Hello Friday! Hello September! Hello Fashion Week! Hello Football Season! Boy, it feels good to be back and New York weather was on board with that. It's been beautiful all week long and it just felt good to be on the streets of Manhattan.

I'm still not fully in fall mode yet; my house is not decorated and I haven't shopped for pumpkin food. I don't know why, I need to check myself really. Am I sick? What is happening to me? However, I had a hot Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte this week, on a crisp NYC morning and it felt so good. I'll get there...

What I am excited about? Football! I never thought I'd say that but I'm a Swiftie through and through so as I write this, I am fully seated and watching Father (Travis Kelce) and the Chiefs. Mother (Taylor) looks so good in her Canadian Tuxedo. I am ready for all the WAG fits this season.

This weekend is going to be low key; it's going to be one of cleaning, organizing, resting, exercising and reading. I want to recharge, I want to clean my house, I want to decorate for fall... I need to do all of this because the next few weekends are going to be insane and I'm not ready for it. 

I don't have much else to say so let's get into the roundup!

Back in 2019 when it was announced that we were getting a series called American Royals that had the United States still having a monarchy, I was immediately enthralled. I love anything royals, obviously, so the fact that we were getting a book where America had a monarchy, descending from George Washington, the first king of America was right up my alley.

Originally, American Royals was only supposed to be a standalone book, and then it was extended to have a sequel, then a third book and finally the publisher's caught on that readers were obsessed and continued to allow Katharine McGee to write.

I've reviewed a few of the American Royals books on the blog over the years (linked below) so it feels only right that I would conclude the journey with a review of the final book in the series, 'Reign'. 

Taylor Swift is usually right but she was in her bag when she said 'august slipped away like a bottle of wine..." I cannot believe we're already in September! I'm feeling indifferent about it because I enjoyed this summer and I don't feel like I'm ready to embrace fall just yet. 

That is very unusual for me, which is giving me massive pause. Not being excited for fall is just another way I've realized that I haven't been myself lately. However, the chill in the air, pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks, and the onslaught of fall content I'm getting served on TikTok might just be the ticket to getting me back on board the fall train.

August was interesting; I found my way back to myself a bit, got organized and started falling back into a routine. I think that'll just get better with the change of seasons. This month, I implemented new habits, returned to some old ones and rediscovered some old favorite items.

We're in the last few days of summer and I truly cannot believe it. I was starting to get meeting invites at work for next week and seeing September on the calendar stopped me in my tracks. I knew it was coming but I don't think I realized how off balance it was going to put me.

This week was difficult; I was very overwhelmed, stressed and just chaotic in so many ways. I have a very busy two months ahead of me and I'm not organized, prepared or ready for any of it. It's a scheduling disaster and I need to get my head around it, without wishing away the next two months.

I'm really looking forward to the long weekend; I have my last summer Friday today and of course, Labor Day on Monday so the next four days will be filled with relaxation, checking off to-do list items, family, friends and bbqs. 

Let's get into the round up!

Emily Henry is my favorite writer, I think I can confidently say that now after finishing her 5th novel. I am awestruck every time I open a page she has touched and overwhelmed with emotion, thought and feeling. 

I've gotten into a pretty good groove of pre-ordering her books but then letting them sit for days, weeks or months before I pick it up because I know the minute I touch it, it'll be finished. The novelty will wear off and I will have to wait a long time for another story. 

That's what happened with Funny Story which was released in April but I didn't start reading it until last week. What happened next? I finished the book in less than 24 hours... once I crack open the fresh Emily Henry there's no stopping me.

I will admit that I wasn't that intrigued by the plot but I was hoping for the best...turns out, Funny Story might've just over taken Book Lovers as my favorite Emily Henry novel.

 You guessed it -- another Olive & June quick dry review! I can't help myself, I am addicted to this formula. There is nothing like realizing you forgot to paint your nails and need to do it fast, but you don't have enough time to fully dry. Having a variety of Olive & June quick dry polishes has saved me so many times and I'll never give this formula up!

One of the 'always on' non seasonal shades that I picked up a few months back was "Freshwater". It is a newer shade in their line and one that I thought would be a perfect addition to my rotation.

Freshwater is described a 'sheer, pearly white' which makes the name perfect for this all year round color. It's super shiny, a little sheer but still opaque enough to make you feel put together. 

God, what a week! It was 60 degrees in New York in the middle of AUGUST! I was flabbergasted; I don't think anything like this has ever happened before and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I'm not really ready for the fall...it's going to be very busy and chaotic, and I'm just trying to hold out on the unwinding summer a little bit longer. 

However, I will say that the cold weather was glorious. I wore real pants for the first time in months, shivered a bit and didn't sweat walking to the bus. It put a little pep in my step that I wasn't expecting but desperately needed. 

With the slight change in weather also came a meltdown over my wardrobe. I tried a thousand outfits on, hated everything and then got too inside my head for my own good. I made a vow, as I always do when this happens, to try to be a little more adventurous with my clothing. Then, I placed a $400 order on J.Crew, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. 

This weekend will be quiet; some family time, errands and relaxing. I had a hard week and feel like I'm coming down with some sort of illness so I want to just chill out. 

Let's get into the roundup.