Happy Friday! Welcome back to The Weekend Edition. A series where I share a mini medley of ideas and reviews for you to peruse. Think of it as a little dose of joy to start your weekend.

In today’s post, you’ll find:

• a documentary about the toxic origins and culture of a super popular clothing brand
• my thoughts on Yulin Kuang’s debut novel
• the best workout leggings for you

🎥 Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion on Max – a documentary uncovering the toxic origins and culture of the uber popular teen brand, Brandy Melville. I didn’t know just how much dirty laundry was going to be aired when I selected this doc for my usual Friday night movie and nail painting session. I had heard of the brand Brandy Melville, but I’ve never bought anything from them, mainly because I didn’t fit into their one-size-fits-all sizing. I knew about their controversial sizing…one size fits all, REALLY?! But I didn’t know about all their other controversies, like racial and sexual discrimination, toxic workplace environments, and the fact that Brandy Melville isn’t even a real person. It’s bonkers how this brand can so problematic, yet still have millions of followers on their social media accounts.

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​​📚 How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang – Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard since the horrible accident thirteen years ago that bound their lives together forever. When they meet in the Hollywood studio that’s adapting Helen’s popular YA series into a television series, their unresolved tension and grief becomes the elephant in the writer’s room. As they are forced to spend more time together, Helen slowly begins to open up about the complex feelings of anger, grief, and guilt she carries, while Grant reveals the deep anxiety he constantly battles with even when he seems like the most popular guy in the room. With a new understanding of each other, their relationship quickly heats up, but there is still one major thing that’s standing in the way of this love story: Helen’s parents would never accept a relationship between them, in fact, they don’t even know Grant is working on the show, and they are planning a trip to LA to see their daughter’s book brought to life. I couldn’t wait to read Yulin’s debut novel after learning she’s the screenwriter & director that’s bringing Emily Henry’s mega popular book, Beach Read (my favorite Emily Henry novel) to life. And I gotta say, I was impressed. While it was a romance, this was a very heavy story filled with lots of sorrow. I thought the story was delivered with such beautiful care that I was able to navigate the heavy topic, but if you like your romances cheerful and bright, then I’d tread lightly here. 

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▶️ I Tried Every Popular Workout Legging *which is for you* – Fitness Youtuber, Keltie O’Connor, created the ultimate comprehensive guide by testing out 15 popular workout leggings to see which one is for you. And Keltie really put each legging to the test! She goes in-depth about the fit/size range, how they feel, their durability, are they sweat wicking, do they pass the squat test, etc. So if you’re thinking about buying some new workout gear, I totally recommend watching this video first.

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Thanks for reading!

That’s all for today. I hope you’re enjoying this series as much as I enjoy vetting and writing it each week. Have a great weekend!