The Lazy Girl Library
The Lazy Girl Library is a charming book podcast hosted by two best friends. Expect laughter, witty banter, and a generous sprinkle of fun as we dive into the stories that have captured our hearts and minds. So grab your favorite blanket, a cup of tea or coffee, and curl up with us as we embark on a captivating literary adventure.
The Lazy Girl Library
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey - Book Talk
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Join us as we delve into our experiences from February and discuss our lives through a lens of humor and sincerity while inviting listeners to engage and share their stories too. At the heart of this episode, we share our insights and critiques of Tessa Bailey's "Secretly Yours." This romance beautifully portrays the journey of opposites—where Hallie's vibrant spirit clashes with Julian's structured life. We reflect on their character arcs and themes, examining deeper topics like anxiety and how it affects relationships.
SPOILER WARNING!
Start: 15:26
End: 47:16
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Welcome to the Lazy Girl Library , the podcast , where reading is a pleasure and captivating adventures happen from the comfort of your couch . I'm your host , darby , and I'm Mikayla , and if you've ever spent more time rearranging your bookshelf than your priorities , then you , my friend , are in the right place .
Speaker 2Hello Darby .
Speaker 1Hi Mikayla .
Speaker 2Hi listeners , Welcome back to our February podcast episode .
Speaker 1I love it . How's your February been ?
Speaker 2My February has been chaotic and hectic and all over the place , but you know we're surviving , we've made it through . It's the end of the month , new page what ?
Speaker 1about you Definitely busy . You said the other day like your mind's on Rainbow Road . Yeah , so I've been feeling like I've been taking some laps on there too , but it's been fun . I've been having fun on Rainbow Road while also like doing the toad scream . Do you know what I'm talking about ? The toad from Mario the Hedgehog .
Speaker 2So it's been fun , yeah for me at least , I feel like I'm on Rainbow Road , playing the computer on like expert mode , being hit by so many bananas and shells that it's just insane . So I am happy for this race to be over . Speaking of our weeks though life check-in , let's say what are your five star and one stars of the month , since we did miss our first episode in february . That was my fault because of rainbow road .
Speaker 1No , no you're so good . You're so good , um , okay . So my five star ? Okay , I'll start with this . My five star was it was my birthday month and , um , my parents and justin and I we went to montana for a birthday trip which is like craziest birthday trip ever . I felt so spoiled , like that's not something normal for me or for our family to like do like a big fun trip like that . Um , cause we're we live on the East coast for our listeners who may not know , so that's just kind of a trek , but we got to go snowboarding and stuff and that the snow was beautiful and it was just so great and I got a chance to like do some reading , because this is a really busy season for me at work , so , like we've been saying Rainbow Road , we haven't had much time to have any pit stops , so it was nice . My one star I don't know what my one star is , which I guess is a good thing .
Speaker 2That is a good thing .
Speaker 1I don't know . Okay , actually , I know what my one star is , but it's like a future one star . I'm still going to say it . My therapist is pregnant and that's amazing , but she's going to be gone during the time I need her most . No , that's so sad , but I'm super excited for her . But I guess that's my one star . But again , I mean , I'm feeling fine and I'll be fine , yeah . But yeah , it's a bit of a bummer for me , not for her . She's bringing life into the world , which is so exciting .
Speaker 2Exciting , but at the same time like no . But my life will deteriorate . Happy for you , sad for me , yeah , but that's me . What about you ? My five stars ? On the positive note , my wedding shoes came in . I've been obsessing over them , so gorgeous , thank you . Yes , I've been . I texted Darby when they came in and I just showed Darby when she came over to record this podcast , because I love them . I'm obsessed . They fit perfectly . They're exactly what I was looking for . Obsessed .
Speaker 1They're so elegant , feminine , detailed , just so , so pretty .
Speaker 2It's the details for me . I'm such a details person as I talk about all the time , so it is the little things on it that I'm like oh , and versatile Obsessed I talk about all the time .
Speaker 1So it is .
Speaker 2It's the little things on it that I'm like , and versatile obsessed , unfortunately we can't share pictures out right now , but later , come back in july , we'll do a full wedding recap . Yeah , um , yeah . So that was that's definitely my five star for the month . My one star is really difficult because there's so many . Where do I begin this month ? This is you took all my one stars . I'm just kidding um oh gosh , oh no .
Speaker 2My one star for the month was my . One of the shelves in my closet collapsed in like early morning hours in the middle of the month , and the way that it fell like jammed the door so I could not get into my closet at all , like crazy . It locked me out , and so I live in an apartment complex , and so I had to put in like a work order for them , but it took them a few days to come in , and so I didn't have a dresser . I do so . Luckily , I had access to clothes still , but it was like shorts and t-shirts and like comfy clothes . Yes , um , I all my underwear is in my closet , though , so I had to go buy new underwear , oh my gosh , um , and I couldn't access any of my shoes .
Speaker 2Luckily I had a pair of like slides , like in the living room , so I at least had something . But um , yeah , going to work was not an option that week , that's so funny .
Speaker 1But also maybe this is a five star because then it just forces you to shop .
Speaker 2I mean , that's true .
Speaker 1Like woe is me , must buy new clothes . I'm just kidding , that's hard . Yeah , it was .
Speaker 2It did turn into like a good thing , because then , once they were finally able to open my door , I had to pull everything out , so it forced me into early spring cleaning mode to get rid of a bunch of stuff . So now , like that's all taken care of , my closet is looking much nicer than it started out with .
Speaker 1So positive end to the negative start , but yeah , that was not a fun time no , that does sound tough , but a closet clean-out is so nice , it's so needed until then . Like a couple months later you're like where's that shirt ? And you're like , oh , I gave it away .
Speaker 2Yep yep , yep , and again , it's honestly one of those that can go either way , because it's like on one hand , you're , like I don't know , really sad or like body conscious because like I don't fit in these , and it makes you really depressed , but at the same time , there's something really therapeutic about just like getting rid of all the old , especially because a lot of that stuff is like things that I'm not even . It's not really like my style anymore anyway , so it leaves room for like growth and like new things that are like your style now I agree , but then I never replace it .
Speaker 1That's what happens . I don't replenish it like I'll get rid of stuff and slowly my closet just keeps getting smaller . But we'll get there yeah anyway , those were our five stars and one stars Today . In this episode we're going to be talking about our thoughts on the book Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey . So this will be a nice book talk . We'll answer some book club-esque questions about the book . Give our final ratings .
Speaker 2If you already , you already might know some of our thoughts on this book if you're part of our Fable book club . If you're not , you should definitely join us . Lazy Curl Library on Fable . We just posted our new book club , book pick , so you'll get to see that a little early if you're already on there . If not , you'll find out at the end of the episode what it is . Early if you're already on there . If not , you'll find out at the end of the episode what it is . But it's such a cool time to get to like talk about the book early and like see everybody's thoughts as you're like reading it in the different chapters and everything . Um , so definitely join us there .
Speaker 1We'd love to connect yeah , that would be so fun . And before we completely dive into this romance book , let's talk about our life romance . In february , valentine's day , how did you celebrate with josh , your fiance ?
Speaker 2josh , he's such a romantic too . Uh , we actually , I say that , but we don't actually celebrate valentine's day , but for good reason . Our anniversary is february 3rd , so it's kind of like too quick a turnaround to try to do both . So we just mutually agree Like a joint one or something . We just do like a big anniversary kind of celebration . So Valentine's Day we actually didn't do anything , but for our anniversary we did a little mini staycation and we went to the parks Disney parks oh cute . We got a hotel on property , so that way , living close by , we were just constantly driving to it . So it was nice to be able to , like you know , use the Disney like transportation . That's there . We got to go drink around the world together , which we haven't done which is fun .
Speaker 1What hotel did you stay at ?
Speaker 2The Swan . Okay , that's a fun one . It was nice and so we even our room got upgraded so we were able to watch like the epcot fireworks from our balcony . So it's just like a really nice feeling , like room service and everything . It was a really really nice time . Oh , I love that yeah that's fun . What about you ?
Speaker 1well , I was in montana , um , for valentine's day , because justin also has it rough . My birthday is two days after Valentine's Day . So we were in Montana and it was actually really sweet because we like celebrated with my parents , like it was like a little double date kind of thing . So we just kind of spent the day . Justin and I spent the day snowboarding . I think Wait , was it on a Friday ? Okay , no , we weren day snowboarding . I think wait , was it on a was Valentine's .
Speaker 1Day , on a Friday okay , no , we weren't snowboarding . So my parents and Justin and I we spent the day just looking at some of the shops , so we just kind of perused some things . My mom ended up like buying us this cute like , um , like traveling book type thing , or like bucket list travel book thing , which is nice .
Speaker 1Um , my dad bought a cowboy hat , which was funny oh my gosh , it's so fun he's not necessarily a cowboy kind of guy , um , and yeah , so we just like hung out , did some shopping , had some light bites and then for dinner , my , I wanted to cook for my parents to thank them , but they ended up cooking dinner for Valentine's Day , so we had like potatoes , broccoli and steak , but it was funny because the grill was under snow so we couldn't grill the steaks and for some reason my parents wanted to like broil the steaks .
Speaker 1They were not great , um , but they tried , so it was so cute . I I actually kind of enjoyed the steaks , which I shouldn't have because they were not good steaks , um , but it was just really funny and really sweet , because as you get older you don't get to spend a lot of those like times with your parents , and I don't know about you , but my parents were always like , growing up , they would get me valentines and they'd be my valentine , and so it's just sweet and cute they made me a card and I made them a card and yeah , I liked it .
Speaker 1That's so cute yeah , um , and then we have some lightning round valentine's Day questions , so you guys can comment on this podcast or message us on Instagram and let us know your thoughts on which you prefer on these Valentine's Day lightning rounds , starting with chocolate or flowers so tough .
Speaker 2I'm going chocolate .
Speaker 1I'm going to go flowers . There's no wrong answer no wrong answer , but I think I'm going flowers because , like , I can buy myself chocolate anytime , but like when a boy brings you flowers , it's just like oh see , I'm the opposite , in the way of like I can get flowers anytime , but like , specifically like the valentine's chocolates yeah , you can only get around Valentine's Day .
Speaker 2That's true , that's true , so All right .
Speaker 1Love at first sight or slow burn ? This is definitely not love at first sight , but I like infatuation , like they need to , like catch my eye . But I think if you're going off of Justin and I , that was a slow burn . If you're going off of Justin and I , that was a slow burn ?
Speaker 2No For me . Ironically , josh and I we're like a love at first sight , yeah , but I much prefer reading a slow burn .
Speaker 1Yeah , reading definitely slow burn . Yeah , yeah , okay Handwritten love letter or mixtape slash playlist .
Speaker 2Both of these are phenomenal options , but I think'm gonna go with playlist okay , because I feel like , at least for me , when you're somebody like provides you a playlist , you get to like listening to the song because like wow , they were thinking about me whenever they hear this song or like I don't know , it's like the thought of like putting it all together . I do love a handwritten note , because then you get to hear people's thoughts but something about just like the playlist and like the thought behind every pick that they have to put together for you and now you know like anytime you hear that song or they hear that song , they're thinking of you . Yeah , I love that that's cute .
Speaker 1I feel like in theory , like for me the playlist is like oh , that's cool , but I much prefer like a love letter , because for me the playlist is like they were thinking about me , but like what part of the song made them think about me ? Where it's like a handwritten love letters . They're telling me exactly how they feel and Justin's not like a super vocal person , but he writes these sweetest love letters and I'm like I didn't even know .
Speaker 1you felt this way . They're's so cute , they're so perfect , so I'm going handwritten love letter all day .
Speaker 2Aw , love that . Enemies to lovers , friends to lovers or second chance romance .
Speaker 1Okay , In real life friends to lovers . In book world I'll rank them . So enemies to lovers is first , then friends to lovers and then second chance romance isn't even on the list .
Speaker 2I cannot stand a second chance romance exact same for both real life and books .
Speaker 1Uh , same , yeah , no notes okay , what fictional setting would be the most romantic place to spend valentine's day ?
Speaker 2um valorous , specifically starfall that's . That would be like up on the balcony when they're all the stars and like the shooting stars going by . Yes , that would be mine I have no idea , honestly .
Speaker 1A ball , any fictional ball , that like not a thing , especially in the US , like balls are not a thing . There are galas , those I know very well . But , it's not even the same . Balls are so different , you know so .
Speaker 2That pops up on my TikTok occasionally , of like cotillions or things like that , or like other countries that have like actual balls , I'm like , wow , what a world .
Speaker 1I would balls like , wow , what a world I would love . Crazy . Okay , on our bucket list a lazy girl library bucket list . Go to a ball together an international ball .
Speaker 2Oh my gosh , yeah , let's do it .
Speaker 1Let's do it , live out my bridgerton dreams yes , okay , but let's go into um another romance holly and julian's romance reading recap time . Let's get to it all right , so take it away real quick , just so for our listeners .
Speaker 2Our reading recap is where we go through the entire book , just like main plot points , very high level summary . So that way , if you haven't read the book but you still want to listen to the podcast , you have an idea of what we're talking about . But it does contain spoilers .
Spoiler Warning!
Speaker 1Warning book spoilers ahead . Please head to the description and show notes to find where to skip to . You have been warned .
Speaker 2Let's get into it . Hallie Welch , a spirited and somewhat chaotic gardener in Napa Valley , has harbored a crush on Julian Voss since they were teenagers . At 14 , she experienced an almost kiss with Julian in the vineyards of his family's winery , a moment that left a lasting impression .
Speaker 1Years later , julian returns to his family's estate on a sabbatical from his position as a Stanford professor . His goal is to write a novel adhering to his meticulously structured routine to manage his anxiety and maintain control over his life .
Speaker 2Fate intertwines their paths when Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Voss estate . Her free-spirited and spontaneous nature contrasts sharply with Julian's disciplined lifestyle . Despite differences , an undeniable attraction simmers between them .
Speaker 1And then , on one evening after indulging in wine , hallie impulsively pens as an anonymous love letter to Julian , signing it as secretly yours . She slips the letter onto a tree stump along his running path , not anticipating the impact it would have . And in fact the first letter she was like , pretty drunk so she didn't even remember completing it . And Julian , on the other hand , is both intrigued and unsettled by the mysterious note leading him to ponder the identity of his secret admirer .
Speaker 2He's also feeling conflicted because he has such strong feelings for Hallie , but he's still curious about the secret admirer . As Hallie continues her work on the estate , she and Julian engage in a series of interactions that oscillate between tension and flirtation . Julian finds himself drawn to Hallie's vibrant energy , which begins to disrupt his carefully maintained order .
Speaker 1Meanwhile , hallie is grappling with her lingering feelings for Julian , as well as the fear of revealing her identity as the letter's author . Her internal conflict intensifies as their connection deepens and she worries about the potential repercussions of her confession .
Speaker 2Julian's curiosity about his secret admirer grows and he starts to see beyond Hallie's chaotic exterior , recognizing the depth of her character . Their relationship evolves , leading to moments of vulnerability and passion .
Speaker 1However , the truth about the letters eventually surfaces , leading to misunderstandings and emotional turmoil . Both Hallie and Julian must confront their insecurities and past traumas to find common ground .
Speaker 2In the end , they acknowledge their love for each other , embracing the blend of order and spontaneity that defines their relationship . Together , they embark on a journey of mutual growth , understanding and acceptance . The end , and they lived happily ever after K-I-S-S-I-N-G .
Speaker 1What were your initial thoughts , Mike ?
Speaker 2Well , I'd say the book met my expectations going into it . But my expectations were that it was going to be mid I knew you had those expectations going into it .
Speaker 2I've talked about this many a times . I am a person that judges a book by its cover , and I avoid any romance or any kind of book that has like the cartoon people covers . Um , I'm sure there are a lot of great ones out there that I'm missing out on . This one has yet to prove me wrong , though . Um it the author I felt like just had like a lot of ideas and and like had a hard time connecting them all , which made the story kind of fall flat for me .
Speaker 2I can totally agree with that , yeah uh , and it was somehow like extremely rushed but also painstakingly slow at the same time I can also really agree with that I like , I really enjoyed the concept of it . I just wish that it was more like fine-tuned and like had more of a clear direction . I feel , yeah , what about you ?
Speaker 1I feel pretty similarly to you . It was just an average romance book , but I think I liked it , probably a little more than you did . I definitely didn't love it , but I think I was able to go into it with kind of like a I'm turning my brain off type of book , um . So it's not like I was expecting to feel like deep emotions , um , but there were definitely places like concepts that didn't need to be in this book or themes that just were too exaggerated for my liking .
Speaker 2Um , it's just like too much and that shouldn't really get to like dive into any of the specifics that you would have wanted but it wasn't like that .
Speaker 1No , I don't think it was bad , because we have read some books on here that I finished this one and that says a lot what was your favorite part ?
Speaker 2um , I really enjoyed hallie in this book , which surprised me because normally like the female main character fmc so annoying , absolutely especially , and I always prefer like the males pov to the females point of view . Um , but in this book specifically it was reversed for me . I really enjoyed hallie , I found her really relatable and I enjoyed the writing more for her and from her perspective than I did for julian . Um , and I especially loved the beginning like third of the book , when we're really exploring her crush for julian before like really diving deeper into that kind of relationship , because it gave me very like nostalgic , like high school vibes like , like setting up the town too yeah , I don't know , it was just like it was really cutesy and like kind of made me feel like girly , giggly kind of .
Speaker 2Yeah , I liked that part . What about you ?
Speaker 1um , I definitely liked hallie as a character and her personality . I feel the same way as you . The setting and the small town feel made me feel good . I am from like a small town and there really is just like something different about it , yeah , and so just reading about that was like cute and I just felt like , oh , like the lady who owned the winery .
Speaker 1I just like felt for her and I was like I want to be her friend , I will go there . Like why aren't more people going ? It was cute . And then I also really liked Natalie for some reason , julian's sister . I feel like she was the most normal and real . We didn't hear her inner monologue , but she just felt kind of like what ? Like you know what is happening here .
Speaker 2The voice of reason , kind of yes , yes .
Speaker 1So I really liked her a lot .
Speaker 2Yeah , she was cool too . What about a least favorite part ? What didn't you like ?
Speaker 1school too . What about a least favorite part ? What didn't you like , um , I think , the fact that their relationship felt more like lust than actual feelings . For me , so , it was very much like julian didn't remember her yet was in love with her yep , totally , um , so it just felt more like lust and infatuation than actually like what was happening , because the feelings and like actual discussions they were having was with a secret admirer , which was her . He was connecting , like on that level , but then , like when they were in person , it wasn't like that . Yeah , and then one of my notes is what you kind of already said is that the writing felt rushed and slow at the same time .
Speaker 1So , just the pacing of it was strange to me .
Speaker 2Very . What about you ? What are your thoughts ? So I started writing out my thoughts and I realized I was being specific , but I think my least favorite part was just Julian . Yeah , to be honest , it was very like instant love vibe from his POV . Oh my gosh like instant love vibe from his pov oh my gosh . So instant love like and I ? That is a trope I run from .
Speaker 2I can't stand an instant love because it's like , like , if you think about it in real life , an instant love is creepy , I wish I could say the same , but like , oh , having experienced that , I'm like I get it , so I can't even say it's unrealistic , but it is unrealistic at the same time .
Speaker 1I don't know , but I'm talking about like you can have an instant , like let me rephrase like like I went on one date with a guy in college and later that day he was texting me , was like I feel like I can tell you anything . You remind me of the sun and I'm like too much too fast . Like that to me , I'm like no , like that's , that's too much . Like I'm not that cool you don't know me that well like what I feel like no opposite . No , that's good . You're totally valid .
Speaker 2There's someone out there for that guy like you know you are absolutely , totally valid and I have all those feelings up until I met Josh . And then Josh just kind of like , changed my perspective on that and our relationship .
Speaker 1So you guys were instant like when did you know you were going to marry him ?
Speaker 2First date . I have the text to prove what .
Speaker 1Okay , that's crazy .
Speaker 2So that's what I'm saying it's like as much as like I like with every fiber of my being . I believe and understand totally wholeheartedly what you're saying and like I hate reading it . I also feel like a hypocrite saying that because I can't say it's unrealistic , because it was realistic for me . So if I take myself out of that situation though like I 100% , completely agree and I can't read about it , it did feel very like unrealistic .
Speaker 1It was just weird , and it was the lust part of it . It wasn't just instant love , but instant lust .
Speaker 2And like this all of a sudden . I didn't like the way that the author portrayed him wanting to make hallie happy , because it was like an instant , like I have to see her smile . She has to be happy all the time and there's a way to do it . That's like more romantic and less creepy and less creepy . But the way that it was written was very it kind of like took away the depth of hallie and being hallie being such a good character in this book for me .
Speaker 2I think that it kind of from took away the depth of Hallie and being Hallie being such a good character in this book for me . I think that it kind of from Julian's perspective , it made her seem very flat , yeah , or like he was viewing her very flat , which wasn't fair . I was like kind of like Hallie deserves better than to be just like happy all the time , like she has , you know , depth to her um . So I didn't like that um , and I just felt like there was like a better way to like write it , um . And I also did not understand , nor like the big gesture at the end that he did like the big romantic gesture to like , yeah , make her feel better where everybody's wearing all the crazy necklaces , because that's what hallie does and he's like plant these flowers anywhere in the vineyard that you want . I'm'm like no , that's weird , I don't like that . That came out of nowhere , it doesn't even make sense . Yeah , like no .
Speaker 1And also like you have things to talk about . Like you guys haven't talked in two weeks . It was bizarre . Like you're just going to pretend like you guys aren't in an awkward like haven't talked .
Speaker 2Well , and your big romantic gesture was to bring half the town .
Speaker 1So your big romantic gesture no way and you could bring like the important people from the town but like her guy friend that like likes her was so strange , bizarre Didn't like it .
Speaker 2So , all to say , I don't think I cared for Julian all that much .
Speaker 1That's funny um julian and hallie have wildly different personalities structured versus chaotic . Which one do you relate more ?
Speaker 2oh well , I didn't like julian , but I am julian I think you're a toned down version . I don't think you are as crazy as julian I definitely like as much as I could relate to some things with Hallie , like I think I've related more to Hallie and how she was feeling versus like who she is and her chaotic personality . Yeah , I definitely related more to Julian in that aspect and his need for structure to help like control the chaos of his mind . I'm very much that type of person .
Speaker 2Yes , so shocker to everybody , that would be me . What about you ?
Speaker 1I guess another shocker . I definitely lean more chaotic and I have thought this before and big knock on wood right now . But I always say I am not a prime suspect for serial killers because I'm never doing the same thing , like I don't have a routine , like I could go run on a route on a trail and never run it again . Or if I do do something like that I like to go do again . It is not like weekly or daily , because that just can't things come up like it's just not gonna happen for daily , because that just can't things come up Like it's just not going to happen for me . So that makes me feel good and safer in life because I'm like I don't even know what's happening next . So it would be hard for other people to track me .
Speaker 2That is good .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2I can't , I'm the opposite . Yeah , you could find me on the same thing , same place for lunch , same order , same time no , every day different orders for me too .
Speaker 1So , like chick-fil-a , I get something different almost every time from there . Just yeah , I've had a lot of the menu it depends on the restaurant .
Speaker 2Like I am like when I go to starbucks , I get something . It's completely dependent on my mood , versus like if I'm going to my typical lunch spot for work , I get the exact same thing every single time yeah , I get for me .
Speaker 1If it's like a sit-down restaurant , I'm normally getting like the same thing . Like chewy's , like I'm gonna get the same soft tacos every time . But like chipotle , like I'll change up the rice , I'll change up the meat , like I won't add some of the toppings . Sometimes I'll do all the toppings interesting .
Speaker 1Yeah , so that one's more like a mood thing yeah , depends , I think , for me , but most of the time same place , same time I , the only time that I'm like I really like structure is when I'm doing something for someone else so that I can have expectations .
Speaker 1That way I can like meet and exceed them , um , and obviously like in work , like having that structure . But then the chaotic side of me needs like the autonomy of like , okay , like now let me get it done , like the way that I like can do it . Um , I think is how I relate to structure , and then also I used to not be as well , but I've really been using google calendar and our girl shel she's a structured girl , that's our friend , she's crazy on Google Calendar in a good way . But I've been starting to dip my toes into Google Calendar and just putting dates out there so that I because I often am a double booker , because I'm like , yeah , no , I'm not doing anything , I'm like , oh , I'm doing something , and so that has been helping me too . That's good To be a little less chaotic in life .
Speaker 1Yeah , I am definitely not on shelby's level um she's like color-coded and when we say , the whole month is booked up , like every day is every day she has it like hour by hour and I can't I do day by day .
Speaker 2I do say like I will . I have , I love google calendar , but I use it very like rudimentary . I do have it kind of color-coded , so like if I have , like I have friends' birthdays as like a certain color , and then I have like my things a certain color , josh's things a certain color and things we're doing together a certain color . But I don't use it as like a daily planner .
Speaker 2If that makes sense it's more of like a check-in , so I don't double book and like I can see the bigger picture of like what's going on in a month . So when people are asking to hang out I can know like , oh , I'm actually going to be gone that weekend or I already have something or I'm free , like that kind of thing .
Speaker 1Yeah , no , I'm not using it every day , but it's more just like the days . Yeah , and Justin's and mine are connected , and so sometimes I think it pulls it from like your Gmail too , like when you get like an appointment notification , and that's really nice because Justin's not putting anything in there yet I'll know , like , when things are happening , because he's going to tell me like the day before and I'm like , no , I know already . I saw it on the calendar , so that's good . Anxiety plays a big role in Julian's character arc . How did you feel about the way that tessa bailey handled his mental health journey ? Again , I thought it was kind of mid .
Speaker 2I appreciated the effort . I think that she thought she slayed this and I appreciate the way that she tried to tackle it and I think that she was almost there . She could have handled it better , um , but I don't think that she was trying to be like I know . I know that this book and like the few goodreads things that I saw like got a lot of hate and how she handled it , and I don't think that it was that horrible , because I think I think the key word is that I knew , notice the effort , yeah , I feel like , instead of just being like throwing it in there , throw in there , um , uh , but like , especially like the way she wrote about julian's like anxiety attacks and how you don't have to deal with them alone .
Speaker 2I can appreciate , but the messaging just fell flat because it came across more like , um , you know , we can do anything with , you know , like the power of like the people that love us , and like anxiety just like goes away at that point which is not not the case , yeah , so that's where it kind of like yeah , for me what about ?
Speaker 1you um , well , I couldn't really like relate to it , so it was just hard to almost like judge it because it just felt for me like too extreme . And again , I don't know if that's because I've been like lucky to not have like a terrible amount of anxiety or like panic . I don't know if I've ever had a panic attack like a bat , like I've definitely panicked before and I definitely haven't like have had anxiety , but I don't think I've ever had like attacks of it right um .
Speaker 1So it was just kind of hard to relate to the character um , but I do think it was just like you said , there was effort there . It could have been done better .
Speaker 2Yeah , because I think , like for me with like the panic attacks like it wasn't him talking about it , because I do think that they can . Like the panic attacks like it wasn't him talking about it , because I do think that they can't be serious the way that he was talking but then all of a sudden to have like the grand reveal at the end of it , being like he only has panic attacks when the people he loves are in danger , like that part made it so unserious from like what it actually could have been serious . I think that's where people have a hard time and that , yeah , that that was the problem I had with it .
Speaker 1I think and because if it was something so extreme , as like locking yourself in your room for two weeks , like to then say it's because of those people , exactly , that's , yeah , that's when it feels like kind of disingenuous , hurtful for them the people , because I , I have plenty of friends and family members who definitely struggle with anxiety , and so it can . It can be serious for sure , but I don't know , it's hard because it's like a fictional book , so it's like she doesn't have to like . This isn't a mental health book , um , but if you're gonna make that one of the big topics , it's gotta be kind of realistic yeah , no , I .
Speaker 2I agree she probably should have done a little bit more research on how to better tackle that , but I do appreciate at least her talking about it totally instead of like I don't know , skimming over it or just kind of like half fasting it in a way . Yeah , yeah , um . But switching over to hallie , she struggles with feeling directionalist in this book . Um , do you think her character arc had a satisfying resolution ?
Speaker 1Okay , I totally related to Hallie a lot more .
Speaker 1I fun fact in like ninth grade , what was it ? It wasn't Reddit , but it was some sort of like Discord place to like put questions and stuff . And in ninth grade I wrote on there and I was like I'm 14 , I don't know my purpose and I don't know what I'm supposed to do and everyone knows what they want to do for a job and I have no idea what I want to do for a job . And then all these like 30 year old women are like what , which ?
Speaker 1I'm almost a 30 year old woman , so saying that was really weird but at the time , all these like millennials and , um , older people were like it doesn't you don't need to know right now , but so I can definitely relate to like the directionless , like not knowing what I'm supposed to do or what's best , um , so again , they're kind of like opposite spectrums , like I feel like tessa bailey like handled hers a lot better absolutely um , and it was like satisfactory .
Speaker 1I was satisfied with how she did it , but I do think it like tied up pretty quick . I feel like the ending again it was like long but rushed at the same time . So , and also it just felt like there were a lot of like mini conflicts or themes , and so it's like Hallie was tied to her grandmother and had this weird thing with her mom , but she's also tied to the store owner , but that's because of the grandma . And then she's tied to the library , but that's because of the grandma , but somehow the grandma's not coming through with all of this . It's all the other things that are feeling like the heaviness . And then she's the secret admirer letters weighing on her and it just was like , well , yeah , you're going in so many directions .
Speaker 2She has a chaotic life , but then she's trying to find structure . But she can't do that without her grandma . Yeah , yeah .
Speaker 1So I don't know .
Speaker 2It was like good , but I get that . I had the same thoughts . Um , yeah , I totally related to how , in her direction , I was feeling . I feel like we talked about this all the time too . We joke about like we were not meant to be corporate girlies , we were meant to be stay-at-home moms , I meant to be a trophy wife , like absolutely , there's yeah , no , I'm gonna be a trophy wife , um , but I think like , on the serious note of that , I think it plays into . It's such a trend for people like Girlboss and like having that direction of like if it's not what you're doing for work , then it's like a side hustle or even like a passion project of some sorts that I just can't relate to .
Speaker 2I don't have that which can then leave you feeling like stranded in the middle of the ocean ? Yeah , and like what am I doing , which can then leave you feeling like stranded in the middle of the ocean ? Yeah , um , and like what am I doing ?
Speaker 1which even like this podcast for sure passion project , we did one episode this even then it's like I don't , I can't do it it's very , yeah , it's like .
Speaker 2It's like I'm missing . It's not even like the passion , it's the drive I feel like that I'm missing . I'm missing that , like the external drive , that or the internal .
Speaker 2I'm missing that , like the external drive or the internal drive that people feel and like the self-motivation to like want to do these things . I just don't have that , or at least I haven't found something that makes me feel that way . So I totally related to Hallie in that way and I was really satisfied with her ending , more so than Julian's or them combined , because I feel like it was more realistic .
Speaker 2it was , uh , she didn't fix everything , but she was on the path of like moving on , like yeah , like trying , and like , um , like discovery , like she didn't finish the library garden but she at least attempted to like try to sketch out a plan and then allowed herself the like grace to change things or whatever , and it was like but I didn't like , though , how she like had started the conversations with the librarian and then like kind of went awol for a little bit it's like if you did .
Speaker 1If you said you were committing to do this , then like you should do it you got to do it .
Speaker 2Yeah , that was my only thing there that I was like that's true , like that I was starting to skim towards the end , so I probably just didn't pick up on that part . That's okay . Um , yeah , I don't know , I I was . I was pretty satisfied with yeah , I really did holly for the win . Go holly . Back to julian , though . Um , julian's structured personality leads to some swoon worthy moments . Uh , do you find discipline and routine attractive in a love interest or do you prefer more spontaneity ? Where were the swoon-worthy moments ? Do you find discipline and routine attractive in a love interest or do you prefer more spontaneity ?
Speaker 1Where were the swoon-worthy moments ? I'm just kidding .
Speaker 2Honestly , I think , for me at least was seeing him when he was taking charge with the kids at the winery . He was like all right , we're going to get this all taken care of . Or when he just took charge all of a sudden're like thank you , that's okay .
Speaker 1That's kind of what my thought was is . It's not necessarily like discipline and routine , but it's like the confidence and like the decision making , because I'm so like indecisive and chaotically brained . It's nice when I don't have to decide something because it's going to take me so long to figure it out Like I don't know . So I think the confidence and then I do like a routine when it includes me in it .
Speaker 1I get that when I'm involved in the routine , but then the spontaneity . Like I also like adventure , but also it can be a pre-planned adventure .
Speaker 2So I don't know , I think I'm easily satisfied it's the effort yeah , literally I get that , um , you know , I'm kind of somewhere in between . Um , uh , when I was younger I definitely would have preferred like the discipline , routine the part of it and like the confidence kind of like you said , I guess , if really more in that way , because I'm more like a Julian , so I already have the structure . That's kind of what I leaned towards and like building it with me or , like you said , like opposite , it's not necessarily the chaos in the brain .
Speaker 1It's like the . I have so many things that I'm taking care of , so it's nice to have somebody just take that off my plate , but I am a particular person so sometimes I have control issues okay yes , I say that and it's like the spontaneity , but I think I like pre-planned spontaneity because it's like what are you doing ?
Speaker 2like I don't know if I want to do this , like but I will say , ever since meeting josh , he's much more spontaneous and I we struggled a little bit in the beginning because you'd throw me off all the time . We like what do you mean ? We're dropping everything you want to go to like disney right now , like I have what . I wasn't prepared , I didn't plan , like it kind of would throw me off . But I think that's something that I've grown a lot as a person with , kind of like julian , yeah , to like accept a little bit more that I'm not so set in my routines , because it is good to break out of that and not have the same thing for lunch at the same time every single day and to like break that up a little bit .
Speaker 1Come over to my house for lunch , yeah .
Speaker 2So he kind of helps with that and like finding ways to be spontaneous without throwing off my entire system and throwing me into chaos as well . So it's kind of the balance between the two .
Speaker 1Yeah , I like that . That . I think that's good . Um , if you could send a secretly yours style love letter to any fictional character .
Speaker 2Who would it be ? Um rysan from amen . Uh , that's the such a basic answer but , he will forever be rysan to me .
Speaker 2Uh , I'm sorry . I know that I technically am pronouncing it wrong , but I cannot bring myself to say reese or reese , and it just makes me think of reese's pieces . And then a reese witherspoon throws off the vibes for me , so he is rising to me . Um , and that man made me feel things that no other fictional man has ever made me feel before say it again for the people in the back , if I were obsessed with him . He would be mine . I would definitely write him secret admirer letters . Yeah , what about you ?
Speaker 1Well , yeah , I would definitely write him secret admirer letters . But in an effort to be different , zayden Ryerson and I'm not signing it secretly , yours , I am signing my name in big , bold letters so he knows who to find . I love that . I love that . Please know , I'm saying this before reading Onyx Storm , so who knows how I'll feel afterwards .
Speaker 2But yes , that's a good one . I like that one All right . So kind of wrapping this up a little bit , would you read another book by this author ?
Speaker 1So , even though I didn't love this book , I'm actually listening on audiobook to the . This is not like a duology , but there's a spinoff . This one is about Julian's sister .
Speaker 2I was waiting until later to suggest that , when you said that you really liked her . I think the second one's about that , yeah so I'm listening to it now .
Speaker 1I'm still not like loving it . I feel Like I liked a sister more in the first book than now , but I just was too lazy to look for like another romance author , because I'm really big into romance audiobooks . But if you've listened to the podcast for a while , you know that my girls are Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez . But I've finished those already and the reason why I wanted to read this book this month and why I picked it out as my birthday month pick is because I read somewhere that Tessa Bailey was supposed to be similar to Emily Henry and Abby Haviness . She is not , which that's okay . But I'm just feeling a little lazy and trying to do a search again of another romance author . So if you have recommendations , please leave them in a review in the chat , dm us . Please tell me . I want to know .
Speaker 2Looking for good ones .
Speaker 1Yeah , but so long-winded . Yes , I would read another one because I am Nice . What about you ?
Speaker 2Never say never , but probably not . I just these types of romances . I don't want to say that I'm not a fan of them , I'm just very particular about them , and this one was just not it for me . So the only way I feel like I would is if she writes one that becomes viral . Everybody's obsessed . You tell me it's phenomenal . I have to try it . Then I'll probably give it another shot , but for now my bias against cartoon cover romance is stance .
Speaker 1I get that , I think for me I can definitely turn my brain off to this and it's just like nice to have noise in the background sometimes . So that's why , like audiobook , I think it's kind of working .
Speaker 2But I definitely can appreciate because , like the dreamland series , which I know you didn't like , yeah at least not audio .
Speaker 1Maybe I need to read that one , but I hated the audio . I hate's a strong word . I didn't hate , I just did not get on with the audio mail for that . It was so like , gravelly , like , like I can't even make my voice . Do the voice like ?
Speaker 2cringe . Yeah , I can't do any audio , so I can't even I'll relate with you there . But at least I read the books and those are very much just like turn your brain off alpha male .
Speaker 1Yeah , but also there's way to do that .
Speaker 2That's like nice and I love them and recent are alpha males , they just do better I'm yeah so I'm not . I'm not against romance books , but there's , I just have standards , yeah this one didn't meet it , so um . But what about your final thoughts and star ratings ?
Speaker 1three stars um , for me it was too much smut , not enough banter um , which , again , smut . It's not that smut's bad , but this just like . It felt like there was more lust and more smut than story , than story , and the story that we did have was like , paced , weird . So I feel like setting great , like put like the character potential , great writing , not as great , you know yeah , I get that yeah just kind of average , but I did .
Speaker 1I did like it . Like I wasn't like , oh , I have to finish this book . I was like , oh , what's gonna happen , you know ? Um , yeah , just kind of average for me . Three , what about you ?
Speaker 2I did two stars for me just because it really wasn't my cup of tea , but I didn't hate it , like . I did find parts of it that I enjoyed and I think it had a lot more potential . The elements were there that I liked . It was just too all over the place to really nail it down and so therefore it lost me too much going on . Not enough direction , plus the instant love was like a hard pass , hard , hard pass .
Speaker 1So two stars for me even though you are instant love .
Speaker 2I know the irony of it all right . Oh , I'm such a hypocrite , no , no no , I'm the same way .
Speaker 1We can both be hypocrites together . Okay ,
End of Spoilers
Speaker 1but that was our February Book Talk book .
Speaker 2Now on to our next book club book , which I'm very excited for . It's going to be the Women by Kristen Hanna .
Speaker 1Kristen Hanna . Kristen Hanna , our girl Love her . I can't wait to ball .
Speaker 2Hit me in my heart , stab me with a knife and twist it .
Speaker 1Kristen , I'm ready One of our friends , madison . She told me that someone recommended the Nightingale and she was like , but I don't want to cry and I was like you do . She was like I don't think I can read something without romance and I was like there is . I was like please read it . But so , just to give you guys a sneak peek , this is the summary or the book description , thank you , just to give you guys the book description . Here is the Women by Kristen Hanna .
Speaker 1Women can be heroes . When 20-year-old nursing student Francis Frankie McGrath hears these words , it is a revelation . Raised in the sun-drenched , idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents , she has always prided herself on doing the right thing . Sheltered by her conservative parents , she has always prided herself on doing the right thing . But in 1965 , the world is changing and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself . When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam , she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path .
Speaker 1As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight , frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war . Each day is a gamble of life and death , hope and betrayal . Friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant . In war she meets and becomes one of the lucky , the brave , the broken and the lost . But war is just the beginning . For Frankie and her veteran friends , the real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America , to angry protesters and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam . The Women is the story of one woman gone to war , but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm's way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten . A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism , the Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era .
Speaker 2I already know this is going to hit me so hard in my feels so hard I'm so ready is going to hit me so hard in my feels so hard , I'm so ready , but I'm also scared . Yeah , if you want to hear our early thoughts and opinions on this book , join us on Fable at Lazy Girl Library . Come connect with us . We'd love to get to know you , to talk with you about this book early and react with us in live time . Yeah , let's connect , let's do it . Um , if you don't join us on fable , you will have to wait for our next book talk at the end of march yes , and keep up with us for on lazy girl library instagram and at lazygirllibrarycom .
Speaker 2yes we really just want to connect with all of you . Um , seeing earlier , like , all of the engagement that we've been getting as far as listens are concerned is crazy , and so it's really cool to see that we have so many international listeners and we just really would love to get to know you all and talk with you , and but I understand , if you don't want to , that's fine , because I'm a silent listener for a lot of things too , but we appreciate you being here .
Speaker 1Nonetheless , we're so thankful for you and before we wrap up all of our thanks
Borrows & Returns
Speaker 1and gratitude , we can't leave without doing our borrows and returns . So let me know , michaela .
Speaker 2All right .
Speaker 1What are you returning ?
Speaker 2I feel weird starting this time . Normally I'm always like Darby stars , actually , yeah that this is different .
Speaker 1This is bizarre . Start us off all right .
Speaker 2Um , I don't have anything really up . I did finish car of all by stephanie garber . That was a four star for me . I thoroughly enjoyed the book . I really appreciated the fresh take on a fantasy , um and I don't know , it was just like it was different and it was really good . It definitely like it had some of the ya shine through , I think , towards the end . I think the last part of it kind of got real rushed for me and where I'm like there's so many plot twists I don't even know where they'll look . But it was definitely really intriguing and I'm really excited to finish the series . We'll see how far I get before the wedding , because that will kind of hinder my reading a little bit here my free time , but I'm gonna try and um , yeah , so that was my only return and I'm so glad you liked it thanks and thanks for the recommendation .
Speaker 2Oh my gosh , you're welcome for borrows it's just the women . By kristen hannah . I'm ready to be hurt . I'm ready to be hurt what are you doing there ?
Speaker 1um , well , for my returns it's just just Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey . So just finish that one For borrows . I'm reading I didn't write it down , I'm reading , unfortunately , yours by Tessa Bailey . And then also I'm still working through Red Rising by Pierce Brown . So I like started it at the end of January and then I like like took a break to read the book club book because I just I wasn't necessarily like in a sci-fi headspace , but we're back in it and it took me a second to get into the world building of Red Rising . But now that we're here it's pretty good and it's it's interesting . I'm liking it . So yeah , I'm . I think I'm a little over 60% of the way through . So I'm hoping to finish that one soon , maybe by the end of February . I have a couple more days , but those are my borrows .
Speaker 2Nice , yeah , that one's on my list . I've heard really good things . I'm glad that it started picking up for you .
Speaker 1Yeah , I had some mixed reviews , like I saw a lot of people really liked it , but then I had some people that were very much like not fans . So I'm feeling like in the middle . I don't know . We'll see , I still have more to go , but that was this month's book talk . Like we said just a couple seconds ago , we're so grateful for you for listening , um , whether you silently listen , whether you leave us messages or reviews , we're thankful for you and just glad that you like hearing us talk , because I like yapping I love yapping with you , darby , yay all right .
Speaker 1Well , we'll see you guys next time . Bye , bye . Well , dear listeners , we find ourselves at the end of another episode and remember , the Lazy Girl Library is not just a podcast . It's a community . We absolutely love hearing from fellow book lovers , so don't forget to share your thoughts and your favorite reads with us on our social media . You can find us on Instagram at Lazy Girl Library . Make sure to check out our website , lazygirllibrarycom , your one-stop shop for all things Lazy Girl Library . Make sure to check out our website , lazygirllibrarycom your one-stop shop for all things Lazy Girl . Before we go , we want to take a moment to thank all of our wonderful listeners , whether you're listening from your cozy bed , on your way to work or anywhere in between . Thank you for making us a part of your day and for being a part of our Lazy Girl family . So keep those pages turning , keep those imaginations flourishing and remember the best stories are yet to be discovered . Until next time , stay lazy and happy reading .
