Netflix & Book Reviews for Presidents Day Vacation

I just saw it - the first posting of "I'm bored" by a teen on social media. So just in case you missed the Book & Netflix Reviews in the Winter Issue of Inspiring Teens Magazine... here you have it! Enjoy your day off!

And if YOU have a favorite you want to add to the mix, let us know by commenting below!

Books for Hopeless Romantics
~ Heather Dobisch
 

“The Summer I Turned Pretty”
By: Jenny Han
This is the perfect book for curling up in bed on a snowy, cold day considering it has everything you want at that moment- summer, romance, and drama. It can keep you occupied for hours on end due to this book being part of a trilogy. “It’s Not Summer Without You” and “We’ll Always Have Summer” guarantee  a perfect read filled with a balance of laughs and tears, madness and satisfaction, and conflicts and love.
 
“My Life Next Door”
By: Huntley Fitzpatrick
It’s a classic story of a teenage girl who finds herself within all the craziness of life surrounding her. With an over-controlling parent, an unapproved crush, and a huge secret, this book is never slow and will leave you wanting more.
 
“Lock and Key”
By: Sarah Dessen
When a teenage girl with a very hard upbringing finds herself in a totally new situation, she will go on a journey to find her true self. Through a new house, guardian, job, and boy, she finds a balance she has never had before.
 
“Pushing The Limits”
By: Katie McGarry
A mysterious read that will never leave you unsatisfied. It includes drama and love, all while trying to figure out a deep rooted mystery in the main characters life.
 
The House of Night Series- Book 1 “Marked”
By: P.C. and Kristin Cast
As an entire series that will never leave you bored, The House of Night books bring drama and unexpected events from the first book all the way to the last. The series seems never ending as the writers are still creating new books. Through vampires and goddesses, these books bring an usual look into teenage life.
 
The Lifeguard
By: Deborah Blumenthal
A book set in summer with an unimaginably hot lifeguard? What other things does a book need to contain to be perfect? This book encases summer romance perfectly while adding a little bit of magic to the perfect summer.

Carly’s Netflix Top 10
 
Need a new series to binge-watch on Netflix? I’ve got you covered.

10. “Girl Meets World” - I’m seventeen years old, so I never would have thought I’d love this Disney Channel show as much as I do! This is a spin off of “Boy Meets World”. I would highly recommend this show because although it has many silly moments, the overall lessons that are learned are inspiring!
9. “Pretty Little Liars” – This drama is more for an older teenage audience because of its mystery and scary elements. After each week’s episode, I’ve found myself literally on the edge of my seat, counting down the days until the next one!
8. “Dance Moms” – Rumor has it that this popular reality show will no longer continue filming (sad face). I have watched this show since the very beginning, and I love re-watching old episodes. Being a dancer, I can relate to the show in so many ways!
7. “Baby Daddy” – This show is hilarious! It basically follows a young man who is responsible for raising a newborn baby on his own. He struggles a little bit, but he has a lot of help along the way.
6. “90210” – I loved this show! I think I watched all five seasons in about two months. This show could also be a little mature for some teenagers, but the plot line is just so interesting. The actors on the show are in high school, so I think a lot of teens could relate to many of the situations the characters face.
5. “Glee” – I wasn’t too interested in the Glee phenomenon a few years ago, but I just started watching it and I love it! The music is incredible and Lea Michele and Cory Monteith are such great actors, you should definitely see what all the hype is about.
4. “Melissa and Joey” – I always laugh when I watch this show! It follows a woman who hires a manny (male nanny) to help around the house. Together, they face many obstacles, all while laughing along the way.
3. “Young and Hungry” – So I guess I have a thing for ABC Family sitcoms because this is the third one I’ve listed! Anyway, this show, like the others, is so funny. Emily Osment (who played Lily on Hannah Montana) stars as a chef and lands a job cooking for a successful and wealthy man, who she soon discovers has a crush on her.
2. “Sing it On” – Okay, so I’m like weirdly obsessed with this show! It’s a reality show about collegiate a capella groups fighting to win the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella. So far, there is only one season with eight episodes, and I’ve already watched every episode twice!
1. “Friends” – Holy cow, I wish I were born earlier in the 90s so I could have watched this show when it aired every week! I am literally obsessed with this show (ask my mom or anyone I know if you don’t believe me!) I’m halfway through season nine and there are ten seasons, so I’m nearing the end and I’m really upset that I’m almost finished! This is a great half-hour comedy about six twenty-something year old friends trudging through every problem life throws at them.

Romantic Movies by Hannah Diamond
Everyone loves to cuddle up and watch those classic romantic movies.
So here are some of my top fifteen classic romantic movies.

1. The Notebook
2. Dirty Dancing
3. New Year’s Eve
4. Love Actually
5. Pretty woman
6. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
7. The Titanic
8. The Proposal
9. A Walk to Remember
10. 27 Dresses
11. Sweet Home Alabama
12. Enchanted
13. The Last Song
14. Maid in Manhattan
15. What to Expect When Your Expecting
    

For all those single out there who are planning to spend their President's Day with some ice cream and their couch here are the movies for you!
~ Hannah Diamond

1. The Hunger Games
   
2. The Other Woman
3. Erin Brockovich
4. Joy  
5. Legally blonde
6. Frozen
7. The Help
8. Pitch Perfect
9. Miss Congeniality
10. Working Girl

Top 10 Netflix-Musts: (in no apparent order, of course)
Maria Corr
 

1) Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Movie): My personal favorite feel-good movie (yes, I have watched it over 20 times…); filmed in 1961, this movie follows the life of Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), a young socialite in New York City trying to find her purpose in life.
 
2) American Horror Story (TV Show): So creepy. So brilliant. Each season has a completely different plot—new setting, new characters, new storylines, but same actors. The different seasons are Murder House, Asylum, Coven, Freak Show, and Hotel. Yes, AHS has given me some nightmares, but it’s easily one of the best-written shows I have ever watched. I’m addicted.    
 
3) Lost (TV Show): Definitely one of the best shows I have ever watched—Lost tells the story of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 that crashed on a deserted island. This show is the perfect combination of sci-fi, romance, drama, adventure, and mystery, and, therefore, has a little something for everyone.
 
4) Grey’s Anatomy (TV Show): 12 seasons of perfection. Grey’s is a medical drama series about a group of doctors at a hospital in Seattle, Washington. Warning: I guarantee that you will get super emotionally invested in these characters—you will experience every heartache, celebration, and stress that the doctors do. 12 seasons is a big commitment, but it’s worth every minute.
 
5) Blackfish (Documentary): A really interesting documentary about the story of Tilikum—a captive killer whale at Sea World that is responsible for taking the lives of several people. This short-film exposes the problems within the sea-park industry and gives insight to man’s relationship with captive animals and nature.
 
6) Scandal (TV Show): Yet another Shonda Rhimes masterpiece. Rhimes, creator of some of the best shows on TV (including Grey’s Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder, and Private Practice), tells the story of Olivia Pope, a professional “fixer” in Washington DC, who works to manage any kind of crisis faced by famous politicians. The show follows Pope’s “scandalous” personal life, as she struggles to move on from her complicated past.
 
7) The Walking Dead (TV Show): I never thought I would love a show about zombies, but I love The Walking Dead. Based on a comic book series, Walking Dead is about a group of people, led by police officer Rick Grimes, trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. Some scenes/images are pretty gruesome, but the storyline is fantastic—definitely not just a show for boys!
 
8) Ally McBeal (TV Show): A hysterical sitcom from the 90’s about Ally McBeal, a young attorney who joins a prestigious law firm with not-so-prestigious coworkers. The series follows Ally’s life through flashbacks, voiceovers revealing her personal thoughts, and fantasy sequences.
 
9) Gossip Girl (TV Show): An obvious guilty pleasure of mine. I have no shame that I watched all 6 seasons within 2 months. The show is about over-privileged high school students in Manhattan, (aka “Upper East Siders), who are always in the spotlight since Gossip Girl, an anonymous online blogger, keeps tabs on all of their drama and shares it with the public.
 
10) Forrest Gump (Movie): Who doesn’t love a good Tom Hanks movie? Forrest Gump, a slow-witted man, tells his life story to strangers at a bus stop. Whether he is overcoming medical issues, serving in the Vietnam War, captaining a shrimp boat, or professing his love to his childhood best friend, Forrest inspires each stranger, and viewer, with his childlike optimism. A bittersweet tearjerker, but a must-see, for sure. And that’s all I have to say about that.
 

Top 10 Netflix List
~ Heather Dobisch
 

1. The Vampire Diaries
2. Grey’s Anatomy
3. Criminal Minds
4. Cake Boss Series
5. Gossip Girl
6. 90210
7. American Horror Story
8. Orange is the New Black
9. Saved By the Bell
10. Charmed
    

 
Netflix Throwback Movie Night

1. Can’t Buy Me Love
2. Clueless
3. Breakfast At Tiffany’s
4. Legally Blonde
5. Footloose
6. Serendipity
7. While You Were Sleeping
8. The Wedding Planner
9. My Best Friend’s Wedding
10. Grease

 
5 Things you need before sitting down to watch Netflix:

1. Your favorite blanket. I suggest a fuzzy one with cute animals on it.
2. A cup of hot chocolate or your favorite kind of tea. Mine is green tea with jasmine.
3. Your comfiest pajamas. I always go for my fuzzy grinch pants and over-sized t-shirt, both curtesy of Target.
4. A snack- pop corn or ice cream will usually due.
5. A buddy, whether it be a boyfriend, a friend, or even a pet, having some company while watching hours of TV can be highly beneficial.