How Reading ACOTAR Helped Me Find My Own Magic Again

I don’t know about you, but I am the type of person who can binge a book if it’s good. I finally picked up A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), and now I can officially say this review is coming straight from someone who read 2,896 pages in two and a half weeks. I know, because my Kindle politely informed me. And while part of me wonders if this is what a nervous breakdown looks like, the other part of me is just…happy.

Happy to be lost in something.
Happy to remember what it feels like to want to stay up late.
Happy to have something that’s just mine.

Want to know a sad little secret? I tossed and turned one night because I couldn’t get into a deep sleep—all because I was wondering what was going to happen next in the book. So, like any insane person would do, I woke up at 1:30 a.m. and read until 4:08 a.m.

I know, I know. I have a problem.

A Little ACOTAR Obsession Never Hurt Anyone… Right?

I’m going to be honest…I know this book has been out for a while and there’s been a lot of hype about it. But I was convinced there was no way I could get into a book about fairies. So I went into it with little faith I would enjoy it. But I was sick, laid up in bed, and very, very desperate.

Boy, was I wrong.

I started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR, if you’re on TikTok) because I’d heard the hype. What I didn’t expect was to be so swept up in a world that I’d be updating my oldest daughter on every plot twist—PG version, don’t worry.

She was so into it, she’d literally tell me, “Mom, why don’t you go read your book? I really want to know what happens next.”
(She didn’t have to tell me twice.)

We’d sit together and look at fan art and sweatshirts. I found the perfect Velaris crew neck, and she insisted I buy it, not tell Dad, and let her wrap it for my birthday so we could watch the confusion on his face. That’s my girl.

Meanwhile, J has had to endure me asking if I can start calling him “my bat boy.” He declined. Rude.

The Part That Surprised Me Most With ACOTAR

Before I was J’s wife and the girls’ mom…I was an artist. It feels so weird to say that out loud, honestly. But I’m starting to realize it was true.

I forgot about that part of me as I started a family.

I still look at the world the way I did back then. I still can’t not look at the sky at sunset and imagine how much blue I’d mix to get the color I need—how I’d blend it with my brush.

There’s this thread in the story—Feyre sees the world in color and wants to paint it all. The way she describes mixing pigments and imagining canvases cracked something open in me. Because that’s how I see the world too. I’ve just been shoving it down under motherhood and chores and budgets.

But reading about her reminded me that maybe I shouldn’t ignore that part.
Maybe it matters.

It’s a little rough, but it truly feels so good to get back into drawing and painting. I’m ready to get back to that part of myself.🎨🖌️

So Here’s to the Little Escapes

Whether it’s fantasy books, a show you binge, or painting the sunset in your head, I think we all need something that’s ours. A little portal out of the overwhelm and into something that feels like magic.

If You’ve Been Feeling Burnt Out…

Maybe this is your sign to pick up something that lights you up again. Even if it’s just for a few minutes a day. Even if it feels like a silly obsession.

And if you’ve read ACOTAR…tell me I’m not alone in this.

🤍 Leave me a comment with what you’ve been escaping into lately—I’d love to hear.

PS: If you’re about to binge 2,896 pages too, you’ll need a soft place to land. Here are all the cozy things I love for snuggling up with a book (and maybe ignoring my to-do list).
[See My Cozy Bedroom Must-Haves →]