Sister Trip to Los Angeles, California | March 1 - March 6

Friday, March 1
Travel Day. I drove home from school, took my dog on a walk, and then my mom drove my sister and me to a bus station to get to Logan Airport. The flight hit a little bit of turbulence when we were going over the midwest, but other than that it was fine.  I did some research beforehand and read that there weren't going to be any TVs on the flight, so I downloaded an app the airline talked about and didn't pack my headphone jack headphones. However, when we got on the flight, there were TVs, so I had to buy some headphones on the plane. I was also super excited because I thought the flight had all of the Harry Potter movies and I have been dying to watch the 6th one for a while now.  The flight had all of the movies, except the 6th one! I was so disappointed. I watched Chasing Mavericks and Bohemian Rhapsody instead. When we landed, we picked up our rental car, went to CVS because I forgot to pack a toothbrush, and then grabbed In-N-Out burger before going to our Airbnb. I got french fries, and a chocolate shake from In-N-Out burger and the fries were gross, but the shake was good.

Saturday, March 2
My sister and I drove to San Diego today to meet up with our cousin.  We hadn't seen her in a while, so it was nice to catch up and see her apartment.  When we left her place, we went to The Baked Bear and got ice cream sandwiches that were amazing! I got a chocolate brownie and a salted caramel chocolate chip cookie for the "bread" and cookie dough ice cream in the middle.  We walked so we could see the water, but it was raining so we didn't go onto the beach.  After that we got some tacos at Puesto before making our way back to L.A. We dropped off the rental car and walked back to our AirBnB because the rain had let up.  That night we met my sister's friends for dinner at a place called Zinque. I got lasagna, and it was so good!

Sunday, March 3
In the morning my sister and I walked to The Grove and got some food for breakfast. I got a delicious cinnamon roll. Then we went with her friends to a Wine Safari in Malibu. Again, it was raining, but we made the most of it. We got to see donkeys, llamas, Scottish highland cows, zebras, and a giraffe named Stanley who is retired from Hollywood because he is too tall. We also got to try some different wines. The tour was really fun, and our driver and tour guide were great, which really helped make the experience extra fun, even in the rain. When we got back to L.A. we got a late lunch before my sister's friend dropped us off. My sister and I decided to go to the LACMA and see the lamppost art exhibit, and we walked through The Grove again. We got some candy and then went back to the Airbnb to watch a movie.

Monday, March 4
We started the day by going to the Griffith Park Observatory to see the Hollywood sign. Then we went to Warner Bros. Studios for a studio tour. Our guide and group weren't as fun as the safari, but I still really enjoyed getting to see the behind the scenes of a studio lot. There was a bunch of stuff for Harry Potter, and I got sorted into Gryffindor by the sorting hat. My sister got Ravenclaw. After that, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch and then went on a StarLine tour of Celebrity Houses. Basically, a tour guide drives you around and points out houses that celebrities either currently live in or used to live in. It was a great way to see the different parts of the city. We got some drinks at TomTom before meeting up with my sister's friends at SUR for dinner - they're big Vanderpump Rules fans.

Tuesday, March 5
We started today not sure what to do because we didn't know what the weather was going to look like. We started by getting breakfast at Republique with one of my sister's friends because it was the last time we were going to be seeing her on our trip. Then we decided to get a tour of Dodgers Stadium, which ended up being really cool. We planned on getting dinner with my sister's other friend at a rooftop restaurant called Perch, so we made our way to that area of the city and walked around and got cupcakes while we waited for our reservation. My sister's friend ended up getting stuck at work and couldn't meet us at Perch, but she did come to the L.A. Kings hockey game with us, so we got to see her one last time. The game was fun, but the Kings lost.

Wednesday, March 6
We woke up at 5:30am and made our way to the airport for our 8:55 flight back home. Again, there was a little bit of turbulence, but other than that the flight was fine. I watched Tag and some episodes of The Big Bang Theory.

If you're interested in more, check out my YouTube Channel for the corresponding video

Forgetting Aiden by Juliet Picard | Book Review*

Happy Release Day to Forgetting Aiden by Juliet Picard! I loved this story because of who Eva is as a person and how she balances her life in and out of the spotlight. This book follows her to therapy, the recording studio, auditions, and filming in a way that gives a backstage pass to Hollywood. The incorporation of social media also shows what it's like to be the person receiving hateful messages about decisions that were right for her. There is also a powerful message about how women can be seen in the media, as Eva struggles to be known as Aiden Press' ex over and over again.

Speaking of Aiden, he is a big factor in this story as well. Eva breaks up with him after his drinking gets too accessive and she sees a photo of him in bed with a model. And after that, a lot of positive things happen to her. She is asked to record a song with Xavier, who she starts a relationahip with, and she is cast as the lead role in an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Hollywood's favorite director. However, when she walks in to her first day of filming and finds out that Aiden is playing the lead, Eva has to work hard to keep her professional image positive.

I don't want to give too much away because this book is out today and I want to give you a chance to read it on your own. I will say that Eva's story has a few twists and turns in it that make you question whether or not someone in the spotlight can have their own life or if everything is Hollywood is scripted. 

Synopsis:

Welcome to Hollywood, where celebrities like me attend fancy galas, release new records, and star in classic films like Romeo and Juliet -- sometimes requiring simulated sex with their ex-boyfriend.

Aiden Press is Hollywood's newest bad boy, but he's no stranger to me. He traded in his sweet Country artist stardom for a shot at making it big as a pop star. I’m sure he’s on the verge of greatness with lyrics like big booty, cash money, and oh yeah.

Of course, he'll try to win me over with those baby blue eyes, gush-worthy smile, and deep V-line leading down to...

O Aiden!

I mean...

O Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Purchase:

#FREE in Kindle Unlimited | Only $2.99 for an e-book copy | Paperback available NOW!

Author Bio:

Juliet Picard has published articles for Girl Ambition, a tween online site, and has been a stringer for CosmoGirl! Magazine, a tween spin-off of Cosmopolitan. She graduated cum laude from Cornell University where she took a number of creative writing courses and studied business. 

Juliet Picard is proud to present readers with Forgetting Aiden that draws on her mixed ethnicity as a Mexican-American writer and experiences as an actress. She also pays tribute to her husband's Colombian nationality and their frequent travels to this beautiful country. 

Juliet Picard hopes to inspire young women to follow their dreams, even in the face of adversity.

For more information or to connect with Juliet:

Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Author Site | Instagram

*This review was requested, but the opinions are my own

Books I Read in January & February

I didn't get the chance to do too much reading over the past two months.  I was more focused on transitioning to my new school schedule and classwork.  However, the two physical books I read were both about acting/movies, which I thought was funny as I didn't do that on purpose.

Finding Alexei by Kendall Ryan
Bossy Brit by Kendall Ryan
I grouped these two together because they're both by Kendall Ryan and have a similar setup.  Both are short romances. Finding Alexei is about a chance encounter between two people who end up falling in love. And Bossy Brit is about a CEO and assistant falling in love. Of course, both stories also through in a few difficulties and circumstances, but neither of them really have a conflict. And if it does the characters resolve it really quickly. It makes them very mature, but as a reader, I was expecting things to play out longer. The stories are nice, quick reads.

Just Friends by Billy Taylor
I don't know if you guys remember this, but a few years ago this book was all over the internet because it's filled with cute sentences. The storyline itself is adorable. August is trying to balance her dreams and her feelings towards her best friend. She's struggling with the classic "Is telling him how I feel worth the risk of our friendship?" dilemma, while everyone else in her life is telling her to go for it. I really enjoyed this story and read it in a day, but I did have a few issues with it.

First, I don't think Ethan would have dated Eleanor, at least not when he did. I think Ethan should have been a character who either had a ton of girlfriends over the years or the Ethan/Eleanor relationship should have been a misunderstanding or at least should not have been as serious as they were. I won't spoil it, but at the end of the book, Ethan gives August a gift that he had been planning on giving her since the day they met and I don't believe he would be in a serious relationship a few months before he was planning to give this gift.

Two, another amazing aspect of this book is that it was self-published. However, it is sprinkled with grammatical and spelling mistakes. I would read something, think that's not correct, and then keep going. The mistakes did nothing to change my opinion of the storyline, but they were noticeable.

Unscripted by Claire Handscombe*
Release Date: April 4, 2019
I am going to try and give this review without spoiling too much of the plotline since this book doesn't come out for another month. However, being spoiler free has never been my strong point.

This novel follows four characters whose lives all intersect in one way or another. Libby is driven by her dream of writing a novel that will lead her to her favorite actor. She has a fantasy of the two of them falling in love and living happily ever after, which causes her to act selfishly in order to follow her dreams. However, someone she is still a loveable character you can't help but root for.

Dan is Libby's best friend and has been in love with her for years, but knows he can never replace her favorite actor, so he helps pay for her dream and eventually moves on for a short while.

Thom is the favorite actor who invited Libby to live with him for the summer and co-write a screenplay based off of her book. Although he's warned about her crush, Thom doesn't seem to be too worried about anything happening between the two of them as he is still in love with an ex-girlfriend from his college days.

Ebba is Thom's ex-girlfriend who helps Libby get her book published. She doesn't agree with Thom inviting her to stay because Ebba knows the extent of Libby's crush. When she and Thom start to get more serious, they both know it will crush Libby.

I really enjoyed following the storylines of each character in this book and getting the chance to learn from their perspective. Although Libby comes off a little naive, I found myself glad she was able to live out her dream and learn for herself that real life and fantasy are never the same. All four of the characters are connected in a way that reminds readers that the world isn't very big and if you want to do something you can achieve it if you're not too scared. This is definitely a title looking out for when it's available next month.

*This title was gifted to me, but the reviews are my own

From Baby Shower Invitations to Graduation Announcements | Basic Invite*

Basic Invite is the one place shop for any type of invitation or notecard you could ever need. They have cards for everything from Baby Showers to Graduation Parties to Weddings and more. They also offer business cards and business stationery.

I was super intrigued by Basic Invite because not only do they offer designs you can customize, but they also let you upload your own logos or complete designs so that everything you order matches your brand completely.

A great thing about Basic Invite is their color options. The company offers over 180 colors to choose from and they offer instant previews. This allows you to make sure your card is perfect to the tiniest detail. I spent a decent amount of time picking out the perfect shades of pink to go on my different designs.

Another cool thing about this website is that you can purchase custom samples. Not many companies allow you to order one singular custom product, but Basic Invite does. No matter how great a product looks online, there is always a chance the physical product won't look exactly how you want it.  Ordering a sample allows you to hold the product in your hand and make any necessary adjustments before buying a larger amount to hand out to friends, families, and possible employers. I found that some of my uploaded images printed a little blurry, so I was happy I got to see one before purchases in a whole bunch.

Since I'm in my final semester of college (eek!), I chose to design a graduation announcement card. I was able to import my own photo and write whatever I wanted. It was a little bittersweet designing this card because it reminded me that my college days are quickly coming to an end.

However, I know not all of you are graduating in May. Some of you may be planning a wedding (Congratulations!) and want to design a Save the Date card. Or you or someone you know may be pregnant (Congratulations!) and want to design a card for that. Basic Design has an adorable teddy bear baby shower invitations and twin baby shower invitations, all of which you can customize to your party's theme.

Even if you don't have a party coming up, you can customize the given card templates to say whatever you want. I decided to design some cards for a few friends of mine, so I wrote out an inside joke of ours and added a picture of the three of us at a Kenny Chesney concert from 2017. It was super easy and I know they will be super excited to get these cards in the mail.

The attention to detail even goes into the envelopes at Basic Invite, allowing you to order envelopes in over 40 different colors. Honestly, though, I was just happy with the peel and seal feature because licking envelopes that were mailed to you from an unfamiliar location can be a little scary. Also, by sharing a link through social media, you can have your friends import their addresses to be printed on the envelopes. That way you know for certain your cards are going to the correct location. I chose not to use this option because I only ordered a few samples and I wanted to write out the information myself, but that would have been super handy if I was hosting a huge baby shower or something with a ton of invites.

I've been interested in ordering business cards for a little while now and you guys also know I am such a sucker for rose gold foil, which is an option at Basic Invite. They offer foil detailing that can come in gold, silver, or rose gold, and it can be flat or raised. So obviously, I ordered a sample of a business card with some rose gold foil, but I also ordered one of their new clear business cards, and a business card I designed completely on my own.

Right now Basic Invite is offering 15% off with the coupon code 15FF51. If you have any type of party coming up or you're like me and felt like sending a card to some friends, check them out! And if you order anything make sure to share with me your designs with #BasicJuliann

If you would like to see more from Basic Invite, you can find them all over the internet
Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

*This post is graciously sponsored by Basic Invite, but the opinions are my own

Plans for 2019

Now that we're well into February and I have finished discussing everything that happened in 2018, it's time to look ahead into 2019!

Books
Every year I create a Goodreads reading challenge.  Last year I set out to read 50 books, and I didn't make it, ending on 47 or some annoying number like that.  This year I have once again chosen to make my goal 50 books.

I definitely enjoy certain books more than others, but I want to try and branch out a little bit in my choices.  There are so many great books out there.  My brother got me a subscription to Book of the Month for Christmas, so hopefully this will force me to read new things.

Travel 
So far this year I have been to Orlando, Florida which you can read about here if you want and I have a few more trips scheduled.

In March, my sister and I are going to California for a few days to visit some of her friends.  We're going to be in the Los Angeles area, so if you have any recommendations for us to see or do, please let me know!

In June, my best friend will be moving to Colorado and asked me to join her on the road trip out there.  I said yes, and we're going to take the long way.  Our plan is to go from Massachusetts to Nashville, Tennessee to Dallas, Texas to Santa Fe, New Mexico and then make our way into Colorado.  We're super excited!  Again, I'm always looking for recommendations.

My sister is also in the process of planning a long weekend summer trip to Toronto, Canada.  We haven't booked anything yet, but it's being discussed and planned.  Whenever we do big, family trips my sister is the one who plans everything.

So far those trips are the only definites I have, and they will certainly help me scratch off a few more locations on my scratch off map and help me towards my goal of visiting all 50 states.

Life
In 2019 I will be graduating from college which is crazy, and later in the year, I will turn 23, which seems very adult.

Originally I was hoping to have a job that I enjoy by the time the year ends, but preferably July.  However, some things have changed and now I'm playing around with the idea of going to Graduate School...I might do a longer post on this, but basically, I haven't been sleeping much as I try to figure out my life.

Other than that, I'm just going to see where the year takes me.

etc.
Something I hope to continue to grow is my content.  This is something I have said so many times, but I think I have a plan to stay on track for this year.  I've had this blog for years as a hobby, but I'm starting to want to try to make it more of a business and I've taken some steps to make myself seem more professional.

I recently bought my domain, which is really exciting for me, so welcome to www.juliannguerra.com, previously known as www.blogspot.juliannguerra.com

I have deactivated the @writerjewels twitter account because I never used it, but I still have the @juliann_guerra account if you want to follow me there.  On Instagram, I did a little bit of rebranding, and you can now find me as @books_travel_life_etc, and I try to post a photo every single day on that account.  Here on the blog, my goal is to have at least two posts a month.

I am also toying with the idea of a podcast...I host one at school and really enjoy it, but I don't know what I would talk about on a personal one.  It's an idea I'll continue to think about, and I will keep you all posted on what I decide to do.

New York City & Orlando

In an effort to organize my blog, I have two trips to tell you about that I went on at the end of 2018 into the beginning of 2019.

New York City, New York 
November 24 - 25, 2018

 

Right after Thanksgiving my sister and two cousins drove to New York City for a night.  We left at about 5:30am on Saturday morning and were about 20 minutes away from home when we got a tire in the middle of the highway and got a flat.  AAA came and changed it for us, and my cousin's parents came so we could switch cars.  We like to start our adventures early.

Although that put us back a little bit, we did make it to New York City without any other issues.  Once we got there, we grabbed breakfast at Tanner Smiths which was really good, and they had live music playing that was amazing.  We spent the day walking around the city - past Radio City, into Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and we popped into the M&M Store.  We also stopped in a few different bars along the way.  That night we went to a comedy show, and I loved every second of it. 

The next morning my sister and I went to The Doughnut Project because my brother wanted us to bring some home and then we went to Milk because of a recommendation our bartender gave us the day before.  Then we all got some food and milkshakes at Black Tap before driving back home. 

Orlando, Florida

December 30, 2018 - January 3, 2019

My roommates and I decided to go to Florida way back in October to visit one of my roommate's grandparents.  However, that roommate ended up having to get her tonsil removed at the last minute and wasn't able to go on the trip.  The other four of us couldn't afford to not go on the trip, so we decided to still go, but shorten it and stay in Orlando instead.

After a day of traveling, we made it to our hotel at about 5:00pm and grabbed some dinner in the hotel.  We sat at the pool for a little bit before going back to our room and watching TV.

Our first full day was New Year's Eve.  We sat at the pool until about 4:00pm and then went to Disney Springs for food and to walk around.  We ended up being in a hot air balloon when the clock struck midnight which was wicked cool because we were able to see all of the Disney parks setting off their fireworks. 

On New Year's Day, two of my roommates went to some of the Disney parks, while myself and my other roommate hung out at Disney Springs.  We ate a lot of good food before heading back to the hotel and going in the pool.  Then we ordered salads from room service to try and balance out all the unhealthy stuff we at in Disney Springs.

On January 2, two of my roommates woke up early to go to Animal Kingdom while my other roommate and I went to Magic Kingdom.  Eventually, we all met up and rode some rides together.  Since it was school vacation, the park was absolutely packed, but we still had a lovely time, and I met Ariel, which was definitely a highlight for me.  

We didn't get back to our hotel until about midnight, and we had to be up at 2:00am to get to the airport.  It was a quick trip with a lot of activities thrown into it, but it was so fun.  Plus, it was nice to visit some warm weather instead of being in Massachusetts for a couple of days.

Books I Read at the End of the Year

This semester was so ridiculously busy for me that I had no time to read.  I can't tell you how many times I turned to someone and said, "I just want to read!" which is a comment with which many people don't know what to do.  I didn't get the chance to read as much as I wanted to, but I did squeeze in a few more books to end the year.

Hot Pursuit by Rebecca Freeborn
I read this book on my phone which is why there isn't a photo of it.  Sarah is a journalist, but she hates her job at a pop culture magazine.  So, when her boyfriend leaves her, she decides to leave town herself and follow around a missing pop star for the chance to prove to everyone she is a serious journalist.  However, the catch is that she has to travel with her photographer co-worker, Nick, who she hates, and once slept with, and is the best friend of her ex.  As they follow the pop star, Sarah and Nick start to realize this is more than a teenager who doesn't want to be found.  The more dangerous their journey gets, Sarah and Nick, depend on each other more and more, quickly realizing that they don't hate each other at all.  This story was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I was gifted this book from its publisher through NetGalley.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
This is one of my all-time favorite books. It's the one I am always recommending to people, so if you haven't read it yet, please add it to you 2019 TBR pile! This story contains love and magic, so naturally, it gets my vote just by the description. However, the reason I love it so much is because of the way it's written. Morgenstern has a way of making her readers feel like they can see and smell and hear everything along with the characters at the circus. The story also bounces around from different characters perspectives and different years, and yet, in the end, everything comes together in a fantastic, magical way.

Waiting for an Angel: A Novel by Helon Habila
Helon Habila is a journalist and author who came as a guest speaker to my school. A professor of mine invited him, and after his talk, I decided to ask my professor to borrow one of his novels. Like most of Habila's books, this one takes place in Nigeria. It follows a journalist as life in Nigeria seems to be getting harder and harder, and the people start to reach their breaking point. This novel is one that I probably wouldn't have picked up on my own, but it was really interesting to read after hearing the author talk about it and hearing my professor share his opinions. I found that I enjoyed the novel and it opened my eyes to a different culture and the lives of those in Nigeria.

Hide With Me by Sorboni Banerjee 
This may be the favorite book I read out of this bunch. Banerjee's debut novel is a suspense that depicts just how difficult it is to run from your past. Cade finds a girl in his family's cornfield and immediately does what he can to help her at the risk of being caught by his abusive, drunk father. As Jane Doe heals, she must come to terms that the wrong crowd she found herself mixed in with are after her and the longer she stays with Cade, the more at risk he is of getting hurt too. Both Cade and Jane want a new start, but it's impossible for them to move forward until they come to terms with the lives they have. Working together may put Cade in more danger, but he's not going to let Jane fight her battles alone. Banerjee's story had me hooked from the very beginning. I tried to guess what was happening along the way, but she was able to write in a way that kept me second guessing myself until the truth is revealed. I was gifted this book from Razorbill Publishing.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren
I have been a fan of Christina Lauren for a while now, and I was really excited to read this new book. It seems like everyone has been on one dating app or another and everyone has a story to tell about them. Lauren dives into this with a twist when a group of friends agrees to make accounts for the same dating app to have dates for a work event. However, Millie finds it hard to be herself online so without telling her friends she creates a new account with her middle name, Catherine, and a photograph that doesn't give much away. When she matches with one of her best friends, Reid, she knows she needs to tell him it's her, but as things between them start to heat up in real life, she finds herself deeper and deeper in the hole she's created. This story raises an interesting question about what to do if your best friend ever catfishes you. In true Lauren fashion, this book balances between seriousness and humor to create an enjoyable read that makes me feel like I could be catching up with friends.

The Brightest Stars by Anna Todd
I've been reading Anna Todd since she was publishing daily on Wattpad. I was excited about this book, and I really enjoyed it. I don't know much about what being in a military family is like, so although the story focuses on Karina's work and relationship with Kale, it was still able to educate me on military life for those who aren't the ones in a uniform. However, I didn't know before I started reading this story that it was the first in a series. I was a little disappointed in the ending because I felt like nothing was resolved, and we never learned why the story starts in the present day and then the rest of it is a flashback. It seemed as if the book ended right at the climax. That being said, this type of cut off is similar to Todd's After series so we'll just have to wait and see what the next book in the series holds.

Life on the Leash by Victoria Schade
Pitbulls and love? Need I say more?? Actually, the love aspect of this book is pretty minor. Don't get me wrong, it runs throughout the whole story, but the main focus is Cora trying to grow her business and audition to be a television host. She cares about dogs and their training and realizes that sometimes the owners need just as much help as the dogs. The story shows her personal growth and how she uses her time to help the dogs she trains. However, no one is perfect, and Cora struggles when she starts to develop feelings for a client who is in a serious relationship. Her roommate tries to talk her out of it, but Cora doesn't take the warning. Instead, she learns for herself which man in her life is the one deserving of her time. This book was gifted to me by Gallery Books.

Through to You by Emily Hainsworth 
The idea of parallel universes has come up quite a few times recently in my life, which is precisely what this book is about so I don't know if that's a coincidence or proof that parallel universes are real. In this story, Camden finds a universe where his girlfriend didn't die in a car crash, but the catch is that he did. Everything is the same and yet different. Camden has to decide how much different he can handle and what things he might have missed in his own universe. I liked this book because it got me thinking in ways I don't usually. Are there other universes? Would I travel to any if I could? Am I dead in any of them? I personally felt the worst for Nina because she has to watch her 'boyfriend' try to get back with his ex. Nobody ever brings that up in the book, but I thought about it. It made me like Nina more and Camden less, but I liked the idea of the two of them coming together in the end, even though we never really got to know Camden's universe version of Nina.