CW/TW for discussion of assault, consent, and trauma. Be gentle with yourself, k? It’s time for The Bachelorette. I’ve got a strawberry White Claw (or six) to help me cope. Ok, maybe more. OR MAYBE NOT. I’m embracing the chaos here. Last week Karl acted as an agent of chaos, inexplicably rubbing a cardboard cutout of Katie with a banana, and telling her that multiple guys in the house (resort?) were there for the wrong reasons. … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S17 E3: Strawberry White Claw →
We open up with a group date. Heather McDonald of the Juicy Scoop podcast is there and she quizzes the men about female sexuality. Mike talks about being a virgin again, but doesn’t reveal it to the group. Then they have to give a presentation about what makes them the greatest lover. WTF. Like a power point? Mike is upset and starts crying. We are nine minutes into this, people. Here’s the thing: there’s nothing … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S17 E2: Connor the Cat →
On last season of The Bachelor, Katie Thurston showed up with a vibrator and an attitude that shut down bullies. Now she’s one of two Bachelorettes we’ll get this year. First up, Chris Harrison has officially exited the franchise (with a golden parachute, I’m sure). I assume he was unable to fulfill his bargain and harvest enough souls for The Rose God, and is chained to a wall in a McMansion dungeon somewhere. So this season … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S17 E1: Oh, Shit–Here We Go Again →
Fake is a fake relationship celebrity romance that will either really work for people or not work at all. It’s tropey, has a first person POV that limits engagement with the hero, and also is largely absent of conflict. If you’re looking for something with a lot of character development and a good bleak moment, this book will not satisfy. If you want to enjoy a largely conflict-free celebrity-Cinderella fantasy and don’t need the hero’s … Continue reading Fake by Kylie Scott →
The Shadow in the Glass is marketed as a Gothic Cinderella story, which is totally my jam, but in reality what I got was a Faustian morality tale with some Cinderella themes. It was a depressing read overall and, this is a big spoiler but an important one: Even if I meant to read this as a Faustian morality tale, it still left some questions unanswered at the end of the novel, and not in … Continue reading The Shadow in the Glass by J.J.A. Harwood →
I read Second First Impressions at exactly the right time. A big theme in this romance is healing from trauma and coming out of isolation, and at the time I read it I had just scheduled my first Covid shot. This theme resonated so much with me I found myself crying while I read, big fat tears soaking into my pillow, but it was a cathartic cry and it felt good. There were also moments … Continue reading Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne →
TW: Sexual assault Joanna Shupe is one of my auto-buy authors, so I was bummed when The Heiress Hunt fell flat for me. This first book in her Fifth Avenue Rebels series promised a friends-to-lovers romance, which I adore, but the hero’s inability to grow or change left me lukewarm at the end. Harrison Archer is the second son to a tycoon and grew up in a pretty awful household. While his older brother, Teddy, … Continue reading The Heiress Hunt by Joanna Shupe →
When I recommend Instant Loss Cookbook: Cook Your Way to a Healthy Weight with 125 Recipes for Your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker I do so with the caveat that this book really isn’t about weight loss. If you read the introduction, the author is open about the fact that she struggled with obesity, but the real reason she came up with these recipes is that her child was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis and as a … Continue reading Instant Loss Cookbook by Brittany Williams →
We are finally at the end of the fiasco that was this season of The Bachelor which means The Final Rose special. A LOT happened between the last episode and filming of this special. For one, Chris Harrison was suspended/fired?/laid to rest in a coffin filled with dirt from beneath the Rose God for being racist and generally a shitheel in an interview with Rachel Lindsey. Emmanuel Acho is hosting. I have no Pudding update for … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelor–S25 E12: Uncomfortable Silences →
We almost, almost at the end of this season. We have a two hour finale and then the After The Final Rose special. I’m breaking it up into two recaps because I can’t stay up that late. Pudding, however, is a night owl. Matt’s mom and his brother have arrived to meet the last two women, Michelle and Rachael. Patty, his mom, says she does think it’s a longshot he’d be engaged at the end of the … Continue reading Elyse Watches The Bachelor–S25 E11: Don’t Worry, Love Ends →
I achieved STABLE long ago (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy). If I stopped buying yarn now I’d have enough to knit with for years. The problem is, yarn is pretty and soft and colorful, and I am absolutely not going to stop buying it. Yarn is my happy place…er, thing. Yarn makes me joyful. I like knitting with it. I like squishing it at the yarn store. When I need to relax mentally, I look … Continue reading Indie Dyer Spotlight →
