I cannot believe next week is August! We're so close to Fall, it feels like the summer just started. Time truly is flying by and it's off putting in so many ways.

This week was a weird one; I felt very under the weather and stayed home from work on Wednesday instead of being in the office. My sleep has been horrible; I've been averaging 5 hours a night when I usually get at least 8. It's throwing me off and making me terribly irritated. I just want to get back into a real routine! 

I've tried all the tricks in the book, even my own, and nothing is helping. I'm hoping it was just a fluke for the past three weeks and I could sleep at some point soon.

The weekend is looking good though; a bbq with family and then a chill Sunday....I hope it my plans stay that way.

Let's get into the roundup! 

 I am so behind on my 2024 reading challenge and I honestly don't think I'm going to catch up... which is fine. It'll be the first time in 5 years that I don't hit it and I need to accept that...that's not going to stop me from reviewing all the books I do read!

One book that I did recently finish was Olivia Muenter's debut novel "Such a Bad Influence" and it was incredible. I've followed Olivia's writing career since she was at Bustle, and I've always loved her authentic, raw view of reality. She is never afraid to put it all out there and I appreciate it so much. She's also an incredible writer, so I knew her novel was going to be a knock out.

The minute Olivia announced her book, I preordered it and just from the summary, knew I was going to love it. I love thrillers just like Olivia so the fact that she wrote an influencer domestic thriller (which is probably more of a mystery) was just a bonus. 

As we get deeper into the influencer economy and people become more familiar with it, we're going to see even more fictional content taking place in these worlds which I'm very excited for because it feels like unchartered territory. 

 It's the first normal weather day in New York City since July 4th and I'm so grateful. It's been very humid, temperatures in the 100s and just horrifyingly hot. It was so hot this week that my office closed and we worked from home on Tuesday. 

I have a Summer Friday, which I'm also grateful for, even though it'll be spent in doctor's offices. I need to stop scheduling all my appointments on my summer Fridays so I could actually enjoy the sunshine. 

I'm looking forward to the weekend, especially after last weekend which was a lot of stress and low moods. I want to chill, have fun and unwind but really when is that different from any other weekend? 

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

Holly Jackson stole my heart when I read her first series, "The Good Girl's Guide to Murder". It was the perfect mix of YA and thriller, without being too naive and immature. In my opinion, I wouldn't even describe Jackson's writing as YA, though that's what the industry has dubbed it.

When I saw that she was releasing a new novel, "The Reappearance of Rachel Price", with a summary that knocked my socks off, I immediately pre-ordered it and waited patiently for release day.

I pre-ordered the book on my Barnes & Noble Nook and even though I was waiting for the release, I didn't read it until two months later because I have issues that as excited as I am for a book, I rarely read it as soon as I get it in fear of making it go by too fast. 

Well, I didn't let this story linger for too long because once I read a few chapters, I finished the entire book in one day. I haven't done that in years, read from cover to cover, so you know that it was well worth it.

 I apologize for two sale posts in a row but it's that weird time of the year where there are a lot of sales happening at the same time. I usually only post Amazon Prime Day deals on my Instagram page but after making over 250 Amazon purchases in the past year (that's not just me -- but my sister and my mom too; still, it's a lot!) I feel like I have a stronger grasp on what Amazon products are worth it.

The thing that irritates me about Prime Day is that not all the deals are always up front. Amazon will jack up some of the prices before Prime Day to make the discount seem better, or the discount will not be as good as you'd expect it to be. 

All of that being said, I still think some of the deals are good and are worth looking into! 

 The moment July 1st hits two things are guaranteed: you're making 4th of July plans and the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is around the corner. While the most famous sale on social media has gone up and down in popularity over the years, I always enjoy it. I don't think it's of the stature it once was but Nordstrom is my favorite retailer and the sale is the ideal time to stock up on favorites for the fall season. 

I always look forward to the sale because I love seeing the beauty exclusives, the new colors of sweaters, and all the new & basic items that Nordstrom is known for.

No longer a card holder, I was able to shop the sale on July 13th and it opens to the public today, July 15th. I thought it would be the perfect day to do a little roundup of the things that I'm buying, the staples I recommend and continually purchase year after year, and some items that are on my wishlist.

Some items are already sold out but I'm going to include them anyway because they might come back in stock and it's important to remember that they will most likely be back in stock after the sale is over since technically, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is a fall preview.

Let's dive in! 

Happy Saturday! I feel like I'm in a daze after a whirlwind Friday. I helped my mom move homes and it was a very strenuous, physical day. We started at 7 AM (after I'd been up since 4:45 AM) and really didn't finish till 7 PM. 

My entire body hurts, I was nauseous and anxious throughout the day and I'm happy it's over! The new house is so beautiful and I'm very excited to have a new place to go. One of my favorite things to happen yesterday? My mom gave me her couch because she got a new one so now I really feel like my living room is complete...a year after I moved in.

The pink couch I originally bought is very uncomfortable and has caused so much back pain in the past year. Now, I've moved my pink couch to the side and the real, comfortable couch is front and center. They both really compliment each other and I'm so happy to have an easy place to sit and relax.

Today will be spent getting back into reality since yesterday felt like I wasn't even present in my life, running errands and then back to my mom's house to help her more. 

Let's get into the roundup!