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We Read Deeply. We Influence Authentically. We’re Here for the Books That Matter!

There’s a new kind of book influencer rising—one with a book blog that values connection, honesty, and a bookish life that’s as meaningful as it is shared.

the diary of a reader book blogger

About The Diary of a Reader

This story began as a scattered hobby in July 2020, wholly centered around books and the joy they bring. Starting a reading journal felt natural—reading has always been my quiet escape, my favorite kind of magic. And what started as a personal space to share thoughts and quotes became a space where passion met purpose.

As my love for books grew, so did my love for photography, especially after my children were born. That spark pushed me to learn how to edit, shoot, and share, eventually giving life to my Bookstagram and this book blog. I began combining visual storytelling with thoughtful book reviews, slowly carving out a place in the larger book influencer and social media space.

The Diary of a Reader is now a creative fusion of images, feelings, stories, and reflections. You’ll find a little of everything here—from cozy recommendations to content that sparks deeper emotion. But more than anything, I want to showcase books that bring joy, words that linger, and posts that stir something good inside of you.

I hope you find comfort in perusing The Diary of a Reader—whether it leads you to your next favorite book, gives you the confidence to start your own book blog, or simply invites you to be comfortably happy in solitude. This is your cozy corner of the internet—and I hope it feels like home.

Trust me—this just might become your new favorite book blog.

About Dominique

I’m Dominique—someone who’s usually thinking about food or books, sometimes both. I live somewhere between annotated pages and pristine hardcovers, deep reviews and silly Instagram captions, publishing trends and bedtime stories with my kids.

You’ll often find me staying up too late (never early mornings because sleeping in is LIFE), drawing inspiration from my children’s tiny daily rituals, and getting lost in a sea of book community photos on Pinterest. I’m the type who can’t pick between two good things, because the answer will always be both.

This blog, and everything tied to it, is my joy. I’ve earned five degrees (yes, five), the most recent being a Master’s. I call Miami home, but I live in Georgia. But no matter where I’ve gone or who I’ve become, books have always been the constant. They’re my anchor. My escape. My return.

The Diary of a Reader is my way of giving back to the book community through thoughtful content, honest reviews, and an open invitation for readers, authors, influencers, and publishers alike to connect, collaborate, and be inspired.

—

Say hello on Instagram and Pinterest. You can follow more of my thoughts on books on Goodreads. Or drop me an email ([email protected]). I always write back.

Sprinkle words like stardust,

Dominique

—

I’d love to chat and see if we can work together.

What You’ll Find Here

  • Thoughtful Reviews – No fluff, just real reactions and analysis that connect with readers
  • Social Media Campaigns – Strategic, emotionally engaging, and tailored for each platform
  • Book Group Energy – We’re more than a blog. We’re a community of readers who love to talk, share, and reread
  • Opportunities for Collaboration – Open to select influencer programs, ARCs, and brand-aligned partnerships
  • Insights for Authors & Publishers – I help bridge the gap between books and the audiences who will champion them

Book Blog Community Connection

This space is for the reader who dog-ears pages, the author who pours heart into every sentence, and the publisher looking for engaging connections that actually convert.

If you’re building a book influencer program, launching a title, or want your book seen by readers who care, you’re in the right place.

I don’t just talk about books—I create conversations around them.

Contact Me

Interested in collaborating or connecting?

Whether you’re a publisher, author, part of a book influencer program, or simply someone who found a post that moved you, I’d love to hear from you.

To work with me, pitch a title, request a book review, recommend something beautiful, or just say hello, email me directly at:
[email protected]

Let’s build something engaging, honest, and unforgettable—together.

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diaryofthereader

Book Reviewer | Fantasy, Romance, & Thriller Reviews
Probably Reading
Helping You Find Your Next Obsession
[email protected]

LUCKY DAY REVIEW What if hitting the jackpot mean LUCKY DAY REVIEW

What if hitting the jackpot meant tearing the universe apart?

Chuck Tingle’s Lucky Day is the kind of horror novel that lingers—equal parts absurd and aching. From a haunted Vegas casino to a woman unraveling in real time, this book was like watching probability fold in on itself... and I couldn’t look away.

Vera’s grief is raw, messy, and coded in a way that made my autistic heart clench. Her house is falling apart, her routines are survival, and every win comes at a soul-splitting cost. This book had me laughing one page, spiraling the next. It’s fast-paced and horrifying, but underneath the chaos is something deeply human.

Think Paul Tremblay, Grady Hendrix, and Cassandra Khaw walked into a casino—and lost their minds.

I break it all down—monkeys in Hamlet costumes and all—on the blog.

Read the full review on The Diary of a Reader now.
 
Thank you to @tornightfire for sending me an advance copy

#LuckyDay #ChuckTingle #TheDiaryOfAReader #HorrorBooks #NewHorrorNovel #BookReview #Bookstagram #QueerHorror #GradyHendrix #PaulTremblay #AutisticMC #SupernaturalHorror #VegasIsntSafe #HauntedHouseStory #SurvivorsGuilt #HorrorGenre #GothicHorror

Horror • Fiction • Queer Horror • Book Review • Supernatural Horror • Gothic Horror
BOOK REVIEW: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham Th BOOK REVIEW: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham

There’s something chilling about a story that doesn’t just haunt you—it knows you.

Claire’s sister disappeared twenty-two years ago. A closed case. A sealed past. Until a return home... and a diary hidden in the walls pulls her into a web of secrets no one wants unraveled.

Stacy Willingham has a way of writing psychological thrillers that sinks its claws deep into your marrow, refusing to release you. It beckons like a siren song, unraveling memory, obsession, and the stories we bury.
Marcia’s diary? The missing women? Mitchell Galloway? It’s all connected—but not in the way you think. 

I devoured this with the same obsession as A Flicker in the Dark and The Golden Couple.
Claire’s recklessness made me want to scream scratch that I was screaming at her. YOU DONT HAVE TIME, LEAVE NOW!!!—but isn’t that what a great thriller does? It pulls you into the danger and dares you to keep going.

If you love a thriller that simmers with dread and spirals with purpose, add this to your TBR immediately. And if you haven't read Willinghams other books especially All the Dangerous Things what are you doing?!

Full review on my blog 🔗 bio. Save this and tag a friend who NEEDS to read this. Let’s talk theories. Did YOU see the twist coming?

Thank you to @minotaur_books for sending me an eARC to review. Forget Me Not releases August 26th.

#thrillerbookreview | #psychologicalthriller | #mysterythriller | #currentlyreading

#thrillerbookreview #bookreview #psychologicalthriller #stacywillingham #bookblogger #mysterythriller #currentlyreading #booktokbooks #bookrecommendations
Stack Saturday is here—what unread book has been Stack Saturday is here—what unread book has been collecting dust like a ticket to a sold-out rock show?

Tell me I’m not the only one who collects entire series just to look at them like band merch I never wear.
My biggest offenders? Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I own every book—every piece—like I’ve been front row at every event, but I’ve never cracked one open.
This year, I’m finally hitting the stage.

These books are calling like a live show I’ve waited years to see. Magic. Queens. Dragons. Chaos. Everything I live for in a book—just waiting for me to show up.

What’s the one book or series that’s still in your stack, haunting you like a night you almost went out?

Drop it below. Let’s confess our backlist sins together.

#StackSaturday #UnreadBooks #FantasyBooks #BacklistChallenge #BookStack #ReadingLife #BookstagramChallenge #RedQueen #PrioryOfTheOrangeTree #BookScene #LiveYourStory #TBRGoals #BookBand
📬✨ A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Ca 📬✨ A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall has officially claimed a spot on my special editions shelf, and the FairyLoot version? Otherworldly. 💜🌊

Told in epistolary format, this story is built from the fragmented letters between renowned scholar Henerey Clel, his vibrant sister Sophy, and the mysterious Vyerin. A year after their disappearance into the sunken archive, an underwater world unfolds—filled with deep house ruins, forgotten civilizations, and a romance that bubbles up like oxygen in the dark. 🐚💌

There’s a beautiful discovery outside the usual tropes here, and as a reader, piecing together each letter felt like being invited to a secret world through a new window. It's Emily Wilde meets the sea, but with its own luminous magic. ✍🏽🫧

This special edition glows—literally and metaphorically. With sprayed edges, intricate foiling, and that underwater shimmer, it’s a must-have for collectors of fantasy and those who devour character-driven, letter-based love stories. 💖

⏳ Don’t wait, and make space on your shelf. This box? Worth every unit.

📚 Have you read it yet? Or what's the most beautiful special edition you own?

#ALetterToTheLuminousDeep #FairyLoot #SpecialEditions #EpistolaryNovel #HenereyClel #SisterSophy #SylvieCathrall #BookHighlight #FantasyRomance #UnderwaterWorld #SunkenArchive #BookReview #LilyCafe #ManageSubscriptions  #DeepHouse #LettersFromTheDeep #RomanticFantasy
RIDE WITH ME by @simonesoltani REVIEW I devoured RIDE WITH ME by @simonesoltani REVIEW 

I devoured 448 pages of Simone Soltani’s Ride with Me in one caffeine‑fueled swoop and still wanted bonus laps. Imagine: a hilariously hazy Vegas “I do,” F1 glitter, and chemistry so electric my Kindle nearly overheated.  

Okay, real talk: Ride with Me isn’t just cute‑meet chaos on the Strip—it’s a masterclass in tension, trust, and tender second chances. Thomas? He’s proof that a man can own his screw‑ups, apologize publicly, and still beam pure sunshine. Stella? She’s the patron saint of picking up your shattered pride, gluing it back together with glitter, and strutting anyway.

Together = banter that had me cackling, a slow burn that TORTURED me (in the best way), and a finale that left me ugly‑cry‑grinning. I highlighted half the book, kicked my feet like a tween, and text‑screamed “I’M OBSESSED” to every romance buddy I know.

Yes, the tension idles forever (Stella’s rules, Thomas’s respect), but the payoff scene? Fireworks over the finish line. The emotional growth, self‑reclamation, and “messy starts → dazzling endings” theme hit me right in the feels.

🏁 Verdict: 4.5/5 squealing pit‑stop squeaks. If you crave heart, humor, and high‑octane drama, add #RideWithMe to your TBR now. 

Did the slow burn sometimes feel like waiting three pit stops for fresh tires? Absolutely. I wanted at least one extra “OMG finally!” scene because the lap‑dance tease in hour four set my expectations sky‑high. And the hinted‑at cheating subplot? Left dangling like a loose rear wing—grr. But the emotional pay‑off still slapped. Hard.

Favorite moment? Stella was standing trackside in killer heels, ready to gush about how well Thomas drove. I legit teared up. Least favorite? Every time, miscommunication kept these two idiots apart. But hey—frustration is half the fun in romance‑land, right?

Drop a 🏎️ if you’re racing to read, or tell me your fave accidental‑marriage romance below!

Thank you so much to @berkleyromance for including me on this blog tour. My full review is up on my blog!

#BookReview #ContemporaryRomance #F1Romance #SlowBurn #AccidentalMarriage #Bookstagram #RomanceRead
Brooding. Brilliant. Bloody. Happy #StackSatu Brooding. Brilliant. Bloody.

Happy #StackSaturday

My Dark Academia stack for the souls who underline in candlelight and chase knowledge past the point of no return. 🕯️📜 

I’ve always dreamed of hiding in the campus library after closing, racing the dust-thin margins of forbidden texts while the storm rattled stained-glass windows. Every thunderclap felt like a heartbeat inside these pages. I’m no longer in school, but this stack brings it back.

✒️ House of Marionne – secret societies & simmering power

🎭 If We Were Villains – Shakespeare, obsession, guilt

🌊 Curious Tides – moon-touched magic & whispered plots

🖼️ Portrait of a Thief – art heists as cultural reclamation

🩸 An Education in Malice – sapphic menace at an elite college

🕯️ A Discovery of Witches – alchemy, archives, forbidden love

🏛️ The Will of the Many – empire-driven academy politics

🔮 Ink Blood Sister Scribe – ink-bound inheritance & deadly lore

♟️ Ace of Spades – sabotage in the ivory tower

🐍 Ninth House – Ivy League ritual gone dark

This isn’t just a stack—it’s a dark syllabus for the beautifully unhinged.
Which one’s calling your name tonight?

👇 Drop your favorite dark academia book in the comments. Let’s build a library worthy of candlelit obsession.

#DarkAcademia #StackSaturday #BookStack #GothicReads #MoodyBooks #BookstagramStack #CampusMystery #MorallyGrayMCs #ReadingAesthetic #BookishDarkness #DarkAcademiaVibes #BookInfluencer
✨ You know that feeling when a fantasy world sin ✨ You know that feeling when a fantasy world sinks its claws into you and won’t let go?
Yeah… these completed fantasy trilogies do not play. They’re intense, addictive, and best of all — they’re DONE. No waiting. No pain. Just pure binge bliss.

I’ve read a lot of fantasy. These? They stuck.
We’re talking:
👑 morally gray royalty, I’d die for
🗡️ heroines who don’t beg, they burn
🔥 magic systems that make you believe
💔 and plot twists that whisper “just one more chapter” until it's 3 am

If your TBR list needs a little drama, a little danger, and a lot of “HOW did I not read this sooner?” — this is your sign.

Trust me — you’ll finish one and immediately need a support group.
(Or at least a comment section of fellow wrecked readers 👀)

👇 Tell me which one you’ve read. Which one you’re adding?
Let’s cry, scream, and obsess together.

#FantasyTrilogies #BookstagramTBR #FantasyBookRecs #CompletedFantasySeries #BookObsessed #FantasyReads #EnemiesToLoversBooks #BingeWorthyReads #FantasyAddict #BookInfluencerApproved #BookRecsThatHit #MustReadFantasy #NoMoreCliffhangers
✨ Dark. Vicious. Addictive. A Debt of Shattered ✨ Dark. Vicious. Addictive.

A Debt of Shattered Hope by N. Caceres isn’t just a book—it’s a descent into a Fae realm built on blood oaths, betrayal, and the kind of rage that could burn kingdoms to ash.

“I will not tame fate. I will force it to its knees.”

And that’s Sóna Mac Raith in one breathless sentence. Shackled, bitter, and hellbent on tearing the Fae world apart—one brutal truth at a time.

Enter: the Raven of the Dawn. A disgraced prince drowning in sins, vengeance, and a pull toward Sóna that might kill them both.

🔥 Enemies-to-lovers
🖤 Grumpy x grumpier
⚔️ Morally gray leads
✨ Dark fantasy magic + cutthroat Fae court

This is for the readers who crave romantasy with teeth. Who don’t just want tension—they want chaos.

If you’ve been waiting for a story that feels like holding a blade to your own heart just to see who’ll flinch first… this one is already calling your name.

📖 Gifted by the incredible @haus.of.fables_pr

#ADebtofShatteredHope #NCaceres #FaeRomance #DarkFantasyRomance #FantasyBookstagram #EnemiesToLoversBooks #MorallyGrayHeroes #FaeBooks #GrumpyXGrumpy #HausofFables #BookishObsessed #FantasyRomanceDuet #GiftedBooks #RomantasyReads #BookTokMadeMeReadIt
Happy #StackSaturday Is it a TBR or a cry for hel Happy #StackSaturday

Is it a TBR or a cry for help? Because honestly… I might be in my “just one more stack” era.
⠀
Paperbacks teetering. Hardcovers hiding. A sequel with no sign of book one. These stacks aren’t curated — they’re confessions.
⠀
Unread books I forgot I bought. Books I swore I’d read “next.” And a few that just stare back at me like, really? Still nothing?
⠀
Some titles peek through, and others stay buried — but that’s the best part of being a reader. Sometimes, the story finds you when you’re finally ready to meet it.
⠀
📚 I’ll go first: One book in this stack has been haunting me since 2021. I’ve started it. Abandoned it. Moved it to three different shelves. Your turn. What book have you been skipping… but can’t let go of? 👇
⠀
#UnreadBooks #TBRStack #BookStacksOnBookStacks #ReadingConfessions #BookishChaos #BookLoversUnite #BooksEverywhere #ReadersLife #StackSaturday #BookishVibes #WeekendReads #BookAesthetic #InstaBooks #BookObsessed #ReadersOfInstagram #BookFlatlay #BooksBooksBooks 

--
Let’s talk about Ascension by St. Gibson — a 2 Let’s talk about Ascension by St. Gibson — a 2025 release I couldn’t stop thinking about the second I turned the last page of Evocation. If you’re into character-driven fantasy romance with just the right amount of chaos, longing, and emotional devastation... this one belongs on your TBR immediately.

Rhys is now High Priest of a secret society in Boston — powerful, complicated, and haunted by both demons and desire. Moira is his witch wife, the grounding force he doesn't always deserve. And David? David is temptation incarnate. Their dynamic is electric — a triangle that twists, burns, and bleeds with feeling.

What I love most about Gibson’s writing is how it mirrors her characters. The prose spirals, seduces, and cracks at the edges — just like Rhys. This isn’t just fantasy. It’s a feeling. It’s obsession. It’s what happens when power and love pull you in opposite directions.

If you’re craving something messy, magical, and emotionally immersive — Ascension is the one.

🖤 Queer dark fantasy
🖤 Found family meets secret society
🖤 Emotional slow burn
🖤 Witchcraft, demons, love triangles
🖤 St. Gibson is one of my auto-buy authors

⚡️Full review up on my blog!

Thank you so much to @angryrobotbooks for sending me this stunning ARC to review. 

#Ascension #StGibson #FantasyRomance #BookReview #DarkFantasy #SecretSociety #BookstagramRecs #QueerBooks #WitchWife #2025Reads #BookTokMadeMeReadIt #BooksWithMagic #CharacterDrivenStories #TheDiaryOfAReader #BookReview #Ascension BookReview
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