Friday Favs for April 11

Loving an oyster candle, On sneakers, and orecchiette!

Good morning, ladies! Thanks for all the fun feedback last week! I just love that there’s a comment section on Substack. It makes this feel much more conversational!

I hope I’m catching you on the tail end of a great week. I read two excellent books: Say You’ll Remember Me (review) and Wild Dark Shore (review). Both were heavy in their own ways, so I am looking to lighten things up by starting a romance by a new-to-me author. More on that below! To add to the excellent week, we picked our winner of the BR&B Romance Novel March Madness (If you missed it, you can watch my IG Highlight of the matchups; lots of nail-biters!), Emily Henry’s Funny Story! This is the second year in a row that an Emily Henry book has won. Last year was Book Lovers, and I think it speaks to the universal appeal of her books (only 13 days until Great Big Beautiful Life!!).

This weekend we’re celebrating my husband’s birthday with some friends. He’s getting these headphones from me, which I hope is a gift to us both, given the volume of his work calls! Don’t worry, I didn’t ruin the surprise. I actually gave them to him last week! Desperate times, etc. Then again, if I did want to keep it a surprise, hiding it in paragraph 3 would do the trick!

That’s all from me! I hope you’re reading something good this weekend. If you’re loving it, feel free to let us know in the comments! xx

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One of the best things about BR&B is the book recommendations I get in my inbox every day. You guys know my taste so well, and I take your recommendations very seriously. When I got Every Beautiful Mile recommended to me twice in one day, it felt like fate. The last time multiple people who didn’t know each other recommended a book to me, it was The Grumpy Devil series by Elizabeth O’Roark. We all know I loved that B.R.A.D. series! I am just starting this tonight, so I will report back with my updates. Here’s the book on Bookshop.org, Amazon (included with KU), & Goodreads!

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This Rhone Set

So, I am a stay-at-home mom with two under two. While they are not technically two under two anymore, I feel like they are really committed to keeping that chaotic energy. Because it’s 1 (me) v. 2 (them), I typically don’t look super put together every day. I try my best, but when I put jeans on, they get suspicious!! Enter: this outfit. I have tried a lot of outfits in this category. This one is just better than the rest. The pants are high-waisted enough to be insanely flattering, and the top is cropped enough to let the world know you are not just some blob floating around. The whole set is actually too cute for words. I wear this Gap tee underneath every single time because it looked good once, and if it’s not broke, ya know? Also, these shoes are on my feet in this photo and every single day. I am a die-hard On girl, and this color feels tailor-made for my needs (my need to be pink and cute).

Link to Joggers + Link to 1/2 Zip

(I found both to be true to size. I am between sizes and ordered the smaller of the two.)

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Oyster Candle

dishtowel | acrylic wine glass | cake stand | dress | oyster candle | book

Let me set the scene: It’s a hot June night, crickets chirp, vinho verde is being served, and strawberry chantilly cake is sitting atop a gorgeous cake stand (I have the above in pink). You’re wearing a breezy sundress and you have a dishcloth flung over your shoulder as you light the oyster candle! It’s book club night, and the book is This Summer Will Be Different. When I saw these candles, I was transported to Prince Edward Island, imagining dreamy Felix shucking oysters! TSWBD was my favorite romance last year, so many of you have probably read it (not because you implicitly trust my taste, but because I was so annoying about loving it, you wanted to figure out what all the fuss was about). If you haven’t, save it for summer! Invite your gal pals over and light this candle. I have no clue how it smells. Honestly, I don’t think it’s even relevant to the scene I’m setting here (if you do want an amazing-smelling candle, London by Hotel Lobby is a current favorite).

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Bacon & Leek Orecchiette

I stumbled across this creator’s IG a year ago and whipped up her Kale & Farro Harvest Salad, and I have loved following along ever since. I find her videos so soothing, like I am in the kitchen with her. I haven’t stopped thinking about the Bacon & Leek* Orecchiette recipe she shared this week, so I am going to try my hand at it on Sunday. Also, she’s become a BR&B reader (probably due to the incessant number of DMs I have sent her when something she makes looks good!). She’s just getting into reading romance; imagine how gorgeous her TBR is. She obviously started with (& is loving!) Ali Hazelwood!

*BTW, don’t let the leeks intimidate you. I just cooked them for the first time when I made Caro’s creamy chicken and leek orzotto (10/10), and it’s 100x quicker to cut a leek than a stupid onion!

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