Emily Henry never fails to exceed reader’s expectations, and her recent release, “Happy Place,” is no exception. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading all of Henry’s books, but “Happy Place” is the perfect follow-up to her three most recent romance titles, all of which I have read: “People We Meet On Vacation,” “Beach Read,” and “Book Lovers.” “Happy Place,” published on April 25, will find a new spot in all readers’ hearts.

In a bittersweet and satisfying conclusion to the beloved trilogy, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (“Vol. 3”) follows the events of "Thor: Love and Thunder" as Peter Quill (Chris Pratt)—a.k.a “Star-Lord”—and the rest of the team race to save Rocket's (Bradley Cooper) life and come to terms with their ever-shifting group dynamics.

Ari Aster’s third theatrical release, “Beau Is Afraid,” is undoubtedly his most daunting from a viewer’s perspective. It is a three-hour display of Murphy’s Law, where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. While Aster’s first two films “Hereditary” (2018) and “Midsommar” (2019) were certainly horror films, “Beau Is Afraid” is equal parts comedy, drama and horror. With each unfolding of events, the number of possible interpretations of the story grows as the lines blur between reality, dreams, nightmares and hallucinations.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past nine months, it’s unlikely that you haven’t heard of “iCarly” star Jennette McCurdy’s recent memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” Eight months since its release, the book still sparks excitement and conversation in literary and non-literary circles alike. I bought my own copy in Dec. 2022 from the Strand Book Store. While fighting streams of people for a look at the shelves, I found myself standing in front of a wall above the customer service desk, which displayed the Strand’s top ten picks. “I’m Glad My Mom Died” was one of them.

The UNCW Theatre Department is ending their 2022-2023 season with a thought-provoking and unconventional play, “A Murder of Crows,” written by Mac Wellman and directed by Professor Paul Castagno. The show follows Susannah as she learns to understand and deal with family relationships, survival, and life and death.

The North Carolina film industry is now experiencing a period of growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, with film productions returning to Wilmington and bringing the industry back to life. This increase follows a change to the NC budget lowering the requirements to receive help from the North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant. This increase in filming led to a higher demand for background actors, with many people—including UNCW’s own students—in the Wilmington area eager and willing to be part of Wilmington’s film legacy.

The meme waterfall that followed Chris Pratt’s casting announcement turned the newest franchise-based film, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” into something of a must-see. Due to the popularity of the Mario games—because who hasn’t played Mario Kart at least once in their life—the film garnered some speculation. Would it pay proper homage or soullessly promote the video games it hails from?

What was once regarded as a cringe teen summer show is now a national hit. “Outer Banks” returns for its long-awaited third season, chock full of potential. Audiences left off with the Pogues once again taking the hit, while the Camerons got away with the treasure. Will the Pogues be able to right last season’s wrongs? Or is something entirely new in store for them?

“Cocaine Bear” spends so much time confused about which tone to take on that it lacks any real direction. This film had every chance to provide an over-the-top thrill ride that mimics the aforementioned effects of cocaine for viewers. Instead, it’s an hour and a half of back-and-forth scenes that leave the audience confused on whether to laugh or cry.

Students, staff, faculty and alumni came together in Kenan Auditorium on Feb. 9 for the Upperman African American Cultural Center’s annual fashion show. The production, organized every year as a part of UNCW’s homecoming and Black History Month festivities, featured live rappers, a local DJ and a rich collection of book-inspired student designs.

UNCW’s Theatre Department gears up for their debut production of the spring semester. Sophocles’ Greek tragedy “Electra,” directed by Christopher Marino, will be the first of two performances this spring and will kick off this Friday. The show will run on Feb. 16-19 and 23-26 at the Mainstage Theatre in the UNCW Cultural Arts Building.

Whether you follow the awards circuit, binge comic book movies or do anything in between, 2023 will not disappoint you.

The Seahawk closes out its book club with our December pick, “Bigger Than Bravery: Black Resilience and Reclamation in a Time of Pandemic.” Fans of both nonfiction and poetry will marvel at this genre-integrated read. Exploring both the pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism, “Bigger Than Bravery” is a thorough portrait of a perilous year.

The year is coming to an end and The Seahawk's staff is here to recount their favorite bits of 2022. We all sat down and came up with our favorite pieces of media and moments from this year, recommended to you so maybe you can catch up with the best of 2022 before the spring semester starts.