Sarah Says
By Sarah Coon
Hey! You made it! Welcome to Sarah Says - a (mostly) weekly podcast for me to talk about anything that’s on my mind that week. Make sure you follow along too at Sock Bun Studios on Instagram and on TikTok, or send me email suggestions at sockbunstudios@gmail.com!
Remember - there are no bad (hair) days
Remember - there are no bad (hair) days
Sarah SaysMar 11, 2022
00:00
01:09:10
CATC Week 7 Recap: Ted Lasso, Hallmark, and Divas on Lifetime - Oh My!
Christmas Con is over and this podcast is overdue - next year I’m going to clone myself like The Santa Clause 2 so everything goes out on time! Hallmark crushed the weekend with a Ted Lasso Jan Maas movie (just don’t watch it if you’re Norwegian apparently) and Lifetime brought us divas. What a weekend! Hallmark Movies and Mysteries earned an apology from me and Melissa Peterman made an appearance on UpTV. Find all that and more now and look for a special Christmas Con recap podcast sometime this week…hopefully.
Dec 12, 202301:15:45
CATC Thanksgiving Week 6 Recap: A Biltmore Christmas Tops All, Lifetime and UpTV Score 5s
Happy fa la la la holidays everyone! It’s that time: Thanksgiving week the busiest movie week of the year is done and we survived! Fifteen movies later, A Biltmore Christmas absolutely decimated every movie that came before it. Lifetime scored a five with Christmas at the Chalet with Teri Hatcher, but fell off a cliff with Laughing All The Way. UpTV continues its streak of great movies with Mistletoe Connection. Hallmark Movies and Mysteries did okay but not great with Season for Family. Hallmark did well for the week of their double features, my personal favorites being Catch Me If You Claus, Our Christmas Mural, Letters to Santa, and Holiday Road. Christmas in Notting Hill and Haul Out The Holly: Lit Up were also fun and lighthearted. And then there was GAC. Is there really anything else to say? Catch all my thoughts now!
Dec 02, 202301:43:36
Week 5 CATC Recap: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Crushed It While Lifetime Starts Strong
Happy fa la la la holidays everyone! Week 5 of Christmas Around the Channels is a week late because Thanksgiving Week nearly crushed me, but we’re here! Double podcast week! Hallmark Movies and Mysteries crushed it with A World Record Christmas while regular Hallmark held its own with Navigating Christmas. A Merry Scottish Christmas saw a Party of Five reunion of Scott Wolf and Lacey Chabert. Meanwhile Holiday Hotline on Sunday stole another favorite of the year. Lifetime started strong with Christmas Plus One and Planes, Trains, and Christmas Trees. UpTV did better than I expected with Country Hearts Christmas, and GAC kept up with their solid meh movies in Santa, Maybe and A Paris Christmas Waltz. Streaming services Netflix and Freevee suffered with their less than stellar Best. Christmas. Ever! and EXmas. Find all that and more now! And come back later this week for the Thanksgiving week 6 recap!
Nov 28, 202301:44:53
Week 4 CATC Recap: UpTV won the week while Hallmark, GAC, and HM&M Stayed Steady
Happy fa la la la holidays everyone! Week 4 of Christmas Around the Channels is done, I’m now back from my work trip and finally remembered I never scheduled this post. Figures. What can I say? I got distracted by how good UpTV has been this year. Hallmark Movies and Mysteries had their first true mystery Christmas movie in Mystery on Mistletoe Lane which was a solid concept for them with Victor Webster and Erica Cerra. Hallmark ran the gambit of movies with the not great Everything Christmas, and solid movies in Christmas Island and A Heidelberg Holiday. GAC fell flat for me with Daniel Lissing’s Christmas Keepsake and I didn’t watch A Christmas Blessing, but based on the photoshop I wouldn’t hold out much hope. Then there was UpTV with real life couple Franco Lo Presti and Emily Alatalo. When I tell you I’m obsessed. They crushed it. It’s a must watch movie for me. Find all that and more now! (And I promise not to forget to post it again next week)
Nov 19, 202301:37:13
2023 CATC Week 3 Recap: Hallmark Shines With The Santa Summit, GAC flops At Our Christmas Wedding
Happy fa la la la holidays everyone! Week 3 is officially in the naughty or nice list and we have very clear winners and losers of the week. Hallmark Movies and Mysteries came out strong again with My Christmas Guide, earning itself a 4.5 for the week. Hallmark had a rollercoaster weekend with the standard Flipping for Christmas, the bizarre Never Been Chris’d, and shining with my second 5 of the year with The Santa Summit. 99% of watchers would agree that Tyler Hynes was wasted this year. GAC balanced out with the boring but fine Dash of Christmas and the supremely unimpressive Our Christmas Wedding. And then UpTV joined the chat with a 5 out the gates in We’re Scrooged. Hear all that and more now!
Nov 11, 202301:24:09
2023 CATC Week 2 Recap: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Shines While Hallmark & GAC Went Meh
Week 2 of Christmas Around the Channels is done and thank goodness last week was the starting line up for Hallmark Channel. Kicking the week off, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries stole the week with Ms. Christmas Comes to Town. You know the rule, if it doesn’t make me cry, it’s not a 5! But maybe moving to Thursday night wasn’t the best idea for my emotional well being! Hallmark had a so/so weekend with Christmas By Design, Mystic Christmas, and Joyeux Noel - Mystic being my favorite of the weekend. And GAC did much better in the set decor this week in both of their movies but the two Hallmark alums Paul Greene and Jill Wagner had less than zero chemistry in Bringing Christmas Home while Ash Tsai and Joey Heyworth did pretty well in their very standard Christmas plot line Journey To Christmas. Find all my thoughts and more now!
Nov 02, 202301:39:20
Week 1 CATC 2023 Review: Hallmark and GAC Family Battle It Out
Happy fa la la la holidays everyone! Week 1 of the 2023 Christmas Around the Channels recap is here and what a strong start it was for Hallmark! Technically the season kicked off with GAC trying to start Christmas a week early, but Destined 2: Christmas Once More wasn’t worthy of early airtime. But kicking it off for Hallmark, Checkin It Twice with Kevin McGarry and Kim Matula, followed by Where Are You, Christmas? on Saturday starting Lyndsy Fonseca and Michael Rady put the channel firmly into ratings first place. Both storylines were fun and the pairing was great for both. Twas The Text Before Christmas on GAC Saturday starring Merritt Patterson and Trevor Donovan was a definite step up for them garnering them a 3.75/5, and rounding out the week on Hallmark was Under the Christmas Sky featuring Ryan Paevey and Jessica Parker Kennedy. Unfortunately that one didn’t have a lot of chemistry or a strong plot, but every other part of the movie kept it fresh enough for a 3.5/5. Listen now for all the best and worst parts and let’s kick off the 2023 Christmas movie season together!
Oct 26, 202301:30:17
Christmas Around the Channels 2023 Preview Pt 2: GAC Family, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and UpTV
In this part two continuum of the Christmas Around the Channels preview, I give my first thoughts on all 9 2023 Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Miracles of Christmas, both of the new Hallmark Movies Now streaming service option, GAC Family’s Great American Christmas and UpTV’s Merry Movie Christmas lineups. We still don’t have any definitive Lifetime lineup but are we shocked? No. Lifetime - seriously - why do you do this to me? Find where all your favorites stack up ahead of time and now that the dates are becoming a little clearer, will I go back on my word and actually watch the full GAC lineup? Find out all that and more now!
Oct 03, 202301:50:07
Hallmark 2023 Christmas Movie Preview
Happy almost fa la la la holidays! Can you believe we are less than a month away from Christmas movies returning?! Where has the year gone?? And how is everyone?? I know it’s been a while - it’s crazy how fast the year has flown by. But I’m back and we are READY. This podcast is devoted solely to a rundown of all the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies starting next month. Check back early next week for a rundown of Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, UpTV, and GAC Family movies. Also, Hallmark - if you’re listening - hi. There’s still time to reach out before Christmas begins 😉
Sep 22, 202301:18:19
March Wrap Up
I know I know - it’s almost the end of April! But never fear, I’m here finally with the March wrap up podcast with all the Bonus Original Content movies for Hallmark and the books I read…and didn’t finish. Hallmark had 3 BOC movies in March, The Love Club Nicole’s Pen Pal, Game of Love, and A Winning Team. They were all solid movies but A Winning Team is my overall winner of the bunch. I read six books in March, and didn’t finish three. I started the month on a Sarah Adams kick finally getting to read some of her catalog with The Cheat Sheet and When In Rome. Both were super fun, fast reads and I can’t wait to get my hands on her next book (spoiler alert - I just got an ARC I’m in the middle of now). Next I had a few ARCs sent to me to read, Off The Map by Trish Doller was a very fast 272 page read. Not That Kind of Ever After by Luci Adams had a strong premise but it just lacked something for me overall. Finally I finished the Adair Family Series by Samantha Young with Only You. Instant must read. Top three of the Adair family to be honest. Which you can read all of the Adair family on Kindle Unlimited now! To the DNFs, I hit my first ever DNF for Samantha Young with A Cosmic Love - I never thought I’d say that but it just didn’t grab me. Next I tried to continue the Elle Kennedy Briar U series with Hunter’s book The Play but I think I’m officially done with that series. It just doesn’t compare to the Briar Off Campus OG four to me. Lastly I tried reading Float Plan by Trish Doller, a prequel to Off The Map, but it was just a little too heavy for me at the beginning but I really should give it a second chance. Hear all that and more now!
Apr 27, 202301:06:36
Deep Dive Into Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 6: Sunflowers
It’s time to grab those biscuits with the boss and settle in because we’re officially halfway through the final season of Ted Lasso, episode 6 titles Sunflowers. AFC Richmond head to the Netherlands to play a friendly against Ajax and after that goes stunningly bad with another loss with no goals, Ted gives everyone the night off. No curfew. What could they possibly get into? Rebecca ends up taking a tumble into a canal which leads her to an unforgettable (unless she one day ends up with Alzheimer’s) night with a mysteriously attractive man with a boat. Beard finally gets Ted to “clear his mind” with the help of mushroom tea thanks to Kenneth the bus driver, but does it really work? And then there’s Jamie teaching Roy how to ride a bike in honor of Roy’s Granddad while they sight see the night away. Colin and Trent have a heart to heart in a touching scene and the boys end up arguing the night away before settling on the ultimate pillow fight. All that and more now!
Apr 24, 202301:42:08
Deep Dive Into Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 5: Signs
It’s time to grab your biscuits with the boss and dive into episode 5 of season 3 Ted Lasso titled Signs. The club is in a downward spiral after losing to West Ham and they’re all feeling the pressure. Rebecca runs into her ex and finds her shite in nining armor revelation from Tish. Nate may actually be finding his stride of being confident but not awful after a disaster date with Jade, and the Roy and Keeley train has hit a definite snag. One train that might be rolling into the station? Ted and Rebecca. Do we love it? Do we hate it? In Shandy and Zava land, it appears their story arcs have come to an end this episode, but I wouldn’t be too sure we won’t see them again before the end of this. Listen now to hear all that and more!
Apr 14, 202301:16:47
Deep Dive Into Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 4: Big Week
It’s time to grab those biscuits with the boss and settle in for this belated recap of season 3 episode 4 of Ted Lasso titled Big Week. Written by Roy Kent himself, Brett Goldstein, this episode sends us to West Ham for the first matchup against Nate and Rupert. Jamie starts his training with Roy to be better than Zava and Ted has to tackle the idea that he might be a mess after Sassy’s latest sleepover. And what exactly is going on with Keeley and Jack? All I’m saying is, if Roy and Keeley don’t end up together I’m going to riot. Find all that and more now!
Apr 10, 202301:26:10
Deep Dive Into Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 3: 4-5-1
Zava is here and it’s time to kick off the deep dive into season 3 episode 3 of Ted Lasso titled 4-5-1. This week’s episode kicks off and focuses on Colin, our favorite strong and capable Welsh man, and his somewhat secret love life. After being benched in favor of superstar Zava, Colin isn’t the only one dealing with the effects of his arrival. Dubbed a Precious Moments Figurine, Jamie is still less than happy that his celebrity status has diminished which culminates in Roy agreeing to train him. We finally get to see Sam’s restaurant and maybe a misdirect between his and Rebecca’s season 2 romance saga. Ted finds out exactly who Jake, Michelle’s new boyfriend is - spoiler alert - it’s their ex marriage counselor. Michelle…really?? Richmond is officially under Rupert and Nate’s skin as they are tearing up the leader board behind Zava - all brewing to next week’s first matchup between Richmond and West Ham. So grab your biscuits with the boss and let’s dive in.
Mar 31, 202301:58:58
2022 Hallmark Movie Catch Up Part 2
I’m back again with more 2022 Hallmark movies I didn’t watch last year when we were on a break. As we all remember, Hallmark’s number one fan contest last year left left me in not a great place and I didn’t really get back to the movies until Christmas. Now that I’m in a better place with them again, I’ve been catching up and we have eight more movies to talk about. Romance To The Rescue was a solid movie for Marcus Rosner as he continues to move outside of his “jerk rich boy boyfriend” typecast role, but the ending fell into that sloppy “overheard and misunderstood” trope I hate. Hidden Gems though was a home run, slam dunk for the channel and something I very much want to own. Lastly for Hallmark, Autumn In The City was a nice hug, the kind that Nora Ephron would give you. Over on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries we had a lot to catchup on. Always Amore was a solid movie and another solitude type cast role of “anything involving Autumn Reeser.” 14 Love Letters starred one of my new favorites, Franco Lo Presti, but this script was pretty much a miss for both of them. Groundswell featuring Lacey Chabert was also mostly a miss for me. It was fun to go to Italy, and Lacey played her typical chef role, but it was just incredibly slow throughout. Love’s Portrait was a fun storyline for HMM and the Ireland scenery was beautiful. Finally, Color My World With Love starring Erica Durance and Benjamin Ayres is an absolute must watch. The representation was so amazing and you’ll definitely need tissues. Catch all my thoughts now and make sure you vote for me in Hallmark’s Number 1 Fan Contest this year using the link in my bios on TikTok and Instagram at SockBunStudios!
Mar 27, 202301:19:05
Deep Dive Into Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 2: (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea
It’s time to kick off the football season at Chelsea and dredge up some memories and mercurial diva footballer Zava is leaving Juventus - who will land him in this week’s episode 2 of season 3 on Ted Lasso. We get to the heart of what a Hallmark Christmas movie is, get a little back story into Rebecca and Rupert’s beginnings, and even welcome Trent to the team this week while successfully avoiding Nate all together. On the heels of their split, Roy deals with the backlash of everyone finding out he was the one to end it, while Keeley is still trying to crack loose her uptight employees. Rebecca does her best to sour-yell Zava into joining Richmond and undercut Rupert, while Ted has to tell Roy it’s time to bury the hatchet with Trent so everyone can succeed. But what about all the metaphors and foreshadowing of quitting before being fired and just enjoying yourself along the journey? There’s a lot to unpack and not nearly enough time. Grab those biscuits with the boss and let’s get to it now.
Mar 23, 202301:13:46
Deep Dive Into Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 1 : Smells Like Mean Spirit
The day has finally arrived! Ted Lasso is back and we have a lot to talk about in the first episode Smells Like Mean Spirit, picking up where we left off in season 2 after Nate officially becomes the new coach for West Ham under Rupert’s watch. In the span of one day, Ted says good bye to Henry who had been visiting for 6 weeks, gets roasted by Nate in his first press conference, takes the team on a trip to the London sewer system, and then kills Nate with kindness in his own presser. Keely and Roy have to have “the talk” with Phoebe and we all learn that sometimes, we’re just surrounded by poopeh and need to let it flow right past us to the processing plant that goes to the ocean…thanks Ivor…for that one. So grab your biscuits with the boss and get ready to take a deep dive into Ted Lasso season 3.
Mar 16, 202301:36:51
February Wrap Up
I know it’s the middle of March but look! A February wrap up! We had four new Hallmark Loveuary movies this year, starting with Sweeter Than Chocolate which I thought was okay but not great. Next was A Paris Proposal - sign me up. Anytime we go to Paris I’m all in. I loved this one. Then it was Welcome to Valentine starring one of my new favorites Markian Tarasiuk but it just didn’t deliver the way I wanted it to, and we finished them with Made for Each Other which I thought was a home run but got mixed reviews in the app. I read another eight books this month - I know. I’m shocking myself too. We continue our college hockey binge with The Legacy by Elle Kennedy. That officially closes out the core four boys of Briar and then I immediately jumped into Briar U series with The Chase and The Risk. Both are okay, but it just doesn’t gel as well as the OGs in my opinion. Then I read Ice Breaker by Hannah Grace. Holy Hockey Gods. That book is like all Briar Off Campus rolled into one. Nate Hawkins. Yes. Getting out of college hockey land, I got The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa and The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken off my TBR list from last year. Both were okay, fast reads. And rounding out the books were two ARCs I received to read and review; Just my Type by Falon Ballard and Too Wrong To Be Right by Melonie Johnson. Just My Type was absolutely a must read for me but Too Wrong To Be Right was not my cup of tea sadly. And that’s it. That’s everything. Whew. Come back later this week for Ted Lasso’s new season three episode 1 break down for a double podcast week!
Mar 15, 202301:34:36
2022 Hallmark Movie Catch-Up
As we all remember, Hallmark and I had a bit of a falling out last year and it left me with no desire to watch any of their movies. Now that I’m in a better headspace both in life and with the card channel, I decided it was time to start catching up and watching what I missed last year. There couldn’t have been a better time to do it than with neck muscle spasms that kept me mostly immobile for a weekend, so here’s a look at nine 2022 movies I finally got around to watching. Absolutely don’t miss Romance in Style and A Splash of Love starring Benjamin Hollingsworth. A Tail of Love is a lot like Love and Sunshine but still a watch in my opinion. Welcome to Mama’s and Pumpkin Everything were both good movies, but they just lacked something that would make them rewatches, while Love in the Limelight could have been good without Alexa and Carlos’ weird married chemistry on screen. Cindy Busby solidified her role as a photojournalist in Marry Me in Yosemite, and HMM had a good out West movie with Big Sky River. Finally, Dating the Delaney’s was such a cute concept for Hallmark, sign me up for more content like that. Find out all those thoughts plus my thoughts on Peter Benson being typecast as every bad ex in Hallmark history plus more now!
Mar 03, 202301:40:05
Life After Living With Low-Level Chronic Pain
For nearly a decade I’ve been living with undiagnosed low-level chronic pain. From near daily sinus headaches or sinus pressure to TMJ and neck pain, there hasn’t really been a day for at least eight years that I haven’t been in some form of pain. Until last month. A long awaited trip to the ENT revealed a lot of changes I needed to make and after only two days I was feeling changes that I honestly didn’t know existed anymore. That lead me to telling my chiropractor about it and asking about my TMJ and a very painful manipulation later, my neck pain that I’d been going to him for four years was simply gone. Is this what people actually live like?! It’s actually possible to not have a headache every day?! It wasn’t until those changes started happening that I realized something: I had been living in real pain and hadn’t even acknowledged it. I just thought that’s how life was. The happiness I’ve had the last month has been nothing short of a complete mood swing in the positive. Maybe you know you live with chronic pain, or maybe you’re like me and you don’t. Hopefully something here can help you towards a better path of living because it’s NOT normal to be in pain every day. And it’s exhausting. And depressing. But there’s hopefully a chance that with the right doctor listening, you can find hope again too.
Feb 23, 202343:23
January Wrap-Up
It’s a new year and the first month is done which means we’ve got a lot to talk about. I read eight books to kick off 2023 and there were five Hallmark New Year New Movies on TV. Listen now for all my thoughts on The Rom-Com Agenda, The Second You’re Single, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, Courtiers, and the Briar Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy. Hallmark didn’t start strong in my opinion with A Dog Lover’s Guide to Dating, but picked it up with the continuation of The Wedding Veil series with The Wedding Veil Expectations, Inspiration, and Journey. Journey absolutely became my new favorite movie and the storyline to beat. Finally they closed out with Love in Glacier National, which I liked, but it had so many plot holes I’m just confused. Listen now for all the thoughts and lots of laughs!
Feb 13, 202301:56:34
The 2023 Vision board: Why It’s Never Too Late
In the run up to 2023, I was sick, run down, and trying to make another vision board worthy of Pinterest and the year. But I took real stock on what I wanted this year and gave it a few days into the new year to make sure everything on my board was exactly what I wanted. It’s never too late to make a vision board for your year so even if you haven’t yet, hopefully this inspires you to get working on one! We still have 11 months to go this year!
Feb 07, 202301:04:30
2022 Books In Review: Part 2
This week I’m back with part two of my 2022 books in review including the books you never heard about from November and December! Catch all my final (and first) thoughts on the second half of books I read in 2022 including: July
The Littlest Library
A Guide to Being Just Friends
Better Than the Movies
Undercover Bromance
August
The Love Connection
Dream On
Crazy Stupid Bromance
Meet Me Under The Mistletoe
Every Summer After
September
Here For The Drama
Love On The Brain
Never Rescue a Rogue
The Make-Up Test
The Dead Romantics
October
All I Want For Christmas
Something in the Heir
Isn’t It Bromantic
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Below Zero
The Kiss Curse
November
Marlowe Banks, Rediscovered
Merry Little Meet Cute
One Last Gift
Single and Ready to Jingle
December
A Very Merry Bromance
The Christmas Wish
The Matzah Ball
The Littlest Library
A Guide to Being Just Friends
Better Than the Movies
Undercover Bromance
August
The Love Connection
Dream On
Crazy Stupid Bromance
Meet Me Under The Mistletoe
Every Summer After
September
Here For The Drama
Love On The Brain
Never Rescue a Rogue
The Make-Up Test
The Dead Romantics
October
All I Want For Christmas
Something in the Heir
Isn’t It Bromantic
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Below Zero
The Kiss Curse
November
Marlowe Banks, Rediscovered
Merry Little Meet Cute
One Last Gift
Single and Ready to Jingle
December
A Very Merry Bromance
The Christmas Wish
The Matzah Ball
Jan 30, 202301:47:21
2022 Books In Review: Part 1
I know it’s almost the end of January, but I’m here with part one of my reading list of 2022 and my last thoughts. Maybe you missed a monthly wrap, or you’re brand new and looking for some reading inspiration, I’m looking back on all the books I read and giving my final thoughts. In part one I recap everything I read this year from January to June. January Enjoy the View
To Sir, With Love
Never Fall For Your Fiancée
Just Haven’t Met You Yet
February
If The Shoe Fits
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead
The Holiday Plan
Eight Perfect Hours
The Billionaire’s Wake-Up-Call Girl
March
Meet Me In Hawaii
Breaking the Billionaires Rules
The Fastest Way To Fall
April
Return Billionaire To Sender
Hook, Line, and Sinker
The Roughest Draft
To Marry and To Meddle
May
Always You
Bad Luck Bridesmaid
Hero
The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée
Book Lovers
The Soulmate Equation (re-read)
The Singles Table
June
Just Not That Into Billionaires
The Love Hypothesis
By the Book
Meant To Be Mine
The Bromance Book Club
Be With Me
To Sir, With Love
Never Fall For Your Fiancée
Just Haven’t Met You Yet
February
If The Shoe Fits
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead
The Holiday Plan
Eight Perfect Hours
The Billionaire’s Wake-Up-Call Girl
March
Meet Me In Hawaii
Breaking the Billionaires Rules
The Fastest Way To Fall
April
Return Billionaire To Sender
Hook, Line, and Sinker
The Roughest Draft
To Marry and To Meddle
May
Always You
Bad Luck Bridesmaid
Hero
The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée
Book Lovers
The Soulmate Equation (re-read)
The Singles Table
June
Just Not That Into Billionaires
The Love Hypothesis
By the Book
Meant To Be Mine
The Bromance Book Club
Be With Me
Jan 26, 202302:00:39
Binge or Cringe: Final Week 9 2022 Hallmark, Lifetime, GAC, UpTV, Netflix Christmas Movie Wrap-Up
Happy fa la la la holidays everyone can you believe it’s the end of the 2022 Christmas movie season? After a long nine weeks and 105 movies later this is the final recap of the year! Catch up now to see how the channels fared at the end of the season and excuse the poor voice, my body really has said “you’re done” for the season! Hallmark had its first Kwanzaa movie with Holiday Heritage which I found a snooze fest, but found their chemistry with Twas The Night Before Christmas and finished spectacular with Hanukkah on Rye. Lifetime really brought their A game the final weekend with A Record Breaking Christmas, The Holiday Dating Guide, and Wrapped Up in Love, but faltered a bit with A Christmas to Treasure. Hallmark Movies and Mysteries finished on a four week streak of making me ugly cry with Five More Minutes: Moments like These. UpTV found a hit with Sappy Holiday, but had kind of a blah movie in An Eclectic Christmas. To be fair, they have two more movies, but I won’t be watching them. And finally, GAC missed with Aisle Be Home for Christmas, but came in with A Brush with Christmas and almost made me reconsider next year. Netflix also debuted one last movie, I Believe in Santa, and while it was super corny, it was also pretty cute. Listen now to find their ultimate year-end rankings and have a happy holiday weekend!
Dec 23, 202201:51:32
Binge or Cringe: Week 8 2022 Hallmark, Lifetime, UpTV and GAC Christmas PLUS Amazon Movies Wrap-Up
The second to last week of new 2022 Christmas tv movies is done and we have a lot to discuss! First up, let’s talk about Amazon Prime trying to sneak in Christmas movies against my knowledge- don’t worry I watched them. Your Christmas or Mine is definitely a watch, but leave Hotel For The Holidays alone. Hallmark had a so-so week this week, starting surprisingly strong in my opinion with The Most Colorful Time of the Year, then falling a bit off on Christmas Class Reunion, Movies and Mysteries went a third straight week making me ugly cry with The Gift of Peace, and rounding out with a resounding win in The Holiday Sitter (despite the plot, house, and mom being the same as Christmas Next Door). Lifetime was Lifetime with Scentsational Christmas and A Recipe for Joy, but won the Saturday spot with Kirk Franklin’s The Night Before Christmas, and then finished with another A+ title and plot but bad chemistry with Single and Ready to Jingle. UpTV only had two movies this week, A Royal Christmas Match was better than expected but still nothing overly special, and then absolutely shocking us with Santa’s Got Style featuring Franco Lo Presti. Hallmark, get on the phone and get this man in movies! And then there was GAC Family. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I am running away from home and emancipating myself from them next year after The Art of Christmas and Crown Prince of Christmas, aka the worst Christmas movie I’ve ever seen. Ever. There’s no way they actually think they’re competing with the other channels right? Right?? Listen to all that and more now!
Dec 16, 202202:00:11
Binge or Cringe: Week 7 2022 Hallmark, Lifetime, GAC Family, UpTV Christmas Movie Wrap-Up
Ho ho ho the week 7 2022 Christmas movie wrap up is here bringing lots of drama and good cheer with it! On the heels of Neal Bledsoe announcing his departure from GAC Family we have a lot to discuss with this week’s movie lineup. Hallmark and Lifetime went back and forth this week on the best of. Lifetime’s Thursday movie, Serving up the Holidays was not a watch, while Cloudy with a Chance of Christmas on Friday was a redemption chemistry movie for Brandon Quinn, A New Orleans Noel on Saturday took the top award, and they rounded out with Merry Textmas that had a great title and plot but again - the chemistry just wasn’t there for me. Hallmark started with A Big Fat Family Christmas which was good but slow to help the main character, and then moved to a magical storybook movie with A Fabled Holiday starring one of my favorites, Ryan Paevey. Their HMM movie The Holiday Stocking once again left me in absolute shambles and they finished strong winning Sunday with Undercover Holiday. UpTV proved why I could really do without their movies most of the time with absolute train wrecks both Friday and Saturday with Christmas in the Wilds and Christmas on the Slopes. Their Sunday movie Christmas on the Rocks which featured another Sarah, actually earned a high 4 despite their terrible movie poster. That leaves us with GAC Family again. Candace Cameron Bure had another feature film with her good friend Andrea Barber in the lead role in Candy Cane Lane, but what is with all the marriage problems this year?? Sunday they had B&B Merry featuring a typecast Jesse Hutch and Jen Lilley and it was the first movie of hers I didn’t want to turn off in the first five minutes so that says a lot for both films. All that plus more laughs now!
Dec 08, 202202:07:01
Binge or Cringe: Thanksgiving Week 6 2022 Hallmark, Lifetime, and GAC Christmas Tv Movie Wrap-Up
Happy fa la la la holidays everyone! We’re officially on the other side of the 2022 Christmas TV movie season, can you believe it?? There was no UpTV this week and I purposefully didn’t watch Netflix’s The Noel Diary just yet but that didn’t stop us from the biggest week yet featuring a full lineup on Hallmark, Lifetime, and GAC Family. Hallmark started strong with My Southern Family Christmas on Thanksgiving night but fell by the wayside with #Xmas and A Royal Corgi Christmas on Friday. The crushed Saturday night with A Tale of Two Christmases and Lacey Chabert’s Haul out the Holly and then finished strong on Sunday with A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe and easily winning the coveted 8pm Sunday after thanksgiving slot with A Holiday Spectacular featuring the Rockettes. Hallmark Movies and Mysteries’s Time For Him to Come Home For Christmas left me bawling and is my new favorite from that channel. Lifetime stayed solid this week with The 12 Days of Christmas Eve featuring Kelsey Grammer and won Friday with Mario Lopez and Jana Kramer’s Steppin into the Holiday. Their Sunday Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman mini reunion with Jane Seymour and Joe Lando was a fantastic Sunday edition but just didn’t quiet knock off Hallmark. Baking All the Way on Thursday just wasn’t a watch for me. And then GAC Family finally delivered a solid movie on Friday with Christmas at the Drive-In featuring Danica McKellar and Neal Bledsoe. Saturday’s I’m Glad it’s Christmas with Gladys Knight, Jessica Lowndes, and Paul Greene wasn’t a win for me, and Sunday’s Candace Cameron Bure’s debut A Christmas…Present fell a little flat for me. Listen to all that and more now!
Nov 30, 202201:55:50
Binge or Cringe: Week 5 2022 Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix, GAC Family, UpTV Christmas Movie Wrap-Up
It’s here, it’s here, just in time for all your holiday weekend travel plans: the week 5 breakdown of all the best (and worst) TV Christmas movies. Netflix crushed it again with another childhood favorite, Freddie Prinze Jr in Christmas with You, and Hallmark hit Christmas gold with Three Wise Men and a Baby (38:40) and Inventing the Christmas Prince. Their Sunday movie, When I Think of Christmas though left a lot to be desired while HMM did their job in making me cry with Long Lost Christmas, but for me there was just something missing in it. Lifetime continued it’s disappointing Thursday movies with Sweet Navidad, and had a bizarrely lackluster turnout of a Sweet Magnolias reunion of Brooke Elliot and Brandon Quinn in A Country Christmas Harmony, but showed up with Santa Bootcamp, and finished okay with A Show-Stopping Christmas. UpTV only had two this week, The Holiday Swap was a Holiday Flop, but Christmas Lucky Charm was a Christmas version of Good Luck Chuck that I loved. That leaves GAC Family. Yet another week of predictable and safe plots and more Christmas tree farms in danger. Steer clear. Find all that and more now, and remember to shop small this Saturday and find exclusive discounts on podcast merchandise and CATC prints on www.sockbunstudios.com
Nov 24, 202201:56:60
Binge or Cringe: Week 4 2022 Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix, GAC Family, UpTV Christmas Movie Wrap-Up
It’s our biggest week yet and we still haven’t reached the halfway point of 2022’s Christmas Around the Channels. Hallmark and Lifetime brought their A games this week (minus Christmas on Mistletoe Lake) and it was good to see because UpTV and GAC Family continue to be rollercoasters. The Royal Nanny, In Merry Measure, Christmas at the Golden Dragon all performed well for Hallmark. Our Italian Christmas Memories brought back the proper HMM feels. Lifetime started bad with Christmas on Mistletoe Lake and the Dog Days of Christmas but stole Saturday with Reindeer Homecoming Games and finished strong with Six Degrees of Santa. Then there was UpTV and GAC Family. Out of the four movies, only one was good and that was The Christmas Retreat. I continued to be baffled by GAC and it’s not getting any better as the weeks go. Netflix kicked off Netflixmas with Falling for Christmas which was a triumphant return for Lindsay Lohan. Listen now for all that and more!
Nov 16, 202202:00:52
October Wrap-Up
Only I could record this at the end of October but not publish it until middle of November. The October wrap is here though and we have quite a bit to talk about! There’s more advanced copies of books I was sent but they’re all out now so put them on your TBR list - or in the case of one, don’t. Erin Sterling delivered on her sequel The Kiss Curse, and I’m officially caught up on the Bromance series just in time for the Christmas edition! All that and more now!
Nov 14, 202201:19:25
Binge or Cringe: Week 3 2022 Hallmark, GAC, Lifetime, and UpTV Christmas Movie Wrap-Up
It’s the beginning of November and you know what that means! All the channels have entered the chat and we’re really into the Christmas movie swing now. We had 11 movies this weekend to watch and Lifetime absolutely came in and stole the weekend with Well Suited for Christmas. Hallmark won Saturday night with the 1-2 punch from both channels Lights, Camera, Christmas and A Maple Valley Christmas, while their Friday and Sunday movies played it safe but okay with A Magical Christmas Village and All Saints Christmas. UpTV did what UpTV does and gave me solid 2 movies in Unperfect Christmas Wish and Christmas Masquerade while not surprising me with a super cute and super cheesy Christmas in the Pines. Jodie Sweetin was back again with Lifetime’s premier of Merry Swissmas which was a solid start for the channel. And then GAC continued to confuse me with some of the worst written movies this season. Guys…are we okay there?? You can reach out. I’m here to help. Find all that plus more laughs now and make sure you’re following along on TikTok and Instagram at SockBunStudios for more adventures.
Nov 10, 202201:53:37
Binge or Cringe: Week 2 Hallmark and GAC Christmas TV Movie Wrap-Up
Week 2 is in the books and Hallmark has their work cut out for them this season. There were 5 movies again this week before the real Christmas movie season kicks off and we had the spectacular Ghosts of Christmas Always, the nostalgic A Cozy Christmas Inn, the downright awful Jolly Good Christmas and Christmas Bedtime Stories, and then the winner of the 8pm Saturday fight over on GAC with Catering Christmas. Hear the whole story finally on how my banner ended up in a Hallmark movie after a 326 day wait, and share some laughs over some truly bad decision making on Hallmark’s side with casting Will Kemp as an American. Catch all that plus more now!
Nov 01, 202201:30:09
Binge or Cringe: Week 1 Hallmark and GAC Christmas 2022 Movie Wrap-Up
Happy fa la la la holidays everyone! That’s right! It’s officially the start of 2022’s Christmas TV movie wrap-up season! Every week I watch all the made for tv Christmas movies on all the channels and recap them for you here and tell you if you should binge them or if they’re cringe. We had five movies this week to start off the season. Noel Next Door kicked it off for Hallmark and it was just okay to me. We Wish You a Married Christmas was Saturday’s Hallmark movie and it was a Nikki DeLoach movie but instead with Marisol Nichols that had me pulling out my hair by the end. And then Sunday’s A Kismet Chrisfmas made everything better with a cute magical Christmas cookie story lead by Sarah Ramos and Carlo Marks. On Hallmark Movies and Mysteries they set their bar high with We Need a Little Christmas - it was so good and I cried five times. Lastly on GAC Family, the only other network to start in October, Destined at Christmas tried….they just tried a little too hard for me. If you’re going to remake Serendipity at least have one over the top character like Eugene Levy. Find all that plus more now! And follow along on TikTok at Sockbunstudios to find all the movie reviews plus more Christmas talk daily.
Oct 27, 202201:32:27
September Wrap-Up
Another month down in 2022 - seriously WHERE is this year going? Only one Hallmark movie to review but let’s talk about the trends I’m seeing this year on that channel for a minute. Then it was book review time. I finally got my hands on Kate Bromley’s new book Here For The Drama, which is a semi-follow up to Talk Bookish to Me. I made it through two ARCs that I was sent thanks to Putnam. The Make-Up Test by Jenny Howe was sent to me to review and while it wasn’t my favorite, it was a terrible book either. Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath I asked for the ARC because I loved her first book in the Merriwell Sisters series and I once again laughed my way through the historical romance. I love this new age of historical romance books that are more closed door romance. I made sure not to make the same mistake twice and immediately grabbed Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood and it did not disappoint. I just feel like I’m being science-fished because WHERE ARE THESE MEN?! Lastly, The Dead Romantics by Ashley Piston…it’s my favorite fall read and in a tight race for favorite book of the year. It’s another perfectly written book with no obvious plot holes and I immediately need to see it on a screen. Listen now for that and more!
Oct 12, 202201:17:33
Breaking Down 2022 TV Christmas Movies: Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix and More
Happy almost fa la la la holidays everyone! It’s almost the best time of the year and do we have a LOT to talk about. Hallmark, HBO Max, and UpTV have announced their full lineup of Christmas movies while we’re still waiting the full schedule from Lifetime, GAC Family, and Netflix. Safe to say though, there’s going to be a lot of movies to binge this season. I want to personally take a moment and thank whoever it is at Hallmark that’s going to listen to this for sparing us the cringiest series: the Godwink movies, but also why are we recycling plot lines in the name of “diversity”?? Give the people originality! GAC Family, I’m going to need some better organization from you, feel free to reach out because I’m ready to help. And who’s going to win the battle of Christmas movies this year? Lifetime absolutely scooped Hallmark and the rest with a reunion of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman’s Jane Seymour and Joe Lando. One thing I know for certain, this is the year of widows and reigniting old romance on Hallmark - did y’all not look at your slate of movies when you planned it out? Take a listen now to my early predictions on the good, the bad, and the downright awful. Oh, and lastly, GIVE US THE SEQUEL TO HOLIDAY DATE! I’ve been asking patiently for three years now!
Sep 30, 202201:43:23
Pouring it Out for Queen Elizabeth and Roger Federer
I’m really starting to think Thursdays in September 2022 are cursed. First the Queen dies, and then the king of tennis Roger Federer announces his retirement in consecutive Thursday’s. This podcast is dedicated to honoring the range of emotions I experienced during these events because sometimes it’s hard to figure out why something means so much to you or why it’s affected you as deeply as it does. So let’s pour one out for Liz and Rog today.
Sep 23, 202201:39:23
August Wrap-Up
Two weeks ago I didn’t think I’d even have an august wrap-up but somehow I managed to read five books in the second half of the month and what a wrap up we have! Every Summer After by Carley Fortune was the perfect end of summer read that I finished in under 24-hours, while Jenny Bayliss’ latest book Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, that releases September 27th started getting me in the holiday spirit early. Denise Williams has a cute trilogy of flight-inspired novellas that got me out of my reading slump and it was Lyssa Kay Adams with the third book in her Bromance Book Club series that left me in fits of laughter. Finally, Angie Hockman had a very Ohio-centric new book Dream On that put a fun twist on what happens when you meet your dream man. Let’s get into it!
Sep 02, 202201:04:48
Hi From Spreadsheet Girl: How I Became Public Enemy Number One Of Bama Rush 2022
Who knew one “silly little TikTok” could put me at the front of news articles around the world? Bama Rush is back for “season 2” on TikTok and in order to make sure I didn’t miss a second of it, I made one TikTok wishing the girls good luck so the algorithm gods would send me all the #bamarush videos. But that one video turned into a viral moment that got me talked about in private Facebook groups, Greek Rank, and sent moms to berate commenters on other social media platforms. Now when you google my name and Bama Rush you’ll find a host of articles in different languages telling the tale of how one 34 year old woman in Ohio just wanted to wish girls good luck and got a lot more than I bargained for! So here’s to the spreadsheet heard round the world in 2022.
Aug 17, 202201:18:54
July Wrap-Up
It’s a true return to Hallmark movie reviews in the July wrap as I managed to watch two of the three new Christmas in July movies. Despite playing the song three times, My Grown Up Christmas List might be the steamiest Hallmark movie I’ve ever seen. Campfire Christmas on the other hand, despite giving me the wonderful idea of throwing a Christmas in July party, was forgettable. Moving onto the books, I only made it through four this month but you need to put them on your TBR lists. The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander was good, could have been better, but the perfect escape from life with her imagery of the English countryside. You can’t get your hands on A Guide To Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan until next January, but if you still don’t have her other Jansen brothers books on your TBR I can’t trust you. Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter officially overtook TATB as the best high school love story and my mind will not be swayed. If I don’t see it on the screen somewhere then a true injustice has happened. Lastly I made it through Undercover Bromance by Alyssa Kay Adams, the second in the series. I didn’t know that I could love a group of men reading romance books more, but this was even better than the first one. Listen now for all the news!
Aug 08, 202201:05:26
Is Everyone Body Switched?! All My First Time Thoughts Watching Jane The Virgin Season 2 Part 2
It took me a while to get through (I think I just didn’t want to watch Michael and Jane reunite) but I’ve finally finished season 2 of Jane the Virgin and DO I HAVE THOUGHTS. Mostly revolving around the fact that I really am like Jane except the fact I wouldn’t have gone back to Michael, but I digress. Rogelio became a real stand out favorite of mine the second half of the season. The late second half didn’t have as much of my attention, but they really went straight out of a telenovela in the last few minutes and I’m just trying to decide what I’m most shocked about. Listen now and stay tuned for season 3’s live watch on instagram and recap podcast here.
Aug 05, 202202:10:59
The Pre Bad Place: All My First Time Thoughts Watching Jane The Virgin Season 2 Part 1
Continuing on our emotional support watch of summer 2022, I have a lot of thoughts on Jane the Virgin season 2, mostly that we’ve entered the bad place (aka her and Michael reuniting). After giving birth to Mateo, she and Raf enter a shaky co-parenting life that isn’t made any better because Michael. Won’t. Go. Away. Until he does that is. Petra has also thrown a wrench in the storyline after turkey basting herself with Raf’s actual last sample and getting pregnant with twins. Jane tries online dating while Raf is going THROUGH IT and Michael continues to be a a fairly bad detective. Listen now for all my thoughts on episodes 1-10 of season 2 and come back later for the second half of season 2 which I can only assume is officially the bad place: Jane and Michael’s reunion. #teamrafael
Jul 08, 202201:52:56
June Wrap-Up
We’re over halfway through this dumpster fire of a year and we have books and Hallmark movies to talk about. Yeah, I said the H-word. We’re heading into Christmas in July so it’s time to address the elephant in the room. As for books, I had the time to read this month, but not all of the books were for me. I do need to issue an apology to Ali Hazelwood though. I should have read The Love Hypothesis MONTHS ago. Dr. Adam Carlsen? Sign me up. All that and more in this month’s wrap up. Listen now!
Jul 05, 202201:12:56
Team Rafael or No One: All My First Time Thoughts Watching Jane the Virgin Season 1
I know, I know, Jane The Virgin originally aired from 2014-2019 but I’m finally getting around to watching it. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better time than summer 2022 to pick this as my emotional support show. I’m chatting all my thoughts on season 1 as a first time watcher and boy, do I have thoughts on Jane Gloriana Villanueva’s life. Mostly - HOW can you take a second look at Michael after you see Rafael Solano???? Okay, well I have more than that, but that’s the most important thought. I’ll be back with each season as I continue my journey (I fear season 2 is taking us straight to the bad place of Jane and Michael), but you can also catch all my live thoughts on Instagram at SockBunStudios as I watch new episodes most nights of the week. Until then though, #TeamRafael
Jun 29, 202201:30:12
May Wrap-Up
I finally found my reading groove again in May and when I say we have books to talk about…WE HAVE *BOOKS* TO TALK ABOUT. The month started strong with Always You the third book in the Samantha Young Adair family series, but then got shaky with probably the worst book I’ve ever read in Bad Luck Bridesmaid (it wasn’t the writing style, it was just the main character and her storyline). Samantha saved the day again with a quick 8 hour read of Hero (what I consider her spiciest book I’ve ever read of hers) and then there was Emily Henry’s Book Lovers. You remember my thoughts last year on PWMOV and the redemption in Beach Read. Book Lovers was my litmus test for Emily: if I liked it I’d read her next book, but if I didn’t I probably wouldn’t read any more. Well, not that she needed my test, but she went and wrote the best book I’ve ever read. If you don’t love Book Lovers, I don’t know what to tell you. Move over River Nicolas from The Soulmate Equation, hello Charlie Lastra. Finishing the month I read a new author for me, Sara Desai with her third book, The Singles Table and when I say steam meets spice. It was the best of both worlds. Get full reviews on all that plus a little more now in the May wrap-up.
Jun 02, 202201:16:52
March and April Book Wrap-Up
Guys did you miss book reviews?! Me too! Every time I sat to do the individual monthly wraps I just didn’t have the time so here’s a super combined podcast of all the books I finished in March and April. I guess it’s a good thing I’ve read less than last year? Full reviews on: Meet Me in Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo, Breaking the Billionaire’s Rules by Annika Martin, The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams, Return to Billionaire Sender by Annika Martin, Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey, The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, and To Marry and To Meddle by Martha Waters.
May 11, 202201:27:38
Why I Broke Up With Hallmark
I guess it’s time to talk about Hallmark and why I won’t be talking about them for the foreseeable future. I’d like to say it was an amicable split but I’m still confused by a lot of things they did surrounding the fan contest. On the heels of this, shocking news came from the Queen of Hallmark herself, Candace Cameron Bure when she announced she’s leaving the network. I’ll pretend it’s in solidarity with me, but let’s break down that news too. For all the people that have reached out and tagged Hallmark on all the platforms, I love you. I’m going to be okay, but until then, we’re a Lifetime and GAC family now.
May 02, 202201:13:40
What’s Your Ick? Defining And Naming The Ick List
We’ve all been there at some point. Either talking to someone or dating someone and they do something that changes your whole perspective on them. Maybe it’s that they have a Velcro wallet. Maybe it’s that they point with their pinky finger only. Or maybe it’s before you’re even introduced and it’s their name. Whatever it is, there’s just something you can’t stop thinking about no matter how weird or small it is. This week I laugh my way through a long line of icks from the things we can get past to the ones that are hard lines in the sand. What’s your ick? Also, sorry to Henry Cavill if you ever listen to this - you were just my perfect example to use. Chime in with your icks on Twitter at SarahSaysPod or on instagram at SockBunStudios!
Apr 28, 202201:23:09
Deep Dive Into Bridgerton’s Season 2 Episode 8: The Viscount Who Loved Me
We made it! We FINALLY made it to the final episode of season 2 and we can finally breathe a sigh of relief that Kanthony get their happily ever after. Of course we have a lot of bafoonery to get through before we get there but rest assured - the twirly happy ending is in sight. What a ride it’s been and now gentle listeners, we get to come to the end and look forward to a better season 3 - although at this point I have absolutely ZERO expectations. Shondaland, reach out so we can make sure we follow the books closer next time yeah? Great. CAUTION: language content warning ahead
Mar 30, 202201:37:44
Deep Dive Into Bridgerton’s Season 2 Episode 7: Harmony
We’re past the worst of season 2…mostly. Episode 7 was a roller coaster of anger, more anger, and then the hottest scene that we’ve literally been begging for since we knew season 2 was Kanthony. Jonathan Bailey and the hand placement - you know what I’m talking about. You. Know. But before we get to that, there’s a lot of bratty Edwina that never should have happened, and More. Clown. Hours. WHY. CAUTION: language content warning ahead. Let’s take a deep breath, pour it out, and get through this mess to get to the gazebo.
Mar 30, 202201:20:48