If you’re a TikTok user, then you’ve probably come across it ends with us. It’s a story about spousal abuse, but it gets a Disney fairytale twist at the end.
If you enjoyed the page-turning suspense of It Ends with Us, then you’ll love this new novel by Colleen Hoover. It alternates between Lily’s and Atlas’s perspectives, just two years after the events of the first book.
The Serpent King
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner is a beautiful book that is full of sharp character portraits and gorgeous writing. It’s a realistic contemporary story about three high school seniors and best friends in rural Tennessee.
The three misfit friends are Dill Early, the son of a disgraced snake-handling preacher who’s in jail for child pornography; Lydia Blankenship, a brilliant fashion blogger; and Travis Bohannon, a gentle giant. They stand out in their small town for different reasons but they all have one thing in common: they are best friends and they’re trying to make it through their senior year.
They have to fight their demons – poverty, grief, religious fundamentalism, a bullied mother, an abusive father, and Dill’s disgraced family reputation – to follow their dreams. And while they’re going through some tough times, it’s their friendship that helps them through.
Long Shot
Despite being a little bit raunchy and crude, Seth Rogen’s political comedy Long Shot features plenty of laughs. Charlize Theron delivers a great performance and her chemistry with Rogen is strong.
The film follows a journalist, Fred Flarsky (Rogen), who reunites with his childhood babysitter, Charlotte Field (Theron), a prospective presidential candidate. They strike up a romance that could hurt her chances, and she must find a way to keep her career and her heart safe.
Long shots are an essential tool for filmmakers to convey a wide picture of the action. They allow audiences to become a part of the world they’re watching, and they can also highlight when a character is travelling through precarious or dangerous terrain.
Love and Other Words
After a decade apart, childhood sweethearts Macy Sorensen and Daniel Taylor reunite in a touching, romantic novel from New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren. Will their love withstand the test of time?
Although love is a complex phenomenon, its nature remains largely unclear. Biological models tend to see it as a mammalian drive, similar to hunger or thirst (see Savulescu and Sandberg 2008).
In psychology, love is usually viewed as a combination of altruistic and selfish behavior. It’s believed to be driven by oxytocin, neurotrophins, and pheromones, and it can be influenced by hormones and attitudes.
The vast majority of languages have a variety of words for “love,” and they’re typically based on a combination of cultural factors and philosophical underpinnings. In China, for example, ai consists of two components: Ren, which focuses on actions and duty, and Xin, which refers to universal love.
The People We Keep
The People We Keep is a tale of one wayward teen and the people who come to her aid. It’s not all about luck though, as April Sawicki learned the hard way.
The story starts in 1994, when she leaves her small New York town for the quaint college town of Ithaca. As luck would have it, she makes a few friends along the way and gets a taste of the good life. The book is actually a tad bit long, but it’s well worth the read. Like a fine wine, The People We Keep is best enjoyed in moderation. Fortunately, we are not in the market for a new car any time soon. It is a reminder that, while life may throw you lemons on the regular, there is always a way to squeeze out the good times.
