Hah, well I bet you can guess just what drew me to this book! What book blogger could resist? Not I! And the use of the Oxford comma in the title was an added bonus 🙂
Books, Blogs, & Reality by Ryan Ringbloom Published by self published on 21st Oct 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Emotions & Feelings, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 153
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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When reality becomes overwhelming, seeking comfort in fictional fantasies keeps hope alive. And while this escape may be a little delusional, it’s also therapeutic.
Sharing secrets is daunting, but virtual friends don’t often judge and they are always ready to share a glass of wine…or three…while typing out life’s latest endeavors.
Brooke believes obstacles only add to romance, not detract. Rachael longs for a more intense relationship, or so she thinks. Lizzie misses the excitement in her life, but sometimes new situations find you when you’re not even looking. And Jess believes a tiger can change his stripes. It can’t.
Bound by a shared passion for blogging about happily ever afters, these four young women use keyboard therapy to work through their expectations, anxieties, and inadequacies, all with the hopes of achieving the perfection found in romance novels.
Completely blinded by what they think life should be, they navigate their unique paths in search of what they envision is right. But when reality taunts them with persistent curve balls, will they be strong enough to choose wisely? Or will their happy endings escape them?
First Line of Books, Blogs, & Reality by Ryan Ringbloom:
“It’s not uncommon for people to have two sets of friends.”
My Thoughts on Books, Blogs, & Reality by Ryan Ringbloom:
When I picked this up, I was in the mood for a light, engaging read and that’s what I got. I adored the blogging setting. Making friends on-line, chatting about books and beyond. This I get! All my blogging friends have a special place in my heart and there are a few that have become more than blogging friends, they are friends full stop. So the theme felt familiar and heart-warming.
I also loved that we saw reviews written by each of the four main characters. Especially as their reviews showed little glimpses of their real life personalities and situations. I think that’s true. We do reveal a lot in our reviews and I like that the book captured that. It also captured though that we only reveal what we want others to see and that is true too.
So I loved the setting. The characters though….were a bit…daft! They are all making crazy decisions and I wanted eye roll at every one of them. I’d like to think that most bloggers I know are a little more savvy than this! But despite all their dubious decisions, I was engrossed while reading.
It is predictable. But I found the book moved along briskly and I was amused by the various (self-inflicted mostly!) dilemmas that the girls found themselves in. I thought the format really worked; it included reviews, chat forums, blogger profiles and alternative pov’s which meant I just flew though it.
Overall, it’s a light-hearted read with a snappy pace. And I did laugh and get a lot of pleasure from the book while reading it.
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Who should read Books, Blogs, & Reality by Ryan Ringbloom?
I’d recommend this to book bloggers (more so those that read/review romance books) or fans of romantic contemporary fiction that like on-line settings and a fun storyline.
PS – at the moment it’s only $0.99 in amazon (double-check before you buy), it’s definitely worth picking it up at that price and saving for when you want a light, fun read!
Melanie (YA Midnight Reads)
Huh this looks really fun! I’ll definitely know where to look if I’m feeling like a fun novel. It’s a shame that the characters weren’t all love enjoyable for the silly choices they made!
Lovely review, hun <33
Melanie (YA Midnight Reads) recently posted…Review: Dissonance by Erica O’Rourke
trish
Even with the daft decisions they made, it was still a fun enjoyable read because they were bloggers! It’s fun to read the reviews, etc.
kimbacaffeinate
I would read this just because it is about blogging..love it. Awesome find Trish!
kimbacaffeinate recently posted…First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
trish
I know! Such a fun subject for us all to read about and I definitely empathised with lots of it. Deadlines, bookish chat, etc. It’s kinda cool!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library
This looks fun and I love that it’s about blogging! Definitely going on the TBR!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Random Books from my Shelves
trish
I know, that is exactly why I bought it! I knew I’d relate and it was fun to read!
Rachel
Awww, I thought this was non-fiction for a minute! This Ryan chap is smart and on to a winner with that theme! I just got it for 99p. Damn you and damn one-click shopping!!! LOL!! R x
Rachel recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Book Bloggers I Give My Love To
trish
Ryan is actually a woman but I made the same mistake until I looked at her author profile 🙂 And yes such a fun theme! Delighted to see you were as powerless to resist as I was!
Christy
Heh, you mean it didn’t show all the drama and twitter wars of blogging? lol. This does sound like a fun, light read.
Christy recently posted…Return of the Bad Girl by Codi Gary
trish
But if it included all that it would as big as an encyclopedia! LOL
Steph from fangswandsandfairydust.com
Hey, what a fun idea for a book. When I see so much of the same thing all the time, this is refreshing.
Steph from fangswandsandfairydust.com recently posted…CLICHE KLATCH! Challenge Sign-Up
trish
I loved that about it too. Plus it’s fun to read about a setting that we all know so much about.
Wattle
Oh this looks fun, even if it is a little silly 😉 totally adding it to my TBR (what a shock).
Wattle recently posted…Book Review: Emma by Alexander McCall Smith
trish
I think most bloggers would get a laugh out of this one. It’s a fab setting!
Lola
This sounds like a fun read and how interesting that it is about book bloggers. That parts of their reviews are included sounds like a nice addition and indeed now that you mention it I think that everyone’s reviews reveal a bit about themselves. Great review!
Lola recently posted…Review: Fear’s Touch by Emma L. Adams
trish
I often think that about reviews as I know that I reveal lots about myself in them. And yes such a fun read for book bloggers 🙂
anna (herding cats & burning soup)
Oh that’s fun. I enjoy ones like that that are either authorly characters or readers or bloggers. You have me curious on their eyerolling moments. lol
anna (herding cats & burning soup) recently posted…Guest Post w/ Alyssa Alexander– Oh…she’s got a herd! And…has set butter…on fire?!
trish
I love books that feature any of those too. Why wouldn’t we, it’s a world we know and love 🙂
Ryan Ringbloom
What a treat seeing this review!!! It was such a sweet post to read. And WOW you have some great followers!! I absolutely enjoyed reading everyone’s comments. This is a great blog and I feel extremely lucky that you found and took the time to read my book. Thank you so much!! I’m gonna be all warm and fuzzy the rest of the day!! Love, Ryan
Ryan Ringbloom recently posted…Fake Boobs … February 2015
trish
Thank you for visiting and commenting Ryan! I’m glad you got to see everyones comments. You picked such a fun theme and I know most book bloggers would get a kick out of it!
Michelle @ In Libris Veritas
This sounds super cute! And I love that it’s about blogging, you don’t see that often!
Michelle @ In Libris Veritas recently posted…Reading & Ranting: For the Love of Blogging Part 2 – Helping Each Other