REVIEW
and EXCERPT
Books, Blogs, & Reality
by Ryan
Ringbloom
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Description
Life can suck…
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?
Excerpt
It’s not uncommon for people to have two sets of friends. The “real”
friends; these are the ones who live nearby, the ones you see or talk with
occasionally (less and less as time goes on). Then there are the “virtual”
friends; these are the ones you talk to (well, type to) every day. The latter
group comes from all over. You’ve never actually met any of them and yet you
trust them with some of the deepest, most intimate thoughts and details of your
life. You share way too much information and in return, they over-share way too
much back.
On Brooke
Bloomfield’s twenty-third birthday, she went to lunch with her real life best
friend, Lauren. The two girls had a very nice time. They gossiped in between
chews, catching up, because even though they lived only ten minutes away from
each other, they still hadn’t seen each other in quite some time. When the bill
came, Lauren grabbed it, insisting she treat Brooke on her special day. They
hugged goodbye at their cars and promised to meet for lunch or a drink soon.
Later that same
night, Brooke let loose and celebrated her birthday in a much more exciting
way, at a computer-generated party with her three online BF’s, Rachael-XXOO,
Lizzie1214, and JessRomance93. In a relatively short time, all three of these
girls had come to know more about Brooke than anyone else.
Similar tastes in
books kept connecting them through book tours and blitzes. Comments on posts
and reviews turned into discussions over emails. Tweets bounced back and forth
between the four of them endlessly, until one day they discovered a social
website designed for readers, where they could all chat privately amongst
themselves. Within no time, their virtual discussions went from benign topics
such as books they all loved, hated and/or felt somewhere in between, to a hell
of a lot more serious things.
It’s funny the
things a person will share with people they don’t actually have to face. Like a
diary into which they feed their emotions and it types back.
Praise for the Book
"Oh, I loved this, I really did! I do indeed have two sets of
friends and never the twain shall meet. So this was just spot on, and add in
the books and blogging?? Just fab! [...] A much lighter, refreshing book to my
usual reads, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It still has pain and romance,
anguish and elation, shock and surprise, I laughed with them, felt for them and
cheered for them. It has a lot of real life that could be happening to any
given group of friends, across the globe, right now." ~ Debbie
"I found myself smiling , laughing, crying along with
the girls. I felt as if I was a part of their group. I was impressed by the
writing style of the author. I like the way each chapter is from one of the
girls point of view. Very interesting way to tell a story." ~ Ruthie
"This would make for a fun and very interesting movie. It was fun
reading their reactions to each other situations. The author did a great job
with these characters. I really enjoyed this book, sometimes I will go back and
re-read books and this is one I would definitely re-read. Love how much they
all cared about each other." ~ Katheryn, Sweet N Sassy Book A Holics
"Ryan did a fabulous job with Books,
Blogs, and Reality. I would recommend this book to anyone that has a small
tight net group of internet friends, bloggers, romance lovers ... so yeah I
recommend this book to everyone. lol. It’s a fast, fun, fulfilling read that I
couldn’t put down. I for sure wanted more, and couldn’t have loved the
characters more. Each lady in BB&R
are all relatable in their own aspects. I connected most with Lizzie and loved
her dearly. I would love to see more from all of these ladies and how they have
continued their friendships, and personal relationships." ~ Christina Gobin
" ... it was a great inside look at bloggers' lives and the
friendship that develops between people online. It also reiterates the reality
that daily life is very different than what you read in a novel. I loved, loved
this book!!! It was the very first book I have read by Ryan Ringbloom, but it
will definitely not be my last. It made me cherish the friendships that I have
developed with several ladies I have met online. I truly cherish these women
and look forward to chatting with them every day. Thank, Ryan, for a wonderful read!"
~ christie72
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
Four women who have never met bond online over books, blogging, and men. Brooke
begins a forbidden relationship with her new boss, Rachael wants to experiment
with bondage like in the books she's been reading, Lizzie rekindles a
relationship with an old boyfriend, and Jess thinks she can change the bad boy
like they do in the books she loves to read. These four women start off just
talking about books, but quickly turn to other topics, especially men. As these
conversations become more intimate, the girls reveal more to each other than
they do to anyone in their "real" lives.
Books, Blogs, & Reality is told in a mixture of online chats, narrative, and book reviews, and ends
with a blog post by each woman on the lessons learned. Basically, they all
discover that real life is not like it is in a novel. This is a compulsively
readable book. It is very insightful and contains some wonderful lines. This is
a book for the modern times, for the modern woman who spends a lot of time
online. I'm sure my fellow book bloggers will see themselves in at least one of
these women.
A light, humorous, and emotionally satisfying read.
About the Author
Ryan Ringbloom is a YA/NA author who lives for anything Romance. The
passion, love, angst, awkwardness … she loves all of it. When Ryan needs a
break from reality she sneaks off to read a romantic story or write one of her
own. Drinking coffee, reading Tweets and hugs from her six year old are the
best part of her day.
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