Dumplin'

I know that Dumplin' came out last month, but I feel like it wouldn't be fair not to share about it here. Oh Dumplin'! I ADORED this book. ADORED IT. I was so so so excited when I heard that it was being made into a movie.

I read this back in early 2016, here is my review:

The Movie:

I absolutely loved the movie as well! I felt like it was a lot more centered on her self confidence, and her relationship with her mom than the book was, which was a nice change of pace. The book focuses a little bit more on her romantic relationships. I thought the acting was so well done Jennifer Aniston and Danielle MacDonald had great mother-daughter chemistry. It was so funny, and so heartwarming. I absolutely adored all of her fellow anti-pageant mates too. I looooved Millie, and KC could not stop cracking up over Hannah. I loved all of the Dolly stuff, again! Let's not forget my favorite, Harold Perrineau, who also played Mercutio in Romeo + Juliet. Everything was so over the top and I loved it! :) I had a lot of fun seeing this book come to life on the screen.

I know that some people liked the movie more than others, and that some were disappointed by the movie because they loved the book so much, and that others were disappointed by the book because it wasn't anything like the trailer for the movie. You are my reader friends, what did YOU think?!

For me, enough time passed in between reading and watching that I wasn't too critical about it.

I cannot wait to read Puddin' which I have heard from you guys is just as good (even better, some say!) than Dumplin'! :)

See my thoughts on To All The Boys I've Loved Before & Guernsey too!

XO,

Alexandra

PS - I sent this to my grandma for Christmas and she loved it. So much so that she didn't want to "ruin it with the movie". :)

Guernsey & Lara Jean

TODAY WE ARE FINALLY GETTING OUR FLOORS PUT IN AFTER THREE MONTHS OF IMPATIENCE! We are SO SO SO excited to get it finished up and move in this weekend, finally! :)

It's been a good month for book-to-movie adaptations. While these are not the only two that have come out (I'm looking at you, Crazy Rich Asians!), they were highly anticipated for me!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - Now on Netflix

Plot: Juliet, a London journalist takes up correspondence with Dawsey, a citizen of Guernsey (an island off England's coast) after WWII. Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during the war, and Dawsey tells of his and his friend's book club that kept their spirits up during the war. As Juliet learns more about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society she makes the trip to Guernsey to write meet and write about this extraordinary group of people.

My Thoughts: I absolutely adored this adaptation of Guernsey. It was so atmospheric and everything about it really swept you up into the story. I thought that Lily James did a wonderful job, as did the rest of the star-studded cast. I thought that the film version might be harder to watch than the book was to read, but I thought that they handled the sad parts very well. (and they left out one part that made me particularly sad, so yay!) One of my favorite things about the story is it's focus on resilience, it translated well into the movie version.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - Now on Netflix

Plot: Lara Jean writes a letter to her crush when she's ending it. She keeps them hidden in a box, but one day the letters get sent. Now, all of the boys she's loved before are coming out of the wood work. Including her sister's newly ex-boyfriend, Josh. In order to keep Josh from finding out her true feelings, she starts a fake relationship with someone else who received a letter, Peter K.

My Thoughts: This is my favorite contemporary YA series, I adore everything about it. I was a little nervous about the film adaptation, but thought it was very well handled. For one thing, I loved seeing a POC as the main character, in a movie! I loved Jenny Han's article on the topic as well. One of my favorite things about the stories is the family relationships between Lara Jean, her sisters, and their father. The movie did such a good job capturing those familial ties and sibling quirks. All of the teen swooniness and cringe-worthy moments were intact as well. I *heart* Peter K. I cannot wait for the next movies! I hope to goodness that they make them! :)

Have you seen or read either of these?! If so, what did you think?

Have you seen or read Crazy Rich Asians yet?!

What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?

XO,

Alexandra