little sparkles from May
basically just talking about Off Campus as much as humanly possible
what a whirlwind last month was! May came and went like the snap of my fingers. it feels like I’ve been waiting for June to hit since the beginning of time, and it’s finally here — and I am so excited to see what she has in store!
but first, a recap of May:
I went to puppy yoga (!!!!!) and it was literally the cutest, most soul-filling time. now my entire Pinterest feed is filled with Mini Schnauzers. if this post gets one like, I’ll adopt one.
then, my best friend’s bachelorette trip in Charleston! a girly swirly time filled with giggles, sparkles, feather boas, backyard hibachi, dancing in kitten heels on top of confetti, and going to spin class with *checks notes* Craig Conover? it’s true what they say: Charleston is very small. he was so handsome in person, btw.
I bebopped over to Florida for MDW to spend time with my mom for her birthday. as always, that time was spent reading all my smuttiest books (and praying my dad doesn’t ask me what I’m reading), tanning by the pool like it’s my day job, and eating ice cream on the couch in the evenings while watching Jeopardy. it’s the little things!!!
then, the weekend of my absolute dreams… two of my best friends in the world got married to each other under the bluest skies and I danced the night away with all my best friends and kissed May goodbye. the wedding weekend was a blur (to say the absolute least), and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I am so lucky to be in the lives of so many wonderful people and to have not only witnessed my best friend get married, but watch her get married to my other best friend who adores her like there’s no tomorrow. if anyone knows of a time machine anywhere in the world, please send me notice immediately so I can relive that night again.
admittedly, I spent the week in between Florida & my BFFs’ wedding watching Off Campus, thinking about Off Campus, and talking about Off Campus to quite literally anyone who would listen. so, as you can imagine, I have quite a few things to say in this little recap of all the sparkly things in May!
(and Dean Di Laurentis may have been one of the sparkliest of them all.)
okay, let’s chit chat!
sparkly reads
there are only a few modern authors whose books I always preorder as soon as their pub date is announced. one of those authors is Carley Fortune. while I admit that she has a 50/50 track record for me (I, like, really hated books 2 and 3, but then she pulled me back in with One Golden Summer which is one of my favorite romances of all time), she expertly times out her releases around the cusp of spring into summer, which is the perfect time to dive into a delicious little smut novel. I finished her new standalone Our Perfect Storm while I was poolside, and I thought it was a great breezy little read in the sunshine. I actually found it a touch boring and predictable for the first half, but then got really into it, and then I was sad to read the last pages. I won’t spoil too much since it’s still new, but I think this might be one of my favorite friends-to-lovers (my fave trope!!) that I’ve ever read. I think it will surprise you, thrill you, and comfort you all at once.
I take immense pride in being the girl who texts her friends “wait you have to read this book” and then they actually do read the book. this happened not once, but twice, after I read God of the Woods by Liz Moore. I dove into this thriller pretty blind, only knowing that it was about a disappearance at a summer camp, and I would recommend you do the same if you’re ever planning on indulging. mysteries are one of my favorite genres, and I find that I’m both pretty easy to please, and a bit of a hard critic, too. as long as it's not incredibly predictable, I’ll probably give it 3.5 stars at least. but let me tell you — I stayed up until 3 in the morning to finish this one, because it was that good. the writing had me so hooked. I kept saying “okay I’ll just finish this chapter”, and then that happened about 50 more times until I found myself bleary eyed and awestruck in the wee hours of the morning, leaving my Fable review of 5 stars. I’m still waiting for my friends to finish reading it, and I can’t wait to do mini book club with them. but in the meantime, would love to hear your thoughts if you’ve ever read it!
to go with the suspenseful theme and interrupt my normal May romance reading rhythms, I stayed true to my airport tradition of buying a book in the Hudson News to take with me to Florida. this month’s victim was Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell. I’ve read a couple of Jewell’s books, and I’d probably rank this one pretty low among them. it’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, but I find that she has a habit of making the plot almost so glaringly obvious (like, there’s not really any whodunnit involved, because you know what’s going on and who’s responsible about 10% in). with Jewell, I like to say that it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. the page-turning, the hops between narration, the characters intertwining. I wouldn’t say there was a huge twist, but it was still a satisfying read. do with that what you will.
within the past couple of days, I finished reading One Last Summer by Kate Spencer: a book I bought last summer and tried and failed to get into. I gave it a second shot with lower expectations because it was clear to me that this was a book written about 30 year olds for 16 year olds. was it a fun, sunny romance? sure! did I particularly enjoy reading about a group of 30-somethings having an ice cream food fight and flinging hot fudge at one another in their camp cafeteria? not really. would probably not recommend anyone read that one, but I’m always grateful to have something to entertain me while I tan!
sparkly watches
sigh. let’s talk Off Campus now, and I’ll try to refrain from going feral. like everyone else who’s had access to social media in the last few weeks, I’ve been hit with seemingly endless content about this college hockey romance show. I tried to resist it for a little bit, thinking it was too juvenile for me at my ripe old age of 26. and boy, was I terribly wrong. I can’t even put it into words how amazing this show was (and yet, it wasn’t even amazing at the same time? it was like, bad. but it was also so good. you know what I mean?). I have thought about it once an hour, every hour since I finished the final episode. for the last week, I’ve toyed with the idea of starting it all over again just to feel something again. I don’t know what it is about hockey romances, or contemporary book adaptations, or Amazon Prime originals, but they’ve all got an absolutely perfect record at the moment. I’m so grateful I made it past the first episode, which was, admittedly, really cringe, and watched the rest of this show so I could be introduced to true television. I literally think about Dean and Allie every 30 minutes and can’t wait to watch their season next. it better hurry up and make its way to my streaming service as soon as humanly possible or else I’m going to throw a dimple-deprivation-induced tantrum.
if you know me, you’ve probably heard me talk about Love Island at some point. I would dare to say it’s one of my favorite shows of all time. I think it’s a perfect formula, absolutely revolutionary in the reality/game show space, and my favorite part of summer. to fill the time while I waited for the new seasons of UK and USA to air — which they just did this week! — I finally watched season 3 of Love Island All Stars. I watched it in two weeks flat (which I’d like to think is pretty impressive for a 40-episode show. I don’t have many accomplishments to my name, but I do have that!). while I would say it was a pretty mid season overall, there were several spans of episodes that had me absolutely gripped with the drama and absurdity. they brought in USA alums for the Casa Amor twist for the first time ever, which was just delicious. there was drama within the villa walls that went on for weeks, and even continued after the show ended, which I only know because I dove into one too many Reddit threads about the contestants. while I could watch Love Island at any point in the year and love it just the same, there’s something a little extra delicious about watching it right when the weather gets warmer.
as always, let’s talk Bravo — because it’s been a huuuuge month for those of us who spend more time watching reality TV than with their actual real life friends.
Summer House: let’s start with the obvious, the scandal that’s taken America by storm. I may be in the minority, but I’m actually starting to get a little fatigued by the West/Amanda/Ciara convo. the reunion has only one part left to air next week, and I just don’t feel like any resolution is going to go down, so what’s the point? I also think the rhetoric online has gone way too far. I hate that it’s normal for me to see such horrible, dehumanizing things said about Amanda every day. I get that she’s in the wrong, but I really feel for her and want her to protect her mental health in all of this mud slinging. Ciara’s already won, so let’s leave the poor girl alone. West, however, can never come on my screen again and I’d be just fine!
Real Housewives of Rhode Island: after admittedly not wanting to watch RHORI when it first aired, I got hooked this month and I’m already fully up-to-date. I was instantly obsessed with Liz from the very first moment she came on my screen, in a soul-tie way that I haven’t felt since I first laid eyes upon my baby gorgeous Lisa Barlow. I’m really liking quirky Alicia, too! I feel middle-of-the-road about Jo-Ellen, Kelsey, and Ashley I, and I really couldn’t care less about Rulla, though I love her messy storyline being one of the main plots of the season. I absolutely dislike Rosie, however, and find her to be pretty nasty. but she has a necessary role in the show, and for that I will endure her. it’s a real breath of fresh air to have a new Housewives franchise that is such an instant hit as this one is, and I can’t wait to watch the rest of the season unfold.
Real Housewives of Atlanta: while I’ve dipped in and out of RHOA over the last few years, I jumped into this season during episode 1 (thanks to my sister who forced me to watch while we were on our family vacation). and thank goodness for my sister, because Sundays have fast become my favorite day of the week so I can consume my weekly 60 minutes of deliciousness from these peachy women. they are messy, their reads are absolutely killer, and their confessionals always leave me in stitches (shoutout to my queen of all queens, Phaedra Parks). Atlanta just has a different air to it than the other franchises. I can’t explain it, but I recommend everyone watch it and be entertained.
sparkly listens
because I am the most blessed person to ever walk the earth, of course Ariana Grande has dropped a new song off of her upcoming album petal. in case you've been living under a rock, the song is called “hate that I made you love me” and it’s a sneaky anthem that speaks directly to the media and Ari’s complex relationship with public opinion and fame. she wrote this song entirely on her own, under her new label Babydoll Music (I’m so proud of her) and it’s already the bop of the summer. I’ve gotten approx 10 texts in the last week from friends telling me how much they love the song, which I take immense pride in being the recipient of.
honorable mention: Dangerous Woman turned 10 years old last month and Ari released an anniversary album featuring the previously unreleased song “Knew Better Part Two” that’s been my absolute obsession. and if you want to hear one of the best songs ever made, listen to “Touch It” off of that album. go ahead, I’ll wait. it’ll change your life.
of course I have to mention Off Campus one more time before this post ends. the soundtrack is absolutely flames and captures the feeling of feeling young, alive, and in love SO well. and seeing how I’ve been trying to capture the feeling I felt when I first watched the show ever since I watched the final credits, I’ve been listening to this playlist all day every day to revive the magic.
as I do every time the seasons change, I’ve just made my summer playlist which I have very descriptively titled ⟡ SINGLE GIRL SUMMER ⟡. a lot of the songs on it are my typical summer songs, but I’ve also added some recent favorites (many of which I’ve sourced from the aforementioned Off Campus playlist). I love how songs always transport me back to the season where I listened to them, and I know this playlist will be the soundtrack for such a pivotal season in my life that I will always reminisce on.
other sparkly things
against my better judgment, I’ve been in a bit of a retail therapy phase this month. in my defense, I had a lot of events I had to shop for! for my bestie’s bachelorette, I wore this sparkly romper/dress that was so cute for a girls’ weekend out, paired with a tiny lil sequined bag (both from Princess Polly!). I also finally caved and bought flip flop kitten heels, and they are unfortunately pretty cute. I fear that my summer closet isn’t anywhere close to finished, so TBD on what new pieces I add to my collection so I can feel extra sparkly in the sunshine.
along with shopping for clothes, I obviously have had to shop for my new apartment that I’m moving into so soon! there are a few details that I want to make the most of — like a pretty tiny kitchen-slash-hallway which I’m adorning with this cute pink runner so something pretty greets you when you walk in the door. I’ve also always wanted curtains in my room but I haven’t had them since I was twelve years old, so I sent my inner child a kiss and bought some cute pink sheer curtains for the large window in my living room. and I saw these cutest coasters ever on Pinterest while nesting and shopping around, so naturally I overnighted them for my coffee table (because I am Monica Geller and we do not tolerate condensation rings around here). slowly but surely, adding tons of pink, sparkles, and cuteness to my new place!
my current obsession is the rise of Brooke Averick. if you don’t know who that is, she co-hosts a podcast with Connor Wood (AKA Fibula AKA The Fibs), and she has just released her first ever book that immediately shot to the NYT Bestseller list: Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It. it’s a coming-of-age-ish story about Phoebe, a 29 year old teacher who swears to lose “it” (her virginity) by the time she turns 30, and the journey she takes to get there. I’ve been getting so much content in my IG feed of Brooke on her book tour, doing the rounds on podcasts and other shows, and she is literally every aspiring writer / adult teenage girl’s dream come true. she fancast the three men in her book as Matthew Gray Gubler, David Corenswet, and Joe Keery. like, she’s speaking my language. it’s so inspiring for so many women like me to look at Brooke and know that not only is she just like us, but she brought her fanfic romantic comedy dreams to life. if it can happen to her, it can happen to me! I can’t wait to read Phoebe ASAP and fall in love with her.
sparkly inspo
at this point, I don’t even think I need to explain my inspo of the last month to you because it’s the same as always: Ariana Grande, cute little sparkly details, me daydreaming about getting a puppy, more sayings to keep me grounded, and even more nesting and planning for my new space (that I move into in just 3 days!!!). I’m sure next month’s Pinterest board will be more of the same, too. God forbid a girl has a consistent brand identity!
June is here and she’s already beautiful. as you might know if you’ve stuck around for a few posts, I’ve been anticipating this move to my first solo apartment for a couple months, and the time is finally here — I get the keys tomorrow!
and I realized while talking to my therapist yesterday that I’m actually excited. and not in a way where I have to just say that because it’s what I’m supposed to say.
I am truly over the jitters and uncertainty, and I’m stepping into this season with so much expectation, levity, and readiness for how it will mold me and shape me into a better version of myself with every month that passes.
I have a lot to figure out in the meantime and some soul-searching to do (very quarter life crisis of me, I know) but I’m truly excited about it. and if I know myself, and I think I do, then I’m sure you can count on me oversharing every step of the way in this new chapter I’m starting.
I’m so ready to say hello to June. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for me.
LOVEEEE this, as always!!! and i’m obsessed with brooke averick hahaha
“Girly swirly” ok….Alexia are you a toaster!!! Loved this recap. May went by too quick 🫣