Sara and Melissa...Recommend Life-Changing Movies

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are now starting our seventh year!

This month, we are sharing our recommendations for life-changing movies that younger generations should watch. We were inspired by this post from last fall. Even though we're closer to 50, we still have seen a lot of movies that are worth recommending. We'd love to hear your recommendations too!

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. 😊 We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.

Sara Steven:

I love recommending movies to my kids. It’s part nostalgia and shared experience for me. It’s hit or miss if they end up liking my suggestions or not, and there have been times it’s backfired too; like the time I wanted my oldest to watch Sixteen Candles when they were a preteen, completely forgetting that there is nudity the first fifteen minutes in. Lesson learned! 

Note from Melissa: When I first showed that movie to my kids, I forgot there was nudity and they called me out on it. 😅

The article we’re basing this post on cites movies that are “life-changing,” and while I’m not sure my list fulfills that requirement, I think the movies were life-changing for me when I first watched them. I stand by my 27 choices and my kids have seen a lot of what’s on my list already. 

27. The Exorcist

I first saw this movie when I was about 10 years old–I couldn’t sleep in my bed for a whole week afterwards because I was too afraid to.

26. The Sound of Music

25. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Courtesy of YouTube

Note from Melissa: I got you an "I love lamp" shirt because of that movie. 😂

24. Juno

There is a lot of depth and humanity within this movie; the ending felt like everything was just as it was meant to be.

23. Little Miss Sunshine

22. National Lampoon’s Animal House

I used to have a dating rule when I was a teen: if the person I was interested in didn’t know who Jon Belushi was, it was a hard pass. 

Courtesy of  The Many Rantings of John

21. The Shining

20. Save the Last Dance

19. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

My dad “made” me watch this when I was a kid, so I bestowed this on my own children.

18. Forrest Gump

Courtesy of IndieWire

17. Ikiru

I saw this movie as a required viewing for college just a few years ago. I recommend seeing at least one Kurosawa film in life.

16. The Sixth Sense

15. How The West Was Won

14. Enter the Dragon

13. Stand By Me

12. Labyrinth

When my children were small, I would sing “Magic Dance” to them–”You remind me of the babe/What babe/Babe with the power…”

11. Legally Blonde

10. Gigi

I loved the costumes! One of my biggest wishes in life is to own a dress like the one Gigi wears.

Courtesy of Pinterest

9. Heathers

8. Blazing Saddles

7. The Breakfast Club

6. Clueless

5. Mean Girls

4. The Devil Wears Prada

I don’t often re-watch movies, but this one I can watch multiple times. 

3. Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion

2. The Princess Bride

1. The Neverending Story

Melissa Amster:

I'm always trying to get my kids to see the movies I grew up with, but there are definitely some that they haven't seen yet and I've been wanting them to see these movies at some point. Others were moral imperatives and they have seen them already (or at least some of my kids have). To keep this list from going on forever, I'll narrow it down to ten. A couple were in the post linked above.

1. The Shawshank Redemption. Such a powerful and moving film. I'm always shocked when someone says they haven't seen it. 

2. Mr. Holland's Opus. The arts are so important and this movie is a testimony to that. I also appreciate that they explore hearing loss in relation to music.

3. Forrest Gump. Such a legendary film. A nice history lesson too! 

4. The Princess Bride. One of the best movies ever. Romantic, funny, adventurous, with villains we love to hate and so many quotable lines. 

Courtesy of Den of Geek

5. Back to the Future. This movie was my childhood. I was obsessed and even made coloring books about it and had my Barbies act it out. Such an epic time travel movie that everyone should see at least once!

6. The Karate Kid. So completely well done and it ages nicely too. I also love how Cobra Kai ties into the series, but the first one will always be my favorite. When I was a kid, I loved it so much that I had to see it a second time in the theater!

Courtesy of LIFE

7. Beauty and the Beast. A few years ago, my in-laws told me they never saw this movie. I know this is a reverse generational thing, but I made sure they watched it the next time they visited. And they loved it! Anyway, there's a reason it was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (instead of Best Animated Film). It was originally marketed as "the most beautiful love story ever told." I still love it and cry every time I watch. I also relate so much to Belle, and not just because I love to read. I just think it's something everyone should see as it reminds people that beauty is found within.

8. Life is Beautiful. Of all the Holocaust movies out there, this is the one I'm attached to the most. It's told in such a unique way, but it has such a huge impact at the same time. I found it to be way more powerful and emotional than Schindler's List. 

9. Waiting for Guffman. If you're looking for a good laugh, look no further. Being a theater person, I love this movie even more. I'm always recommending it to people. And now that Catherine O'Hara has passed away, it's one of those movies that pays homage to her comedic talent and somehow slipped under the radar vs. Home Alone or Beetlejuice.

Courtesy of IMDb

10. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but more for the experience as you need to see it in a theater with everyone yelling lines and throwing things. Also, Tim Curry is fantastic. I'd also make them wait until they are 17 or 18 before seeing it. (I did that with my oldest and he's gone to see it with me thrice.)

Which life-changing movies would you recommend to younger generations?

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Book Review: The Hundred Man Plan

By Sara Steven

Ten years of a seemingly perfect marriage crumbles when an anonymous woman uncovers her husband's affair.

To add insult to injury, he blames his infidelity on her, calling her "frigid" and "a prude." To prove she's anything but, she embarks on a liberating sexual odyssey, embracing her desire and refusal to be defined by her ex-husband's hurtful words. She, along with her already sexually liberated best friend, hatch the ultimate to sleep with one hundred men.

As she sets forth on this contemporary heroine's journey, navigating the complexities of modern relationships and one-night stands, she begins to break free from the constraints of her past. Each encounter becomes a step towards reclaiming her identity and redefining her notions of love, intimacy and fulfillment. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

The protagonist in The Hundred Man Plan set out to do something that a lot of us have thought about–but never admit to thinking about: Hooking up with absolutely no strings attached. Spurned on by the utmost betrayal, she intends to prove her ex’s infidelity wrong. 

Each chapter is marked off by the individual (or in some cases, individuals) that she sleeps with, going into great detail about their encounters. Written like diary entries, I could really get inside the mind of the protagonist and could understand the liberation she feels in letting herself go and doing something that is ordinarily outside of her comfort zone and so out of character for her. She has a best friend who has sort of become the blueprint for her, but I felt the protagonist far surpasses her friend. At one point, the one who never wants to settle down is the one who is actively looking for love, as though the characters switch places, but it felt more like character growth to me. The best friend is learning to love, while the protagonist learns to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works. 

While I have thought about the freedom that might come from not having to answer to society’s standards or anyone else’s for that matter, and I hold no judgement for those who do, I could see just how liberating yet exhausting the search for justification becomes. The protagonist initially wants to prove to her ex (and to herself) that she really isn’t as vanilla as he claims her to be, but the real eye-opener is when she comes to realize that it doesn’t matter what he (or anyone else) thinks! That was pretty amazing, and the encounters she had were pretty steamy and satisfying, too. It was a fun read!

Thanks to Misty O'Hara for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Spotlight and Giveaway: The Book Tour

We're pleased to feature Emily Ohanjanian's debut rom-com, The Book Tour, today. This enemies-to-lovers story sounds like it will heat up the pages and we're excited for you to check it out. Thanks to Random House, we have one copy to give away!

Despite her popular podcast and sold-out speaking events, Ana Movilian still feels like she has to prove herself. To her family, who can't believe she quit med school to build an influencer career, and to literary snobs, who decry her buzzy self-help book. Happily, her upcoming book tour is the perfect chance to show the world just how bright her star can shine.

That is, until her beloved publicist resigns the night before their plane is set to take off, announcing that her replacement is none other than Ryan bleeping Grant.

Ryan specializes in highbrow, "important" books, and his perma-scowl in every interaction with Ana makes one thing clear: he does not get her book. Or her. He’s the last person who should be promoting her work, the last person she should be stuck with for two weeks . . . and the last person who should look that damn good in business casual.

As they travel from city to city, however, Ana's assumptions about Ryan take new shape. A decidedly more appealing shape. Soon, their growing attraction starts to feel like a ticking time bomb. But crossing that line could derail each of their careers faster than you can say "conflict of interest," and they both have bigger dreams at stake than the bestseller list. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

“As smart as it is steamy, this debut rom-com is fun, fresh, and fast-paced, and the sexiest book I’ve read this year. Loved it!”
— Chantel Guertin, bestselling author of It Happened One Christmas

“With a romance to root for and a witty, richly rendered peek into publishing, The Book Tour perfectly blends deft characterization with rom-com delight. Ana and Ryan’s story from between the covers to between the sheets is a tour de force and a book lover’s dream.”
— Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Roughest Draft

“Witty, warm, and wonderfully romantic, The Book Tour was an absolute delight from start to finish.”
— Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of Love at First Book

Emily Ohanjanians is a romance author and professional book editor based in Toronto. After many years working at a major publisher, she left her in-house job to establish a freelance editorial business and parlay her lifelong love of joyous, escapist, romantic stories into her own writing. Visit Emily at her website and on Instagram. (Photo and bio courtesy of Emily's website.)

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends March 22nd at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Be Your Own Bestie

By Melissa Amster

You deserve happiness.

You deserve hope.

And you deserve a sassy best friend who can help you learn not to settle for less.

It’s time to start loving yourself radically. And Misha Brown—you may know him as @yourbestiemisha—is here to guide you along your journey of self-discovery, accountability, and most importantly, self-love. With his no-nonsense (but always loving) approach, Misha shares stories from his own life, encounters with others, and the wisdom gleaned from them to help you release the patterns, relationships, and beliefs that have kept you from stepping into your full fabulousness.

With equal parts hilarity and heart, Misha’s S.A.S.S. Method to glowing up your life consists of:

S – Self-reflection: Turn your focus inward to push away what’s been holding you back

A – Affirmations: Reshape the way you speak to and about yourself

S – Standing your ground: Set boundaries and stop apologizing

S – Sculpting the life you want: Take bold steps toward your own happily ever after

No matter where you are today, now is the time to begin showing up for yourself as your own best friend. Because you deserve it, bestie! (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I've been following Misha Brown on Instagram and Facebook for quite some time now. His videos are so uplifting and I've even cried from some of them. I talked about him in our column post back in December, as the topic was "kindness." So when I heard he had a book releasing last month, I just had to read it! I rarely do audiobooks due to lack of available time, but I made an exception for this one as it was a bit shorter and I was doing more driving than usual. I'm so glad I got to listen to him read his book as it made the experience that much more meaningful. (I also made an exception to reading self-help books, as I normally don't.)

Misha shares stories and anecdotes from his life in order to illustrate the different points he is trying to make to his readers (a.k.a. besties). He also talks about things his friends have gone through and the advice he has given them. As far as self-help books go, this one was a breeze! 

I just loved hearing what Misha had to say and I felt a lot of it was so relatable. I even saw myself in some of the stories he had about his friends. I was cheering him on when he shared something good and getting angry on his behalf when people treated him poorly. I really liked how he was able to rise above the way people treated him and impart his wisdom to others who may be going through the same things. Where was he when I was dealing with a toxic friend in high school?!? (He was probably in elementary school since he's eleven years younger than me. 🤣)

Misha is just so kind, genuine, and a complete ray of sunshine! It's impossible NOT to adore him once you see even just one of his social media videos. I'm jealous of anyone who has gotten to actually connect with him in person or even receive a response to a message they sent him. He's very popular and high-in-demand, so I understand that. I just hope he brings his book tour to my neck of the woods soon. 

There are parts in the book where Misha asks readers to do thought exercises and write things down. I will admit that I didn't do this. I may have thought about what he suggested a few times, but I was hard-pressed to always come up with situations where I would be able to use these exercises. However, they are extremely helpful to anyone who would actually need them. I did feel a boost of confidence from listening to Misha be my own personal cheerleader during my drives and while folding laundry though! 

Something Misha said that was extremely relevant is that people tend to sympathize with bullies instead of victims. That has been happening a lot lately and it's a disturbing trend. Maybe Misha's next book should be helping people realize that they were brainwashed. 

Overall, this is a delightful book to listen to (or read in print or Kindle, if you don't do audio). I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a confidence boost or a push to remove toxicity from their lives. I think everyone can benefit in some way from listening to Misha and becoming their own bestie! (On the audio version, Misha leads a meditation at the end.)

Side note: The other day, my daughter was giving advice to one of her friends regarding some friendship drama. Afterward, I told her how much she sounded like Misha and how proud I was. (She hasn't even listened to Misha, but she definitely said everything he would say!)

Side note 2: Since you know how much I love Ghosts, the name of Misha's method is easy for me to remember. And honestly, Sass could use some S.A.S.S. too. (Although I am impressed by something he did recently, but more for his own sake.)

Purchase Be Your Own Bestie here.

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Book Review: Moms Love Boy Bands

By Melissa Amster

Four best friends. A dream vacation. Then one vanishes without a trace.

Celebrating their forty-fifth birthdays, four best friends escape to a tropical island for "Boy Bands at the Beach." What could be better than basking in the sun, devouring beach reads, and being serenaded by the bands they idolized as teenagers?

But when the story opens, we learn that each woman is at a crossroads. Nicole is at a boudoir photo shoot, desperate to recapture when she was the life of every party and not just a boring stay at home mom. Liliana, the overworked COO of a tech company, has missed dinner with her family again and must face her disappointed husband. Angie, the misfit of the group, is wrestling with a secret from the past. And Carly, a trendsetting influencer, is on social media promoting her beach trip must-haves, even though she just caught her husband cheating.

Enter Luca-a gorgeous, charismatic twenty-something year-old. When he befriends Angie, the others question why he's at an event for women who get Botox injections and need sensible shoes. Suspicion escalates when someone steals Angie's passport. Then, the unthinkable happens when one friend vanishes. Will the others find her, or will a vacation to see the best nineties boy bands of all time end in disaster? (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

Moms Love Boy Bands is all sorts of nostalgic fun! It reminded me of when my best friend and I met up in Nashville to see New Kids on the Block in concert. We were both obsessed in middle school and still screaming for our NKOTB crushes in our forties! 🤣

The story has a bit of a White Lotus feel. (Think of the girlfriend group in season three.) There's also an element of danger in the story when one of the friends disappears and no one knows what happened or why. 

I loved all the nostalgia in the story and it made me want to listen to nineties music even more than I already do. Aside from NKOTB, I also enjoy listening to NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. The parts about the mental load mothers experience was so relatable and honest. Things did get real quite a few times (aside from all the vacation shenanigans) and I felt bad for the women for different reasons. I also liked that one of the friends was Jewish and that there were mentions of Shabbat, Hebrew school, etc.

My main concern was that some parts felt a bit disjointed, like the motivation was off. Certain situations could have been resolved if people just talked and listened instead of jumping to conclusions. Things weren't always what they seemed and even I assumed the worst sometimes!

If you need a virtual vacation filled with nineties memories and boy band music, look no further! I enjoy Jenifer's mom-coms and look forward to reading more from her.

(Trigger warnings below.)

Movie casting suggestions:

Nicole: Marla Sokoloff
Liliana: Romola Garai
Carly: Claire Coffee
Angie: Rachael Leigh Cook
Luca: Michael Provost
Josh: Justin Bartha

Thanks to Jenifer Goldin for the book in exchange for an honest review. 

More by Jenifer Goldin:

Anonymous Mom Posts

Moms Who Read Romance Novels

Good Moms Say Bad Words

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TW: Death of mother (cancer). Kidnapping. Infidelity. Career pressure. Marriage difficulties. Being scammed.

Spotlight and Giveaway: Strangers in the Villa

We're pleased to feature Robyn Harding's latest thriller, Strangers in the Villa. Robyn is one of Melissa's go-to thriller writers and this one kept her on the edge of her seat. A review is coming soon, but check out her Bookstagram post for now. Thanks to Grand Central, we have one copy for a lucky reader!

Sydney Lowe’s life in New York is shattered when her husband, Curtis, admits to a meaningless affair with a client. Begging for forgiveness and vowing to prove his devotion, Curtis suggests the couple retreat to a remote hilltop house in Spain to repair their marriage.  

High above the Mediterranean, Sydney and Curtis are working on the isolated property and their relationship when a pair of Australian travelers turns up at their door in dire need of help. Lonely for companionship and desperate for free labor, Sydney and Curtis invite the attractive young couple to stay. But as the days pass, dark secrets come to light, the Lowes’ bond is tested, and not everyone will leave the villa alive. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

"Cava, sunshine, and secrets—in Strangers in the Villa, Robyn Harding nails the vibe with a lush Spanish setting, a smart, layered structure, and characters so real you’ll invite them over for dinner…and then maybe change the locks. If The Drowning Woman was your kind of thrill-ride, cancel all your plans. This one delivers that same deliciously wicked mix of sharp twists, shifting loyalties, and a creeping sense of danger just beneath the surface." 
―Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Expat Affair

"Wow, does Harding know how to craft a deceptive tale! Mind games, brilliant plotting, and an unputdownable one-sit read awaits you when you pick up Strangers In The Villa. Clear your schedule and prepare to have your mind blown at this highly entertaining story that's sure to be an instant smash hit."
―Jaime Lynn Hendricks, bestselling author of Their Double Lives

Robyn Harding is the international bestselling author of several novels including The Haters, The Perfect Family, The Arrangement, and Her Pretty Face. Her novels The Party and The Drowning Woman were both finalists for the Crime Writers of Canada best crime novel award. Her novel The Swap debuted at #1 on the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star Canadian bestsellers lists. She is also the screenwriter and executive producer of the independent film, The Steps. She lives in Vancouver, BC, with her family and two cute but deadly rescue chihuahuas. (Bio courtesy of Robyn's website.)

Visit Robyn online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends March 17th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: One Beautiful Year of Normal

By Sara Steven

When August Caine receives a phone call from a Savannah attorney, she is blindsided by the news—her Aunt Helen has passed away. But how can that be, when August’s mother insisted Helen died in a car accident fifteen years ago? Determined to uncover the truth, August returns to the deep South, where the ghosts of her past—both real and imagined—await her.

Plagued by a memory splintered by her father’s unsolved murder when she was a child and further tangled by psychiatric treatments for the debilitating depression she struggles with, August realizes her survival depends on unraveling the mystery surrounding her father’s death. This means returning to the one safe place she remembers from the childhood she has mostly locked away inside her Aunt Helen’s home, and the ghost tours they created together. 

A chilling exploration of mental illness, mother-daughter bonds, and generational secrets, One Beautiful Year of Normal follows August as she pieces together the long-buried truths that shaped her family’s tragic past and confronts the question that has haunted her for Can the truth set her free, or will it unravel everything she thought she knew? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

It sounds a little cliche, but what a story! It’s the first expression that comes to mind for me when I reflect on my experience with One Beautiful Year of Normal. August is working through a lot of past trauma and familial strife–so much so, she’s opted to do as much as possible to distance herself from her former life. She’s done a great job of it for a long time, until she’s contacted in regards to her aunt’s death. As much as she’s in shock over a death that was meant to happen fifteen years prior, it also set the tone for me while reading about her experiences. I knew going in that there would be more conspiracy theories, hidden lies, and untold truths that would be divulged as chapters went on.

What August goes through in her childhood is downright scary. Aunt Helen becomes a lifeline for her, albeit a brief one, with jumps back into August’s childhood and experiences with Helen, then fast forwarding to the present time, a front row seat into the fallout of Helen’s death. The reader gets the sense that before Helen, there was no normalcy for a young girl who becomes her mother’s caregiver, moving from one place, state, and at times, countries in order for August and her mother to “stay safe.” With Helen, whenever we see the flashbacks, we see a tween who settles into the roots of her world. Into learning more about a father she doesn’t remember as well as she’d like to. Into making new friends that might possibly become future foundations for her. 

A year goes by awfully fast, as August soon realizes. There are a lot of unanswered questions and even more confusion when she learns more about her aunt and various scenarios she’d been unaware of in childhood, but had an inkling to all those years ago. Maybe there is a lot more to the fears her mother had. I appreciated how the flashback chapters made me feel like I learned more about a girl who had grown up way ahead of her years, to the woman in the present who in some ways is very much still tied to that girl and hasn’t escaped the past. It made me think of how so many of us are still dictated by our own pasts and childhoods, the way we were brought up, the family relationships we had, whether for the better or for the worse.

There were a lot of twists and turns–some I could anticipate, some that were downright shocking. I don’t know that August will ever fully “get over” what she’s experienced, but it was nice to see the transitions and changes she goes through in the process of delving into the truth. One Beautiful Year of Normal was anything but ordinary. It was an extraordinary five-star experience!

Thanks to BookSparks for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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