Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 165

Movie Review: Brightburn

Title: BrightburnGenre: HorrorRelease Date: May 24th, 2019My Rating: ★★★★☆IMDB Rating: 6.2/10Cast: Summary from IMDB:  What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
IMDB Trailer
Review: AHHHH! So Scary. If you want to crap your pants in the dark, watch this movie. Think Superman gone evil and came straight from hell in a child's body. I think I chewed off all of my finger nails and if I could reach them, I would have chewed off my toe nails too. The ending makes the whole movie. Watch it and let me know what you think.

Weekly Menu #334 And The Book Of The Week

Hello MONDAY!!!! Good grief, how many times do we have to be here? It's like, every week. I think the best part of this Monday is that the boys are back to school and I get to go grocery shopping all by myself today. Its been three weeks.

So, I finally finished some of the books that are on my weekly read. I know, its taken me a while, but this weeks book is Hunted by Meagan Spooner. This book looked really cool, so why not.

I know you came here for the weekly menu, so lets get on with the food. Enjoy!


Monday- Chicken Parmesan
Tuesday- Greek Pork Tenderloin 
Wednesday- Loaded Beef Taco Potatoes
Thursday- Friday- Chicken Cobb Salad
Saturday- Scallion Ginger Udon Noodles
Sunday- Leftovers Night

Sunday Confessions #26

Well, Sunday, glad you're back. I love Sundays and I will tell you why. There is nothing that is pressed for time. No job that I have to be at, and the only thing that needs to get done is what I feel like doing on Sunday and not Monday. Sundays are lazy and wonderful and I love them.
I hope you had a wonderful week. Lets get to the recap.

Sunday Confessions #25~Weekly Menu #333 And The Book Of The Week~Movie Review: Hobbs & Shaw~Book Review: Inside Out by Demi Moore~Series Review: The Selection Series by Kiera Cass~Book Review: My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid

Weekly Menu #334 And The Book Of The Week~ Book Review: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt~Book Review: The Third Mrs. Durst by Ann Aguirre~Sunday Confessions #27





Well, I hope your Sunday is as relaxing as mine. I'm going to get back to my book.

Book Review: My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid

Title: My Darling DukeBy: Stacy ReidGenre: RomancePages: 352Release Date: December 31st, 2019Publisher:Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads: “Lush, beautifully written, and deeply romantic, My Darling Duke will sweep you off your feet. My heart was lost to this couple from the very start.” —Amalie Howard, author of The Beast of Beswick
Miss Katherine Danvers has always been a wallflower. But now, with her family on the brink of financial ruin, she finds herself a desperate wallflower. To save her family, she'll do anything. Luckily, she has the perfect plan...

She’ll impress the ton by simply announcing she is engaged to the reclusive and mysterious Duke of Thornton, Alexander Masters, and secure strong matches for her sisters. No one has heard from the duke in years. Surely he’ll never find out before her sisters’ weddings, and she can go back to her own quiet life.

Soon, though, everything is out of control. At first, it’s just a few new ball gowns on the duke’s accounts. Then, it’s interviews with reporters eager for gossip. Before she knows it, Katherine has transformed herself into Kitty Danvers, charming and clever belle of the ton—with everyone eager to meet her thankfully absent fiancé.

But when the enigmatic Alexander Masters suddenly arrives in the city, dashing and oh so angry, he demands retribution. Except not in the way Katherine expected…

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Review: A wonderful Romance full of mystery and passion. This book was not your typical steamy romance novel. The story between the main characters was a wonderful change. So often, the story is driven by the sex and nothing more, but with this book, the story was driven by the story line itself and that made for stronger connections between the characters, which in turn, leads to a more believable sexy scene. This was a great read!  
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Series Review: The Selection Series by Kiera Cass

I don't usually finish a lot of book series. To me, the longer a series goes on, usually the worse it becomes. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but usually not. This series has some good and some... not so good, reads. I only finished this series because the books were short and easy to read.

The Selection - For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
This was the book that started it all. I fell in love with the characters and the whole concept of the selection process. It was a fun read.


The Elite - The Selection began with thirty-five girls. Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon's heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?

America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America's chance to choose is about to slip away. 
The story continued in The Elite with the last few girls who were still in the selection. We learned more about Prince Maxon and his main squeeze America. Things start getting dicey with rebel unrest and with the story line. For some reason Maxon and America couldn't keep things together.






The One- The time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

I really felt like everything that happened in this book, could have been combined into the last book. There are still several girls left in the selection. Not as many of them were eliminated as in the first book and things still seem to be going south for the main characters. They just don't seem to be a good fit for each other.





The Heir - Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.
But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.
Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.
We have three books that could have been combined into one. How many times are Maxon and America going to breakup! The unrest with the rebels has come to a head and all hell breaks loose in this book. If only the main characters could keep their sh*t together. 
The Crown - When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined. 
This book didn't even really need to be written. It follows the daughter of Maxon and America many years later. Eadlyn is so disconnected from her emotions that it makes it hard for me to fall in love with her character. The selection is still a thing, but its been gender swapped and the writer portrays most the boys like nasty little pervs. It really felt flat for me and wasn't needed in my opinion. 

Book Review: Inside Out by Demi Moore

Title: Inside OutBy: Demi MooreGenre: BiographyPages: 272Release Date: September 24th, 2019Publisher: HarperRating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads: Famed American actress Demi Moore at last tells her own story in a surprisingly intimate and emotionally charged memoir.
For decades, Demi Moore has been synonymous with celebrity. From iconic film roles to high-profile relationships, Moore has never been far from the spotlight—or the headlines.

Even as Demi was becoming the highest paid actress in Hollywood, however, she was always outrunning her past, just one step ahead of the doubts and insecurities that defined her childhood. Throughout her rise to fame and during some of the most pivotal moments of her life, Demi battled addiction, body image issues, and childhood trauma that would follow her for years—all while juggling a skyrocketing career and at times negative public perception. As her success grew, Demi found herself questioning if she belonged in Hollywood, if she was a good mother, a good actress—and, always, if she was simply good enough.

As much as her story is about adversity, it is also about tremendous resilience. In this deeply candid and reflective memoir, Demi pulls back the curtain and opens up about her career and personal life—laying bare her tumultuous relationship with her mother, her marriages, her struggles balancing stardom with raising a family, and her journey toward open heartedness. Inside Out is a story of survival, success, and surrender—a wrenchingly honest portrayal of one woman’s at once ordinary and iconic life.
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Review: I never knew Demi Moore's back story. All the crazy things I remember her doing in the past, really make more sense now that I have read the crazy things that happened in Moore's childhood. It's amazing to see how someone with such a harsh upbringing, had the strength to over come, and rise above.

Movie Review: Hobbs & Shaw

Title: Hobbs & ShawGenre:  Action & AdventureRelease Date: August 2nd, 2019My Rating: ★★★★☆IMDB Rating: 6.5/10Cast: Summary from IMDB: Lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and outcast Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain threatens the future of humanity.
IMDB Trailer
Review: Did you see the cast?!?!?! OMG, this was a action packed adventure of epic proportions.  I don't think this movie stopped. I think that was the one thing that I didn't like about the show, there was no time to breathe. No time to process the story that was driving the plot. The action was amazing though, and the movie is definitely worth the watch. 

Weekly Menu #333 And The Book Of The Week

Monday. First Monday of the new year. I hope your new year was wonderful. To tell you the truth, I slept right through it. My two older kids stayed up, but I couldn't make it.

This weeks book, which happens to be the first book of the year, is World War Z by Max Brooks. I've always wanted to read this book and with the new year here, its now time. Who is with me?

This week menu is delicious. Enjoy!

Monday- Beef Pastitsio 
Tuesday- Sweet and Sour Shrimp Stir Fry
Wednesday- Chicken Parmesan
Thursday- Cheesy Beef Tacos
Friday- Gouda Pork Burgers
Saturday- Carne Asada Steak Bowls
Sunday- Leftovers Night

Sunday Confessions #25

Hello Sunday Confessions! Here we are, 2020. I hope your new year festivities were awesome and that you stayed safe. We don't normally do much. In bed early, woken up by loud noises at midnight, stay up for a few minutes and then back to sleep. We aren't much with staying up late any more. Mornings are more my thing. The kids are asleep and I'm able to workout and slowly wake up in silence.
What are your new years traditions? Do you do anything note worthy that you would like to share in the comments below?
Lets get to the weeks recap. 

Sunday Confessions #24~Weekly Menu #332 And The Book Of The Week~Book to Movie Review: A Simple Favor~Book Review: Symptom of a Heart Break by Sona Charaipotra~December 2019 Wrap Up~Book Review: Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller


Weekly Menu #333 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: Inside Out by Demi Moore~Book Review: My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid~Sunday Confessions #26


I picked up The Last Wish 0.5 of the Witcher series. I thought I would dive into this epic fantasy story line since my husband and I have been super into the TV show right now.

I updated my Around the Country challenge. 17/50 now. Moving right along. 


Its been a wonderful week. Lets make next week even better.

Book Review: Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller

Title: BelleRevolteBy: Linsey millerGenre: FantasyPages: 384Release Date: February 4th, 2020Publisher: Sourcebooks FireRating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads: Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.
Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.

Emilie and Annette swap lives—Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.

But when their nation instigates a frivolous war, Emilie and Annette must work together to help the rebellion end a war that is based on lies.
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Review: This book had wonderful fantasy elements along with relatable content between the two main characters. I love how they swap lives. Its a fantastical Parent Swap like story that kept me reading until the end. 
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.