American Royals by Katherine McGee

Were you, like me, absolutely desperate for another great royal romance after reading The Royal We and Red, White, and Royal Blue back-to-back, but didn’t want to sift through the hundreds of titles within the sub-genre? American Royals, the book that posits what if America hadn’t been a democracy, but a monarchy, is absolutely the next book you should read. The narrative follows Beatrice (the future queen of America), Sam (the spare), Nina (Sam’s commoner best friend), and Daphne (the prince’s ex-girlfriend) as they navigate friendship, romance, and the American royal court. When you finish, you thankfully only have to wait until September to read the sequel.

Uptown Girls (Amazon – Trailer)

This is one of my favorite movies. Why? Brittany Murphy, young Dakota Fanning, catchy songs, the city that never sleeps, and two separate but equally heartbreaking stories of daughters with absent parents. Dakota, a Type-A, control freak germaphobe nine-year-old, helps Brittany become independent and take her life more seriously. In turn, Brittany helps Dakota see the fun in being young. It’s still a life goal of mine to own sheets with a high thread count.

Happy Gilmore (Hulu – Trailer)

So I’m taking golf lessons from my dad and the first thing I’ve learned is that the Happy Gilmore swing is much harder than it looks. Even if you’re not a golf or Adam Sandler fan (??), I promise you will enjoy watching Sandler goof around the golf course in order to win money and save his grandmother’s house. Warning, don’t watch this movie before you play or the only thing you’ll hear in your head is “just tap it in. Give it a little tappy. Tap tap taparoo.”

Becoming (Netflix – Trailer)

If there is one rec I promise will lighten your mood this week, it’s this one. If you’ve read and/or listened to Michelle’s book, like us, this is just icing on the cake. Michelle dives deep into her history-making book tour that reminds us to keep these vital conversations going. The description says it all: Joyful. Honest. Inspiring.

Never Goin’ Back (Amazon Prime – Trailer)

It’s just your classic A24, fun friendship comedy with the best indie vibes. Maia Mitchell and Camila Morrone are two friends who are each other’s family. Both high school dropouts with dead-end diner jobs, Maia gets them tickets out of town to spend Camila’s birthday on the beach. In the span of just three days, the girls get involved in a drug deal, spend time in juvie, and rob a fast food joint. They also attend the party of a friend named “Art Dog”, so, do with that information what you will.

Love Island (UK) (Hulu)

We know the US version returns this week, but we’re plugging the UK series because it’s better. There, we said it! Whether you started at season one or joined the Love Island Nation a few seasons in, take a trip down memory lane with some of the greatest bants and romance we’ve seen in reality TV. Don’t forget to eat, sleep and crack on! If you need a drinking game to this show, message us for suggestions.

The Great (Hulu)

HUZZAH! I didn’t think a show about 18th century Russia could be silly, but here we are. A satirical dramedy, Catherine (played by Elle Fanning) navigates the treacherous waters of Russian court and a loveless marriage to Nicholas Hoult. Insanely quotable (just ask my roommates how many times I’ve said huzzah today alone) and incredibly witty, definitely check this show out if you need a giggle.

Why Won’t You Date Me? With Nicole Byer

If you miss going to stand up around LA like I do, check out Nicole Byer’s podcast. It’s basically her, just being her, doing her bits. Every week, Nicole invites a comedian, friend, or ex-fling to talk about their dating life and figure out, you guessed it, why she is perpetually single.

Watermelon Sugar – Harry Styles

This video is dedicated to touching.

Taylor Swift: City of Lover Concert (Disney+)

Unfortunately, they cut all the songs she performed that weren’t on Lover, but as always Swift delivers a hell of a performance. Don’t mind me, I’ll be sobbing after watching “Death by a Thousand Cuts.”

I know this absolutely sucks because there was no other option, but good thing the graduates didn’t have to sit on hot bleachers for 4 hours for a photo op while someone mispronounces their name.

And meet our new favorite chef!

Who are you in the murder investigation?

What kind of narrator are you?