Hufflepuff

To be honest, I had the read the Kindle description to remind myself what this book was about. That’s not the book’s fault though. It’s mine because I’ve read so many Nicholas Sparks books that they’ve all kind of run together. Unfortunately, that also means that I was getting a little bit tired of reading his writing at this point. However, this book still captured my attention and was pretty good. One of the main characters, Jasper, was a boring addition to the story until he got to tell his story. After that, though, it was pretty easy to figure out his role in the big picture. I really liked the way Sparks wove the stories together. He’s good at writing parallel stories that then intersect. Even though this isn’t my favorite Nicholas Sparks book, I would still recommend it.

Rating: 7/10

I DEVOURED this. I love, love, love the Hunger Games series, and this installment was not an exception. This was absolutely full of Easter eggs and callbacks to the other books. Another touch that I loved was the inclusion throughout of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. I love Poe, so I loved that facet of the story and the connection to Haymitch with the lost love. I also didn’t expect it to be so emotional and touching when I thought I knew how it was going to end. But that’s a testament to Suzanne Collins’s skill as a writer. To be able to take a character whose ending has already been established and explain why he is the way he is, is just amazing. And to be able to do that and still have the book be full of surprises! I don’t know how she does it. And I can’t wait for the movie!

Rating: 9/10

At the beginning of this movie, I thought it had promise. It interested me right from the start, and I wanted to know what was going to happen. Unfortunately, then people started talking. The script was awful. The dialogue was extremely corny and got cornier as the movie went on. Ethan Hawke was the highlight of the movie, and he was severely limited by the script. Honestly, though, it wouldn’t have been as bad if it hadn’t been for Karen Gillan and James Ransone. I haven’t seen either of them in much else so I can’t attest to their abilities in other movies, but they were really bad in this. Their acting was very amateur and totally took me out of the movie. The dog was truly the best performer out of the whole cast. The premise was interesting, but the execution fell insanely flat.

Sex/nudity: 2/10 (kissing, references to sex, one character dies in a bathtub but no genitals are shown)

Language: 5/10 (five f words, several other instances of cursing throughout)

Violence: 6/10 (a man’s throat is slit on screen and there is a lot of blood - probably the most graphic part of the movie, gun fights with some blood, one other death that’s a spoiler - but let’s just say that this is a western John Wick)

Overall rating: 4/10

The first time I watched this, I did not like it. I thought it was stupid to make it modern, and the whole guns instead of swords thing really seemed idiotic to me. However, I also hadn’t actually read the play yet. Now that I’ve read it, I actually love this version. It’s still a little weird, but part of that is just Baz Lurhmann’s style. The modernization actually works with the script. Speaking of the script, I absolutely love that it’s the real Shakespeare script. They didn’t change it to fit the modern setting, and I thought that was perfect. Part of Shakespeare’s appeal is the universality of his themes. Modernizing it and keeping the original script just solidified that. The two leads also did such a great job that I kept wishing they wouldn’t die even though I obviously knew that they had to, which is very sad. If you can’t tell, I love Shakespeare, and this version is so true to his original that I genuinely think it might be one of the best, if not the best, adaptations that exist.

Sex/nudity: 4/10 (shirtless men, some butts visible, kissing, making out, implied sex, a man licks his nipple, many double entendres and suggestive comments throughout)

Language: 1/10 (the language is Elizabethan and British, so the “cursing” is outdated or not recognized as cursing in American English)

Violence: 5/10 (no spoilers, but there’s a lot of shooting, blood, and death)

Overall rating: 8/10

This movie was strange but highly enjoyable. I wish I had known about it sooner. I don’t even remember how I found it, but I’m glad I did. It was interesting, a little bit suspenseful, and funny. The whole time you’re wondering who, if anyone, is the crazy one. I liked the way the stories all wove together, and I enjoyed the ending even though it wasn’t totally what I expected. I’d definitely watch this again.

Sex/nudity: 3/10 (mild reference to genitalia and other body parts, rear nudity, kissing/making out, teenager walks in on her parents having sex but nothing is seen)

Language: 2/10 (I honestly don’t remember there being much if any, IMDb says mild)

Violence: 2/10 (bullying, mild domestic violence, a punch and bruising shown later)

Overall rating: 7/10

I watched Culpa Mía a long time ago and didn’t like it much at all. This version is so much better! They actually develop a relationship instead of just jumping straight into the physical. I’m not a huge fan of the step-sibling trope, but this version made it seem less weird. The guy that plays Nick is also way more attractive in this version. I will never watch Culpa Mia again, but I already have watched this one again. I don’t know which one is more book-accurate, but I know which one I prefer.

Sex/nudity: 2/10 (implied sex, making out, undressing each other, one sex scene not super scandalous)

Language: 4/10 (4 or 5 f words but not much else)

Violence: 5/10 (multiple fights, car crashes, torture, stabbing, gun shots, blood shown)

Overall rating: 7/10

I had never seen Shane West in anything other than A Walk to Remember before watching this, and watching this honestly made me want to watch A Walk to Remember again. This movie was totally predictable, especially if you know the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, but it was also enjoyable. I liked the take on the classic. There was more nudity than I was expecting, but the lack of a ton of cussing sort of made up for it. This wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice for movie night, but it’s not bad.

Sex/nudity: 6/10 (picture of hookers shown, bare butts, naked woman in shower but no breasts or genitals seen, topless males, man in thong, attempted sex, implied sex)

Language: 2/10 (infrequent and fairly mild)

Violence: 1/10 (I don’t remember any physical violence but there is one prank sort of situation that could be considered mildly violent)

Overall rating: 5/10

I watched the Mortal Instruments movie and became very curious about this world, so naturally I bought and read the entire series.

📚 City of Bones

I enjoyed this! It was way different from the movie in a good way. I liked all the details and thought this was the perfect introduction to this book universe.

📚 City of Ashes

I absolutely devoured this one. I loved Jace in this (and in general, but especially in this one). I couldn’t wait to read the next book after I finished this one.

📚 City of Glass

This book had me gasping out loud multiple times. I loved that I knew absolutely nothing about this series and what was going to happen so that I could be totally surprised. No spoilers, but the character that is introduced in this book — I hate him with a fiery, burning passion. Unfortunately, I felt that the ending to this one was anticlimactic, and I was quite confused about what the rest of the series could be about.

📚 City of Fallen Angels

After the first three books, this one was not my favorite. I felt that all of the action was at the end and that most of the book was filler. I honestly think this could’ve either been cut from the series or somehow combined with next book.

📚 City of Lost Souls

This was way better than the fourth book, and I was back into loving the series. However, at this point in the series I felt that there was a lot of filler in general, and I was honestly ready for the series to be over because it felt dragged out. I was also getting nervous that the last book wasn’t going to provide the closure I wanted, but I pushed through because I wanted to see how it all ended.

📚 City of Heavenly Fire

I had a hard time getting into this at first, even though I wanted closure to the series, because it started off following so many different stories. Once the characters all mostly met up and started traveling together, it got way better. This final book did provide the closure, thankfully, and I liked the way the series was wrapped up.

To wrap it up, this series was almost too much. I felt like the six books could’ve been condensed into fewer books and still retained the core story. I also felt that the last book especially contained a lot of Easter eggs for The Infernal Devices series and The Dark Artifices series, and that drew away from the story a bit. Unfortunately, I don’t have any interest in reading those other series at this time because of how I ended up feeling at the end of this series. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t think I would reread it either. However, if someone else were wanting to read this series, I would definitely tell them to go for it.

Rating: 6/10

This movie had the potential to be good, but it unfortunately just ended up being cheesy. The dialogue was corny, and the way it was filmed was strange. The were also a ton of plot holes and unanswered questions. The acting was subpar at best. The only f-word seemed wildly out of place and uncomfortable for the actor. It has a good premise but falls flat in the delivery.

Sex/nudity: 1/10 (kissing)

Language: 3/10 (one f-word, not really a ton else)

Violence: 6/10 (blood, fighting, death on screen)

Overall rating: 4/10

I had this on my TBR list for a long time before I got around to reading it, and at that point I had forgotten that it’s about high schoolers. As such, the writing style is a bit juvenile. However, it’s still an enjoyable story. I also read this in between a couple Bridgerton books, and it was a nice break because it felt more like a love story rather than just lust. I think I would’ve liked this more had I read it when I was in high school, so I would recommend it for that age group.

Rating: 7/10

Sarah Adams’s books are fun and easy to read. I actually read this in between a couple of the Bridgerton books, and it was almost like a cleanse. I liked Bridgerton, but I loved that this book was steamy without being smutty. This was a sweet friends-to-lovers story, and it was just so fun to read. I like it when books make you feel like you’re watching a romcom, and this one definitely does that.

Rating: 7/10

I try to read only closed-door romance, so this series was by far the most smutty series I’ve ever read. Just putting that disclaimer out there 😅

📚 The Duke and I

I watched the Netflix show before I read these books, and I had heard that the books were very different. I wasn’t sure I was going to like them because of that, but it ended up being the opposite. The book is so much better than the show, and, yes, so different. Simon, especially, is a way better character in the book than in the show. There is so much detail that is missed in the show because of the added characters and plot lines. The book focuses just on Daphne and Simon, and it’s so much better for it.

📚 The Viscount Who Loved Me

If I thought The Duke and I was better than the Netflix series, this book is WAY better. Just like with the second season of the show, the second book of the series is so much better than the first. The characters are more likable, and the plot line is more interesting. Plus, there’s no sexual abuse 😬

📚 An Offer from a Gentleman

Benedict is my favorite character from the Netflix show, so I was very excited for this book. Unfortunately, book Benedict does not equal show Benedict. I actually wasn’t sure I even liked this book until the end. The show stayed pretty faithful to this story, but it’s not my favorite of the series.

📚 Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

I wasn’t a fan of this season of the show, but I think that was mostly because of all the extra plot lines. The book is awesome! This was such a good read after An Offer from a Gentleman. Colin is the best book Bridgerton brother. The Netflix series did not do this story justice at all.

📚 To Sir Philip with Love

At this point, I found that every new book became my favorite of the series, but just wait. Even including the Bridgerton brothers, Philip became my favorite mmc of the series. His character development is on point, and I just loved the story of this one.

📚 When He Was Wicked

Okay, here is where the new favorite thing ended. I know this is one of the more popular of the Bridgerton books, but I was not a huge fan of this one. This is more sexually graphic than the others, to the point that it actually grossed me out a few times. The epilogue was touching, but I was not a fan of the book as a whole.

📚It’s in His Kiss

This is the best book of the series. Gareth overtook Philip to become my favorite mmc, and I loved Hyacinth in her own story. She was a background character for her siblings’ stories, and I loved her personality. It also seemed more like real love than the others.

📚 On the Way to the Wedding

This is the final installment of the Bridgerton series. It’s good, but it’s definitely not the best. It definitely is, however, the least memorable. I appreciated that it was less graphic than the others, though.

In conclusion, I felt that the series portrayed more lust than love. Sexual attraction is important, but if that’s all a relationship is founded on, it’s not going to work. I understand that these are fictional characters, but I prefer more loving stories over lustful. As someone who doesn’t read smut normally, this series was not something that I will likely read again. I’m glad I read them, though, because now I know how to better critique the Netflix series.

Rating: 7/10

This book took me months to read. It’s not that it was hard to read as in skill level, but there is so much information and detail that it’s hard to wade through. The story is way more touching than the Broadway/film version, but it’s also much harder to get through, like I said. I prefer the book story, but for ease of entertainment, I would probably stick with the movie.

Rating: 8/10

M. Night Shyamalan is hit or miss, and this was unfortunately a miss. It’s not as bad of a miss as The Happening, but it’s still not great. For one thing, the concert took up too much of the run time. It just kept dragging on and was repetitive. The best part of the movie was the last half hour when all the crap hit the fan. The acting wasn’t super great, but part of the issue with that was the corny script. Josh Hartnett was good, at least as good as he could possibly be with that script, but no one else compared to him, honestly. This had the bones of a great movie, but it could’ve been so much better.

Sex/nudity: 0/10

Language: 3/10 (one f word, very little else but it was there)

Violence: 4/10 (gouged eyes, severe burns, fighting, tasing, little blood)

Overall rating: 5/10

This movie is crazzzzyyyy! I was trying so hard to figure out how they were gonna escape the situation, and the final fight scene at the end was so good! That being said, some of the gore looked really fake, and that fact kinda pulled me out of the movie a bit. They also really relied on the creepiness factor, almost to the point that it was overdone. However, James McAvoy is so good at this genre that his performance alone could’ve made the movie. I enjoyed this. Maybe not as much as some others, but it was definitely entertaining.

Sex/nudity: 2/10 (some sexual talk and implications but not a ton, kissing)

Language: 8/10 (about 60 f words, I counted two c words, several other curse words throughout)

Violence: 8/10 (lots of fighting, blood, injuries, death, etc)

Overall rating: 7/10

Nothing will beat A Quiet Place, but this was really good. I love the Quiet Place franchise, and I thought this was a worthy addition. I really hope they continue making more in this series. For this one specifically, I liked the relationship between the two main characters and the way that developed throughout the movie. Some parts were predictable, and some were unbelievable, but overall, the storyline was good. I would watch this again, and I will definitely watch any future movies in this franchise.

Sex/nudity: 0/10

Language: 4/10 (I think there was only one f word, there was lesser language throughout as well)

Violence: 6/10 (a lot of death, blood, and gore)

Overall rating: 7/10