Dear TJ: A Thank You To TJ Klune

Dear TJ,

As I read the last words of The Long and Winding Road, I tried to think of how best to review the book. Of course, I gave it five stars on Goodreads. I think I’ve given every book in the BOATK series five stars. But how to put into words what the book and the series meant to me? That was the tough part. So I thought I would just write a letter to you.

I discovered Bear, Otter, and the Kid accidently. I was just discovering the “wide” world of gay literature, and had developed an affinity for stories where one of the main characters is raising a kid. Usually they were a kid from a one night affair with a woman or they were a nephew/niece or what have you, but yours was different. And the story was different. I immediately fell in love with Bear, his little brother Ty, and the love of Bear’s life, Otter. I also fell in love with their family. I think the fact that it was set in a town based on my home town of Seaside, OR also immediately connected me to the story and the characters.

Your characters aren’t ripped muscle gods who can do no wrong, though Otter comes close, and they aren’t werewolves and vampires who struggle with alphas and betas and what have you, which is fine for others, and those stories have their places. But your characters in the BOATK series, and also the Tell Me It’s Real series, are real people. I can see these people existing in the world. I want to be friends with these people. Hell, I want to marry Otter and have his babies. That realism is what makes readers invest in your books as much as we do. It is what makes you a great author.

When I read The Art of Breathing, it was during the start of a really bad period of my life. My anxiety issues had never been as bad as they had, and I felt like no one understood. Reading how you wrote Ty’s anxiety issues and how he dealt with them was so realistic. I had never read or seen anything in fiction come close to touching on how anxiety makes you feel like that. I felt like anxiety finally had a voice. That’s something you did. It is another thing that makes you a great author.

I can’t lie. When I read that the fourth book would be the last, I was devastated. As a fan of soap operas, I like my stories to go on and on and on. But, realistically I know that sometimes the stories have to come to an end. And so when The Long and Winding Road came out, I steeled myself. I knew it was going to wreck me. I knew I wasn’t going to be ok saying goodbye to these characters who had become like family to me. These characters whose stories I had read and reread over and over. But I knew I had to read those last words of their stories.

Thank you. Thank you for ending it the way it should have ended. Thank you for not wrapping things up in a nice little bow. Thank you for not just sending them off into the sunset. Even though their fictional, it’s nice to think that they’ll continue on with their lives even without us readers peeking in on them. I’ll still reread the series from time to time. I don’t know how often I’ll reread the last book though. Because the last book did wreck me. It did have me pulling some Wookie crying face. Some loud sobbing in my bed in the middle of the night like most of the other books. But I’ll reread it. Because these characters mean that much to me. And that’s what makes you a great author.

Your works, besides these two series, mean the world to me TJ. Thank you for being the guy you are. Thank you for being willing to be interviewed for my Bachelor’s Degree paper on gay literature five years ago. Thank you for continuing to be there for your fans while also establishing that you are a real person that is allowed to have a life. Thank you for knowing how much these characters mean to us all. Thank you. 

Goodreads: The Long and Winding Road

Random Ramblings: Anxiety, Depression, and Me

Discovered in December that my Anxiety is more powerful than my Depression at the moment, but April challenged that. Big time. I held it together at work, but broke down on breaks with Amanda (thank you for listening). I'd come home, and just lay in bed, chewing food cause I knew I needed to eat but really there was no satisfaction (still isn't really though I'm trying). Friends asked me if I wanted to check into a hospital which only drove my anxiety up (anxiety wanted to win, that ho), and I found that mental health providers in Oregon really lack in bedside manner and support.

I'm not proud of where I am in my life. I'm sure many who I went to high school with, if they even thought about me at all (I'm not saying that to put myself down, it's just that I was kind of a nobody in my class for the most part), thought I would go on to some great college and become some high-powered person. Instead, I made decisions where I let fear control me. And it made me lose friends. Luckily, I was able to get some of those friends back (Hayley and Ash), but some I feel are gone forever. And I’m not good with that, but am starting to become okay with it, because I realize that while I lost good people, they also lost someone. One thing Hayley told me during our last fight before I moved out of our apartment was that I wasn’t a bad person, but that I had basically become something that was driving people away. I own that. I get that. But some of it goes both ways, and if they don’t understand that a lot of my actions were driven by depression and anxiety, then that’s on them. I’m not saying all my actions were, but a majority were. Mental illness is a bitch.

I live in a situation where I feel I have nothing. And most days I’m able to distract myself enough to not think about that. Weekends come and I’m not able to. So I try. And I fight. And some days I need a little help so I take my as-needed medication for those really tough moments. But you know what’s a bitch about that as-needed medication. My doctor will only prescribe so many to me per a period of months. She expects my therapist to be able to deal with the rest. Really? So what am I supposed to do when I’m having an anxiety attack at 2 AM? When I had to be hospitalized in December, they asked me why I hadn’t taken any of these pills. I told them because my doctor only gives me so many and because I have to ration them because she won’t give me more. I understand that I need to be able to learn other coping ways besides medication, but when it’s 2 AM and you are afraid to set foot in your bedroom, let alone lay in your bed, and you can’t breathe, and you can’t stop thinking about how much easier it would be to just die, you need a damn pill to help calm those feelings down sometimes so you can at least start thinking rationally.

I have been suicidal off and on since I was 15. What’s funny is the moments you would think would cause me to be that way, those crisis points, like losing my mom, were not the moments I felt suicidal. When I went to the hospital in December and told them I was suicidal, well, it wasn’t that they didn’t believe me, but they didn’t think I was really to the level where I’d actually do it. So planning the suicide note, one each for my dad, my sister, my brother, and two of the people I consider my best friends at this point in my life, and knowing that I have enough pills to take me out pretty quickly isn’t suicidal enough for you?

The clinic they sent me to, instead of admitting me to the hospital, was… lackluster at best. I won’t go into too much detail, but it was basically a waystation. They just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to off yourself but you weren’t really allowed to talk too much about what got you there in the first place. But I can see why they didn’t think they needed to admit me to the hospital. There were people that literally cried all day long. I guess you could say I am high-functioning. I can usually make it through a whole day. I put on a good act I guess.

Where is this rambling going? I guess I just get bogged down by a few things:

• People telling me things like “Are you afraid you’re going to have fun?” when I’m scared to go to a social event. Luckily, my best friend Hayley has learned that if she throws a party and I don’t go it isn’t because I don’t want to or it isn’t because I don’t love her. It’s because I just can’t. I would love to. I sit here many days thinking about all these things I would love to do and then the physical sensations of anxiety take over and it’s just too much. So no I’m not afraid of having fun, but what I’m afraid of is just everything else. And you saying things like this does not help me or anyone else with these issues. 
• People claiming they have mental health issues but refusing to seek treatment. The reason I have an issue with this is because what happens is that they may not actually have any mental health issues and when they’re “better” then people look at them and compare them to those who have actual mental health issues and go to those people and say things like “Well this person got over their issues, why can’t you just get over yours?” It isn’t that easy. And I’m not saying that if you don’t have the ability to seek mental health treatment/evaluation that you are in this category. I’m talking about those who do have the ability to seek that treatment and just refuse to.
• Making fun of other issues. I have been diagnosed with weather phobia. My region has been hit by a particularly strong winter this year. So when we have snow in the forecast, my anxiety ramps up. Before I changed jobs, I was able to schedule time off when I saw snow in the forecast. There were times where co-workers who knew my issues would make little comments about this. This does nothing to help. If I tell you about my diagnosed mental health issues, making fun of them only exacerbates them.

I just want to put my voice out there I guess as with everything going on with health care in America right now, mental health is at a forefront of this, and Oregon is ranked low on mental health. I’ve experienced that in the past month myself. Because of this, I’m now going to be volunteering with the Crisis Text Line as of June, so I can start giving back to those who have helped me.

Every day is a struggle. Yesterday I was fine. Today I had to take two of my panic pills as I call them. Tomorrow will probably be the same. Monday who knows? Right now, I’m alive. And part of what keeps me alive is knowing that at least ten people would be sad and hurt if I was gone. And I have a group of people right now that I can turn to for support, whether they like it or not (hehe), and I am so thankful for. And for right now that’s enough.

 

Book Review: We Danced

Goodreads page with synopsis: We Danced

Confession: I’ve had We Danced by Jeff Erno on my Amazon Wishlist for a few years now, and thanks to some Christmas magic in the form of Amazon Gift Cards, finally bought the book recently. I am a sucker for M/M romance stories where one of them has a kid and they have to figure out how to be a family. So, I was really, really looking forward to reading this novel.

I had an inkling that the author derived inspiration from the Brad Paisley song of the same name, and I was right, since he basically directly quoted the song in one portion of the novel. In the song, a woman comes back to the bar looking for her purse she left behind, and the bartender and her fall in love at first sight and dance “like no one has ever danced before”. In We Danced, Josh leaves his cell phone at the bar, and the handsome bar manager Rex is the one who helps him find it. Cue love at first sight, and things moving way too fast.

Characters

Main characters are Josh and Rex. Josh is a twenty-something vet student who is in town for an internship at a vet clinic. Rex is a late twenties/early thirties (I don’t think we ever got confirmation) bar manager who wanted to be a garage owner who ended up putting his dreams aside when his mama and sister died in a car accident and he adopted his nephew, Tyler. Both are, of course, ridiculously attractive. And this is set in the south, so they have to deal with homophobic family members and community members.

Honestly, the characters didn’t astound me in any way, shape, or form. They were nice enough. But they could be archetypes for any M/M romance novel. Nothing really stood out about them. Tyler, as the rambunctious lad of the novel, really didn’t stand out either because what I’ve found with most M/M romances where there’s a parent/child combo involved is that the kid is too smart for his own good, and sometimes that comes off as obnoxious, as is the case with little Ty.

What saved Ty though was that his relationship with Rex was tested by outside forces trying to tear them apart, which then tested Rex and Josh. Now this is where the story got good for me, and where the character development shone. However, this was basically three-quarters of the way into the book, and I felt like it was a bit too late.

Aside from the three of them, we are introduced mainly to Josh’s family, and parts of Rex’s family. Josh’s family is pretty conservative, with a pastor Uncle, a stuck-up conservative Aunt (more on her later), and Rex’s family seems to serve the purpose of babysitters for Ty. It wouldn’t be a M/M romance without a gal pal for Josh though, and we have Dana who somehow has perfect gaydar after only knowing Josh for five minutes. How about that…

Story

Not much to say on the story. Typical love at first sight in a small Southern town. Their love is tested by outside forces, though it was nice that this time it wasn’t tested by another guy coming in to mess things up. I felt that the Southern setting lent itself well to the plot line of trying to tear the family apart, but Josh’s aunt’s hatred of Josh just wasn’t explained enough. The religious aspect was, and I appreciated that, but it all seemed too simple. It seemed like something else was going on. The soap opera watcher in me almost wanted Josh’s uncle to really be his dad and for his aunt to know that and to hate him for it. But alas, it was just a religious hatred that drove her to try to destroy Rex’s life, and Josh’s in turn.

Other than that, everything was rushed. I lost track of time. One minute they’re spending their first weekend together, the next Rex is asking Josh to move in. Turn the page, it’s the end of the book. Like… what did I miss? Oh yeah. Development. That’s what I missed.

Least Favorite Part

This was difficult, and not for the reason you might think. There really wasn’t anything I completely disliked about the novel. There were just mainly things that I was ambivalent about or that just could’ve been handled better. I feel like if the author had taken more time to develop the characters more, or given more depth to the relationship between Josh and Rex, I would’ve cared more. Instead, I left the novel feeling ambivalent. And I don’t like that.

Favorite Part

The backstory of Rex and the town was nice. Again, as a soap opera lover, I love a good backstory! But again, the author gave us a bit, but didn’t deliver. When he started telling us the history of the town, and the history of Rex, I thought, “Ooo, okay, so now we’re getting somewhere!” And really, we didn’t get far. But it was a valiant try, and so that’s where my kudos goes!

Overall

I gave We Danced a three-star rating on Goodreads. It was neither good or bad, and I’ve definitely read worse. It was a nice read, and I definitely think parts of it were enjoyable, but feel the author could’ve put more effort into mining the riches that the characters and backstory had to offer.

Book Review: Pictures of You & You Are Not Me (90's Coming of Age Series)

The books titled Pictures of You and You Are Not Me are the first two entries in the 90’s Coming of Age series written by Leta Blake. The story, set in the early 90’s, follows young Peter as he falls in love with a boy for the first time, and gets introduced to the perils of love, and introduced to gay culture in the 90’s.

Originally, I was going to review Pictures of You once I had finished it, but when I had read the last word on the last page, I accidently slid my thumb on my Kindle, and found that a second book in the series had already been published. So I immediately downloaded it and gobbled it up within a week. Hence the double review.

Characters

The main protagonist is Peter. His physical description is a bit murky. In some instances, he’s called a twink, where in others he seems to be more of a nerdish gangly sort of guy, where in others he just seems like an average kid that no one would glance twice at. His dominant description is a twink though, so we’ll go with that. He’s awkward, and he’s stubborn. He, like so many of us in real life, has blinders on when it comes to love. He trips and stumbles in social interactions, and in the second book, he realizes that he wants to create a circle of gay friends and become part of that community more, and stumbles in what is the right way to behave within that community.

I felt Peter’s personality and social awkwardness were very realistic and well written. I felt the author grasped what so many of us baby gays go through as we stumble into the gay culture for the first time, thinking we find love when really, we’re being used (even if we’re told its love). Add in the setting of the 90’s, and the nuances and the behaviors fit perfectly.

The other main characters would be Adam and Daniel, Peter’s love interests. I don’t really want to spend much time on Adam, as he brings up a lot of bad memories of a certain ex of mine, but needless to say that Adam is the perfect example of a closeted gay boy who wants his cake and gets to eat it too. Daniel is too perfect. Think Aiden compared to Mr. Big. Actually, that’s the perfect comparison between the two. Aiden was too good for Carrie. Mr. Big was just okay for Carrie. Daniel is too good for Peter for most of the story. But again, both characters are well written.

Story

Oh the setting is perfect for this story. Set in the backdrop of the still relevant AIDS crisis, and before even gay marriage really became an issue, you have young love trying to flourish and not know if it even can or what it should look like. Peter thinks it’s okay for Adam to be in love with him and be in love with a girl, and to not even tell the girl. He doesn’t know any better. He doesn’t have the generation before him to show him that it’s okay to be out and proud, because the generation before him is dying. Even when he does finally have people around him telling him that it’s not okay what is happening, he doesn’t believe it, or he doesn’t want to because Adam has made him feel important for once in his life. And for a little baby gay who has been beaten up most of his life for people thinking he was gay, that’s damn important. It doesn’t matter if Adam is a dick.

The story progresses nicely, though the time flow in the first book seems to move a lot faster than in the second. The first book takes place during a whole school year whereas the second book takes place within one summer. It makes sense though since the first book is about first love, and what a ride that could be, and I think the second book is more about finding yourself, and that’s a journey that may be short, but can feel long.

Least Favorite Part

Okay. Two least favorite parts this go around. One is that Peter’s reasoning for staying with Adam makes little to no sense. Yes, I tried to look at it through the view point of someone who hasn’t read countless gay romances and coming of age novels, viewed countless gay romance and coming of age films, and experienced a few of those moments myself. I tried viewing it as someone coming out and coming of age in 1992 rather than 2016. Still. Made no sense. I felt the author could have tried better to have the readers understand Peter’s reasoning more.

Second least favorite part: The ending of the second novel. I get it. She needed to set up the third novel. She needed to make the readers want more. BUT DAMN IT! And that’s all I’ll say as I like to keep my reviews as spoiler free as possible.

Favorite Part

I feel the setting of the story was my favorite part. It gave the story a feeling that helped drive the emotions, thoughts, and reasoning of the characters. The 90’s were the perfect choice as if the author chose the 80’s, you would’ve been full blown into the AIDS crisis, and if she had chosen the mid-to-late 90’s, you would’ve had less and less concern about other people’s thinking. Sure, it would’ve still been there, but the early 90’s had that perfect blend of being afraid but being proud.

Overall

Overall, I gave each book a four-star rating on Goodreads. Each was enjoyable to read, and I am looking forward to a third book in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good coming of age story. 

Links on Goodreads for Synopsis:

Pictures of You

You Are Not Me

Flash Fiction #1

Flash Fiction Prompt: Write a story in which something important is lost. (Source: Nancy Stohlman)

I started making room in the shirt drawer of my dresser for the annual occasion around ten in the morning. I never told her what to get me, as I was happy with anything, and so it had become somewhat of a tradition to receive a corny t-shirt. I didn’t wear them much because they didn’t have pockets I could hold my cigarettes in. But I kept every single one, and always made a special place for the next one.

The day dragged by. She was supposed to be here at Noon. It was now three. Oh well. I’m sure she just got distracted. It happens. Though, we had made these plans weeks ago. Maybe she forgot.

I texted her a quick, “Hey, are you on your way?”

“What?”

“Are you on your way?”

“On my way where?”

I frowned. “I thought we had plans.”

“Oh! I totally forgot! Some friends are taking me to the beach today, and we’re already half-way there.”

“Oh.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” I typed as I went back to my room in my one-bedroom apartment. I pulled open the drawer of t-shirts and started looking at them one by one. Corny sayings or images were on each one, and I smiled because she was always so proud to give them to me because she picked them out herself.

My phone beeped. “Love you Dad. Happy Father’s Day.” 

Book Review: The Weight of it All

The Weight of it All by N.R. Walker published by BlueHeart Press

I downloaded this novel to my Kindle as part of my Kindle Unlimited choices. The basic synopsis had me hooked: overweight guy gets dumped, decides to change his life. As an overweight gay guy myself, I thought, “Wow, I can probably relate to this story!” So I was eager to read it. Cut to three days later as I’m finishing the novel, and I couldn’t wait for it to end.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

After being dumped by his long-term boyfriend for being overweight, Henry Beckett decides to make some drastic changes. In a vain attempt at getting his boyfriend back, Henry does the most absurdly frightening thing he can think of.

He joins a gym.

Reed Henske is a personal trainer who isn’t sure he’ll ever be ready to date again. He’s sick of guys who are only interested in the perfect body image, never seeing him for who he really is.

As Reed tortures Henry with things like diet and exercise, Henry enamours Reed with recipes and laughter. As the friendship lines start to blur, Henry is convinced there’s no way Thor-like Reed could ever be interested in a guy like him.

Reed just has to convince Henry that life isn’t about reaching your ideal bodyweight. It’s about finding your perfect counterweight.


Characters:

I think there was only one character I liked through this whole novel, and it was a silly side character in the form of Henry’s best friend’s boyfriend. He only spoke a handful of words throughout the novel, and most were responding to sarcastic moments from his girlfriend and Henry, but at least the author didn’t say he was smiling all the time (more on that in a sec).

Henry is… okay well Henry isn’t a horrible character. However, instead of allowing us to learn about Henry’s insecurities or his nuances, the author just tells us he’s awkward and insecure, because that sets up him being anti-social. The old rule is “Show, don’t tell,” and pretty much all the author did was tell about the characters instead of showing the audience facets about them.

Reed, the other main character, is nice. That’s about it. Former fat kid turned jock (I would say spoilers here, but honestly, saw it coming a mile away!). Doesn’t judge people on the way they look. So of course, he falls for Henry. It wouldn’t be a cliché romance without it, right?

The other side characters are nuisances at best. The author wants us to feel like they all care about Henry and Reed, but really, they all seem kind of vapid and rude. Sure there were some kind hearted conversations, but they were intermixed with cliché conversations between a gay man and his girlfriends, and it was just all a bit too much. Also, the author makes it sound like Henry and his ex shared a bunch of friends and they each got some in the breakup, but yet we only ever hear about two of their mutual friends, and it’s really a quick minute worth of dialogue and then they’re gone again. Waste of time.

Story:

The story was okay. Full of clichés. I felt like I was reading a gay Hallmark movie. The ugly duckling might get his prince. The best friend of the gay guy is sassy. The cliché moment where Henry’s ex-boyfriend stumbles upon Henry and Reed at the grocery store (like, isn’t that in every romantic comedy?) Henry overcomes his social quirks to become the hero of his office. Henry’s boss turns out to be a lesbian after he has a quick coming out awkward conversation with her (saw that one coming too!). It just was all a bit cliché and I knew where every road was leading to as I read it.

Favorite Part:

Oh this was a struggle… a big struggle. I guess my favorite part is how Henry is relatable. He isn’t your typical gay romance lead character. In fact, in most gay romances I have read, he would probably be the best gay friend of the hot gay lead character. But I think the author was tapping into an audience that wanted a character that they could relate to physically and personality wise. For the most part, the author got this right.

Least Favorite Part:

Oh. My. God. This book really should have been called “Everyone Smiles,” because my GOD did they smile a lot. It seemed like at least once on every page there was “He smiled” or “She smiled” or “He gave me that award winning smile.” And if they weren’t smiling, every dialogue opener was “He chuckled” or “He laughed” or “He giggled.” I swear, it’s amazing how Henry could understand anything Reed was saying because he laughed through every bit of dialogue. Please get this author a thesaurus for Christmas.

Overall:

I gave this book a two star rating on Goodreads. I was one of the few. From what I can tell, this book is receiving rave reviews on there. I don’t understand why. But to each their own. Honestly though, if you are looking for a story with a non-cliché gay lead characters (see: overweight or not a muscle god), I would pick up TJ Klune’s Tell Me It’s Real, as it is way more well written than this piece of “literature,” and you actually like most of the characters at the end.

Why Are "The Real Housewives" a Thing?

I would like to admit something: I like watching The Real Housewives franchise. Mainly Beverly Hills and New Jersey, but am learning to enjoy the New York ladies. For years, I refused to watch these shows as well as others like them (looking at you Kardashians). I have now resigned myself to the fact that I am a Housewives fan. But why are they even a thing?

The Real Housewives franchise started in 2005, inspired by fictional soap operas like Peyton Place and Desperate Housewives. Starting in Orange County, the franchise now spans the country and the world. Currently there are seven active series installments airing in the United States, with two previous installments having been cancelled. The main series also has spin-offs like Vanderpump Rules and Manzo'd with Children.

The franchise follows the lives of typically well-to-do women and their families. While they are called housewives, a number of the ladies have careers outside of the home, and were known before their involvement in the franchise such as Kim Fields, Lisa Rinna, Bethany Frankel, and Kim Richards just to name a few. Some series put more emphasis on the women more than their families, while others, such as New Jersey, put an extra emphasis on the families.

Though it is deemed a reality show, and frankly seems more real than shows like The Hills, one wonders how many of the situations are staged and how many are authentic. For example, most seasons see the ladies taking at least one big trip per season, with the trips sometimes being labelled as "last minute". One wonders how last minute a glamorous vacation to Dubai ccan be. Also, it seems that most seasons end with all the ladies at an event, putting a nice end to the seasons. And it has been said by at least one housewife that the ladies sometimes hold off on "big events" so that they can be filmed. And there is also this story from Radar Online citing a legal case stating the show is at least partially staged.

I don't know if this says something about me or not, but my favorite episodes are the ones where there is a fight or a big confrontation, which is usually why I can't wait for the reunion episodes which always seem to devolve into screaming matches at some point. But like with most episodes of this franchise, it makes you wonder how much is genuine and how much is staged.

Notice that I didn't say fake. I do believe that these women are living their lives and that the events and details of their lives are real. But it is quite obvious that what plays out on camera is exaggerated or played up for the camers. Would some of these fights, such as Teresa Guidice flipping the table during her argument with Danielle Staub, be as bombastic without the cameras there? Probably not. Would the fight still happen? Probably.

So why is this franchise so long lasting and popular? As a daytime soap watcher, it's obvious that the franchise's framework is at least partially based on soap operas. And while daytime soaps aren't as as popular as they used to be, the general framework of a soap opera is. Just look at primetime series such as Scandal, Mad Men, and This is Us. You're watching people live their lives and the melodramatic situations they get into, with some comedy thrown in for good measure. A lot of these shows' popularity can be attributed to the items they borrow from daytime soaps, And so while audiences have tuned out of daytime soaps in large numbers, they have moved their viewing habits to shows that borrow from the soaps, and so I don't think people stopped liking what daytime soaps did with their stories, I just think that primetime shows and reality shows do daytime stories with a little bit more class and they are allowed to push the envelope more.

Also, I think that the idea of these rich and fabulous people living their lives and sometimes getting into these situations that can be very similar to the viewer's own situations, such as dealing with a child's illness or dealing with the end of a marriage,  helps a viewer relate and attach to these real life people, and therefore drives up the popularity of the franchise.

Lastly, I think that while some may call the shows trashy, there is a certain elegance about these women, and viewers watch these shows so they can fantasize about living a glamorous lifestyle of their own. Now, obviously, some of that is played up for the cameras, and I doubt every single one of these women is posh and sophisticated all the time, but that's what television has been so good at for years; giving viewers an escape from reality, even if it is watching a reality show.

There are obviously other reasons why the franchise is popular, and I don't think there's any one reason that stands out more than others. The franchise is a guilty pleasure of mine, and I don't mind admitting that. Will I be sad to see the franchise end eventually? Probably not. Am I going to enjoy it while it lasts? Hell yeah!