Review: Vicious (sinners of saint #1) by L.J. Shen

Vicious 

 By L.J. Shen

Rating: 4/5 stars

 Summary:

Emilia

They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true.The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares. He is a brilliant lawyer. A skilled criminal. A beautiful liar. A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.

Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

Vicious

She is a starving artist. Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom. Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down. She paid the price.

Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate. That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t. So she hates me. Big fucking deal. She better get used to me. 

This book... whoa. Like I think I need to sit down for a few minutes and cool down from all that intensity!!

I mean first things first, look at the cover *looks at cover* *takes a deep breath* yeah... so that cover is beautiful and I obviously why I am in desperate need of a plug in fan and some ice water right about now. I mean its just so beautiful! (I mean look at the guy for crying out loud)

“Ask me..what do I want?” 

Okay so this book is about a guy who goes by the name of vicious. He is currently one of four main shareholders to a very successful corporate business, but is haunted by secrets from his past and scars that lie deeper than his skin. In comes Emilia, the girl who has haunted him every since high school and whom vicious cannot seem to think straight around let alone be a rational human being in her presence.

Emilia is a painter and an artist who moved away from her home town of Todos Santos to live in New York with her sister, who is sick, in order to pursue a career in art. She’s trying to move on, but when an old flame enters her life once more she forced to make desperate choices at the hands of a man who just might be the devil himself. 

Regardless of the amazing cover that drew me to this book series in the first place this book was surprisingly very good. Man it got into my head! I did not know what to think at times and was pissed off at vicious and somehow still rooting for him and Emilia despite all the cruel things he was doing to her?!?

“We’ve waited a long time for this. I want the real thing. Not the watered-down version. And the real thing is not only beautiful. It is also ugly. I want your truth.” 

 The way she writes this book just really makes it impossible not to get invested in the story line. I found myself SO invested and literally could not stop reading until I had finished the book entirely. The way both the characters are broken yet still furiously and frustratingly resist one another is incredibly addicting. 

 I found myself thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it and could only take a couple hours in between before I found myself reaching for my phone in order to know what happened next!! Like UGH the sexual tension people!! The tension!!

“I want the real thing. Not the watered-down version. And the real thing is not only beautiful. It is also ugly. I want your truth.” 

This book switches back and forth from when they first met in high school and back to present day. Vicouous is this evil, I dont care about anything playbody who drowns his sorrows in his many vices, one of which just happens to be torturing Emilia who just happens to live on his property due to her parents working for Vicious. 

Emilia and Vicious are cruel, intense, and scorching but yet they both manage to break down one anthers walls and create a tender achingy fragile relationship that you can’t help but want to work against all odds. 

“I loved her when I hated her. And I loved her when I didn’t want anything to do with her. I was so crazy about her, the lines had blurred together. Feelings were mixed, emotions twisted together.” 

I highly recommend this to lovers of damaged bad boys who have an weak spot for that one girl they can’t seem to escape!! (for those of you who watch vampite diaries if you love a goof Klaus and Caroline dynamic you will adore this series!!)

What about you? Have you read any good bad boy reads? Let me know in the comments below! (oh and make sure to read vicious and tell me what you think!! I command you ;) 

-BubblyBooks

10 Beach Reads to Get You Excited for Summer!!

Hey y’all so I know its been a couple of months since I’ve posted anything but you have to understand the last couple months have been complete and utter chaos. Like I barely could keep my own affairs in order let alone find time to post anything... so sorry about that guys!

But now I am FINALLY back!! and ready to talk all things bookish once more! *jumps up and down in excitement*

However this brief break from blogging has not discouraged me from reading and I have actually discovered a few hidden gems that I will treasure forever because they are just that AMAZING!!

To name a few:

• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (first book was a little eh but second book.. *mind blown*)
• City of Bones by Cassandra Claire (really impressed by this guys!!)
• To kill a kingdom by Alexandra Christo (loved it!!)
• A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas (YAAS queen Maas!!)

Hopefully I will be able to get some reviews up some time now that it is finally summer!! *does a happy dance* *also sleeps in for hours on end with zero guilt*

Anyways to celebrate the amazing feeling that comes with the start of summer I thought I would make a little list of books that would make super cute little beach reads because I am in need of white sand and a drink in my hand stat!

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

This just looks SO cute, a nice little romance perfect for beach reading!! agh cannot wait to get my hands on a copy!

Air by Ryan Gattis 

This book I thought had a unique plot and I actually first discovered it while browsing in a Barnes and Nobles. I believe it has something to do with a street racer and a whole lot of teenage angst and it just looks like a glorious contemporary!!

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena 

This seems sexy, fun and fast paced and look at that cover! 

9 Days and 9 Nights by Katie Cotugno 

This seems like classic rom com material here and I want a copy imediently!!

The Hating Game by Sally Throne

I have heard really good things about this book and the banter is supposed to be EVERYTHING so I’m really excited about this one. 

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

This looks laugh out loud hilarious and looks super fun to read when your just chill in on a beach somewhere!

Kiss Collector by Wendy Higgins

I adore wendy higgins and loved her sweet evil books so this is naturally a MUST read for me (plus look at all the cuties on that cover!! swoon!) unfortunately I have to wait until it comes out in december... sigh. 

Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame

Love, love, love this series!! It is not a all what you would expect and I got supper sucked into it! Highly recommend and think it would make an amazing beach read! (although I recommend having book two and three on hand as well :)

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

If you read my blog before you know how obsessed I am with this series!! Another fantastic beach read that switches multiple POV’s and takes place in the faraway future in a very sleek and sexy apartment complex and AHH just cannot explain how cool this book is!

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella 

I read this book several years ago and I really like Sophie Kinsella she is laugh out loud funny and her book are full of heart and love and this book is particularly funny and touching and I highly recommend to all you rom com lovers out there!!

What about you? Any good beach reads to recommend? Any fun summer reading plans? Let me know in the comments below!

-BubblyBooks

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I Love that just Happen to be in Books I Hate

Hey guys happy tuesday!! (wow I think thats the first time I’ve said that...ever! Yay spring break!!)

 Anyways we’ve all had the moment where were reading a book (that you just absolutely despise for one reason or another *ugh*) but LOVED one (or a few..) of the characters. This has happened to me a few times (ten for the sake of this post)

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Okay so I finished up this whole series (up to the Iron Knight I believe) and to be honest it wasn’t horrible but I still didn’t understand all the hype because it wasn’t great either. I mean the insta love was like super lacking for me? There was no passion let alone real emotion in any of these books, I just could not connect. I did however like Megan Chase for the most part. I felt like she was the most real but not a fan of Prince Ash (unpopular opinion I KNOW but I can’t help who I like or hate)

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

I loved all these characters for the most part (emily still annoys me) but I just hated all the snobbishness that surrounded this book and usually I love snobby teens!! It did take me forever to quit... I think I read like 5 of them! Lol!

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohe

Ok I hated the main guy in this book Ethan I think it was? But I did like the love interest Lena!! Plus her house: AMAZINGNESS! (shifting rooms how is that not dope!)

Everyday by David Levithan 

The whole concept of this book just wigged me out too much... like I just couldn’t handle the whole different body everyday (all the complications!! my gosh I think I got a headache) and stopped reading it about halfway through. I did like the love interest in this one, Rhiannon (wow I would have trouble spelling that) I just had mixed feelings about A. 

A Thousand pieces of you by Claudia Grey 

Omg I HATED this book!! I just could not get through it! Sounded amazing I loved the concept and how she painted and everything but I just hated the romance and the pacing of the whole book? Plus I wasn’t crazy about the whole drug use thing I just felt it wasn’t necessary and made the whole book sad (totally tainted my view of that character) I also hated Patrick (what kind of hot guys name is patrick like seriously??) Anyways I’ve been rambling too long about characters I hate, a character I actually liked was the narrator, Marguerite!!

Red Queen By Victoria Aveyard 

Hated it. Just hated it. I’m not going to explain why or anything this book was just a fail in my opinion. I did however like the guys that liked Mare!

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

This book was a disgusting little mess about southern boys who really do not know how to treat women (at least if you ask me.. too much alpha male/baggage problems) and to be honest I don’t think I liked any of these characters (they were all so annoying!! ugh!) 

Map of Fates by Maggie Hall

This books plot twists annoyed me to NO END! However I fell in love with the characters in the first book (the conspiracy of us) and love all of them but since the dreaded love triangle just had to show up and ruin the party I’m gonna have to take a hard pass at reading the final book in this series. 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater 

Okay I know, I know this series is loved and worshipped by many many people and don’t get me wrong I didn’t hate the book it just got into my head and was incredibly tripey. I mean I had dreams about the weirdness that is this book! Like why did they even want to find that long lost king or whatever. I did love Ronan (he is my fav) and I totally ship Blue and Gansey and who does not love Adam. I literally only continued this series because of how amazing the characters are!!

Unrivaled by Alyson Noel 

This book was such a disappointment it was like the lesser version of the Thousandth Floor. It takes place in hollywood and follows the life of several teens trying to make it in the business by joining a contest promoting night clubs. Its kind of an intriguing premise but left something to be desired. I did however like Tommy, Tommy was an alright dude as for the rest of them I’m going to have to pass. 

What about you? Ever read any books you absolutely could not stand but had amazing characters? Read any of the books above? Let me know in the comments below!

-Bubblybooks

March Wrap-up (AKA the craziness that was this month)

Hey everybody!! Okay so how is it that March is already over?!? like when did that even happen? This month has been such an exhausting month. Between colleges getting back to me, blogging, and squeezing in every possible social event I am EXHAUSTED!

 Thank god it is finally spring break!! Time to P-A-R-T-Y (and by party I mean sit on my couch and read all week baby)

Sooo this month has actually been a pretty successful reading month for me (who knew right?) I guess I was able to get my stuff together and actually READ (hallelujah people!) and that may be why I didn’t study for that test (or a few actually...) but hey it was totally worth it because I was able to not only read amazing books but post a review for them on my blog (like who even am I?)



 So lets get down to it..

Things that have been going on in my life right now:

• So college acceptances came back... SO I’M JUST OVER HERE TRYING NOT TO FREAK OUT (I seriously have no chill its awful) Its so hard not comparing yourself to other people but I’m doing my best trying not to think about it (books are my escape people!!) 
• 
• School has also been kicking my butt... like why you gotta make the last couple months of my high school career so hard teachers! Why?!?!
• But THANK the lord it is finally spring break and I can take a moment to breathe!!! (preferably on a beach some where with a book in my hand if were gonna get specific here)
• 
• I am also low key trying to dress shop because Senior ball is right around the corner.... but I have been procrastinating SO much its not even funny!
• Reading! I also was able to actually finish books this month! yay me!
• Also Easter is tomorrow so Happy early Easter everybody!!
•  

Books I read this month:

1) Splintered by A.G. Howard
2) Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen  (ARC review- sadly had to DNF this one folks it just wasn’t doing it for me)
3) Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody (another ARC- I was finally getting it together and reading my approved books on Net Galley- loved this book!)
4) Unhinged by A.G. Howard (splintered #2)
5) The Last King by Katee Robert (The kings #1) (another ARC!! man I am on fire! ;) This one was a cute and steamy read)

As you can see by my obsessive mentioning I did happen to finish not one, not two, but THREE arc’s people! Perhaps my Net Galley profile will look a little less neglected... (hey I’m trying to read it all but I’m a mood reader and if I’m not in the mood to read something it doesn’t get read. Its a gift and a curse)

 

On the blog:

• Book Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (My first five star read of the year and more!) 
• The Hype surrounding ARCS, Comparing Myself to other Blogs, and why I Feel like my New Blog is Always Falling Behind
• Discussion post: Do bloggers feel pressure to read more? (are we more likely to read books we don’t like? and other things that influence what a blogger reads)
• ARC review: Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen 
• ARC Review: Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

I was able to get three book review posts up this month!! Which I was really excited about (yes finally being productive!! *does happy dance*)

 Also I was able to get a couple of discussion posts up as well which I feel like I don’t do enough of on this blog! I really loved all the support and responses I got back from them and hope to do more discussion posts in the future!

What I plan on reading this April:

• Ensnared (splintered #3) by A.G. Howard (cannot wait to finish this series it is AMAZING and I just snagged this from the library today!)
• My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand (also got this from the library. Aren’t libraries fabulous?)
• Song of Blood and Stone by Penelope L (my first physical ARC!!! I AM FREAKING OUT GUYS!) 
• To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo (I have been wanting to read this for sooo long now hopefully this month will be the month! *crosses fingers*) 

Lets Chat!

What have you been up to this month? Read any good books? Any bad books? What new releases are you looking foreword to? Let me know in the comments below!

-Bubblybooks

ARC Review: Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Ace of Shades
By: Amanda Foody

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Published on April 10th 2018


Summary: Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…
and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play. 

First off a HUGE thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin publishing for giving me an advanced copy of this book!! This does not influence my opinions at all and all my thoughts are entirely my own. 

Ok so when I first read the summary for this book I was completely and utterly hooked!! I thought OMG I want this book and I want it now!! Casinos, street lords, all in the devious city of sin... yes please!!  Which is why I was so excited when I got approved a copy of this book.

  Ace of Shades is one hell of a ride! I knew right after I finished the first chapter that I was going to love it (and low and behold my instincts were right..)

 First off the story in itself was an amazing concept (I absolutely and utterly adore street lords in books and Levi is no exception)! I loved the way the story flowed easily as I read it but wasn’t boring and had some very good twists that I frankly did not see coming in the least but what really won me over was this book AMAZING characters!!

 I loved Enne and I think I just grew to love her even more as the book went on? In the beginning she was a bit of a shy dainty thing (which is to be expected considering she lived a sheltered life and all) and Levi just saw her as this pretty girl who was in over her head but she was actually pretty badass towards the end! Like you go girl ain’t nobody gonna tell you how to live your life. In fact the book got a tad dark towards the end... I’m just going to leave it at that because *ahem* spoilers! 

 Plus I LOVED Levi as well! He starts off as this strong, young ambitious whirl wind who wants to conquer the city and take it for his own and I love that side to him! But the really amazing part of this book was all the character development and the closer you looked the more you saw how Levi was barely scrambling to keep his club together and was falling into his own pit of self destruction. The only person who remotely understands what Levi is going through (*pretends to be shocked*) is Enne who ends up in a dangerous deal that connects the two in more ways than one. 


 and speaking of Levi and Enne....

 The sexual tension between those two was AGONIZING!!  (*fans self*) Every time they had a moment my heart would melt and I would be like this is it there going to kiss... okay maybe they just needed a moment.. OMG will you two just get over one another and kiss already!! 

 UGH there was SO many beautiful moments between the two and I just wanted them to get out of their own heads and forget about their problems for two seconds and lock lips! Is that too much for a girl to ask?

 Regardless of the lack of smooching I still loved the two and sensed that they would die for one another (unless maybe the only thing that could save them was a kiss in that case Im not so sure) and I loved every time they were together (I swear my heart did a little flutter when I would read a chapter they were both in even if it wasn’t a romantic or anything, I just loved them!) 

 This book is dark and gritty and not afraid to push the limits or to get violent which is what I thought made this story not only good but great. They weren’t afraid to go deep and to explore the characters greatest weaknesses and even exploit them in the worst ways imaginable. I couldn’t stop reading this (no seriously this came before homework. Its so bad how skewed my priories are... yet SO worth it because this book people!) 

 If you have not read this book do yourself a favor and make sure you have a copy (it comes out April 10th) I highly recommend to lovers of Six of Crows (this book reminded me a lot of this fan fav) and Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins! PLEASE READ IT! 

So lets chat!

(AKA discuss all things bookish with yours truly)

Have you heard of Ace of shades? If not what are you doing with your life? Are you going to read it? If you’ve already read it please tell me what you thought in the comments below! If not- again please read it! Wanna just talk random books that cool too, comment below!

-BubblyBooks 

ARC review: Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen

  Hey everybody!! SO excited to be reviewing this amazing ARC I was able to receive!! I encourage y’all to check it out and discover your own thoughts on this magical book (hint: there is magic in this book if I didn’t already give it away by describing the book as magical) Please read away and tell me what you think about this book (if you haven’t read it then you need to ASAP)

 Reign the Earth (The Elementae #1)

by: A.C. Gaughen

 Rating: 2/5 stars

GoodReads Review 

Summary: Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands.

But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae.

This intense, richly drawn high-fantasy by the author of Scarletwill hold readers spellbound.

 First of all I want to give a HUGE thanks to Net galley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for giving me an advanced copy of this book! (This does not influence my opinion of the book at all and all my opinions and thoughts are entirely my own) 

  Overall thoughts:

 Sooo..... if I’m being completly and totally honest this book didn’t really impress me all that much. I just found it lacking in certain areas and the characters just didn’t really do it for me?!?

 Dont get me wrong- it was a fabulous concept and I absolutely loved the idea of elemental magic and it being dangerous and forbidden all all that jazz however I just felt that the transition from scene to scene was a bit choppy and it didn’t make me feel anything!

 This again could totally be a personal thing since we all have different emotions and connect to different books, unfortunately I wasn’t able to connect with this story or the characters so that was really why I ended up giving it only 2 stars. 

 Specific thoughts:

 

 I was instantly intrigued by the idea of an arranged marriage (especially to a man who is so against magic) but Calix  (the man whom Shalia marries) ended up being rather cruel and he just annoyed me all the time! Every scene they mentioned Calix I had to try and hold in a huge sigh of frustration at the extreme annoyance he made me feel!! 

“But as I shuddered against the cold, I sent a dark wish out over the sea that I would never grow to love my husband.”

  And then there was the whole thing with Calix’s brother (who I liked but thought lacked character depth) he was clearly the better choice and you couldn’t deny the chemistry between him and Shalia but I just felt their romance wasn’t going anywhere (at least not anywhere soon).

“But now I knew the terrible price of the crown on my head, and I couldn’t forget that. And if I did, I feared it would mean sacrificing my humanity.”

  This surprised me because I usually love slow burning romances and this one just left me disappointed!! Unfortunately I only got about 40% through this book before I lost interest and couldn’t continue it. Bottom line this books plot just wasn’t developed as much as I had hoped and while the characters held promise they ended up lacking depth. Overall a solid 2 star read!

Lets Chat! 

(AKA give me the low down on all your bookish thoughts!)

 What about you guys? Have you read this book? If so what are your thoughts? Did you love it? Hate it maybe? If you haven’t had the chance to read it add it to your TBR and let me know what you think! 

-BubblyBooks

Discussion post: Do Overhyped Books Leave you with Impossible to Live up to Standards? and How come Nobody Reviews Lesser Known Books Anymore?

  Hey guys!! Sorry its been a little while since my last post this past week has been insanely busy (to the point where I plan nothing and forget everything!) but here I am!
  Lately I have been hearing nothing but hype and praise regarding new releases and books that are coming out within the next month or so... It just seems like post after post is bloggers raving about the arc they just finished or a book that is spamming my Good reads feed.

  Now dont get me wrong I love a good over popularized, over hyped book as much as the next fan girl (especially is that books lives up to or exceeds all possible expectations). A good hyped book is what blogging is all about! I mean its new, its good, you FINALLY understand what everyone else is talking about right??

 But there are those moments when you read a book everyone supposedly loves and then you get your hands on it and your like... really? this is the book everyone can’t get enough of? and your drowning in your own little puddle of disappointment.

The Hype

 With so much buzz surrounding a book its easy to get swept up into whatever everyone else is saying and soon enough you find yourself agreeing with them maybe even before you get the chance to read the book yourself! I find this has been happening to me a lot and has probably been the main influence of what books I am reading even if there not the typical books I enjoy.
  Sometimes this is amazing because I discover books I never would have otherwise but once in a while I stumble upon a book that really just is not of me at all. The characters don't do it for me, the plot is weak, and if it really lets me down the writing is just flat out horrible.

 Thankfully I have only stumbled across a couple a books these past few months that have really let me down but I can’t help but wonder if its because of all the hype these books are given that make it impossible for me to love those books or even like them because I was expecting them to be SO AMAZING right off the bat (possibly even before I read the summary...)

So why don’t we read/ review underrated books anymore?

 With all the hype surrounding new releases I’m more tempted than ever to read them but I’m also more disappointed than ever when they aren’t as amazing as everyone is saying they are. Plus it seems like only popular books get reviewed nowadays?!? Am I the only one whose noticed that unpopular or lesser known books are talked about less and less on blogs? and when it it not become cool to talk about a really good popular book from a few years back? It seems like every time I write a post about an old favorite its hardly read compared to if I post about a super popular new release.

 And its like I get it, it makes sense that people are into whatever is new at the moment ( I too enjoy a good new release every now and then) I just wish that it was more accepted in the blogging community to post about already released, good books! I mean a good book is a good book am I right? But enough about me:

   What about you guys? Do you feel more pressure to read hyped books over older books? Does the hype influence what you think about the book (maybe even before you read it)? Should older books be reviewed more on blogs or no? Let me know in the comments below!

-BubblyBooks

The Hype surrounding ARCS, Comparing Myself to other Blogs, and why I Feel like my New Blog is Always Falling Behind

Hey guys!! I hope you all are having a fabulous weekend! This spring jumping foreword an hour is really throwing me off and frankly I hate it. Like where did my hour of sleep go?!? I need my sleep people!! (I am not much of a morning person if you could not already tell...)

 Any how lately I have been seeing a lot of blog posts discussing the pressures of blogging and how difficult it is to stick to a schedule and that kind of thing and it was really inspiring to see other bloggers open up about what they’ve been struggling with when it came to blogging! So naturally I was inspired to open up about my own blogging journey.

 I started this blog last year around August and I believe my first post came out in October (Things I hate about fall and how the books I read change with the seasons) I was just starting to discover what the book blogging community was like and I discovered so many great blogs that I loved and never would have found if I myself had not started book blogging. Being a new blogger I didn’t expect to become an overnight sensation or anything like that so I continued posting and commenting on other blogs in hope that I would gradually gain my audience.

 Over the months my page views grew and it has now been several months since my first post was published! This however doesn’t prevent me from feeling insecure about my blog from time to time. Even though I love blogging and wouldn’t want to stop, I can’t help but compare my little blog to other bigger, more popular book blogs out there.

 Even though I know stats aren’t everything when it comes to blogging and I shouldn’t let others growing numbers get to me I can’t help but feeling I’m doing something wrong when I see a blog with more followers or more page views than mine. I start to overthink what I’m doing wrong:

•  Is it because I don't schedule my posts?
• Is it because I’m not on Wordpress?
• Do I not get approved for enough ARCS?
• Is my content not engaging enough? Is my writing style too boring? Too quirky?

 Theres also all the pressures surrounding ARCS. For those of you that don’t know an ARC is short for Advanced Reader Copy and are given out to bloggers for review in order to create hype before a book is published. 

 I only recently learned about ARCS and decided to start requesting them a couple of months back on Net Galley. I’m excited to say that I have been approved for a few (and even posted my first ARC review a few weeks ago you can check it out here) 

and I absolutely love the opportunity arcs provide bloggers theres again that feeling of competition between bloggers!! Its like I can’t help but look at my small amount of approved books and feel overwhelmed but then I look at another blog and see that they got approved for way more and they received physical copies of the book! When will this endless comparing end?!?!

 As you can see I totally have my moments where I get in my head and completely over analyze things but at the end of the day I don’t want to stop blogging!

 Blogging has amazing perks! 

 

1. You meet other book lovers!

1. You find book blogs you really connect with!
2. You discover loads of books you never would have other wise (hence our overwhelming TBRs)
3. You get the chance to review ARCS (advanced reader copies of BOOKS!!)
4. But most of all you have an outlet for all your bookish thoughts and ideas!!

 As a relatively new blogger its hard for me at time but I wouldn’t give it up for the world. Sooo if you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share with me about expanding my blog or how to gain more followers, or improve my design I’m all ears!! 

 And finally a big THANK YOU to all the readers out there who read my blog and who support the blogging community without you guys we wouldn’t be doing what where doing!!!

-BubblyBooks