Hello, lovelies! December has come and gone! Over Christmas break, I cozied up with some much-anticipated reads and shows. Check it out:

I Read…

DIVINE RIVALS by Rebecca Ross—the 2023 Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction!

Even though Rebecca Ross is a #1 NEW YORK TIMES and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author, with multiple highly acclaimed YA books under her belt, I hadn’t read any of her books yet. Shame on me!

DIVINE RIVALS is pitched as SHADOW AND BONE meets Alexandra Bracken’s LORE. It is an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel in which two young rival journalists find love through letters and a magical connection. Yes, please! The chemistry between the two main characters is present right from the beginning (banter! Rivalry! Oh, my!) and I loooved how their relationship developed. I also loooved Ross’ writing style: it’s lyrical and emotional and gut-punchy, creating a layered tension on every page.

I adored DIVINE RIVALS…and yes, it did emotionally destroy me. Also: Roman Carver Kitt has my heart.

I Watched…

Bradley Cooper’s MAESTRO on Netflix!

The movie focuses on the bond between Leonard Bernstein (played by Cooper) and his wife, Felicia Montealegre (played by Carey Mulligan). The main conflict in their relationship seems to be Bernstein’s sex life: he was bisexual and pursued his associations with men throughout his marriage to Felicia—though the movie doesn’t show this as clearly and honestly as it could have: there are hints and winks and understatements. As the audience, you get the idea, but you’re also left in doubt.

The movie didn’t move me the way I hoped it would. It didn’t show me why Bernstein was such an incredible composer or conductor, and even everything surrounding his relationships felt superficial. The music was amazing, though! Yes, Mahler!

I Listened to…

The “Taylor Swift Piano Covers” playlist on Spotify!

This is a stroke of genius, y’all! Created by the account “Relaxing Piano Covers”, this playlist features over six hours of relaxing piano covers of Tay-Tay’s most beautiful songs. Perfect for chilling on the couch or hanging out by the fireplace, but also suuuper helpful for writing your next blog post, drafting or revising THAT scene, or any task that requires some serious concentrating! I highly recommend 😉