There are a few authors who I will read anything they write, no matter what and Riley Sager is one of them. Whenever Sager has a new book coming out, I immediately add it to my TBR and I'm excited to dig my feet into it when it is released.

The Only One Left is his latest novel that was released on June 20th and I had it as a Book of the Month choice. I finally read it (because I barely read anything in June and July) this month and I think I can confidently say this is my favorite Riley Sager book yet. It has so many incredible elements of the thriller genre without being over the top. 

If you love thrillers, if you love Riley Sager, you will love The Only One Left.

August was a very long month and I'm very thankful. Time is moving too fast lately and I simply can't handle it. I want everything to slow down, to just be longer and not feel like my life is flashing before my eyes. 

August was a solid month; I settled into my apartment, did lots of fun things and feel like I learned more about myself. My mental health has been better, I'm back in a routine, have been working out more and just feel more like myself. 

That tends to happen to me as we get into the fall season and even though I'm not rushing time, I am so excited for the fall. I am ready for sweaters, boots, blankets and being cozy. I need that restorative time to heal and just feel like me. I already had a pumpkin spice latte and it brought me back to life.

This month, I loved a lot of things that were rediscoveries for me. As I moved into my apartment, I got reacquainted with a lot of my belongings and have been loving it.

 Happy Friday! I got a semi early start to the day and now I feel like crashing. Do you ever start the day off in a tizzy and then it just bubbles over into everything you do? I woke up feeling icky and stressed, and just couldn't shake it. I took a few minutes to do something for myself and felt better so that's your sign to listen to your body and do something positive. 

The weather in New York is not ideal today so I'm going to spend the rest of the day inside, trying to do something semi productive yet relaxing.

I don't have much else to ramble about, just excited that summer is almost over! 

Let's get into the roundup...

When everyone is talking about a book my interest can go one or two ways; I want to jump on the train or it turns me off from ever reading it. It depends on the type of book, genre, and what the reviews are. 

When it comes to Elissa Sussman's debut novel, "Funny You Should Ask" that was released in April 2022, it was the former. Everyone's interest in the book and the rave reviews it got piqued my curiosity and once I found out it was normal person/famous person love story, I was hooked. I personally think that is a severely underrated trope and we need more of it in the world.

I purchased the paperback version of the book last summer because it was so beautiful, I just wanted the cover to admire, but didn't read it until this month. Part of me is glad I waited because I needed it to pull me out of a reading slump but the other part of me regrets waiting on such a beautiful story.

 Last month I moved out of my mom's house and into my own apartment. The apartment is in the same building as where I lived with my mom, but I pay my rent and it is completely my own space. 

For the past 9 years I've felt like a teenage adult; living with my family was completely fine. It felt very normal and as I got older, new dynamics emerged. Living with my mom and sister felt like living with roommates; I was an adult but my mom treated me like one.

However, over the past year or so, I've started to feel suffocated. My mental health was suffering, I felt like I was being stunted in my growth and very stagnant in life. I've had those moments before but nothing this bad. I had gotten a new job in June 2022 and that definitely helped things but there was still something missing. I wasn't/aren't ready to focus on dating so I figured my own apartment would be the fix.

 We have come to our last installment of the OPI x Barbie collaboration manicure posts. I do not have any more polishes to review from this collection and Barbie is no longer my personality trait...that is, until September 5th when it arrives on streaming services and I can watch it once a day!

The final shade from the collection that I have in my possession is 'Every Night is Girl's Night' which is a beautiful, silver glitter shade. It reminds me so much of the party scene in the Barbie movie -- it really does scream 'girls night'.

What a week! It went by very fast but also oddly slow. I feel like that's the pattern lately but I'll take it. I would rather the days and weeks move slowly because time is moving too fast -- I can't believe we're almost done with August and entering the fall season. 

This summer was a blur; so much has changed and I feel like I have whiplash. I don't think I've fully absorbed that I'm in my own apartment and I've finally achieved one of my major goals in life. Because time is moving so fast and things are always so busy, I'm not fully present so I'm not recognizing these major things happening in my life. 

I need to work on that and maybe with a slower season I'll be able to.

Next week I'll finally show a few snippets of the of the apartment because I just got my coffee table and it really brought the whole living room together.

This weekend will be fun -- I'm going to have a girls night with my friends and then *hopefully* do something productive with my life. I've fallen off a lot of routines and need to find some semblance of a balanced life. Maybe that'll be this week...

Let's get into the roundup!

There are few people I love more in the world than Andy Cohen. He is our Bravo Daddy, a wrangler of Housewives and pop culture aficionado. He is a New Yorker by heart and 30 year residence, and just so smart and talented. He is truly fascinating and he's truly one of my favorite people in the world.

Over the years, Andy Cohen has written a few books, most notably are his Andy Cohen Diaries, a play on the Andy Warhol Diaries. In these books he takes you through his entire year, day by day, and it is really interesting. He name drops so many celebrities, gives you an inside peek at the world of Bravo and you get to know the person behind the personality. 

When I heard he was releasing another diaries, "The Daddy Diaries" this time about his year becoming a father of two, I immediately preordered it. I purchased it on Audible because there is nothing better than listening to Andy Cohen talk about his day.

 Happy Friday! It was a good week that felt very long but was very productive. I'm in a decent routine now but still trying to get my bearings and implement some healthier habits. I haven't been sleeping great so I don't have a lot of energy to work out. I haven't been creating content, reading, or doing the things I like because I feel like I've been a bit on autopilot. I really need to get into the groove.

It's going to be a good weekend though because I'm going to opening night of the Jonas Brothers 'The Tour" at Yankee Stadium and I simply cannot wait. I don't think it's even registered in my mind that I'm seeing my favorite men on OPENING NIGHT at YANKEE STADIUM. 13 year old Briana never thought she'd be here but I'm pumped.

Also, because I had the most intense FOMO for the better part of this year, I caved and spent too much money on a Taylor Swift Eras Tour ticket for Miami, in 2024. I need to see this tour, it feels like a once in a lifetime event and it's too important for me to miss.

Let's get into the roundup!

Another Monday, another Barbie themed manicure. I truly have not stopped thinking about the Barbie movie and I will not stop thinking about it until it comes on streaming services and I can watch it once a day. That means I also will not stop wearing pink nail polish and I might have to get my hands on the full OPI collection.

When I went to see the movie for the 2nd time last week, I painted my nails with another OPI shade, the 3rd I've tried from the 4 polishes I have. 

 Happy Friday! It's the end of a wild week and I'm looking forward to a weekend of cleaning, organizing and getting things finalized in the apartment. I want to hang up pictures, get rid of items that need to be returned and clean! I'm getting the hang of this living on your own thing and I'm really enjoying it. 

I was in the office twice this week which felt so good after two weeks of being at home. I hate how good working in an office makes me feel! 

The weather was also cooperating this week; it was in the high 70s, low 80s in New York with no humidity and it felt so good! I was really feeling myself and it had me even more excited about fall in just a few weeks.

Taylor Swift announced new US Eras Tour dates for 2024 and I am manifesting my attendance at one of the shows. I've been so upset that I didn't get tickets at all this summer and it was killing me vibe. I need to see this tour in person!

The good news is I'm going to the Jonas Brothers show at Yankee Stadium next weekend and I can't wait to see my boys again! I've gone to every tour and seeing them at Yankee Stadium is going to be a dream come true. 

Let's get into the round up!

Everyone keeps saying that July was a short month but it feels like it's gone on forever. The 4th of July feels like it was 5 months ago, not a few weeks. July brought a lot of change--I moved out of my mom's house and into my own apartment. While it's a physical change, it's also a mental and emotional change. 

I probably will never live with my family again and after it just being my mom, sister and I for 17 years, that is an incredibly sad thought. I still feel a lot of emotions around it but the good news is that I'm literally a few feet away from my mom's house so I can have my own space and still see her every day. It's a good thing for me.

I will go on and on in another post but for now, I want to talk about my favorite products I used and discovered in July 2023. Some are new, some are old friends, all are necessary!

This might seem like a no brainer as I've been blogging since 2012 but I love influencers. I think influencers are incredibly valuable and get far too much slack. It's a billion dollar industry and everyone is basically doing it for the first time. Influencers are not going anywhere and I'm a little tired of people ragging on them.

Now that I've got that off my chest... Stephanie McNeal is one of the few journalists who has always seen the value of influencers and is someone I trusted to deliver news I wanted to read without the undertone of snark. I've followed her for years and enjoyed every piece of content she put out. 

That's why when she announced that she was releasing a book all about influencer culture, Swipe Up For More, I immediately preordered it. I counted down the days and had it marked on my calendar. I could not wait to read this book from someone I admired and respected, about a topic I was very passionate about. 

I inhaled this book within a few days, and could've read it faster but I really wanted to make it last. If you like influencers, even casually, you will love this book. It was insightful, meaningful, and gave you an inside look at the lives of influencers but also the business side of things. It was incredibly interesting and I cannot recommend it enough.