2016 releases

ARC Review: My Life Next Door

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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

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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

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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

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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.