20 Things I Wish I Knew Before Turning 20

June 22, 2017.Reading time 11 minutes.

You’re emerging as a woman, you’re an adult now and have to do adultish things. It’s exciting, in upcoming years you will experience night life, college, love, budgeting, FREEDOM at last. I’m here to give you advice because I’ve graduated from college, got a job, maintained a long-term relationship, and my family is proud of me. If I had a dollar for every piece of advice I was given, AND DIDN’T LISTEN TO, I would be filthy rich.

The majority of the advice that I am going to give you, I learned the hard way. I thought I knew best and, although you probably don’t even realize it, you do too. I don’t expect you to take all of my words to heart, my goal is that something here might resonate with you. Read More

Book Review: The Girls

June 20, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

Author: Emma Cline

Pages: 355

Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction?

Rating: 6.1/10 Read More

The College Freshman Book Tag

June 19, 2017.Reading time 13 minutes.

Rules!
1. Give credit to the creator of the tag!
2. Answer the questions to the best of your ability! You don’t have to be in college or have gone to college to answer these!
3. Tag three people to complete the tag.

Thank you Eliza @ duskangelreads for tagging me in this fun questionnaire! Personally, I already graduated from college; I think that means I can relate to these topics even more.

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Book Review: The Identicals

June 15, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Pages: 414

Genre: Fiction

Rating: 8.7/10

About the author:

Let me start by saying I am obsessed with Elin Hilderbrand’s novels. Everyone has a go-to author for summer reads and for me it’s her. The setting is always Nantucket, MA, though her novel, The Island, takes place on Tuckernut Island, a small island off the coast. She writes about summertime on the beautiful, historic island (and recently published a winter series, which I also adore).

Her writing style is unique because, instead of using riveting plots, she creates depth in her characters. There’s always drama: affairs, pregnancies, death, bankruptcy, drugs, sex, divorce, etc. However, her books are page-turners because, as a reader, you fall in love with the characters, you become emotionally invested in their lives. Furthermore, she entwines past characters into her new novels. Read More

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

June 13, 2017.Reading time 11 minutes.

PSA: Father’s Day is Sunday, only five days away! If you are anything like me, you have procrastinated even thinking about what to get Dad this year until now. Yes, you could always run to target and get him something from the “For Dad!” gift section, but that stuff is usually so impersonal. Anyhow, I did a little research to help find a gift that will make Father’s Day special this year. Keep reading for gift ideas and where to get them! Read More

Day in the Life: June 11, 2017

June 11, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

Today I woke up to the first heat wave of the season. The high of the day was 95 degrees, and will be for the next two days. By 11:00 am cars were lined up on the beach streets. The sounds of motorcycles and lawn mowers came through my open windows with the breeze. It was finally time to install the AC unit for the summer.

After watching my boyfriend install the unit (I wasn’t much help), I ventured to a rocky, less crowded beach and spent the rest of the morning reading and looking for sea glass. I accumulated a good lot, if I do say so myself:


I picked up a chilled bottle of sauvignon blanc, some fruit and a box of cookies at the grocery store then decided that I deserved to sit on the porch and be sedentary for the rest of the lazy, hot Sunday.

I started reading The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand; I highly anticipate her bi-annual novels. The Identicals doesn’t come out until June 13th, but as I mentioned in the Book Haul: Summer Reads blog, I got my hands on it early. So far, I’m not at all disappointed, it’s as addicting as all her other novels. A review will most likely be up by the end of the week!


Near the ocean, the heat was bearable today, the breeze eased the pounding of the sweltering sun. Summertime thoughts crept into my mind all day: potato salad and lemonade, sandy toes and sunburns, fried seafood and rum punch, freckled noses and children’s laughter, bike rides and baseball games, fireworks and sunsets. Summer 2017, you have arrived.

Happy Reading,

Samantha

P.S. I only started appreciating these post-childhood. They are processed, sugary discs of happiness. 

Day in the Life: June 9th, 2017

June 10, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

Today was typical. I woke up early, which I despise. My boyfriend wakes up in the morning, EVERY MORNING, as if he was drinking espresso in his sleep; he starts his day off singing, kissing and laughing and, in my opinion, WAY too jubilant. I, however, prefer to snooze the alarm forty-five times, groan in response to every noise, and bury my head to avoid the increasing sunlight in the room. The dog and I are one in the same, we would enjoy sleeping all day long. Read More