tv » the act. Hulu.
This series is based on the true story of DeeDee and Gypsy Blanchard, and even though I’m a lover of true crime shows, it was tough to watch every episode. DeeDee, played by Patricia Arquette, suffers from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Her daughter Gypsy (Joey King) is forced to spend her life in a wheelchair, attached to a feeding tube and dosed with an alarming number of medications—none of which she needs. All of this is done to financially and emotionally benefit DeeDee. As Gypsy ages, she realizes that nothing is wrong with her and plots to kill her mother with a young man she meets online. I kept watching because it was a true story, but to be honest, it felt more like a Lifetime movie; it is so hard to believe that no one saw what was happening to this young girl for so many years. Be warned: It will stay with you for days after viewing.

book » the french girl by Lexie Elliott.
This tangled mystery takes place over a decade. A group of Oxford students shares a house in the French countryside for a week over the summer. On the last night of the holiday, the girl next door goes missing. Ten years later, her body is recovered behind the farmhouse, and next thing you know, everyone in the group is a suspect. The accusations dig up a lot of painful memories and feelings that have long been buried among the friends. The characters are really well developed, including the ones you will come to hate. A great mystery!