(no title)

Karen and Tom Krupp are happy–they’ve got a lovely home in upstate New York, they’re practically newlyweds, and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished–her car’s gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse–complete with phone and i.d.–behind.

There’s a knock on the door–the police are there to take Tom to the hospital where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident, and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town.

General Thoughts

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I haven’t read any books by Shari Lapena before, but this book was on my to-read list for a while, and I know her other book The Couple Next Door got good reviews, so I had high expectations.

I personally wouldn’t recommend this book if you’re looking for a story that you really want to be absorbed in. I found that partway through I was debating not even finishing the story, but I forced myself to just in case there would be a twist that made it all worth it.

Well, there wasn’t.

Review – Spoilers Ahead!

First of all, let me just say that I didn’t connect to any of the characters at all. And I don’t need to relate to a character, or see myself in them to enjoy a book, either. But I just didn’t feel anything for the characters in this book. I found that I wasn’t super invested in the events of the story partially because I simply just did not care what happened to them. I found that I wasn’t hoping for certain characters to be innocent, or other characters to be guilty. I wasn’t fussed with what their fates would be either way.

I found that the story also felt quite small and predictable, in a way. It’s like the only people who existed in this world were the three main characters, and then the detectives and lawyer, who were even less interesting. None of the characters really made their mark – there wasn’t anything that brought them to life. And the fact that the story seemed to involve zero people from outside the small bubble made it feel much less real.

The story overall felt like a lot of telling and not showing. The characters were very clearly walking us through the story by just explaining their thoughts and worries the whole time, rather than us being able to interpret anything through their expressions or actions. We didn’t get to have a sense for the tension or the anxieties between the characters, we were basically just told how they felt. I don’t know, it just made it feel very mundane and like a lot of it could have been cut out. I wanted more plot and character development, not just internal dialogue. It felt like very little actually happened in the story, because it was mostly just one or two characters worrying about something.

It was also very confusing because it seemed like when the story was told from the cops perspective, it was meant to be a bit more mysterious like “oh no, what will they find when they search the house??”, but we already know because Brigid already had her own internal dialogue about snooping through their home and touching all their things. It felt like it was a bit out of order, like the cops should have searched the house and found Brigid’s fingerprints before she admitted to the reader that she snoops through the home. That way at least it could have created a bit more mystery around what evidence they might possibly find.

I also found that although some of the twists maybe weren’t ones that I saw coming, I still just…didn’t care about them. Or I wasn’t blown away by them, at least.

I was disappointed to find that the story was partially about a woman obsessed with her neighbour and in love with her neighbour’s husband. I feel like that was a really weak sub-plot that was kind of just inserted into the last bit of the novel in a rush. I didn’t find it to be that exciting of a twist because there was no evidence to look back on and go, “oh wow, she was trying to be Karen rather than trying to be friends with Karen”. I feel like that would have been developed better if she purchased the same perfume as Karen, or started subtly dressing like Karen throughout the book, and then it became gradually more and more obvious she was trying to transform into Karen.

Also, when it’s announced that Karen was never really abused…I feel like that also seemed a bit lazy in a way? I don’t know, I don’t get the point of adding in that element. Was it to try and make it seem like the book was about a powerful woman? It felt to me sort of like the author was trying to do a Gone Girl plot, where Karen is actually this genius mastermind able to expertly manipulate everyone around her into getting what she wants and believing the story she’s created. But it just felt so weak and half-hearted. If that’s the type of character she wanted to go with, then that’s the storyline that should have been developed. Not a storyline about a housewife with amnesia who doesn’t even know what actually happened.

The last attempt at a plot twist: Brigid is pregnant with Tom’s baby.

Honestly, at that point I was kind of over the whole novel, and that last plot twist just irritated me. I wasn’t upset on behalf of any of the characters, just annoyed that the story was still desperately trying to shock the reader when at that point, I personally just did not care about any of the characters enough to feel any kind of way about the pregnancy. I didn’t sit there feeling shocked or astounded, I didn’t wonder what that would mean for everyone, how Tom would react, I didn’t feel sorry for Karen or happy for Brigid. I was just like, “okay then,” and closed the book.

I’m not sure if I want to read The Couple Next Door now, as I’m worried it will be another letdown. If you have read it, let me know if it’s worth the read. And if you’ve read both books, let me know how The Couple Next Door compares to A Stranger in the House.

Until next time,
Nadine

Il Makiage review

Il Makiage is a makeup brand that I considered buying foundation from for a while, but their policy seemed too good to be true. When you purchase foundation from them, they don’t charge you for the product until 14 days after you receive it. During those 14 days you have a chance to test it out, and if you don’t like it, you can send it back free of charge, and you won’t get charged for the product at all. .

Because of this policy though, I was a little skeptical. I thought that this could mean that they are so confident in their product, they know there’s no risk in not charging you for 14 days because they’re certain you’ll like it.

I thought that maybe their product was so bad, they had to use this too-good-to-be-true policy to convince people to purchase it, and then would hope that people would just be too lazy to go through the process of returning the product, or would forget, and ultimately get charged after 14 days.

Well, I’m happy to inform you it’s the former. The product is pretty good! And not only that, but their customer service is even better.

When I purchased the foundation, I ended up getting the wrong shade, which is totally my own fault. I don’t ever order foundation online because I never know what my shade is, so I wasn’t surprised that I managed to mess that part up. But I was able to easily exchange the product for a different shade with no additional charge to myself.

As soon as they found out I was looking to do an exchange, they reached out to help me determine the correct shade. They asked a couple simple questions (is it too light/dark, how off is the shade), and requested I send a make-up free selfie. It took me two minutes to respond (including taking the selfie), and they were able to suggest a more accurate shade. When I ordered this new shade, I got the same policy – I won’t be charged until two weeks after the product arrives. Which is amazing, because it’s a really great, risk-free way to test out different shades until you find your perfect match.

Not only did they provide great customer service with finding a better shade, but they also reached out to apologize for the “inconvenience” of receiving the wrong shade, and gave me a $50 gift card for their website. How insane is that?! It’s my own fault that I got the wrong shade, and I wasn’t even upset about having to return the product (especially because it didn’t cost me any money), but they still went above and beyond to make the whole interaction with their brand amazing, and much more special than what I’ve experienced from any other brand.

I’m pretty satisfied with the product, too. Some foundations tend to make my skin look more dry, or kind of cakey. But this foundation looks natural, and seems quite buildable. I also ordered some lipsticks using the gift card I was given, so I’m excited for those to arrive and to test them out.

If you’re looking for a new foundation brand, I’d highly recommend checking out Il Makiage – you’ve got nothing to lose!

Until next time,
Nadine

Baxter’s Birthday

Today is Baxter’s first birthday! We threw him a little birthday party over the weekend since Michael wouldn’t be here for his actual birthday.

I never thought I’d be that dog-mom that goes all out for her dog’s birthday, yet here we are. We bought dog cake mix, a little party hat for him, and plenty of presents, of course!

To start the day, we met up with my parents at the dog park and went for a nice walk. Then, since we’re allowed to have outdoor gatherings, we came back to our house and had a little outdoor celebration where we had hotdogs (Baxter’s favourite). He got to play with his new presents, enjoyed a special birthday cookie from my parents, and had just a small piece of cake – I didn’t want him to get sick from all the indulgent food!

Here are some of my favourite photos from his first birthday party:

I can’t believe Baxter is already 1! It feels like just yesterday that we brought him home as a tiny little puppy. Here’s a little throwback from the day we brought him home (I can’t remember him ever being this tiny!)

Until next time,
Nadine

Recent Skincare Purchases

My skin has been acting up lately, and I’ve been getting some decently bad breakouts along my jaw and on my chin. I wish I could blame it on wearing masks, but I don’t go out and about enough for that to really be the culprit.

I’ve been looking at investing more into skincare lately as a result, and these are some of the products I’ve purchased recently, as well as my thoughts on them.

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Pretty certain I’d recommend this product – might need some time still.

I do think this product has helped my skin so far. It feels less oily (typically my forehead becomes an oil slick throughout the day), and my skin just looks generally healthier. I have noticed that I am still breaking out along my jawline, however I have read this could be due to the purging process.

Basically, the product purges all the impurities that are currently in your skin (I remember hearing on a podcast that when you get a pimple, all that shit has already been brewing under your skin for like five days before you even see the pimple), and then once that clears away your skin starts to look better.

This is common with a lot of skincare products – people who go on acne medications like Accutane often talk about their skin getting so much worse before it starts to get better. So, I’m hoping my skin is still going through that purging process, and I’ll see how it looks in a couple weeks.

On the plus side, even if this product doesn’t fully clear away my acne, I don’t feel like it’s a huge loss financially. So many skincare products are so expensive, but this only cost me $10.60 at Sephora! I once spent $52 on a face oil that was 1/4 of the size of this bottle. So, yeah. It’s ridiculous how affordable The Ordinary products are – it makes it so much more accessible for people to test out different products and see what works for their skin, and I love that.

Facial Roller

I would recommend a facial roller.

I don’t think you need to get the super fancy and expensive ones – I got mine for just $27. I do feel that it has reduced the puffiness in my face slightly when I use it in the mornings, but more than that I love using it just for the feel.

It’s nice and cool to the touch, which feels so soothing in the mornings. It also just feels like an amazing massage for your face – even if I wasn’t seeing any results, I’d still be using the tool just for the massage.

I personally like to use my facial roller after I put on moisturizer. I don’t know if this is necessary, but I feel like it glides over my skin better than if I used it without moisturizer. I worry that it would be more likely to pull my skin in that case, and stretch it or give me premature wrinkles.

I use the roller all over my face, but my favourite parts to do are my jaw, and my under eyes. The jaw feels like a much-needed massage if you tend to clench it when stressed (like me), and under the eyes just feels very soothing especially right after waking up.

I would definitely recommend buying a facial roller, and I wouldn’t worry about splurging on an expensive one if you haven’t got the money for that – I feel like they’re probably all relatively similar.

Pore Vacuum

Would not recommend.

In my opinion, this was a waste of money. I was skeptical about pore vacuums to begin with, so I shouldn’t have been so disappointed when it turned out to be a fail, but I felt like I had done my research!

This particular one had great reviews online, and I even went to Youtube to try and see it in action. There was a video where two people demonstrated using it, and you could actually see the gunk getting sucked out of their pores. They didn’t do any kind of prep beforehand on camera to get these results, and they didn’t preface it by saying you should do any prep prior to using the pore vacuum.

I’ve tried it so many times, with all the different attachments, and tried prepping my skin in different ways, but I still got zero results. I tried doing it right after washing my face, and nothing happened. I tried exfoliating first, still nothing. I tried washing my face and then steaming it to really make sure my pores were open – zilch.

I was disappointed because I was really excited to unclog my pores and be able to easily do it at home, but alas. I should have known that it would be too good to be true to get spa-like results with such an inexpensive item – if it really were that easy, why would anyone go to a professional for extractions!

Definitely do not waste your money on this product, it’s not worth it.

All in all though, I would say I had more wins than losses with this haul. And really, the loss was my own fault. I knew before I even purchased it that it likely wasn’t going to get me the results I wanted, but I decided to take the risk anyways!

Do you have any favourite skincare products that you’d recommend? Let me know!

Until next time,
Nadine

Pandemic Check-in

I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to really feel the pandemic blues, and I feel like I’ve gone through a rollercoaster of emotions in relation to the pandemic this past year. On the bright side (it feels wrong to be calling anything a bright side at a time like this), I haven’t gotten sick once since the pandemic started. When I was in University and working in retail, I feel like I was getting some kind of cold symptoms every few months. But now that I’m at home 95% of the time, I haven’t had any symptoms.

Well, at least not any symptoms of physical illness.

I feel drained most days, and I’m itching to get out and see people. I thought that being stuck indoors all the time would really motivate me to get our house decorated, or work on little home-renovation projects, but no. It feels like the longer I spend stuck at home, the less motivated I am to do things. And I’m trying to learn to be okay with that.

At the start of the pandemic it felt like an opportunity to try new activities, learn new skills with all this free time. And then I had the mentality of, it’s a pandemic, I don’t need to do anything. In fact, I shouldn’t do anything. And so I used it as an excuse to just sit around and procrastinate any responsibilities. Then, that made me feel like shit, and I was hard on myself. I started beating myself up for “wasting time” and told myself I couldn’t use the pandemic as an excuse to just not do anything. Which, in a way is right. I can’t let the house fall apart and become a disgusting mess. However, I also can’t expect myself to be super productive every moment of every day.

So, I’m trying to be kinder to myself in this strange new world we live in. Some days, I truly am just too drained, and even vacuuming the kitchen feels like an insurmountable task. On days like that, I won’t push myself. Because I know it’s not just me being “lazy”. It’s me being overwhelmed, whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally. So, I let myself just do what I need to do on those days. Sometimes cleaning actually does help clear my mind if I feel like the clutter of my surroundings is suffocating me. Sometimes sitting on the couch and watching TV for six hours makes me feel well-rested the next day. Sometimes I prefer to escape with a good book, or with an extra long walk on the treadmill or outside.

One thing I haven’t been compromising on is exercise. I try to get some kind of exercise in most days, because I know that it’s really good for me and makes me feel better. It doesn’t always mean I’m doing an intense workout – it can just be a leisurely walk, or dancing to my favourite songs in the kitchen. Something to get my body moving. Having a dog really helps – even on days I don’t care to get myself up and moving, I can’t bring myself to deprive Baxter of a walk.

So, yeah. I’m trying to be kinder to myself and find that balance of, we’re in a pandemic so you’re going to feel tired, you don’t have to do it all, and also you still have responsibilities and goals. You don’t need to give up on life because of the pandemic.

But it is exhausting in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Like, why is a meeting via video chat so much more exhausting than a meeting face-to-face? And I knew I’d be missing family and friends, but who knew that their absence could actually weigh down so heavily on me, and cause me to feel drained by the lack of socialization. Luckily we’re allowed to gather outside, and the weather has been nicer, so I can see my family for walks, which has honestly made such a difference.

But although I’m feeling drained and burnt out from this pandemic, I also know I have a lot to be grateful for, and I do feel grateful. I’m grateful that I have a good job, one I’m able to do by working from home. I’m grateful that I have a home, and that we’ve never been at risk of losing our home or our jobs throughout all of this. I’m grateful that I don’t have to worry about affording groceries, or even non-necessities that bring me joy. I’m grateful that my friends and family are all healthy during this, and I haven’t lost anyone to the pandemic. I’m also grateful for the warm weather we’ve been having, and the decently mild winter we had.

It’s definitely an incredibly tough and confusing time right now. There are good days – it’s not like I’m sitting around feeling miserable 24/7 – and bad days, and I just need to remind myself that this isn’t forever. It may still stick around for a while before it comes to an end, but there will be an end one day. And while I wait for that end to come, I look forward to sunnier days as we get closer to spring and summer. Because warm weather and sunshine always helps.

I hope you have been taking care of yourself during this pandemic, whatever that means for you, and that you’re doing okay.

Until next time,
Nadine

Caramunchies

Caramunchies is a local Edmonton business that makes and sells delicious snacks. I finally purchased a package for myself to try from The Makers Keep at Kingsway mall, and oh man they are addictive.

I’ve never been a huge cereal lover, and never really understood the hype around why so many people love cereal so much. That being said, I was surprised by how much I loved this cereal-based snack. I had to practice a lot of self-control to stop myself from eating the entire package in one sitting.

I tried the Reese’s Pieces one, and I can’t wait to put in an order to try the other flavours, too. Did I mention you can order them right to your door? How convenient! Or, if you live in the Edmonton area, you can order for pickup and skip the delivery fees.

This snack has a great texture too, which I know is an important aspect when it comes to snacking! It was deliciously chewy as it was coated in caramel, yet somehow still retained a satisfying crunch from the cereal. The Reese’s Pieces addition added to the base flavour in a complimentary way, but didn’t steal the show.

They call it the Ultimate Snacker’s Snack for good reason – anyone who knows me knows that I live for snacking. And this is a snack I’ll keep going back to. In fact – I think I’m off to put in an order for myself right now – and you should too!

Happy snacking!

Until next time,
Nadine

Covid Valentine’s Day Ideas

Wherever you are in the world, you’re likely still facing some kind of restrictions in regards to Covid. Whether that means you’re in the middle of a full-on lockdown, there are restrictions around gatherings, or certain businesses are still closed to the public. So, maybe you can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day in the traditional way you normally would, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate at all. It’s especially important now to find and make joy in our lives, and I wanted to help you with ideas for Valentine’s celebrations during Covid.

Fondue Night

The Melting Pot is a go-to celebration spot for a lot of Edmontonians. And for good reason – not only is the atmosphere great for date nights, but who doesn’t love a fondue? If restaurants in your area aren’t open yet, or you just don’t feel comfortable going out to eat right now, bring the fondue night home! Fondue is pretty easy to get started, and it’s not something most of us do very often, so it will make for a special evening at home. You can do either an oil, cheese, or chocolate fondue – or all three if you can stomach it! Although, in my experience, fondue is more filling than it appears.

Dinner and a Movie

Dinner and a movie is another date-night classic that a lot of us have been missing out on since the pandemic began. Luckily, it’s super easy to recreate this date night at home. Plus, you can add a special Valentine’s Day twist to it – order a heart-shaped pizza from Boston Pizza, and watch a romcom! I know for a fact that the latest To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movie is coming out on Netflix on February 12 – just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Ice Skating

Get outside for some socially distanced fun if it’s not too cold where you live! Ice skating is a great winter activity, and it always looks so romantic in the movies. Grab a pair of ice skates and some hot chocolates, and maybe even pack a picnic for in the car to make a day of it!

Pamper

Show your loved one you care this Valentine’s Day by setting up an at-home spa night for them. Run a romantic bubble bath with candles and rose petals, complete with a soothing face mask and relaxing spa music. Bonus: I’m sure they wouldn’t turn down a back rub or foot massage!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Until next time,
Nadine

Bridgerton

Okay, I had to do a blog post about my latest obsession – Bridgerton. I finished watching it recently, and I’ve already started re-watching it. I know, I might be a little late to the game, but I was hesitant to watch it at first. I’m not a fan of period pieces. In fact, I tend to find them to be a bit dry and boring, so I figured Bridgerton would probably be the same. But my friend reached out saying how much she loved it, so I said I would give it a go. I was still a bit reluctant, but then I finally got around to watching it.

And my god, I’m glad I did.

Also, yes, this post is going to contain spoilers.

The first time I watched it, I’ll admit, I missed a lot because I was so focused on the Duke and Daphne. For instance, at the end of the season when they mentioned that Francesca was coming back – I was like, who the hell is Francesca?? Why are they introducing a brand new character so late, and acting like we should just know who she is?

Then I found out she was in the very first episode. I felt so bad, but I honestly had zero recollection of that character! I don’t know how she was completely wiped from my memory. Oh wait – yes I do:

So, yeah, I was definitely zeroed in on one particular aspect of the series.

In fact, I also didn’t really even notice the music the first time watching, either. Which is ridiculous, because now I’m just as equally obsessed with the soundtrack. The classical renditions of modern hits? Insane. I don’t know what it is about the soundtrack either, but listening to it just completely shifts my mood. Which I find surprising, because I’m also not typically a huge fan of that style of music, either. But something about it just makes me so happy, and seems to mentally transport me to a different place. My favourite piece is probably their rendition of thank u, next.

But seriously, what is it about this entire series that is just so magical? Everything about Bridgerton is just so captivating and leaves me wanting more!

It wasn’t until I watched Bridgerton that I realized it’s been a long time since I’ve felt truly, properly invested in characters in a tv show. Don’t get me wrong, there have been shows I’ve enjoyed and gone back to rewatch later. But it’s been a long time since I’ve truly cared about what happened to characters, that I wanted to keep going back and watching them and their relationship develop.

When the Duke and Daphne were going through their rough patch, oh man you guys. I would have been properly heartbroken if they didn’t end up together. It would have felt like I was being broken up with.

One scene in particular made me feel like I needed them to work things out and stay together. At the end of episode 7, when Daphne gets her period and realizes she’s not pregnant, and you can hear her sobbing while the Duke is sitting there teary-eyed…honestly, it gets to me. I was so emotional. I wanted to scream at him to go to her, you idiot! I had been planning to save the last episode until the next day, but I was just feeling so many emotions after that scene, I had to watch the last episode immediately. I needed to know that they would end up together, that everything would work out.

And then it was bittersweet – because they did end up together, thank goodness. But then it meant I had finished the season, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters or the world of Bridgerton yet. So, I immediately started rewatching the first episode.

Also, let’s talk about the sex scenes for a second. Before I watched Bridgerton, I saw memes all over the place talking about how much sex there was. It gave me the impression that pretty much every second scene would be sex, which also made me reluctant to watch the show initially – I assumed it would lack depth, and would be a show trying to gain popularity based off sex appeal. But really? I didn’t think there was that much sex. There was like one episode that had a bunch, but let’s be real, it added to the storyline.

It was an important part of the story, in my opinion, because it shows Daphne’s sexual awakening and the way she gets to finally embrace her sexuality – something that she was brought up to be so sheltered from that she didn’t even seem to grasp the concept of touching herself. But not only that, it also showed just how naive and unprepared she was in regards to sex education. She knew so little about what sex was that she didn’t even realize the Duke was pulling out – she didn’t seem to realize he was purposefully doing that to avoid getting her pregnant. It seemed as though she just thought that was a normal part of sex, that that’s how it ends, nothing weird at all. And then it allowed us to see her realization that the Duke was purposefully avoiding getting her pregnant.

I think it also showed the growth in their relationship. When they were first having sex, there was a lack of honesty in their relationship, with the Duke not being honest about his ability to have children/his desire to not have children. Then, in episode 8 when they make up and have sex again, and the Duke doesn’t pull out – it feels like it’s representative of the Duke’s growth as an individual, as well as their growth as a couple and their ability to communicate better. I don’t know, maybe I’m not explaining it in the best way, but I do think those scenes were a strategic part of the story, and were important in showing the effects of extremely sheltering a young woman from anything to do with sex.

Oh, and Lady Whistledown – I’m sad to say I wasn’t actually that captivated by trying to figure out who she was. Which is surprising, because I love mystery/thriller novels purely for the investigative work of trying to figure out the identity of a character, or guess the plot twist. In the last couple episodes though I did start paying more attention to Lady Whistledown, and I think I briefly accused almost every single character of being her at least once! I don’t think my lack of interest in trying to piece together the identity of Whistledown is any fault of the writers of the show, though. Or maybe it is, in a way. They did such a good job of creating an enrapturing love story, that I was too busy focusing on the Duke and Daphne. I mean, come on, this scene just destroys me:

I can’t decide if I want to read the books now, but I think I might hold off on it for the time being. I’m worried I’ll spoil the second season for myself by finding out what happens next. Or, I’ll spoil the entire series by comparing the show to the books, since I have a bad habit of picking out all the differences in movie adaptations of books.

So, I’ll just be over here rewatching the first season of Bridgerton while I impatiently await season 2.

Until next time,
Nadine

London Recap

Today I’m going on a trip down memory lane to recap our trip to London! We visited London in 2019 when we had flown to Scotland.

When we arrived to London, it was raining heavily for most of the day. But I still insisted on walking everywhere we went because I feel like it’s the best way to see a city. On our way to Buckingham Palace, we walked past a library, and they had a tree dedicated to Anne Frank.

When we got to Buckingham Palace, it was packed with tourists. We found out it’s because people were gathering to watch the Changing of the Guard, but I guess since it was raining they weren’t going to do the whole procedure, but were just going to do a quick change. We hadn’t arrived with the plan to see the Changing of the Guard, but I did feel bad for people who were looking forward to it!

I also felt kind of…underwhelmed by Buckingham Palace, to be honest. I mean I’ve seen pictures of it online so I guess I knew what it was going to look like, but I was expecting it to be a bit more grand in person. My parents did go for a tour when they visited though, and they said it was really good, so maybe I’ll have to go back one day and sign up for a tour!

This was on our way to the London Eye! I thought I wouldn’t fully enjoy the London Eye because I’m afraid of heights, but I really enjoyed it! I can’t remember if we went to Waterloo station to get to London Eye, but we were there frequently, and every time we were there I couldn’t help but hum the ABBA song. We also saw a classic red telephone booth on the way, so like a true tourist I had to get a photo next to it! That last photo is from a different day, but the weather was nicer for a photo with the London Eye in the background.

We went to see the Tower of London, but again we hadn’t booked a tour for it. It was still cool to see it from the outside, but I’d definitely like to go back for a tour one day! I found the sculptures of the lions, as well as the sculpture of the guard with the bow and arrow (fourth photo) to be really neat! The ice cream cones in the top photo aren’t from the Tower of London, of course, but we saw an ice cream truck nearby and enjoyed our treat while looking at the Tower!

After the Tower of London, we walked over to the London Bridge and walked across it. It was funny to think about how people driving or walking across probably do it as part of their daily commute and don’t really think of it as anything special. And then there’s tourists like me walking across and taking endless photos of this bridge!

Madame Tussauds – I’ve been to the one in Amsterdam, and the one in London felt like a totally different experience. It was a bit difficult to get photos with the wax figures without any other people in the shot since it was so crowded, but we still managed to get a few good photos. These were some of my favourites.

This section above is just a random collection of shots from wandering around London. I didn’t get a chance to see the real Big Ben in person (it was under construction), but I did get to see the lego version! We also went to the M&M store, which was on my list of places to visit. Ever since I found out you could get customized M&Ms at an M&M store, I’ve been desperate to go to one.

We took a stroll through the Leake Street graffiti tunnel, and took our time walking through and marvelling at the artwork. On our way out of the tunnel, we spotted this Banksy piece in the last photo. I’m still reluctant to believe it’s from the Banksy, even though Michael assured me that it must be since it has his signature, and it is a well-known piece of his. But I just don’t want to get all excited thinking I’ve seen a Banksy in the flesh, and then feel disappointed if it turns out to be from someone else imitating Banksy!

Carnaby Street and Daunt Books were some highlights for me! I think we walked along Carnaby Street a few times, and we did a bit of shopping down there as well. I absolutely loved it. There was a weird Shakespeare doll hanging out a window (third photo) which scared me, haha! There was also a wild store with crazy shoes (second photo) that I didn’t go into, but had to snap a photo of. Daunt Books was a massive bookstore, it felt like stepping into a different world. It was super quiet, like a library, and there were multiple floors filled with books. It was an absolute dream.

Inko Nito was our favourite restaurant in London, by far. We regularly talk about how much we miss it and want to go back just so we can eat there again. The broccoli, in the third photo, was out of this world. I think that dish, as well as the sweet potato, were my favourites. The dishes came out as they were ready, so we didn’t have them all at once, which I liked. It felt like we were able to fully enjoy each dish on its own without mixing flavours.

I definitely want to go back to London one day – I loved the energy there so much, and I never got tired of walking around looking at everything (although my feet definitely got tired). Looking through these photos makes me miss the excitement and adventure of traveling to new places. Hopefully we’ll be able to travel again soon!

Until next time,
Nadine

Then She Was Gone

Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her.

And then she was gone.

Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

I really enjoyed Then She Was Gone! My mom read it before I did, and when she told me she couldn’t put it down, I knew I had to start reading it ASAP. I was a bit skeptical though, because usually when someone tells me a book is really good, I hype it up too much for myself and end up being disappointed as a result.

But not this time.

Overall, I’d highly recommend this book if you’re into mystery -thriller type novels.

SPOILERS BELOW

The moment I started reading the first page, I was hooked. I spent most of Sunday reading, and then I finished it on Monday. I think part of the reason I didn’t want to put it down is because I kept thinking I knew how the story would end. Whenever I feel like I’ve guessed the outcome of a book, I desperately want to get to the end to find out if I was right or not.

I was kind of on the right path with my main prediction, but wasn’t 100% correct. When I was reading the parts were Noelle is bringing Ellie gifts, and keeps calling her things like “my best student”, I definitely thought she was grooming her. And then when Laurel thinks that Poppy looks just like Ellie, and Floyd asks Laurel to hide photos of Ellie because Poppy is obsessed with other peoples photos and will ask questions, I knew. I knew that he knew Ellie had to be Poppy’s mom. And I knew him and Noelle had to be involved in some way.

However, this is where my prediction was wrong. I thought that him and Noelle worked as a team, that they were in on it together. That they had some kind of human trafficking thing going on, or they couldn’t have kids themselves so they decided to get a young girl to carry a child for them (for a fleeting moment I had a thought that this would be some kind of disappointing split-personality twist where Floyd and Noelle were the same person). I thought that maybe Noelle fled because she couldn’t handle the guilt anymore, or that she maybe decided she just didn’t care to be a mom anymore. Or maybe she was still around, but obviously couldn’t have Laurel knowing that she knew Floyd.

So, I was wrong, but not entirely. Noelle did kidnap Ellie and make her carry a baby for Floyd. But Floyd didn’t know about it until after the fact. I also thought that Floyd sought out Laurel for some sadistic reason, but I guess he had good intentions, in a way.

I know that Floyd didn’t really have anything to do with what happened to Ellie, but somehow I still think of him as being just as evil as Noelle. I can’t help but still feel negatively towards him as if he were part of that scheme. I don’t know if it’s because I initially suspected he was, or if it’s because he was cruel in other ways.

I also had kept hoping that Ellie would still somehow be alive, and part of me wished the story had ended that way, but I’m also glad that it didn’t. It wouldn’t have been as realistic or believable, and it may have felt like too easy of a choice, in a way. Easy in the sense that it purposefully makes this horrible event easier to read about, because hey at least she’s still alive! But I think that just shows how strong the writing of this story is, that you start to care about the characters on a deeper level and become invested in their well-being. It’s a credit to the author when you’re genuinely so sad that a character has died – not because the scene had been written in a sad way, but because you wanted better for that fictional person.

I will admit, I was a bit confused about the fact that Noelle and Floyd got to have chapters written in the first person, whereas the chapters focusing on Laurel were written in third person. I thought at first that maybe Noelle’s was meant to be like a diary entry, because she refers to Floyd as “you”. Or maybe a letter. But then she also describes the way he lunges at her when he kills her, so it couldn’t have been something that was written later. I don’t know, I found that those chapters threw me a little and took me out of the story a bit, almost confused whose story it was – was it Laurel’s story? Noelle’s? Floyd’s? I kept waiting for some twist, some a-ha! moment to explain why those chapters were written that way, but it never came. Or maybe I’m just missing an obvious point entirely.

It also absolutely broke my heart reading about how Laurel realized that she had walked past Noelle’s house, and looked at the Cherry Blossom tree in her yard, all while her daughter was trapped in that basement. And she had no idea. I felt like I could feel her agony – I can’t imagine how that must have felt, knowing you were so close to your missing child, but being so oblivious.

If you’ve read Then She Was Gone, what did you think? Did you predict how it would end? Would you recommend it to a friend?

Until next time,
Nadine