Hello Friends!
I promise this is not a Netflix ad, but everything listed in this post can be found on Netflix! Some are book to movie adaptations and before you tell me that the books are better, don’t. Let me live in my own little bubble.
I am a creature of habit. I have a routine that I go through on the weekdays while I’m getting ready for work. That includes putting on a movie. Majority of the time, it’s the same movie over and over and over and over and over again. Ok, I think you get it now.
I’m a sucker when it comes to romance movies. Reading them is an entirely different story though. When you watch it on film, you get to witness the actors’ skills and connection on screen—especially when it’s a romantic connection.
Full disclosure, I am not a movie critic. I don’t know enough about movies to do so. These are not movie reviews. They are simply recommendations for some light-hearted viewing.
The following list is in no particular order except for the first one…which is my (re)current obsession for the mornings.
So here we go—and FYI, there will likely be spoilers throughout this post…consider that your warning!
A Christmas Prince, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby
Yes, this is a trilogy. The first one was released during the holidays in 2017. Then Netflix released its sequel in 2018 and 2019. I’ve looked it up on IMDB and it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be a 4th as of right now.
The easiest way to explain this movie, other than the fact that it’s cheesy (yet, now that I think about it…all the movies I’m going to talk about on this post are cheesy…), is that it’s almost as if it’s a film adaptation of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, less all the acclaimed family drama. The Prince falls in love with someone who does not come from a royal family. The rest is history—and spoiler alert, based on the titles of the sequels, it’s a happy ending.
“Where there’s a tiara, there’s dirt. Trust me.”
– Andy, A Christmas Prince
So why am I so obsessed? I mean who isn’t obsessed with our real-life Royals? It’s such a happy movie, even with it’s eye-rolling moments. Like true love does exist without prejudice. You know it when you know it. Plus, hello, it’s a fairy tale, essentially!
Falling Inn Love
Who doesn’t love a non-American accent (in this case, a New Zealand accent) especially on a handsome hunk of a man with a body you can stare at for days?
I mean based on the title of some of these movies, you can already guess what would happen right? But, it’s always how it happens that makes it intriguing.
“Jake taught me that just because something’s broken, you don’t throw it away. I’ve learned that the Kiwi way of life is about fixing up what’s not working and treasuring what’s worth saving.“
Gabriella Diaz, Falling Inn Love
Why do I like it? It’s empowering. An independent woman wins an inn during a time in her life where she needed hope. Uplifts her entire life to pursue a new chapter of her life in a different country.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and To All the Boys 2: P.S. I Still Love You
A movie adaptation from books written by Jenny Han. A story of a high school girl dating her childhood crush that started from letters she wrote to them without the intentions of ever mailing them out…that is…until her younger sister did it for her years down the line.
What started off as a game to win back his ex-girlfriend, turned out to be an eye-opening romance between two very different people. Then again, the differences between two individuals is often what drives us together.
“So, love and dating? I love to read about it, and it’s fun to write about and to think about in my head, but when it’s real… […] It’s scary […] ‘Cause the more people you let into your life, the more they can just walk right out.”
– Lara Jean Covey, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Do you remember falling in love in high school? All the emotions? Do you think that was love now as your adult self? Did you have a crush so intense you didn’t know what to do about it?
I think that my teenage self (and maybe even younger) could’ve taken Lara Jean Covey’s way of expressing those feelings—write a letter. Just pray you don’t have a younger sibling who would go through your stuff.
The Kissing Booth and the Kissing Booth 2
Just in time for the sequel to be released on July 24th!
While this was a great idea for a fundraiser, let’s just say that I highly doubt that would fly in this day and age. Thinking about it sort of grosses me out, but hey, this is a fictitious story right? It was entertaining.
Bad-boy alpha male falls in love with his younger brother’s best friend. Can you sense the drama yet?
“What he said made sense and it also meant he cared, but what came out of my mouth was ‘I told you to stop telling me what to do.’”
Shelly ‘elle’ evans, the kissing booth
What I liked most about this story is that it really was about the relationship between two best friends, love story aside. The rules they made up when they were kids are sort of applicable in friendships today:
Rule #1: Only your best friend gets to know your birthday wishes.
Rule #2: Never share our secrets with anyone else.
Rule #6: If You Can’t Tell Your Best Friend About Something You’re Doing, You Probably Shouldn’t Be Doing It
Rule #7: No matter how mad you are at your best friend, you have to forgive them if they get you ice cream.
Rule #9: Relatives of your best friend are off limits.
Rule #18: Always be happy for your bestie’s successes.
Some of these rule sort of hit home for me in real life, but in the end, it always comes down to Rule #18 that mattered most, even if it hurts. Time heals all wounds right?
I can’t say that I 100% agree with the casting for this movie, but I’m not mad that Jacob Elordi plays Noah.
The Order
Magic, werewolves, and secret societies? Bring out the popcorn…I’m in!
There are now two seasons on Netflix. I’d say the first season was better than the second. I’m still sitting here trying to process what happened in the second season. Some parts are very far-fetched (yes, even for the magical world) and some were short-lived.
I will say that every time I watch this series—yes, I’ve seen it multiple times because it was nice having it play in the background when I was sewing masks during quarantine—it makes me want to cut my hair short like Alyssa Drake. Except, curling it every day is too cumbersome.
This series takes a different twist to the magical world starting with the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose, a secret society that teaches and practices magic. Members within The Order have hierarchies such as Grand Magus, Medicums, and Acolytes. I found the terminologies fascinating. Then you have the werewolves in their own secret society called the Knights of St. Christopher sworn to keep those practicing magic in their place (i.e. ridding the world of dark magic). The interesting part about being a werewolf is that the hide chooses you. It’s the hide—unlike most movies where a werewolf is portrayed—a bite does not make you one.
So there you have it—my current obsessions on Netflix.
Here are some other recommendations that are available on Netflix:
- The Chef Show — For all of your foodies out there.
- Stranger Things — Supernatural forces and secret government experiments.
- The Good Place — Is it Heaven or Hell? Or the Good or Bad Place?
- Sabrina — A dark twist to your childhood Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
- Sherlock — I’d watch anything with Benedict Cumberbatch.
- Always Be My Maybe — Ali Wong is seriously my hero.
- You — How far would you go for love?
- Extraction — Action packed and will have you at the edge of your seat the entire time.
- 6 Underground — Ryan Reynold’s famed humor whilst running a team of international operatives.
Happy Netflix and Chill!
XOXO,
Karmen
Darling My Dearest 
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