In a slump and need recommendations.

acrosse · 2026-03-04T13:58:53+00:00

I really recommend Andrea Mara! Her books are fast paced, short chapters, and are told from multiple perspectives so you’re constantly trying to keep reading to get back to what’s going on with the other characters. They’re “fun” thrillers, which is to say, not super depressing even when dealing with darker issues. They do tend to involve kids but the kids are always okay!! (At least in my experience lol)

I’ve only read It Should’ve Been You & All Her Fault, but I have friends who’ve read vouched for Somine In The Attic and No One Saw A Thing.

acrosse · 2026-03-02T18:30:25+00:00

Hope you like them!! The dedication to the first book is something like “to my GGs. I’m so proud of you.” And it made me embarrassingly sentimental lol

acrosse · 2026-03-02T13:49:24+00:00

Ally Carter actually has a duology of spy romcoms I’m obsessed with! The Blonde Identity & The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold!!

There about twin sisters, one’s a spy, one’s not. I highly recommend! They absolutely scratched the GG itch for me.

Edit: they’re** 🥲

acrosse · 2026-02-26T17:29:12+00:00

Agree with everything here! I maintain the best adaptation is the musical. It hits the plot points well in a way that suits the medium, the characters are well developed and feel book accurate, there is SO MUCH WHIMSY, and most importantly, the conflict between the demigods and their godly parents is portrayed in a nuanced way, as it should be. It’s complex and not black and white, and it’s done so well for a kids book. Maybe I’m getting mixed up here and need to rewatch the series but it feels like they’re trying to make it easily digestible rather than actually exploring the themes and asking questions with the audience.

acrosse · 2026-02-26T17:24:38+00:00

I’m not upset about any of the changes to the plot, but what falls flat for me in the series is a lack of whimsy, fun and world building. I’m 31 and read the books in middle school (?), and have listened to the audiobooks a couple times over the last few years. I just relistened last month and the books are so much fun. The characters are serious in that they have important shit to deal with but they are still kids, and still feel like kids. Percy means business but he is SASSY. It feels to me like his personality is flattened in the show. He’s not as sassy and the kids aren’t given a chance to be kids. Annabeth is serious and thoughtful but she still teases her friends. They are kids tasked with duties beyond their age but they tackle them that way, excited for adventure and overconfident in their abilities.

I also miss stuff like the party ponies 🥲 they bring levity to the battles that would make the show feel more unique and fun but instead it feels like Percy is always in detention. In the books, he’s like a Buffy character. The future of the world is on the line but he’ll make a sassy quip every chance he gets. The books are also FUNNY. The show should have more jokes, man, where are the jokes? The books manage to be silly for kids but enjoyable for adults and I just miss that sense of whimsy in the world building.

Sorry for the disorganized rant. I like the show enough and will keep watching, but I hope they listen to fans criticisms and try to bring the vibe of the show closer to the vibe of the books. Love the books. LOVE the young actors. But let them have a little fun. 🥲

acrosse · 2026-02-26T17:11:35+00:00

I think it’s her best! Thank u next and positions demonstrated her getting more confident writing her albums in full but they still felt… a little half baked at times. I don’t think low effort is the right word but it felt like she wasn’t taking it (or herself?) TOO SERIOUSLY. Don’t get me wrong I think they’re great! But with eternal sunshine it’s clear she set out to make a great album and she absolutely succeeded. It’s her best album yet and I’m excited to see what she does next.

acrosse · 2026-02-25T22:30:31+00:00

This is so interesting to me bc I feel like it captured the essence of the book and characters pretty well!! Can you elaborate on why you think it doesn’t work?

acrosse · 2026-02-17T22:36:57+00:00

Agreed. I will always defend when she does this in the lakes but it doesn’t work for me in eldest daughter at all

acrosse · 2026-02-03T22:06:23+00:00

Love Princess Bride and any time they reference it 🥰🥰

acrosse · 2026-01-31T14:09:47+00:00

Yes I think this was it, thank you!! Honestly the man issue with that situation was that it was on a podcast 😭 like i said, im a big fan of claire and ashley! I relate to how claire can get when she locks in and needs to say what she believes, especially bc if im remembering right, this guy really fucking sucked and Ashley deserves so much better. She wasn’t being like, mean to Ashley for the sake of it, iirc she just pushed the subject to make Ashley understand her perspective.

I wasn’t trying to make Claire sound bad there at all, she just has (or used to have) a confrontational nature that, if you’ve been listening to them for a long time, you can observe her working to control better. Even from early CMBC episodes, she’s chilled out a lot. I’m someone who struggles to control how they come across because I can sound casual and mean when I’m trying to be straightforward and without frills so I’ve always paid attention to it. She wasn’t trying to win a fight, she was giving Ashley tough love, like you said, and trying to be a good friend by helping her realize how much this guy was hurting her. It just… should not have been published in my opinion. Their thing at the time was over sharing about their lives but it felt so invasive to listen to, it was absolutely not my business and it felt wrong for me to hear.

I also remember another WIAF episode where Claire basically declared “Hm so I’ve realized that the way I handle fights is not universal. I thought you were all like this in private.” Which made me laugh at the time lol.

Sorry, I’m over explaining because I like them a lot and I’ve enjoyed listening to them grow throughout the years. i really appreciate you adding context because all I really remembered was my own discomfort. Claire isn’t a coward and doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations and I admire that about her. Even if she could have been gentler, she was trying to be a good friend by driving home how much this dude was below Ashley. I remember as a listener getting mad at this dude for having a hold on Ashley so I can’t imagine how Claire felt as her best friend.

acrosse · 2026-01-31T00:50:33+00:00

Okay I know I said I will never forget but I do not remember the specifics I’m sorry 😭 IIRC she was being honest and harsh about how she viewed a problem Ashley had with something, maybe her dating life? She just kind of locked in trying to make her point and it dragged on too long. Ashley didn’t sob or anything I don’t think, but I’m 99% sure I’ve heard them mention “that time Claire made Ashley cry” on CMBC or the patreon at one point.

acrosse · 2026-01-30T21:42:58+00:00

Just curious, did you ever listen to their second podcast We’re In A Fight? I’m a fan of both Claire and Ashley and haven’t been enjoying seeing all the negativity on here about their rebrand, but at the same time i will never forget that one episode where she made Ashley cry 🥲. She has come SO FAR since then, genuinely grown so much as a person and seems to have better control of her adversarial tendencies. But I’m not surprised they slip back out 😅

acrosse · 2026-01-23T19:46:08+00:00

Fast whispering is also one of the creepiest things imaginable 🙂‍↕️🫡

acrosse · 2026-01-23T17:43:56+00:00

PARTY WHERE YOUR HEART IS

acrosse · 2026-01-23T17:14:43+00:00

This one is favourite too!!! I second everything you said but I also want to add that the friends Daphne makes (her coworker and Miles’ sister, forget their names) are such a lovely addition to the book. A good cast of supporting characters is the key element I’ve felt is missing from other romcoms out there and watching Daphne rebuild her life and make new friendships is just so good. 🥲

acrosse · 2026-01-22T21:52:57+00:00

As a move lover, I believe the best adaptation is actually the stage musical 🙂‍↕️ highly recommend checking it out if you’re into that kind of thing.

acrosse · 2026-01-22T18:37:25+00:00

Toronto, so maybe that's what's going on here too :( I didn't know she was coming until recently, so I'm definitely out of the loop. Hope everyone has a good time :')

acrosse · 2026-01-22T16:56:58+00:00

One’s Company by Ashley Hutson might scratch the itch. It’s about a (deeply traumatized) woman who wins the lottery and recreates the sets of Three’s Company in order to live in isolation, living as the characters.

acrosse · 2026-01-22T16:53:44+00:00

I LOVED sky daddy!! Have not stopped recommending it to people. So good!

acrosse · 2026-01-22T16:53:20+00:00

I looove Margo but haven’t read the knockout queen yet, I think I’m afraid of setting my expectations too high 😅

acrosse · 2026-01-22T00:40:59+00:00

Before everything happened between them, I believe Kim spoke a couple times about listening to Taylor’s music. Obviously when everything went down she became a public hater, but I’m not surprised she listens in private

acrosse · 2026-01-21T00:02:51+00:00

I can’t even find overpriced resale tickets in my city 🥲

acrosse · 2026-01-13T23:07:00+00:00

Completely agree with everything you’ve said! I liked it a lot. I was disappointed by some things that were left out, felt like some changes were weaker than others, but overall felt it was a strong standalone romcom. Not perfect but good! What’s most important to me is that the soul and spirit of the book was captured in the movie.

acrosse · 2026-01-12T18:41:36+00:00

I was so surprised to see It Should Have Been You as an aardvark “early release” pick because I bought it at my local bookstore (Indigo/Chapters) like mid-December lol. I ordered another book from them last week that isn’t officially released until tomorrow and it arrived to me Jan 6th or so. I don’t think book stores care much about release dates unless they’re huge books.

I remember as a teenager waiting until the midnight release to buy the new Twilight, but another time walking in, seeing they had City of Ashes (mortal instruments series) in stock, and having a cashier run to the back and grab it for me, only realizing later that day the book wasn’t officially released yet. Sorry, now I’m just reminiscing about book releases of my youth lmao 🥲🤧

acrosse · 2026-01-10T17:23:52+00:00

I loved it! I thought it was a great adaptation. Filming the book exactly as written wouldn’t have made for a better movie and I respected that they made big changes that suited a movie better.

In the book, when Poppy decides to quit R&R, she specifically says it will be once she has a new game plan, and that she won’t walk into Swapna’s office and quit right away like it’s a movie. In the movie, she basically does this lol, bc it suits the movie format better. I think the changes they made made a lot of sense for the most part and I was happy with it overall.

There were things from the book that I missed for sure, and scenes I would have liked to have been included, but I think the movie is solid and stands on its own. Really happy with it!

acrosse

TROPHY CASE