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About The Diary of a Reader | Book Blogger, Influencer

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 (thediaryofthereader@gmail.com). 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:
contactus@thediaryofareader.com

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

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Want to see what I write? Check out my blog!

 

diaryofthereader

🌙 Fantasy & Romance Book Blogger
📧 contactus@thediaryofareader.com
🫀I tell you how the book feels
🙃 mood reader
Check out my blog ⬇️

I don't think we talk enough about the kind of lov I don't think we talk enough about the kind of love that feels inevitable. 

Like no matter how many lives you live, you keep finding each other anyway.

And now I fear I'm about to build my entire personality around Our Infinite Fates.

Because what do you mean some loves don't end...they wait.

This is your sign to read a book that makes you question fate. The kind of love that doesn't ask if...only when.

Be honest are you choosing this kind kf story or running from it?

#romatsyreads #fatedmates #booksthatlinger #emotionallywreckedreads #bookquotes
Kiss of the Basilisk made me say, "EW. NO" out lou Kiss of the Basilisk made me say, "EW. NO" out loud.

Not once multiple times.

I went into it ready for chaos. I picked it up solely for that chaos. I was fully prepared to lose myself in something indulgent, messy, and a lot unhinged.

But the longer I stayed, the more it slipped.

Tem kept giving me emotional whiplash. No grounding. No growth. Just constant back and forth until I stopped trying to hold her at all.

And once that connect was gone, everything else collapsed with it.

No worldbuilding. 
No emotional anchor.
A love triangle that should have been a why choose and just...wasn't (i will scream from the rooftops why wasn't the challenger scene canon that was the best part).

It was a book that gave me moments I enjoyed, but the bigger scope was pulling me out at every turn. 

If you've been seeing Kiss of the Basilisk everywhere and wondering if it's worth the read...

⛓️ a full, unfiltered spoiler free review is waiting for you at the link in my bio.

And if you're feeling brave?
I'm giving away a first printing with sprayed edges over on the blog.

Go read it and then decide where you land.

Have you ever read a book that completely lost you halfway through? Did you DNF it or keep going?

#fantasyromance #bookreview #spicy fantasy #bookblogger #bookstagram
You don't want just any book... you want ones that You don't want just any book... you want ones that will stay with you, and I have just the books.

One will haunt you.
One will charm you.
Both will own you.

✨️GIVEAWAY TIME ✨️

I'm giving away two unforgettable arcs, and trust me, you're going to want both in your hands.

📚The Forgotten Midwife - quiet strength,  buried secrets, the kind of story that lingers in your chest.

🔮 Murder at the Spirit Lounge - séances, secrets, and a mystery that pulls you all the way in.

Now you have to tell me and be honest
👉 are you here for the emotional damage or the cozy chaos 

TO ENTER:
Follow me (don't lurk...commit)
Like this post
Save it & share it to your stories 
Comment your vibe: haunting or cozy (or both...I see you 👀)

Bonus: Tag a reader who pretends they don't need more books 
 The giveaway ends April 30th. The winner announced May 1st!

#bookgiveaway #bookstagramreads #must read books #readersofinstagram #bookloversclub
I want to be an audiobook girlie so bad...but my m I want to be an audiobook girlie so bad...but my mind wanders every five seconds 🫠🎧

Like I'll be listening...and suddenly I have no idea what just happened.
Thank you, ADHD.

I don't want background  noise.
I want something that locks me in.

So what audiobooks would you recommend? 

Fantasy. Romance. Thriller. Something emotional. Someyhing addictive. I don't care what it is...

Just give me the audiobook that made you forget everything else.

#audiobooklover #audibookrecommendations #bookrecommendations #bookobsessed #readinglife
Thistlemarsh should have been a five-star read. A Thistlemarsh should have been a five-star read.

And that's exactly the problem.

Set in post WWI England, Thistlemarsh follows a grieving girl who inherts a crumbling, fae touched manor and has one month to save it from the distant cousin she absolutely with only the help of a faerie, she absolutely shouldn't trust.

That setup?

That's my kind of book.

Atmospheric. Emotional. A little dangerous.
But the entire time, I felt like I was standing just outside of it.

I could see it.
I just couldn't feel it.

The writing leans lush, but it ends up carrying more weight than the story itself....so, instead of building something immersive, it creates this disconnect where everything looks beautiful but doesn't always hold.

And I kept waiting for it to click 

It never quite did

⭐️2.5 stars (rounded up)

Have you ever read a book where everything is there... but the feeling just doesn't land?

full review at the link in my bio

#bookreview #fantasyreader #historicalfantasy #bookstagramreads #Thistlemarsh
this is what I mean when I say I have plans... 📚✨️ this is what I mean when I say I have plans... 📚✨️

#bookstagram #booklover #bookishlife #bookstorevibes #readinglife
Do you actually follow the TBR you set at the begi Do you actually follow the TBR you set at the beginning of the month?

My April TBR for this week is less a plan and more a personality trait at this point.

What's on yours?

*side note* this is me pretending I have control over my reading life (spoiler alert, I don't 😆🫣🤷🏽‍♀️)

#AprilTBR #ReadingLife #DarkRomanceReads #BookBloggerLife #BookRecs

Keywords: April TBR, weekly TBR, reading list, fantasy books, dark romance books, books I'm reading, current reads, book blogger, what to read next
𝐼, 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑎 by Ayanna Gray BOOK REVIEW They turned 𝐼, 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑎 by Ayanna Gray BOOK REVIEW

They turned her into a monster... and then blamed her for it.

I haven't stopped thinking about 𝐼, 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑎 by Ayanna Gray since I finished it.

Meddy is a mortal in a family of gods. Already set apart. Already overlooked. And just when she thinks she's found purpose in Athena's temple...

of course, here comes a man 🙄 

and the world reminds her how little power she actually has. 

What broke me wasn't just what happened.

It was what followed.

The blame.
The way she's used.
The way she's taught how to exist... and then punished for it.

Everyone points to Poseidon. And yeah, he deserves some of the blame.

But for me?
It was Athena. 

Because how do you build someone up just to tear them down for becoming exactly what you shaped them to be?

How do you blame women for the circumstances beyond their control and actions of the men within their space?

The rage in this book doesn't explode.

It builds. It layers. It sits under your skin until it becomes impossible to ignore. 

By the time Meddy became Medusa...I wasn't afraid of her.

I understood her.

And that might be the most devastating part.

If you love Greek mythology, retelling that reclaims the women history turned into monsters....this one will stay with you.

I have a full spoiler free review up on my blog, The Diary of a Reader. ⛓️ in bio.

What's a retelling that made you completely rethink a character?

.
.
.
.
#MedusaRetelling #IMedusaBookReview #HistoricalFiction #GreekMythologyRetelling #DarkFeminineEnergy
.
.
.
.

[Keywords: Greek mythology retelling, Medusa retelling,  ayanna gray, book review, mythology books, feminine rage, fabtasy reads, book recommendations]
What's a book you gave five stars...and meant it? What's a book you gave five stars...and meant it?

Not just good. Not just hype?
I'm talking about the ones you walk around daydreaming of rereading?

The ones you felt. And still keep feeling after all this time? 

These are mine.. plus a few I already know are about to ruin me. And the ones I wouldn't even try to explain. I would just press a copy into your hands and say read this!

#bookstagram #5starreads #BookRecommendation
#booklover #TBRList
happy friday! what are you reading this weekend? happy friday!

what are you reading this weekend?

I'm reading Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan. I'm about 30% in and intrigued by the plot. I can't wait to see where it goes. 

Then I'll be jumping into either Aurora's Edge or IKONA. Have you read them yet?

Want to know what IKONA and Aurora's Edge are about. Check out the book spotlight on my blog featuring these two sci fi reads. 

🔗 in bio

#ReadingEscape #SciFiReads #fantasybookstagram #ReadingMoments #fantasymagic
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  • HOME
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