because, pardon my French, but Stereophonic sucked ass. In fact, I was so immediately not into it that I almost whispered to Johnny that we should leave five seconds in. If you are interested in Stereophonic from the music perspective, just know that that’s not what you’re going to get. Rather, you are in for a whole lot of meaningless chatter.

I would say that Johnny and I got about twenty-five minutes into Stereophonic before I pulled the plug and we hightailed it. In that time, all we saw was a bunch of people talking over themselves, getting drugged and boozed up, and having conversations that meant nothing to the task at hand. That being, recording an album. It was very difficult to even know who was speaking as the characters were spread out between the studio and the lounge area. The audio was very disjointed and even if we cared to follow along with the dialogue, it felt like it was just voices in the air rather than seeing the cast speak. If that makes sense?

All Johnny and I wanted was to hear a song and leave. Roughly twenty minutes in, the drummer laid down a killer beat and we were like okay, let’s go. Then, he stopped and the incessant chit chat commenced once more. Five minutes later, we were literally like okay, let’s go and left lol. From my understanding, a hefty portion of the audience dipped out at intermission and I applaud them for holding out that long. They have far more strength and mental fortitude than Johnny and I could muster that afternoon.

When we returned home, plenty of ads for Stereophonic were on my Facebook and I took the time to read some of the comments left for Playhouse Square. I would say about seventy percent of them were in the negative with complaints that included: Too much talking, too slow a pace, not enough music, and the final nail in the coffin – that they just didn’t care. On the positive end of comments, others were saying that it was like being a fly on the wall to watch the creative process. These comments begged the question – Were we even watching the same show? From start to twenty-five minutes later, Stereophonic was exhausting and I cannot speak about it poorly enough!

If you are expecting a rocking Fleetwood Mac-esque musical with Stereophonic, do not and I repeat: DO NOT bother. This was easily the worst production I have seen in my extensive span of Playhouse Square shows. Very disappointing!

What are your thoughts on Stereophonic? Are you seeing anything at the theater soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec17

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Inmate By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Inmate By Freida McFadden Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing another Frieda McFadden thriller called The Inmate. This is the second McFadden book I have read in a row and like its predecessor and all those that came before it, The Inmate was very average. However, it was a quick read and Freida McFadden is the author I turn to when I want a twisty tale that can be read in a sitting or two. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Inmate for general violence. Now, let’s get to it:

Brooke has returned to her hometown called Raker with her son, Josh, to live in her recently deceased parents’ home. After horrible bullying at his old school, Brooke thinks Josh needs a fresh start although a new beginning for him means going back into her past. Brooke is the survivor of a terrible string of murders and Josh’s father is none other than the perpetrator. Her parents all but disowned her after deciding to keep the baby and they barely communicated since. Before this all took place, however, the small town she grew up in was a happy place and she hopes the same for Josh.

Prior to the move, Brooke applied as a nurse practitioner to every medical facility in the area and received no calls back… Except from Raker Penitentiary. This was her last resort option and now her only option. She accepts the job and crosses her fingers that her former boyfriend and Josh’s father, Shane, will never end up as one of her patients. Of course, it was bound to happen and Shane ends up in the exam room for stitches on her very first day. She does her job, tries not to notice how good he still looks, heeds the warning from her colleagues that Shane is a “manipulative” person, and sends him on his way.

Shane is not the only ghost from her past that she encounters upon her return to Raker. There is Tim, her next door neighbor, first best friend, and was an attendant at the party in their teens that turned deadly. He is the assistant principal at Josh’s school, has turned into quite the looker, and is still as madly in love with Brooke now as he was back in the day. After a few dates, Tim becomes a staple in their household and Josh adores spending time with him. Life is teetering on being actually good and Brooke could get used to this, if she could just keep her racing thoughts out of her head.

Brooke feels like she is missing something from the night of the murders. A critical piece of information that might make Shane innocent after all. There is something suspicious about Tim and as Brooke removes Shane’s stitches at work, he claims that it was not him but her new boyfriend who committed the crimes. Did Brooke really put an innocent man in prison with her testimony? If she did, she needs to make it right but whodoneit? Her first love and the father of her son or her new flame? Read The Inmate to find out!

I like to fancy myself an amateur detective and every twist that occurred in The Inmate was seen from a thousand miles away. Do I like when this happens? Not necessarily although I like to pat myself on the back lol. I prefer to be surprised and there were no real surprises to The Inmate… until the final twist. And, the final twist is always where my problem lies with Freida McFadden books. The shockers leading up to the grand reveal are so transparent and when the reveal happens it’s so out of left field that it barely makes sense. That was very much the case with The Inmate. BAM here’s what happened and now the story is over. In a way, this feels like a cop out on McFadden’s part. To write an entire book, throw some random ending in, and then just be done. It explains why I always feel unsatisfied after finishing her thrillers!

My other qualm with The Inmate and Freida McFadden books in general are the characters. They are all so simple with nothing special about them and it makes it hard to feel anything for them. The characters in The Inmate felt wildly underdeveloped and it almost read like a first draft rather than completed product. In a crazy thriller scenario, the characters were dull and the sense of urgency of a potentially innocent man in prison was nonexistent. The Inmate was an alright story but it felt so incomplete and, therefore, I was unimpressed.

Overall, I am going to rate The Inmate with a four out of ten stars. This was not McFadden’s best and I would not recommend this one!

What is your favorite Freida McFadden book? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah