2016 releases

ARC Review: My Life Next Door

08:00

My Life Next Door
By Huntley Fitzpatrick

 Source: Netgalley
Release date (UK): 7th January 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary,

"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.


**I received an e-ARC version of this book for an honest review - this does not affect my opinion**

I really didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did! It’s been out across the pond for a while now (I’m British), and I’ve heard loads of good things, so when this popped up on Netgalley, I was super hyped! Also, I read this with some of my best friends on Instagram (Jennifer and Stephanie), so it made me enjoy the book even more as we were doing a buddy read. It was a pleasant surprise that I enjoyed it as much as I did!

This book has a really cute, summery feel to it, and I think that’s one of the reasons I liked it so much, even though I did read it in the middle of winter! It was an easy, light read, which was just what I needed, because before reading this, I was worried that I was falling into a slump. This is definitely one to pick up if you’re in a reading slump, because it’s addictive and so sweet ☺.

Another thing I really enjoyed in this book was all of the family themes. YA Contemporary is a genre with mainly non-existent parents, but families played a key role in this book. I loved the Garretts so much, and all of my favourite scenes were at their house! All of the secondary characters felt so real, so I loved reading about everyone.

I did have a few problems with the book though - one of these being the way it ended. I didn’t like how some plots just weren’t rounded up, especially the one with my favourite character, Nan. There is a companion novel though already released in America (a lovely person on Goodreads told me it’s out in June 2016 in the UK), so I’m hoping these will be rounded up in that. I’m definitely going to try and pick it up!
Overall, if you’re a fan of the genre, I’d highly recommend reading this! It’s a really sweet book, and though there are tense moments, it’s a great feel-good, summer read. All of the characters are so likeable (except for Sam - I wasn’t sure about her...), and it’s a really interesting story. It’s the perfect summer read, and I'm really excited to pick up the companion novel in the summer too.

2015

The Bibliolater is 1!

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As of today, it's been a year since I created my blog. So it's my blog's birthday. AHH, I KNOW!!
But let’s be honest: it really doesn’t feel like it’s been a year. Christmas (last year, not this year! It was only 2 days ago!) feels like so long ago, but I remember starting my blog as clearly as anything. I never expected for it to last, and I don't think I would have believed you, if a year ago, you told me my book blog would still be running!

Initial changes to my blog

I first started this blog to share my love of books, and meet new people, maybe even more to meet new people. Because I started out with a fandom account on Instagram, I’d already experienced the joy of internet friends, so creating my own blog was the next step for me. I was pretty devoted to that Instagram account, but a blog always appealed to me just a little more.


Also, I’d had previous experience with blogger anyway. I knew how to work the site pretty well, so actually setting up my blog wasn’t hard for me at all. The hardest part was the name...


Gah, I’m cringing just thinking about this! (I’m super embarrassed to say this, please don’t hold this against me guys...) 'Oh Look, Some Books!' was my first blog name. I don’t know why I ever settled for it! Thankfully I realised just how cringe-worthy it is (for me, anyway), and changed to Confessions of a Book Addict a few days later. I did love this name, and still do, really, but there’s lots of variations, and lots of blogs have similar names. It also meant I had to hyphenate the URL, so was a pain to type and got kind of confusing.

So, in the summer, I changed to The Bibliolater. I was thinking about this change for a while before I actually did it, though the name was the part I struggled on. The reason why I chose The Bibliolater was because the definition for bibliolater is: a person who is passionately enthusiastic about books (Google it if you don’t believe me!), and that's definitely me. I really like it, and don’t think I’ll be changing because I haven’t seen anyone with the same name! I wrote more about this back in August - you can read my post here.

Blogging has changed me, too


 Not just has my blog changed, but I’ve changed too, as the person behind the blog. At the start of my blogging journey, I was quite shy. Blogging brought me out of my comfort zone from Instagram, and as the community was so vast, it felt a little overwhelming to me. I didn’t know too much about blogging, so my posts and writing styles were very different to how they are now. I didn’t really visit other blogs, and I just wasn’t fully invested in blogging. I didn’t spend half as much time writing posts, and I barely even went on Twitter!


Now, it’s the complete opposite. I’m spending a lot of time thinking/writing about posts, and I spend a lot of time blogging! I try so hard to visit everyone’s blogs, and I’m pretty much addicted to Twitter. (You can follow me here *cough* shameless plug *cough*).


For me, I think I’ve accomplished a lot in this past year. My confidence has definitely grown, and so has my writing. I’ve learnt a lot about the book industry, and how to ‘do well’ as a blogger. I hope I learn even more in 2016, and develop even more as a blogger.

Thank-you for a great year of blogging, everyone! I have enjoyed every moment of blogging this year, and I hope next year is just as great!

How has your blog changed? Has it affected you in any way? I'd love to know how it (and you!) has developed! ☺

2015

My Top 15 Books of 2015

08:00

So, the year is coming to a close, and this been a really good reading year for me. I've probably read the most I have in my life, and I think most (all?) of my favourite books have been read in 2015. Probably because they change so often. So, without further ado, here's my favourite books that I have read (not necessarily published in) 2015 (yes, they are in order. I will never be the same after doing this):


Links take you to my review

11. The Half Bad Trilogy: #1 #2
6. The Mara Dyer Trilogy: #1 #2 #3
1. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Okay, okay, I cheated by adding series. Don't kill me!! It's just too hard to choose my precious babies... *strokes books*

I think I had a pretty good year of reading! So far (as of 23/12), I've read 90 books, but I'm hoping to read a few more before 2016 begins.

What have been your favourite books of 2015?

5 Stars

Review: Under My Skin

08:00

Under My Skin
By James Dawson

 Source: Borrowed, paperback
Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Thriller, Paranormal, 
Meet Molly Sue. Once she's under your skin there's no getting rid of her...

Seventeen-year-old Sally Feather is not exactly a rebel. Her super-conservative parents and her treatment at the hands of high school bullies means that Sally's about as shy and retiring as they come - but all that's about to change. Accidentally ending up in the seedier side of town one day, Sally finds herself mysteriously lured to an almost-hidden tattoo parlour - and once inside, Sally is quickly seduced by its charming owner, Rosita, and her talk of how having a secret tattoo can be as empowering as it is thrilling. Almost before she knows what she is doing, Sally selects sexy pin-up Molly Sue, and has her tattooed on her back - hoping that Molly Sue will inspire her to be as confident and popular as she is in her dreams.

But things quickly take a nightmareish turn. Almost immediately, Sally begins to hear voices in her head - or rather, one voice in particular: Molly Sue's. And she has no interest in staying quiet and being a good girl - in fact, she's mighty delighted to have a body to take charge of again. Sally slowly realises that she is unable to control Molly Sue... and before long she's going to find out the hard way what it truly means to have somebody 'under your skin'.


I really didn’t expect to love this as much as I did! I’ve heard good things about some of James Dawson’s books, but not as much about this one. I’m so glad this was my first book by him, because ended up absolutely adoring it. I can’t find one fault - this book is perfect for me! It’s everything I’ve been looking for and more.

It was so creepy too! I was actually pretty scared of this book. After finishing it at 9pm, I was buzzing, and couldn’t sleep for a long time. I’ve heard a few people saying this, but I didn’t really believe it until well into the book. At first, it was even making me want a tattoo even more, but now I’m not too sure...

I adored all of the characters right from the beginning. I loved Sally - she was strong, independent, yet at the start, there was plenty of room for development. She made all the right decisions, and I was never irritated by her. Whenever she did something, I was like “yes, girl!”. Fist pumps all the way for Sally.


Another thing I loved about this book was the plot. I loved how fast-paced it was - from the very beginning we were jumped into the action, and it was never slow at all. There were plot twists after plot twists, and I was overwhelmed by how shocking it was! Some people who’ve read the book won’t think that, because there was gentle parts in the story, but I found these just as engaging as all of the action scenes, because of how much I loved the characters.

This is one of those books that really is best when you don’t know much about it. I’ve tried really hard to not spoil it here, but you should just go and read it! This has become one of my favourite books of all time, and I honestly can’t tell you how much I love it. I think I’ll definitely be re-reading this one.

Blogger Posts

Book Blogs I Adore

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Today I'm going to share with you some of the most wonderful blogs I follow, and am a regular reader of. The book blogging community is so big, and there's so many lovely people - it's one of my favourite things about blogging. Some of my favourite blogs include:


Enchanted by YA - Anna is one of the loveliest bloggers I’ve ever met, and she’s such a good friend to me. Her blog is perfect too - we have really similar taste in books, so I adore her reviews. I'd highly recommend checking out her blog - it's one of my favourites!


A Girl Between the Pages - The first thing that struck my attention with Fiona’s beautiful blog was the design. It’s just so pretty! Fiona also does awesome reviews, and really interesting discussion posts, and is generally an awesome person ♥


Always Opinionated Girl - I’ve only just discovered this blog, but it’s become one of my favourites! I love her opinions (no duh; I think the title of the blog gives this one away!), and recently she posted an amazing discussion post on Mental Health education which I’d highly recommend!


Read at Midnight - One of the things that makes Aentee's blog so special is how much she supports diverse books and characters. I love her original features (currently she's doing one based on Japan that I'm loving), and she's amazing at blog design too! There's always a gorgeous graphic to accompany her beautifully written posts.

Some other blogs I really like are: 


So these are some of my favourite blogs, but of course, there are so many more that I've missed off! Drop me a comment of your favourite blogs, because I love discover more ☺

3 Stars

Review: The Queen of the Tearling

08:00

The Queen of the Tearling
By Erika Johansen

 Source: Personal purchase, ebook
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Adventure

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother – Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid – was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea’s uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea’s 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother’s guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom’s heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother’s legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive...


This book looked really intimidating to me before I read it - not only is it almost 500 pages and looks really wordy, but everyone seems to love it. I literally haven’t read a bad review of it! This can be really scary, especially for a book blogger. I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as everyone else did, but sadly, that was the case.
It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy this book, because that’s not true at all. I did like reading it, but for me, it wasn’t anything special at all. I wasn’t blown away by the plot, the characters, or the world, and I found the writing to be pretty bland. It was readable, and I did want to read on, but I wasn’t hooked at all, and was constantly waiting for something exciting to actually happen.
My favourite aspect of this book was Kelsea, the protagonist. I really liked her - she made the right decisions, and actually had some common sense. She was strong and brave, and I really admired just how tough she was. She was my favourite character by far, and the only thing that made the book bearable.
My main problem was that nothing happened. There were plot points, and there were scenes that I think were meant to be exciting, but for me, it just didn’t work. It wasn’t built up enough, and there was no tension, so the book overall felt a bit dull. I was anticipating greatness, and for it to be super exciting, but sadly that never came.

I would recommend this book to some people, but if high fantasy isn’t really your thing, I don’t think this is the one for you. It takes perseverance, so if you’re looking for a fast-paced, highly exciting novel, I’d recommend something like Half Bad. It was well-written, but left me disappointed with the slow-pacing. I thought it to be a rather dull read.



13 Minutes

ARC Review: 13 Minutes

20:57

13 Minutes
By Sarah Pinborough

 Source: Netgalley
Release date: 18th February 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, 

I was dead for 13 minutes. I don't remember how I ended up in the icy water but I do know this - it wasn't an accident and I wasn't suicidal. They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you're a teenage girl, it's hard to tell them apart. My friends love me, I'm sure of it. But that doesn't mean they didn't try to kill me. Does it?


I’ve read one of the author’s other books - The Death House - and I really enjoyed it, so when I saw this up for request on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it. The cover is so intriguing too, so it really caught my attention! Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed - this was a really good book, and I enjoyed it so much! I’d really recommend it to fans of thrillers, when it comes out in February next year.

There were so many plot twists, it was unreal. Every chapter, I thought things might finally settle down for a while, but nope! Each page held something as equally shocking and sinister, so I was never bored. It never went the way I thought it would, so was relentlessly entertaining, which me even more hooked. I'd recommend going in knowing as little as possible too, because then the twists are even more surprising.

I also thought the characters were really well developed. I knew from the start that we couldn’t trust anyone, but even while knowing this, I was constantly surprised on the direction all of the characters went in! I really liked Becca (the protagonist) throughout, and although she wasn’t always the ‘hero’, and the strongest, she made the right decisions, and I really cared about her story.

The ending really shocked me. I definitely wasn’t expecting that! Though, I was really happy with the way it turned out, and I’m glad we were given full closure. It made me really satisfied to finish the book - any longer and it would have felt dragged, but any shorter I would have felt that things were wrapped up too quickly. Overall, this is a really good book, that I enjoyed immensely.

5 Stars

ARC Review: Beautiful Broken Things

19:16

Beautiful Broken Things
By Sara Barnard

 Source: Netgalley
Release date: 11th February 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mental Illness, 

Goodreads Synopsis:
Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie – confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realises, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own. 

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I expected (and desperately hoped!) that it would be amazing, but I really didn’t imagine it could be so hard-hitting and emotional. I had no idea that it would destroy me in the ways it did, and shatter my poor heart into a million pieces. I am beyond words (though I will try to make a decent review!), because this book has rendered me utterly speechless.

This is one of those books where I can never words say just how amazing it is. I don’t know if I’ll be able to encourage you enough to go and buy this book when it comes out, because I just loved it so much. Loads of people have said that a book you love is always the hardest to write a review for - this one definitely takes the lead for hardest review! You just need to read the book.
There’s no romance at all, which I loved. As soon as I heard it would be a book entirely on female friendships, I requested it from Netgalley straight away. It’s so refreshing to see a book that doesn’t need romance to make it interesting. This was probably my favourite element because I hate romance it was so original, which was one of the reasons it was so hard-hitting. It captured the essence of true friendship so realistically so it’s definitely the best portrayal I’ve ever read.
I raced through this book, because I was enjoying it so much. There were parts in which I was welling up, and parts when I was breathing heavily because of how nervous I was, but overall, it was such a fun read. Sure, the ending wasn’t fun at all (I am broken!), and there were plenty of chapters that were tough, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom. There were lots of fun scenes, which really made me smile, and love the characters even more. There was loads of light-hearted bits to balance out all of the sadness, which just made me adore it even more.

It was perfectly paced, and beautifully written. When this book comes out in February, I’ll definitely be buying a physical finished copy because the cover is so pretty it’s such an exquisite book. I definitely want to read this again, and I know that everyone will love it when it’s released. I know this enchanting story will stay with me for a long time (que major book hangover), and it’s become one of my all-time favourites. I’d highly recommend (as you can tell by this gushing review!) picking this up next February - don’t forget about it, because it’s truly amazing!

Fantasy

Why I Love Reading Fantasy

09:30



Fantasy is one of my absolute favourite genres. I love it for so many different reasons, so if you’re not a massive fan of fantasy, hopefully I’ll be able to convince you to read a few of my favourites! Here are some of the reasons why I love reading fantasy:
1. It offers an escape from reality
Something that I find with fantasy - high fantasy especially - is that it isn’t usually set in the modern world. Of course, some of my favourites are, but they always focus on a different aspect of life. With so much going on, fantasy can offer a real escape. I love this because you can live as someone else, in another world.
2. The action and magic
I sometimes find that in other genres like contemporary, nothing is going on. There’s never really a death, and if there is, it’s sad, and the main plot point. With fantasy, it’s completely different! There’s dramatic deaths all the time, and whilst it’s not a good thing if one of your favourite characters dies, it can definitely make it more interesting!
3. The original ideas

Something I especially find in fantasy is that you never read two books the same. Sometimes with contemporary romance (no hate - I really like this genre too!) it can be hard for books to be original - the plot is often quite similar to many other books. Fantasy is always so different, and one of the reasons I love reading it so much is because of how original the stories always are.

4. The unique writing style

I often find that in fantasy novels, the writing is always so vivid. Often in other genres - dystopian/science fiction and contemporary especially- the writing can be choppy and disjointed, but I find this rarely happens in fantasy. In all of my favourite fantasy books, the writing is truly beautiful, and I’m yet to find a really poorly written fantasy.





What’s your favourite genre, and why do you love reading it so much? Or, if like me you’re a fan of fantasy, why do you love it so much?

5 Stars

Review: Only Ever Yours

09:30

Only Ever Yours
By Louise O'Neill

 Source: Personal purchase, paperback
Genres: Young adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Feminism

Goodreads Synopsis:
frieda and isabel have been best friends their whole lives.
Now, aged sixteen and in their final year at the School, they expect to be selected as companions - wives to wealthy and powerful men. The alternative - life as a concubine - is too horrible to contemplate.
But as the intensity of the final year takes hold, the pressure to remain perfect becomes almost unbearable. isabel starts to self-destruct, putting her beauty - her only asset - in peril.
And then, the boy arrive, eager to choose a bride.
frieda must fight for her future - even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known...

I have been putting reviewing this off for ages now, but now I’m finally gathering my thoughts to attempt a review. Because it’s just that good. Anyone who has had the pleasure of reading this will know just how hard-hitting and important it is. I didn’t love reading it, because it was a truly harrowing read, but  what I did love was how important it is, and how much it gave me to think about. it’s one of my favourite books because of this. I recommend it to everyone - regardless of your gender.

I can’t tell you how important this book is. You just have to read it for yourself, and I think the less you know, the better. It’s a haunting view of our society, but after reading, and thinking a hell of a lot about society, it’s scarily true. I know we don’t generally see women in the same way that they do in frieda and isabel’s world, but if you really think about it, we’re not too far off.
This has made me want to do something about it. I’m a teenage cis girl who has dealt with sexism for my whole life. Usually, I’ve just learnt to “accept” it, but this book has really inspired me to do something. Although life isn’t as bad as it is for the girls in Only Ever Yours, our society could become this way, and I don’t want it to happen. This book has inspired me to try and make a change (even if it’s really small).
If you’ve ever spoken to me (especially in real life), you’ll know I’m an intersectional feminist. I knew as soon as I heard about this book that I just had to pick it up. Before, I hadn’t read a book that was so blatantly feminist - it’s a hard thing to brand yourself as today, in a world that pretty much hates feminism. I was so shocked to read this, because I wasn’t expecting it at all. I have recommended it to everyone, because it’s just so good.

Please, please, just read this book. Even if you don’t “enjoy” it, it’s one of the most important books you’ll ever read, and is so cleverly crafted that I don’t see how anyone could ever regret reading it. My hat goes off to Louise O’Neill for writing such a crucial book, and I know I will read every single book written by her in the future, because I know they won’t disappoint.

3 Stars

ARC Review: Dangerous Lies

11:28

Dangerous Lies
By Becca Fitzpatrick

 Source: Gift from Anna @ Enchanted by YA - thank-you! (YALC), ARC
Genres: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary

Goodreads Synopsis:
Stella Gordon's life is a lie.
She does not belong in Thunder Basin, Nebraska. As the key witness in a murder trial, Stella is under witness protection, living a life she doesn't want. No one can know who she really is. Not even Chet Falconer, her hot, enigmatic neighbour. But against her better judgement, Stella finds herself falling under Chet's spell ...
A storm is brewing. Is Stella really safe in Thunder Basin? And will Chet be her shelter, or her downfall ...? 

I went into this book a little nervous. I binge-read all of Becca Fitzpatrick’s books around this time last year, and while I really enjoyed them then, I’m not sure that I would feel the same way now. Though, I was pleasantly surprised, because I ended up really enjoying Dangerous Lies! It was in no way a perfect book, and was greatly flawed, but it was a really fun, quick read. I think it’s definitely her best book to date!

My favourite thing about this book was all of the family themes. The book explored the importance of family, and the unconditional love within families. I haven’t found this in Fitzpatrick’s other books, but it was done really well in this one. It could get quite sad at times, but Carmina - Stella’s foster Mum - was always there, which I thought was really important. The book would have been pretty miserable without the constant love of Carmina!

I really liked the direction the book went in. It could have been stuck in the past, trying to build up tension, but the unknown was sometimes forgotten so we could just enjoy what was happening. I liked how fast paced it was, because it meant I was never bored. There was always something happening, and if it wasn’t major, I wanted to read on to solve the mystery about Stella’s past. It made Dangerous Lies a really fun and quick read.

My main problem with this book was Stella, the protagonist. At the start, she was bratty, spoiled, and hideously stupid. Under the circumstances, she was extremely lucky to be in the position she was in, but seemed to be completely taking it for granted. I hated the way she was slut-shaming and putting down complete strangers and just being really rude. This was a bad setup, because it meant I really didn’t care about her at all! Though thankfully, she changed drastically throughout the book.

By the end, I had grown to like her. She had grown out of her immature behavior from the start, and was actually really likeable. She noticed her stupid decisions, and didn’t make them any more. I was actually very surprised, because in Fitzpatrick’s other books (and YA in general), this amount of character growth is rare! She had turned into a very likeable character, which meant I was really invested in what was to happen to her in the ending.

I was disappointed in the way the book ended. With about 20 pages to go, everything wasn’t rounded off at all, and we were no better for answers than we were about 100 pages ago! I was really worried that things wouldn’t be tied up well enough, so I was a little disappointed with the way it ended. It felt very rushed, and I think it needed longer so everything wasn’t just happening at the same time. An epilogue would have been nice too, because I would have liked to see a bit more of Stella’s life and what to come for her.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read! I know that fans of Fitzpatrick’s other books will love this too, because the style is exactly the same, and in my opinion, this one is the best. There were a few things that bothered me, but I liked how everything came together at the end. I’ll definitely be reading more by Fitzpatrick in the future.