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14 Ways to Find Yourself

5/6/2019

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​1. Accept yourself. Accept who you are. Love all of your flaws and imperfections. They make you beautiful and unique. Before you can truly find yourself, you need to accept yourself exactly the way you are. 
2. Start relying on yourself. Trusting others is important and it’s always helpful to rely on others for help sometimes. But, learn to rely on yourself first. Trust your ability to get the job done yourself. This goes for emotional support, too. It’s a beautiful feeling to be able to emotionally and physically help yourself. 
3. Overcome bad habits. Stop smoking. Stop drinking alcohol. Stop chewing your fingernails. Stop doubting yourself. Stop all those nasty habits that you KNOW are bad for you. Start believing in yourself. Start living a healthy life. Start overcoming obstacles and fears. 

4. Rediscover your values. Our personal values represents our individual essence of who we are. Values tend to guide every aspect of our lives. You need to rediscover your personal values to really be able to find yourself. What's important to you? Some common values are health and well-being, patience, comfort,  growth, fearlessness, acceptance, exploration, family, friendship, commitment, selflessness, independence, confidence, consistency, kindness, leadership, stability, maturity, loyalty, motivation, optimism, passion, spirituality, wealth, power and many more. Sit down one night and make a list. It will help you be a better you. 
5. Learn to be alone. It's okay to be alone sometimes. Some people enjoy the company of others and depend on it. You need to learn to love your own company. Some fun things to do by yourself are go to the movies, go to your favorite restaurant and sit alone at home and watch TV. There are so many different activities you can do all on your own and enjoy it. 
6. Find a passion. Writing? Hiking? Skiing? Boxing? Painting? Music? Find a passion that you enjoy and don't ever let go of it. Do what makes you happy. Your happiness is important. 

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Photo by Ryan Moreno on Unsplash

7. Let go of the need to satisfy everyone. You can't always make everyone happy. You shouldn't inconvenience yourself to satisfy every single person you come across. PUT YOURSELF FIRST. 
8. Ditch the negative energy. Surround yourself with positive energy and optimism. No ones needs bad juju in their life. Say goodbye, whether that be people, possessions, or your job. 
9. Spread kindness. Try to achieve one act of kindness a day. It can be as simple as opening a door for someone. 
10. Be selfless and selfish. Concern yourself with the needs of others and their wishes, but also be concerned with your own personal profit and well-being. 
11. Try new things. Don't be scared. Overcoming your fears makes you grow tremendously as a person. Don't think about it. Don't give yourself time to talk yourself out of it. Have you always wanted to jump out of a plane? Do it. Have you wanted to climb a mountain? DO IT. Have you always wanted to make a spontaneous trip to Paris? There's no better time than now. 
12. Be open to change. Change isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes change can be eye-opening, rewarding and healthy. It can give you a whole new perspective on life and of yourself.  
13. Cleanse your life. End toxic relationships, straighten out your schedule and obligations, and declutter your mind. There are so many beneficial ways to cleanse your life, and this is very important in your journey to find your new self. Throw away that raggedy dress from high school, wear those skinny jeans, find inspiration, and take a break from technology. Don't wait until tomorrow. Do it now. Start today. 
14. Know who you are. In order to find yourself, you have to know yourself. Find the new you. It won't happen overnight, but if you put your mind to it, it will happen. 
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9 TV Shows to Watch (April 2019)

4/30/2019

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1. Dynasty 

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4. True Blood

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7. Beauty and the Beast

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2. Lost in Space

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5. Taken

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8. Shadowhunters 

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3. The Act

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6. A Discovery of Witches 

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9. The Bold Type 

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The Difference Between a Lesson and a Soulmate

4/7/2019

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What is a soulmate? A soulmate is someone who you meet unexpectedly. You establish an unbreakable bond and share a magical desire for one another that's unlike anything you've ever felt before. Some people never meet their destiny in this lifetime, but maybe another. Others are lucky enough to discover their one true love, the person whom they're supposed to be with, the person they're in-lined in the stars with.

It has been said that when you meet your soulmate, you'll feel a sense of calm, security,  and will experience a profound connection so deep and so strong that it will be entirely impossible to break. They will be your home. You will feel the undeniable feeling of completion when you're with them.

What if you confuse a fling for a soulmate? Anyone you meet before your soulmate is simply a lesson. But, mistaking the two happens to us all. A person who disguises themselves as your forever love, will be meant to come into your life to teach you a lesson, support you, or to show you yourself. Their divine purpose in the relationship is waking you up. Remember, though, as they're intense, they're only temporary.  You'll fall in love and think to yourself, "This is the one." You're wrong.

Your true soulmate is the one who comes into your life and doesn't hurt you, doesn't try to change you, they'll never doubt their love or commitment to you, always will inspire you to be a better you, the person you can finally be yourself with, and most importantly, the person who you couldn't see your life without. They're not only your soulmate, they're your best friend.

I understand that deciphering the two can seem widely impossible. It's definitely easier said than actually finding your person. You'll go through heartbreak, pain, and a lot of lessons. You'll love and you'll love time and time again. When you meet your soulmate, you'll know. You'll feel the sense of relief and a wave of calm will wash over you. It will be easy, never hard. Listen to your heart. Your heart will steer you in the correct direction. Trust.

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10 TV Shows to Watch (March 2019)

3/31/2019

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1. Shadowhunters 

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4. You

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7. Good Girls

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10. The Resident 

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2. The Enemy Within

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5. Younger

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8. Imposters 

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3. Good Behavior 

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6. Power

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9. Manifest 

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TO THE GIRL WHO THINKS SHE'S UNLOVABLE

3/20/2019

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I know you. Honestly, most days I am you. The girl who thinks she’s unworthy of love, just unlovable to the core. I know you all too well. I’m sure a lot of us females can relate. 

You find a man. The perfect, handsome, well-put-together man that you could see an honest future with. You date. You fall in love. You look at him and think, "How did I get so lucky?" But then, it tragically ends and you sit alone at night, crying,  thinking it’s something you did. Pleading to whatever God you believe in to make the pain stop, because it feels like the heartache is going to suffocate you slowly. Maybe, you’re just too unlovable, romantically unreachable. Maybe you didn't deserve him. Maybe it was your flaws and imperfections and mood swings that chased him away. Maybe you're destined to be alone. 

Merriam Webster’s definition of unlovable states, “Is incapable of inspiring love or admiration : not having attractive or appealing qualities : not lovable.” My definition is “Someone who doesn’t believe they deserve to be loved or someone who doesn’t think anyone could ever love and cherish them.” 

It’s heartbreaking, imagining you’re the reason for your own decaying and disgraceful love life. You constantly belittle yourself into believing false and unrealistic self-judging data that it starts to become undeniable truth through your eyes. Your self-preservation doesn’t ignite so you’re left wandering aimlessly through your degrading thoughts about not only yourself, but love, too. 

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PHOTO BY CALLIE MORGAN ON UNSPLASH

You anxiously plead that someone, anyone, will look at you with hunger in their eyes, a look that implies that they see the real you, the lovable, caring, worthy, you. "That day will come soon. Just be patient," they tell you. How many times have you heard that line? So many times that it's like your own personal anthem replaying constantly in your head.

​Giving up on love altogether would be the easy choice, the most "practical" decision in your self-denying imagination. Don't put yourself on the back burner just because that's where you think you deserve to be. You need to work every day on being a better you. 

Over the years, I've learned that falling in love with yourself is first priority. Don’t wage war with yourself, instead embrace the beauty you’ve been blessed with. Each and every day remind yourself that you’re lovable and worthy of pure and passionate and everlasting love. You just haven't found that special someone that's able to handle all your worth. He'll come, and when he does, the wait will be completely worth all the heartache, self-doubt and worry. Every ounce of pain you felt, will vanish when you finally find him. Just don't give up so easily. Don't ever give up on yourself. You are priority. You are worthy. You are everything. And most importantly, you are lovable.
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The Next Bachelorette 2019 is...

3/19/2019

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The Next Bachelorette for 2019 is...

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Hannah Brown

From Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor!
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Books to Read (February 2019)

2/25/2019

1 Comment

 

After
Anna Todd


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Amazon's Blurb

Experience the internet's most talked-about book, now a major motion picture, from Anna Todd, the writer Cosmopolitan called “the biggest literary phenomenon of her generation.”

There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER... Life will never be the same. #Hessa

Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way.

But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, and tattoos, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to.

But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before.

He'll call her beautiful, then insist he isn’t the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper.

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin's prejudice about nice girls like her?

Unless...could this be love?

AMAZON

Insurgent
(Book 2 in the Divergent Series)

Veronica Roth


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Amazon's Blurb

One choice can destroy you. Veronica Roth's second #1 New York Times bestseller continues the dystopian thrill ride that began in Divergent.

A hit with both teen and adult readers, Insurgent is the action-packed, emotional adventure that inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, and Octavia Spencer.

As war surges in the factions of dystopian Chicago all around her, Tris attempts to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

AMAZON

The Chemist
Stephenie Meyer


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Amazon's Blurb

In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.

She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.

Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.

When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it's her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.

Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.

In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she's one of the world's bestselling authors.

AMAZON

A Discovery of Witches
Deborah Harkness


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Amazon's Blurb

Book one of the New York Times-bestselling All Souls trilogy—"a wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight” (People).
 
Now “[a] hot show that’s like Twilight meets Outlander” (Thrillist) streaming on Sundance Now and Shudder, and coming to television this April on AMC and BBC America.

Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.

Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in book two, Shadow of Night, and concludes with The Book of Life.

AMAZON

See Me
Nicholas Sparks


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Amazon's Blurb

A powerful love story fueled with taut suspense, about an instant connection between two people who are both trying to escape the past, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks.


See me just as I see you . . .

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. With a history of violence and bad decisions behind him and the threat of prison dogging his every step, he's determined to walk a straight line. To Colin, that means applying himself single-mindedly toward his teaching degree and avoiding everything that proved destructive in his earlier life. Reminding himself daily of his hard-earned lessons, the last thing he is looking for is a serious relationship.

Maria Sanchez, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, is the picture of conventional success. With a degree from Duke Law School and a job at a prestigious firm in Wilmington, she is a dark-haired beauty with a seemingly flawless professional track record. And yet Maria has a traumatic history of her own, one that compelled her to return to her hometown and left her questioning so much of what she once believed.

A chance encounter on a rain-swept road will alter the course of both Colin and Maria's lives, challenging deeply held assumptions about each other and ultimately, themselves. As love unexpectedly takes hold between them, they dare to envision what a future together could possibly look like . . . until menacing reminders of events in Maria's past begin to surface.

As a series of threatening incidents wreaks chaos in Maria's life, Maria and Colin will be tested in increasingly terrifying ways. Will demons from their past destroy the tenuous relationship they've begun to build, or will their love protect them, even in the darkest hour?

Rich in emotion and fueled with suspense, SEE ME reminds us that love is sometimes forged in the crises that threaten to shatter us . . . and that those who see us for who we truly are may not always be the ones easiest to recognize.

AMAZON
1 Comment

AFTER by Anna Todd (Review)

2/25/2019

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After
Anna Todd


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Amazon's Blurb

Experience the internet's most talked-about book, now a major motion picture, from Anna Todd, the writer Cosmopolitan called “the biggest literary phenomenon of her generation.”

There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER... Life will never be the same. #Hessa

Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way.

But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, and tattoos, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to.

But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before.

He'll call her beautiful, then insist he isn’t the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper.

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin's prejudice about nice girls like her?

Unless...could this be love?
AMAZON

Honest Review


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4 out of 5 stars!

The honest reason I picked this book up and started reading it is because I saw the movie trailer on Facebook. By the way, the movie looks insanely amazing and hot! #AlwaysTeamHessa

Reading the book, I was pulled in immediately. One of the main characters, Tessa, is a good girl who hasn't formally evolved into the person she is truly meant to be. Instead, not realizing, she hides behind a fabricated good girl life. Yes, she loves school, gets great grades, is truly a nice person, generous, loyal, gracious... but, she's just missing something in her life. Experience? Her sexuality? Adventure? A man who ignites fire inside of her just by his touch?

Hardin is the complete opposite. Hard exterior. Secretly soft interior. He's the bad boy every girl swoons for- the heartbreaker. He's completely upfront about not being the relationship type and only wanting one thing from women. He's a benign asshole that you just can't help fall in love with. Looks can be deceiving.  Hardin has underlying issues that forces a war with himself.

Tessa and Hardin are two people who shouldn't be together for numerous obvious reasons. But, that won't stop them from trying so utterly hard to make their relationship work. Love does crazy things to people, but it's not something you should give up without a fight. 

One thing about this book really set me off- in a bad way. They're literally always arguing. Every other page it's them fighting, making up, fighting, making up, on and on. It really drove me insane and on the verge to a near breakdown. I understand that this book is mostly about the evolution of a girl trying to find herself and a boy who doesn't know how to genuinely love and is trying to change his bad boy ways, but way less arguing would've been nice. Quite frankly, this drained me.

It was a wonderful read. It had me hooked. I felt the raw emotions displayed in this book. I'm extremely excited for the movie to come out. I will definitely be reading book 2 next!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a drama-packed love story about two characters who are not willing to give up on love.


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Quantico Review

10/23/2018

0 Comments

 

Quantico

Creator: Joshua Safran
Number of Seasons: 3
Original Network: ABC
Available on: Netflix, Hulu, On Demand

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Plot


It's been three years since American hero Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra) has had to navigate the dangerous waters of the Central Intelligence Agency and put her life on the line for her country. She has been living a peaceful, anonymous life somewhere in Italy. However, Alex is forced to abandon this idyllic existence when Ryan (Jake McLaughlin) persuades her to help him rescue Shelby (Johanna Braddy) from a notorious international arms dealer known only as The Widow, who is holding her hostage. A whole new future lies ahead for this team when they agree to work together as an elite black-ops task force.
ABC

Actors/ Main Characters


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Priyanka Chopra as
Alex Parrish

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Josh Hopkins as
Liam O'Connor

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Russell Tovey as
Harry Doyle

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Jake McLaughlin as Ryan Booth
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Graham Rogers as
Caleb Haas

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Anabelle Acosta as Natalie Vasquez
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Tate Ellington as
Simon Asher

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Blair Underwood as Owen Hall
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Marcia Cross as
Claire Haas

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Aunjanue Ellis as Miranda Shaw
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Yasmine Al Massri as Nimah Amin

Review


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4 out of 5 stars!

Quantico was a hard show for me to get into at first. It took me several different attempts at watching it. I think I watched the first episode like four times. For some reason, I just couldn't get interested in the plot and the main characters. That's part of the reason why I knocked off one star.

I gave it one last try, and this time, I told myself I'm going to watch at least a few episodes before I give up for good. I did just that, and I got addicted. By the second or third episode, I was attached to the main characters and the intense story line. The  characters were finally starting to develop and become intriguing.

This show has so many plot twists, which made it that much more exciting to watch. Several times- too many to count- I was caught off guard. Just when you think you know who framed Alex Parrish, you're wrong. Just when you think you have a character figured out, you're wrong. Just when you think you know how the show is going to end, you're wrong. Quantico keeps you on your toes and makes you really think.

Alex Parrish and Shelby Wyatt were my two favorite characters on the show. Alex is someone you can route for, someone you want to win. She's stubborn, but with a heart of gold. She's strong and independent. How can you not love her? Shelby Wyatt is a southern bell, but don't let that fool you. That girl can do some damage with a gun, and she's quick on her feet.

The pros:
1. Plot twists and turns are crazy intense.
2. The characters are interesting and easy to like.
3. Once I got into this show, I couldn't stop watching it.

The cons:
1. I wish the show didn't kill a lot of the main characters off or have them just disappear for no reason.
2. There should've been more seasons.
3. The last season could've ended better than it did with more information .

The plot twists are excellent. The characters are well developed. I highly recommend this show if you're into the whole conspiracy, FBI, CIA, undercover, assassins, too-many-plot-twists, thing.

0 Comments

Books to Read in September 2018

9/9/2018

1 Comment

 

Note: I've read only SOME of these books. The others have been highly recommended to me in 2018 to read.

1. See Me by Nicholas Sparks

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EBOOK
PAPERBACK
Hardcover
Audiobook
Audio CD
A powerful love story fueled with taut suspense, about an instant connection between two people who are both trying to escape the past, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks.


See me just as I see you . . .

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. With a history of violence and bad decisions behind him and the threat of prison dogging his every step, he's determined to walk a straight line. To Colin, that means applying himself single-mindedly toward his teaching degree and avoiding everything that proved destructive in his earlier life. Reminding himself daily of his hard-earned lessons, the last thing he is looking for is a serious relationship.

Maria Sanchez, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, is the picture of conventional success. With a degree from Duke Law School and a job at a prestigious firm in Wilmington, she is a dark-haired beauty with a seemingly flawless professional track record. And yet Maria has a traumatic history of her own, one that compelled her to return to her hometown and left her questioning so much of what she once believed.

A chance encounter on a rain-swept road will alter the course of both Colin and Maria's lives, challenging deeply held assumptions about each other and ultimately, themselves. As love unexpectedly takes hold between them, they dare to envision what a future together could possibly look like . . . until menacing reminders of events in Maria's past begin to surface.

As a series of threatening incidents wreaks chaos in Maria's life, Maria and Colin will be tested in increasingly terrifying ways. Will demons from their past destroy the tenuous relationship they've begun to build, or will their love protect them, even in the darkest hour?

Rich in emotion and fueled with suspense, SEE ME reminds us that love is sometimes forged in the crises that threaten to shatter us . . . and that those who see us for who we truly are may not always be the ones easiest to recognize.

2. Resisting Darkness by Amy L. Gale

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How can you destroy the world’s monsters when you’re in love with one?

Supernatural hunter, Dex Jager, will stop at nothing to find the vampire brood that captured his sister, and take them down one by one. After a motorcycle accident lands him in the small town of Whispering Pines, he finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation and partnered with Cora Fisher, the beautiful town coroner. As Dex and Cora grow closer and secrets surface, Dex is faced with the toughest decision of his life. How can you resist the darkness when it’s the one thing you love?

EBOOK
Paperback

3. Once and For All by Sara Dessen

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EBOOK
Paperback
Audio CD
Hardcover
Audiobook
From  Sarah Dessen, the beloved New York Times bestselling author of SAINT ANYTHING and JUST LISTEN, comes a new novel set in the world of wedding planning!

Is it really better to have loved and lost?  Louna's summer job is to help brides plan their perfect day, even though she stopped believing in happily-ever-after when her first love ended tragically.  But charming girl-magnet Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged now that he's met the one he really  wants.  Maybe Louna's second chance is standing right in front of her.

 Sarah Dessen’s many fans will adore this latest novel, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story with humor, romance, and an ending that is so much more than happily-ever-after.



3. All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

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EBOOK
Paperback
Audio CD
Hardcover
Audiobook
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us—whose writing is “emotionally wrenching and utterly original” (Sara Shepard, New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series)—delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.

Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.

All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?


4. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

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ebook
hardcover
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MP3 CD
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Do you ever suspect that everyone else has life figured out and you don’t have a clue? If so, Rachel Hollis has something to tell you: that’s a lie.

As the founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Rachel Hollis developed an immense online community by sharing tips for better living while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own life. Now, in this challenging and inspiring new book, Rachel exposes the twenty lies and misconceptions that too often hold us back from living joyfully and productively, lies we’ve told ourselves so often we don’t even hear them anymore.

With painful honesty and fearless humor, Rachel unpacks and examines the falsehoods that once left her feeling overwhelmed and unworthy, and reveals the specific practical strategies that helped her move past them. In the process, she encourages, entertains, and even kicks a little butt, all to convince you to do whatever it takes to get real and become the joyous, confident woman you were meant to be.

With unflinching faith and rock-hard tenacity, Girl, Wash Your Face shows you how to live with passion and hustle--and how to give yourself grace without giving up.


5. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

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ebook
paperback
Hardcover
Audiobook
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is now a major motion picture streaming on Netflix!

Lara Jean’s love life gets complicated in this New York Times bestselling “lovely, lighthearted romance” (School Library Journal) from the bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

6. Billionaire Unchallenged by J.S. Scott

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ebook
paperback
What happens when you're instantly drawn and inexplicably attracted to a man you haven't really met?

Me? Well, I left a party like my butt was on fire when it happened to me. Arrogant, wealthy and physically perfect men were nothing but trouble, even if I was mesmerized by a man with all of those attributes.

Unfortunately, we met again--in person this time-- when I literally collided with Carter Lawson in the flesh several days later, and discovered he was a man I just couldn't stay away from, no matter how much I tried. He felt the same attraction, and was determined to make it impossible for me not to see him.

My body craved him, and as I got to know the real man behind the jaded billionaire, womanizer facade, I was surprised to discover that I actually liked him.

He's the quintessential alpha male that I normally hate, but there's something I see in him that nobody else does, a pain I recognize in his glacier-like eyes--because I'm just like him. Both of us are frauds

I want to crack him like an egg, and see what's inside, but there's no way I want him to do the same thing to me.

On the surface, I'm a successful supermodel with a great career.

Inside, I'm someone else, a woman that nobody sees--until Carter slowly breaks through my defensive walls as well as he satisfies my body, starting to open wounds that have never really healed.

But there's only so much I can let Carter see. Revealing everything could ruin my entire life and the career I'd worked so hard to build.

So why was it so hard to lie to Carter like I'd been doing with everyone else my entire life?

7. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

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#1 New York Times bestseller Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.

The book is divided into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose. Deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.
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paperback
hardcover
audiobook
audio cd

8. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

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audiobook
audio cd
An addictive new novel of psychological suspense from the author of #1 New York Times bestseller and global phenomenon The Girl on the Train.

“Hawkins is at the forefront of a group of female authors
--think Gillian Flynn and Megan Abbott--who have reinvigorated the literary suspense novel by tapping a rich vein of psychological menace and social unease… there’s a certain solace to a dark escape, in the promise of submerged truths coming to light.” --Vogue

A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.
 
Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she'd never return.
 
With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present.
 
Beware a calm surface—you never know what lies beneath.

9. The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines

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EBOOK
Hardcover
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AUDIO CD
Are you ready to see your fixer upper?

These famous words are now synonymous with the dynamic husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. As this question fills the airwaves with anticipation, their legions of fans continue to multiply and ask a different series of questions, like--Who are these people?What’s the secret to their success? And is Chip actually that funny in real life? By renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and changing lives in such a winsome and engaging way, Chip and Joanna have become more than just the stars of Fixer Upper, they have become America’s new best friends.

The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together. From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.

They both attended Baylor University in Waco. However, their paths did not cross until Chip checked his car into the local Firestone tire shop where Joanna worked behind the counter. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. Soon they were married and living in their first fixer upper. Four children and countless renovations later, Joanna garners the attention of a television producer who notices her work on a blog one day.

In The Magnolia Story fans will finally get to join the Gaines behind the scenes and discover:

  • The time Chip ran to the grocery store and forgot to take their new, sleeping baby
  • Joanna’s agonizing decision to close her dream business to focus on raising their children
  • When Chip buys a houseboat, sight-unseen, and it turns out to be a leaky wreck
  • Joanna’s breakthrough moment of discovering the secret to creating a beautiful home
  • Harrowing stories of the financial ups and downs as an entrepreneurial couple
  • Memories and photos from Chip and Jo’s wedding
  • The significance of the word magnolia and why it permeates everything they do
  • The way the couple pays the popularity of Fixer Upper forward, sharing the success with others, and bolstering the city of Waco along the way

And yet there is still one lingering question for fans of the show: Is Chip really that funny? “Oh yeah,” says Joanna. “He was, and still is, my first fixer upper.”

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    Olivia Howe. 25 years old. Author, Blogger, and Reviewer. 3 cats. 1 dog. TV Show fanatic. Lover of all things makeup, animals, books, The Bachelor, blogging, sloths, lifting at the gym and salads.

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