The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore wasn't on my TBR list until I heard it mentioned on a podcast and from the elevator pitch alone, I was hooked. I put a hold on my Libby app and within a few weeks, she was mine. It has been taking me a little longer than usual to finish reading books but this one took me less than a week.

Does anything sound more enticing than following a reality dating show villain through the creation of her arc? I love a story that involves the behind the scenes of a television show, especially a reality one where you know there is a good chance some of this stuff is true.

The Villain Edit was thrilling, disturbing, frustrating and enthralling...it was all the -ing adjectives and I couldn't recommend enough.

Fall is my favorite time of year for a lot of reasons but mostly the fashion. There is nothing more chic and sophiscated than fall fashion; nothing prettier or cozier or more lustful than a sweater, leggings and boots. It makes my heart sing a beautiful song.

Personally, I think this year's fall fashion trends are some of the best; lady jackets, plaid, suede...give me all the texture & warm hues. The shoe trends are also right on point; knee high boots are back, ankle booties, and we can't forget about ballet flats, can we? 

Aside from the trends, the brands are killing it in the shoe department. Everything does look a little similar but I like that, because you have a wide variety of price points, fits and styles. From Steve Madden to Sam Edelman and Marc Fisher, every brand has a pair of shoes you'll love. 

This post is coming later than usual because I've had another very busy week -- but when isn't that the case? I had my annual fall themed girls night on Friday so Thursday night & all day Friday was spent prepping for that. It was a lot of fun, a lot of work, and I went to sleep really late so my Saturday was pretty shot. 

I had a plan and long to do list for the entire day but that was entirely scratched out when I started to feel incredibly sick and couldn't get off of the couch for more than 5 minutes at a time. I think my body was finally rebelling against everything I've put it through the past three weeks. I needed uninterrupted rest and that's exactly what I did, aside from some time spent at my mom's house for a quick dinner.

This time next week I will be in Florida for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour and it truly doesn't feel real. I honestly don't feel like I'm even going and that might be a defense mechanism my mind is putting forward so in case something does happen, I'm not disappointed. 

I need to figure out what I'm packing, wearing to the concert, and getting myself organized. I've never gone on two trips in one month so the fact that I am feels very weird, in a good way.

Let's dive into the roundup!

I've read all of Riley Sager's books and I don't think there has been one that I didn't love; even the ones that everyone else didn't love like The House Across the Lake, I appreciated. I'm always excited whenever Sager releases a new book and it immediately gets added to my TBR. That was no different with his latest novel 'Middle of the Night'. 

I was going to pre-order or pick the book up from my library but then I saw it was available as an add on for Book of the Month and decided that was a better solution. It matches all my other Riley Sager books so that's always a plus.

I had purposely stayed away from any reviews or think pieces about the book so my opinion wouldn't be clouded, and I succeeded. I flew through the book and my thoughts were interesting... 

 September passed by in the blink of an eye as did the entire year. I cannot believe we're in October and weirdly enough, it feels like it's almost over. September was pretty good; it was chaotic and messy, it was busy and fun and I know October is going to be exactly the same...it already is.

Last weekend after I got home from my trip to California for work, I embarked on one of the busiest weekends I've ever had; from engagement dinners to sweet 16s and baptisms, I stayed very busy and it was actually a lot of fun. I didn't have time to think about how tired I was or nervous about having enough down time to decompress. The more I kept moving, the better it felt which is a good lesson for me.

September was a good favorites month too; I had a lot of new items, some rediscovered favorites and I think October will probably be even better. 

 Why hello there! It feels like it's been ages since I sat down and opened my laptop, and it has. This might be the longest I've gone without a blog post, even my weekly round up, and with good reason... I've been so busy I could cry. Today is the first free moment I've had in almost two weeks.

I was incredibly busy at work leading up to my work trip last week and then when I got home from California, my sister got engaged and we had a small engagement dinner. Now, tonight, as a I write this on Saturday afternoon I have my cousin's sweet 16 and tomorrow is another cousin's baptism. I don't have a free weekend until November 16th and then it's the holidays... I just want to be sure I'm present to enjoy every moment of my favorite months.

California was incredible; it was a really successful work trip, the events and hotels were beautiful, and I had a nice time. It was nice traveling alone and I felt very fulfilled at the end of it. Now, I just want to sleep but the show goes on...

Let's get into the roundup.

Goodness, what a week it has been! I'm writing this at 9:30 PM on Friday night after a very long day off from work. I was with some family accompanying them to a medical procedure and it took longer than expected (not because of anything bad, just normal doctor's office stuff)... and then it was over an hour to get home followed by Burger King for dinner & a binging Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story on Netflix.

This week was pretty hellish -- I was very busy at work, and very stressed and just feel like I didn't have a firm grip on reality. I'm going on my first work trip for Estée Lauder next week and I'm very nervous; I'm nervous about flying, about being in a new setting and the normal anxieties around doing something new for the first time. I haven't been on a work trip in over 5 years so it'll take some getting used to again and I'm apprehensive. 

My mom, sister & I were supposed to go to the Bravo Diamonds & Rosé Experience in Manhattan tomorrow but due to a ton of road closures & subway disruptions, we won't even be able to get into the city, so I'm both disappointed and relieved. I was really excited for it but I have such a busy 6 weeks ahead and I need to prep for my trip next week, so the extra day is much needed.

This was another week where I felt disconnected from reality, where nothing felt calm or easy, and I was just overwhelmed and pushed to the brink. I'm hoping next week is better but knowing me, it won't be because the week leading up to a trip is always very stressful. That's why I'm kind of glad I'll be home this weekend to do what I have to do.

Ok, enough blabbering, let's get into the roundup.