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Pleasant Bay by Emily Wakeman Cyr Is the Ultimate Pleasant Beach Read

Pleasant Bay is the debut novel by Emily Wakeman Cyr, an author who left teaching to become a stay at home mom. She rediscovered writing, which then led her to open Colchester’s Folklore and Fable in 2024. When visiting the adorable bookstore a while ago, I decided that I needed to pick up Cyr’s novel.

Pleasant Bay takes place over the span of two decades. The first half of the story is told in alternative POVs between Sarah and her daughter Madelyn. Sarah’s chapters take place on Cape Cod in 2002, as she deals with post 9/11 life: her brother’s enlistment, her recent breakup, and her father’s illness. She visits her aunt for the summer, and she meets Luke, who is on the Cape playing baseball. The two have an instant connection. Madelyn’s chapters take place in Connecticut and Cape Cod in 2019. The first start out talking about Madelyn’s relationship with her mother, her boyfriend, and her constant curiosity about her father.

Both sides of the story create an intimate portrait of a family with secrets and how the relationships between members can change over time. I truly enjoyed this about the book. At the beginning of the book, the relationship between Sarah and Madelyn were strained. The same could be said about Sarah and her mother at the beginning of the novel as well. The one family member that everyone seemed comfortable with confiding in was Aunt Claire, the owner of the house that both women seemed to flock to.

Now, let’s talk about the romance. The main romance was between Sarah and Luke. They were truly my one true pair. In 2002, Luke took care of Sarah when she was sick, he can cook, and he was the perfect gentleman for Sarah. In 2019, he has an adorable dog named Wally, quickly adapts to being an amazing dad to his daughter, and is forgiving to Sarah.

This book was truly an amazing treat to read. Many of the times when I was reading, I was constantly saying to myself just one chapter and is the perfect read for a day at the beach and at the pool. It’s been a day since I’ve finished the novel, but I’m still thinking about the characters, the plot, and setting of it.

Cyr did a fantastic job with this novel, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what she does next.

Rating: 5 stars

July Favorites

I can’t believe that this is the first blog post of August. It seems like this year has flown by. I’m not ready for summer to end, so I am glad that I have one last month before the autumn chill hits.

Before Augusts slips away like a matter of time, I did want to take a moment to reflect on my favorites from this past month:

Free People Baby Emerson: I love this bag. I have used this pretty much for two and a half weeks straight, which if you’re a bag lover like me, you know that’s a long time to keep on using a bag. I love that this is just easy. It’s slouchy, it’s comfy, and it’s one of those bags that you can be carefree with. So far, the wear and tear have been pretty good. Some of the reviews online state that there’s a smell to it, but when I opened mine, I could not tell.

enewton: I’ve had these bracelets long before I was even married, and I’m still as obsessed. This month, mine have been on repeat with a few new additions to the collection. Yes, they are expensive. However, these are so durable and easy to wear. I have a larger collection, but considering my collection took me a few to accumulate, I think that’s okay.

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman: I absolutely loved this book! Elissa Sussman has become one of my auto buy authors, and I enjoyed her latest release.

First Time Caller by B.K. Borison: This book was also another one that I devoured this month. I loved the concept of it. A single mom’s daughter called into a late night romance show, and agreed to go with a segment to update the audience on her dating life. So good.

Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Elkstrom Courage: A Golden Girls cozy mystery was not on my bingo card for 2025, but something I truly enjoyed. You can read my review here.

July Fiber Faves

July has been a weird and long month for me between family things, my birthday and anniversary, and a staycation. Crocheting and knitting have come as a comfort but have also taken a backseat.

That said, I would still like to share my fiber faves for the month:

Embroidery: I got into embroidery a few years ago and made a few different pieces. However, I have been itching to pick it up again. I got this little guy from Hobby Lobby and have been slowly making progress. I have been enjoying it though so I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Scrap Yarn Projects: This month has been a month of scrap pieces such as this blanket. I made two of these this past month and am planning to make more once we hit fall.

Granny Square Bag: Last but certainly not least, I crocheted this to stash bust. I love this kind of bag, but will definitely make improvements next time, such as making it larger and using cotton yarn. To make this, all you need to is make three granny squares and put them together. I can see myself making a ton of these especially in fall.

A Look Behind the Scenes of Coastal Creations’ Gorgeous Artwork

Photo Credit: Alexa Confrancesco

When I first saw a post from Alexa, the owner of Coastal Creations, on a local Facebook group, I fell in love with the gorgeous artwork that she was sharing. Her items are all made from shells that were from local Connecticut beaches and painted with gorgeous designs. Her artwork is so beautiful that I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves, but I am lucky to have gotten a chance to chat with her about pieces and her business!

What inspired you to start Coastal Creations, Ct?

My friends and family kept telling me I should sell the shells I was gifting or start an event planning business so I decided to post some photos of the shells and from there it took off! It’s such a nice outlet for me to relax and destress after long days working my full time job as a Pediatric ICU nurse.

How did you get into making artwork from sea shells?

I hosted a backyard hibachi party last summer and wanted to send my guests home with a fun homemade favor. I saw the prettiest shells on tik tok and decided to try them out myself. I loved making them and all my friends loved their favors. After that I took a break from them since life got busy but then needed something little to tie into a gift this year. So I headed to the beach and started creating again. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Now that I live on the water I’ve fallen more and more in love with coastal decor. I decided I wanted to keep creating things with shells and found ways to expand!

What does Coastal Creations, CT sell?

Lots of coastal homemade things!

Shell trinket dishes (oysters, clams, scallops)

Oyster wine stoppers

Shell decorated frames

Decorated celebration bottles

DIY scallop shell candle kits

Coming soon….coastal coasters and wine glass charms!

Flower arrangements and bouquets (I used to work for a florist in high school and ever since I haven’t been able to stop arranging fresh flowers every week so I just knew I had to throw these in)

What is the process of making the items?

For my trinket dishes…

collect the shells

clean, soak, dry the shells

paint the base coat

apply the glue

create /apply the design

seal the design

finish with a gold paint

seal the design again

finish with resin!

wrap them up and send them off for customers to enjoy!

What kinds of shells do you use?

I collect my shells from local beaches! I create mostly with clam, oyster and scallop shells! However, the frames feature a very wide variety of smaller shells!

How does one purchase an item from your shop?

Since i’m still getting started I’ve kept Coastal Creations, CT small! Hopefully it’ll expand soon. As of right now, orders can be placed through instagram @coastalcreations.ct or by text @ 203-907-8966!

Murder by Cheesecake Blends Cozy Nostalgia and Cozy Mysteries into One Excellent Read

Picture it: the ladies of the lanai in a cozy mystery novel. As a Golden Girls fan, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Elkstrom Courage at a bookstore and knew this was something that I needed to read.

This first installment of the Golden Girls series finds Rose struggling to plan a traditional St. Olaf wedding for her niece, and Dorothy experimenting with a VHS dating service in the attempts to get a date for the wedding. The date gets bad when her date leaves Dorothy right at the table, only to be found a few days later in the freezer. The police have their sights set on none other than Dorothy Zbornak, as he has her information stored in his pocket when he was found.

The girls put on their detective hats to figure out who the true killer is to prove Dorothy’s innocence, all while helping Rose pull of a traditional St. Olaf wedding right in Miami.

This book was definitely enjoyable to read. I’ve been a fan of the Golden Girls since I was 10 years old and watching that with my grandparents. So needless to say, I went in with high hopes. That being said, there were moments when I was reading this book that I can hear the voices of characters saying the dialogue. There were times that I was literally laughing out loud while reading this book.

I want to add that I’m sure that the writing for this was challenging, because if you’re using such a cult class show like the Golden Girls as the stage for a cozy mystery scene, then it is definitely challenging to do it justice. However, Courage did an excellent job with the characters and trying to do a plot was believable to how they were on the show.

Like many of these murder mystery novels, the story all wrapped up by the end of the book. The novel was cheesy at points, but I honestly think for something like this it worked.

I also think like many cozy mystery series, the books will get better and better as time goes on. This is challenging to say, because this book was already so good and hard to put down because it was exactly as comforting as watching an episode of Golden Girls.

I can’t wait for the next installment of this series.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Best of Milford Awards and Imposter Syndrome

Dress: Thrifted Lilly Pulitzer; Sandals: Target; Bag; Marshalls Hair: Hairvana CT

Last night, Milford’s Stonebridge was crowded with people of all different careers and interests but with two things in common. The first was to make their community a better place. The second was that they were all winners of the 2025 Best of Milford Awards from the Milford Chamber of Commerce.

I was one of their winners. I had the honor of taking home not one but two awards: best local website, and best Instagram/TikToker. I was in disbelief of the fact that I won from the moment that I received the news a few weeks ago to the moment that I stepped foot into the restaurant to accept my certificate.

The July heat was muggy and the skies were cloudy — clear that there was a thunderstorm on its way. Wow Radio was there being the emcee, and drinks were being served by Stonebridge.

During the event, I was able to sample some of the delicious catering from a ton of different restaurants in the Milford area. This included: pizza from Jimmy’s Pizza, sweet cupcakes from Sunshine Sweets, delicious Nutella crepes from Cafe Atlantique, and pulled pork from Big Wigs. Bin 100, Gusto Trattoria, and Harbor Eats were also present with mouthwatering treats as well.

Being in the crowd of so many different people who, like me, began their businesses with a single dream, was overwhelming for me. I felt a huge wave of imposter syndrome from the second that I won until that night and felt as though I did not deserve this award.

I’d like to say that it went away the second that I stepped foot, but it did not. I did, however, want to say that winning this award made me realize how much my little corner of the world (if you’re an OG here than you know) has grown to be not so little. Blogging has become something that I do just because I love to write. Everything that I have written on this page is something that I am passionate about, and wants to share with everyone who is reading this blog.

Needless to say, I’m honored to have won these awards this year.

That being said, I would like to thank my husband for not only reading my blog but always being a pillar of unwavering support from the very beginning. I appreciate every single time you’ve read my posts, shared them, and for always standing by my side. I also would like to thank my mother in law for not only reading my blog, but also for providing me with many different ideas for posts and making sure that everything sounds the way that it should. In addition, I would like to thank the community that I’ve built on this blog — whether it’s a subject of a post, the many different people on Instagram I’ve connected with, or those who read my posts. I also want to thank my friends who have stood by my side and supported my crazy dream of being a writer. Without all of you, this would not have been even close to possible.

However, last but certainly not least, I want to thank my mother who was my biggest supporter everyday of her life. Before her death, my mom would go up to people and say that her daughter was going to be the next big author. She shared every single article that I’ve written from high school newspapers to my first local paper with her coworkers. Her pride, her confidence, and her funding my education will always serve as the base of the person that I am today.

Again, thank you Milford Chamber of Commerce. It was truly an honor to be there last night.

Pizza Lyfe is Happiness by the Slice

Pizza by the slice is a New York concept that has made its way to Milford. Pizza Lyfe, which originated in Westport, has opened its second restaurant in downtown Milford. This brings the nostalgia and simple experience of an Italian deli abeetz.

What makes Pizza Lyfe unique is their sourdough crust on their pies. The crust is what drew me in with the crunchy exterior and soft interior — exactly like breaking open a loaf of sourdough bread. Biting into their pizza with that crust, that delicious herb tomato sauce, and ooey cheese makes a superb combo.

Pizza Lyfe offers pizza by the slice (aka a la cart) or by the pie. There is a huge variety of toppings one could get — from traditional such as pepperoni, eggplant, and veggie to more unique ones such as tri-color pizza (pizza with vodka sauce), Italian tuna, and a few different options of burrata.

Slices are readily available whenever they are open, and there is always a lot of options to choose from, as well as garlic knots. With a small little area of cold beverages, it is easy to get a slice, have it warmed up, and enjoy it with a cold beverage.

Unlike New Haven pizza, this pizza is a little thick and doughy. For someone who loves bread like me, this is an amazing option. However, if you’re someone who craves the charred, thin crust style of New Haven pizza, I am not sure if this is something that you would love.

However, there are more options than pizza. Their menu extends to sandwiches, pasta, calzones, and Italian dinners. Some items that stand out include: lemon grilled chicken (arugula, avocado mayo, roasted red peppers, and fresh mozzarella on a sesame Italian hero); chicken parm Stromboli, and tri-color tortellini Nonna (mushrooms, prosciutto, peas in a cream sauce).

There is nothing more New York than enjoying a slice, and I believe that Pizza Lyfe has successfully brought that concept to Milford.

June Favorites

Happy summer everyone! I am excited for the long weekend to begin. July is such a special month for me as both my anniversary and my birthday are in July. I also love the summer months, so I am excited to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine.

But before we do that, I want to look back at the favorites for the last month.

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune: Carley Fortune has the best summer romances and this one was no different. This tells the story of Charlie, who was the brother of the male main character in Every Summer After. I loved his romance with Alice and I loved Alice herself. This is the perfect summer read, and I recommend that you check it out.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: TJR. That is all.
Kelly Prepster videos: I’ve been obsessed with watching these studio vlogs. They have been so soothing and relaxing. They have also helped me get back into beading, which is my first crafting thing that I’ve gotten into.
Demellier New York Midi Bag: I got this in than and I’m obsessed with this bag. It is the perfect everyday size and I love that it’s a top handle bag. It’s also so chic. 10/10 recommend checking this out.
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan: Kennedy Ryan is an autobuy author for me and this did not disappoint. I loved every second of Hendrick’s story and was hooked from page one.

2025 Mid Year Book Freakout Tag

It is officially the second half of 2025. Gulp. 2025 has not been the best reading year as of late, I’m not going to lie. I’ve been balancing reading with several other hobbies that I like to do on a daily basis, and therefore, my days of reading 10 plus books a month have been long gone. However, I did want to share my answers to the mid year book freak out since it’s so fun to do!

What Is the Best Book That You’ve Read So Far in 2025? I can’t pick between the Favorites by Layne Fargo and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
What Has Been Your Favorite Sequel of The First Half of The Year? Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams.
Is There a New Release That You Haven’t Read Yet, but You’re Really Excited To? There are quite a few, but I’d say Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall and Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston are definitely in the top two. I’m hoping to get to them this summer.
What Is Your Most Anticipated Release for The Second Half of The Year? Love Arranged by Lauren Asher for sure.
What Is Your Biggest Disappointment So Far? I’m not saying this because I didn’t like the book, but Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. I loved the book, but it was so different than what I was expecting and it didn’t hit as hard as her other ones for me.
What Is Your Biggest Surprise So Far? I would say The Song of Archilles by Madeline Miller. I read this on a train ride and I was not expecting to be completely locked into the book and the story.
A Book That Made You Cry? Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
A Book That Made You Happy? Ready or Not by Cara Bastone.
What Books Do You Want to Read by The End of The Year? Part of the point of having a TBR is to read all of them. But if I had to pick a few, it would be Sounds Like Love, Katherine Center’s latest, and Ali Hazelwood’s latest.

How has your reading year been?

June Fiber Faves

I can’t believe that this is the last day of June and the last day of the first half of the year. I’ve been nose deep in so many summer projects, and making so many different and fun amigrumi patterns, hence why there are so many different ones listed. However, before we reach the second half of 2025, I want to share some of my June fiber favorites.

Ami Sticks: So, my husband bought me these for Christmas, and I am just starting to break them out now. Oops. I love them. They are not an essential by any means, but they are so helpful when it comes to sewing projects. You can find a bunch on Etsy as well.

Jack Russell pattern: This is my favorite make of 2025 thus far. I got the bright idea to make this pattern, because I own a Jack Rusell named Lucy. I tailored this pattern to add more spots so she can look exactly like Lucy, and I am so obsessed. This pattern was so easy to work up, and I had so much fun making my best friend.

Labubu pattern: I don’t love Labubus. However, I do love this pattern so much that I am already making my second and definitely want to make a third. The best part of this is that I’m using all materials that I already have and busting my huge yarn stash.

Garfield pattern: I made this as a Father’s Day gift for my dad, who I remember liking Garfield. However, it was so cute that I decided to make my own. I loved this pattern. Garfield came out so cute, and he makes a great addition to my collection!
K and C yarn: I wish that I started to use this before Joann closed, because this yarn worked up so well. I used it to make a bag, and I really loved how it felt. I wish I stocked up on more yarn, and also that Micheals eventually obtains it.