ALBUM
‘Man’s Best Friend’ (2025)
Sabrina Carpenter
Best Song: “When Did You Get Hot?”
Worst Song: “House Tour”
Underrated Hit: “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night”
Overall: I generally did not like this album. The sound – synths, airy singing, and rhythmic choruses – is something Carpenter has been doing for a decade. And it isn’t her best work. It seems that after the success of “Short & Sweet (2024),” she’s leaning towards a more mature sound with innuendos stacked into bubbly pop. The only two songs that don’t fall into this trap are “When Did You Get Hot?” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” and those are, in my opinion, the best two songs on the album. The album is not objectively bad – Carpenter is good at what she does. She can create a both a radio hit and an emotional ballad very well. However, I felt that that usual ability was missing in this specific work of hers. She also falls victim to the “Antonoff Curse.” Jack Antonoff is not a bad producer (he’s considered one of the greats), but his style tends to get tired when overused, and songs like “Tears” are where that shines through. Carpenter is a great lyricist, and that is something that this album does well in songs like “Go Go Juice,” where she sings frankly depressing lyrics in a poppy tone, and “Nobody’s Son” a breakup song that strongly alludes to “momma’s boys”.
BOOK
‘I See London, I See France’
Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: Contemporary/Travel
Summary: 19-year-old Sydney and Leela go backpacking in Europe (Amsterdam, Switzerland, France, and Italy), a summer trip they’ve been saving for all year. They’re both single, both excited, and both ready. Then Leela’s ex-boyfriend shows up on the plane with his friend – and suddenly Sydney and Leela’s trip for two becomes somewhat of a double date. Mix that with her mom’s mental spiral back at home and standing in the middle of two of her closest friends and you have a recipe for disaster (or not).
Something I liked: I absolutely adored the travel aspect of this book. Having all the drama and whirlwind romances happen across the backdrop of Europe, as well as seeing specific landmarks and cultural spots in each country, made the book feel super immersive.
Something I disliked: The language of the book sometimes felt super immature for the contemporary genre and some of the more mature topics they would cover. However, this could also be attributed to the main characters just being 19.
Overall: I would recommend this book to 16–21-year-olds who already read YA novels, but I think anyone else would find the book immature and a difficult read.
MOVIE
‘Someone Great’
Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Genre: Drama
Notable Cast: Gina Rodriguez, DeWanda Wise, Brittany Snow
Summary: After accepting a job with Rolling Stone across the country, Jenny’s boyfriend of 9 years breaks up with her, causing her to spiral. Her best friends Erin and Blair, who are also facing their own relationship issues, hope to help her out of it. When Jenny learns that their favorite festival is doing a pop-up show, she proposes they take one last trip before she leaves.
Something I liked: The soundtrack!!!
Something I disliked: The script reflects the fact that it was made in the 2010’s. The slang and jokes are all very millennial – which considering that is the main audience, makes sense! I, however, didn’t get the jokes or the slang because I am not a millennial. To each their own.
Overall: The movie combines the ideas of heartbreak and female friendship together. The movie represents the need for closure and the feeling that life is leaving you behind because the plans you thought you had disappeared. The film had an amazing ending and a semi-realistic plot.
